Hey guys here are some observations I have noticed with my crabs.
They like really smelly food I think everyone knows that, I bought a coconut, scooped out some of it, and microwaved it for a couple seconds and it had this heavenly tropical smell to it, don't serve them right away as they should not eat hot food. When I gave it to them, my crab Gilbert was hitting the coconut with his antennae super fast. At night they grouped around the food dish. All eating the coconut.
This ones a little weird, and this one works for my crab I don't know about any other ones...
I very carefully cut cuttlebone into unique shapes, and my hyperactive crab, Gilbert, started wrestling it. It looked like he was about to change into a shell or something
It was still funny.
I know most people don't like feeding their crabs commercial food, however I found that Crab Island dried banana TREATS are a huge success! they take the treats and drag it all over the tank, they look funny when they walk with em'. And again, my main attraction, Gilbert takes the treats up to his basking spot on a large mopani branch draped with vines.
Other favorites include regular bananas, grapes, blueberries, popcorn and I sometimes give them a organic honey and peanut butter mixture over other foods.
I found if you make "Crab salad" They get proper nutrition, however the crabs weren't a huge fan compared to the dried bananas...they still ate it though. Here's the recipe...it doesn't need to be measured.
Take some ROMAINE (not ICEBURG) lettuce and mix it with Apple, Pear, Pineapple, Grape, Banana, Blueberries, Strawberries...or a mixture of more than 1. I use 1 fruit so I don't over crowd it. This provides basic taste to the food.
Add some carotene rich veggies such as corn or carrots. This will help with the coloring of the exo.
Take a cuttle bone and smash it up into powder and sprinkle over the salad, this will help with much needed calcium.
Take a REALLY SMELLY protein food like krill or dired shrimp wholes...exo and all...it may be a good idea to grind up the krill or whatever as best as you can but it isn't necessary.
Review:
romaine lettuce and basic sweet fruit for taste.
Carrots or corn for coloring
Cuttlebone for calcium
Smelly protein foods for attraction to the food and protein.
Its not that bad I found the crabs enjoyed it alot but its far inferior to the dired banana treats which shouldn't be fed daily.
Good luck!
