Hermies eating behaviour

[buckles]

Hey all,

Apologies in advance if this is already covered but as a Hermies noob I dont really know much, but how often would you expect them to eat? and whats a sign that they have eaten?

[D'sCrabs]

I am new to crabs to. I have trouble telling to. The only way I can tell mine have eaten is on the rare ocassion the crawl around in the bowl.and scatter the food. Or by carefully adding piles that they have no choice but to Sorta mess up when they eat. And Im still not sure they eat it.. The only nite I was sure was the first time I gave mine sea weed. And only cause they ate it all. I would also like to know how to tell for sure.

[CrabbyJo]

To be able to tell for sure, if you have sand you can smooth the substrate out around the food dish. If you don't have sand, then check for substrate in the dish the next morning - even tiny bits. They don't get in there by themselves.

Offer things like organic, unsweetened applesauce, or raw unsalted peanutbutter, and make sure the surface is smooth. Offer their fruits and veggies in small chunks and make sure the cuts are clean so you can tell if a nip is taken out. Our crabs eat SUCH small amounts sometimes that it is very hard to tell if they've been nibbling. You may find lines in the applesauce and peanutbutter (or holes!) and if you offer a dry item, like ground up grains (whole grains ground up in a clean coffee grinder) you can tell if they've disturbed a neat little pile of that. Look carefully at the dish before you put it in the tat so you can sort of "memorize" what it looks like, then look again very closely and carefully the next day. And if your crabs are dragging anything around, chances are very high they are eating it too, though not all of it so it's hard to tell!

As for the seaweed, if they ate it all, they truly need it more often. Remember that hermit crabs do not necessarily eat the same foods two days in a row, up to even two weeks later they may not touch the same food. Keep in mind also that not all your crabs may have gotten a nibble of each item you put in, so go ahead and offer it all on a rotating regular basis. Seaweed should be offered if not daily, every other day. Seaweed is rich in vital nutrients, moreso than most other foods. but other foods offer things seaweed does not, so they need it all. Protein should also be offered daily, as well as a good calcium source and gosh I guess I could go on and on. They need cellulose, which is a plant fiber, and it can be found in cork bark (cheap at the pet store) and cholla wood, crunchy maple and oak leaves (no pesticides!), and coconut husk.
Hope I haven't overwhelmed you!

[D'sCrabs]

I have only had my crabs little over a month. Since I got the seaweed I do keep a small amount in there tank daily..I also rotate 4 commercial foods in another dish. Plus do fresh stuff in a third... hope that's right.

[Crabby Appleton]

My hermies love maple & oak leaves. How often should they get them? If I put one in their crabitat, its gone in a few hours. I just don't want to over do a good thing.

[ladybug15057]

Once every week or two to make sure they get the other nutrients they need.

[Tetra8CClyPeatus]

Mine munch on foliage which always stay in.
Barks, leaves, flowers, etc.

I make sure they have their worm castings, and calcium mineral sources too.

Fresh foods I put in at night and take out the next morning. Because the fresh foods get icky.
Dried foods, can stay in longer

Other signs is when there are pinch marks in their food, scattered around.

But it's a peeve when spread around and they dig food