Dried Foods

[Andee]

What kind of dried foods like a staple diet should I feed my hermies when I get them. I don't know what kind I am going to get yet. I know I shouldn't feed them commercial hermit crab food, but is there anything that I don't have to buy off the internet that I can do? I mean if absolutely must I will order off the internet, but I would prefer to make my own or something similar.

[Wai]

I like to give them organic muesli instead of commercial hermit crab food. The muesli has a wide variety of nuts and fruits. I then mix spirulina, dried shrimp and calcium carbonate powder with the muesli and then offer that as their staple diet. They get a bit of that mixture everyday, plus different fresh fruits and meat.

[Andee]

Ah thanks Wai, I asked my mom earlier today if I could get the ten gallon and start building my stuff up, she said ask again after school starts.

[Andee]

Ok I went searching for everything I was gonna get today, and learned my total would be around 405 dollars or something .___.' but I still plan to do it. I was looking for calcium carbonate to add to the list and couldn't find anything that was just straight calcium carbonate, besides the Avian stuff. It says to use only with birds though D=. So does that mean I can't use it with hermit crabs? If so then what should I use?

[Gizaroo]

I'm pretty sure you can use cuttlebone (such that birds would use). The easiest way to give it to them is to scrape it into a fine dust for the smaller crabs. I've put small chunks of it in my tanks, and my larger crabs just pinch off what they want.

I also have some flavored stuff I've gotten from hermitcrabaddictionstore lol.

I know Wai and others know so much more than me though! I'm still learning new stuff about them.

[Andee]

Oh I didn't know the cuttlebone would scrape apart o.O I can use that then thank you <3

[ladybug15057]

Actually one doesn't have to order or buy foods for hermies to eat. (maybe a couple) Hermies can eat what we do prior to adding seasoning to it and still maintain a healthy diet. HCP has a Sister site that has many foods and many are already sorted into food groups:

http://hermitcrabcuisine.com/

And Sue's post about 1/2 way down this page:
http://crabbywiki.com/tiki-index.php?pa ... ab+meat%3F

Most do not eat seaweed, and this last time I found it at WalMart for a little over $2 which at the pet store it was almost $9!

But a stable diet, hermies are so fussy at times they need a wide variety. They have been known not to eat the same food for a week, sometimes 2 weeks.

[ladybug15057]

If your family eat eggs, save the shells and boil them. This is a good source of calcium for them, and we do not eat the shells anyway.

[Andee]

I have made the sites a favorite and will constantly be looking stuff up. I have a feeling I will be fixing not only eggshells for my hermies but the eggs themselves, since I've heard they are ok. Thank you sooo much, this has been really helpful ^^. I can't wait to get them.

[ladybug15057]

Just remember hermies do eat very little. So if you do prepare something for them that you do not get very often it can be frozen for use later on. Hermies do not mind if the food is a little discolored or a little mushy. During the summer when fruits and veggies are usually a little less expensive one can buy them and prepare single servings for fall, winter, and spring use.
It's just the initial set up is a bit costly.