A Varied Diet

[erikleeson]

Every couple of weeks I like to share my mind with the crabbing community. I know everyone knows to feed their crabs a varied diet, so I'm going to review some things like that and expand on it and provide examples and collect other peoples opinions. I hope this thread can become a useful source of information for beginning crabbers out there.

We know hermit crabs are scavengers, so they take advantage of any available food
What is food for a hermit crab? Well, they eat things many humans wouldn't normally eat. Wood, live plants, insects, feces and various forms of fungi that may be poisonous to mammals. But If you have a piece of cork bark and a slice of apple in your tank simultaneously, will the crab choose the apple or the bark?

Well our mind says the apple, its like choosing pizza over salad. But what about the crabs mind? Through many experiments we know that crabs enjoy fruits and veggies alot but also eat a varied diet as possible. If we feed our crabs apples everyday, isn't the crab going to go for a different food?

"Hermit crabs are scavengers, but they don't eat just anything, one study showed that hermit crabs enjoy eating a different food each day rather than the usually fed food item
Taken from: Hermit Crabs: A Complete Pet Owners Manual by, Sue Fox.

Our hungry little crustaceans seek a variety of food in both wild in captivity. In the wild, fruit should be less common than fallen leaves, bark and grass. But given the opportunity, the crab will feast on fallen fruits and other vegetation. Feeding a varied diet in captivity will satisfy both the crabs nutritional value and interests. There are three basic nutrients important in a hermit crabs diet.

Calcium: Aids in proper growth in the exoskeleton and contributes to the stress amount in molting. More calcium intake before the ecdysis (molt) will allow the crab to shed the exoskeleton of more easily and the molt will be alot easier on the crab. Egg shells, broccoli, cuttlebone, coral, dry cereals, cabbage, roast almonds, turnips, orange, chickpeas, tofu and instant oats are all excellent sources of calcium and all satisfy hermits needs.

Carotene: Zeaxanthin in an important carotenoid that contributes to the color of a crustaceans exoskeleton. Bright, vibrant colored vegetables and fruits are all high in carotene. Such examples are apple skins, cranberries, corn, nectarine, pumpkin, broccoli, beets, shrimp tails, apricots, lentils, yams, avocado, romaine lettuce and carrots

Protein: Little is known about protein in crustacean`s diet, but protein aids in muscle growth in most mammals so we think it contributes to exoskeleton growth much like calcium. Physical features may be more of a importance with protein where as calcium makes the exoskeleton function properly. A hermit crab with "plump" limbs may have a better intake of protein than one with skinny legs. Nevertheless, feed your hermit crabs Alfalfa, ground beef, raw avocado, lima beans, chow mein, whole wheat grain foods, artichoke, sun dried tomatoes, squash, spinach, peppers, poultry, black beans, lamb chops, drained beets and boiled parsnips for extra protein that may be beneficial to your hermit crabs.

All these foods and more will provide the necessary nutrients for your hermit crab. The more varied diet you serve your crab, the more nutrients your crab will get, your crab will also enjoy eating new foods including ones they could not find in the wild like flax seed, potatoes, guava, cucumber, snails chicken bone, and cauliflower. It is very easy to feed your hermit crabs and what many people don`t know is the unlimited supply of foods you can feed them. Most people will look at the drawers in the refrigerator for fruits and veggies while many other foods are available. Many hermit crabs that are properly cared for live for up to 20 years but why is it that they can live up to 40 years in the wild? I think crabbers are leaving out something important when caring for the hermit crabs and I think it has something to do with diet. People learn more about hermit crabs each day and I think that we may reach a breakthrough in care for these interesting creatures. The basic message is: Feed a varied diet as possible and your crab will love you. it also may love you longer then it ever could. Thank you for listening, I hope you learned something and I hope you share your thoughts and information.

[Hermie's rule]

Good for you for simplifing crabby dieting. I handle everything except crabby nutrition. That is the one subject that escapes me entirely so, I prefer to let Vicki figure it out for me. Human nutrition is complicated enough for me to remember, but crabby nutrition is almost immpossible.