Before welcoming a hermit crab into your home, understanding their dietary needs is essential. Knowing “What Food Do Hermit Crabs Eat” is crucial for ensuring their health and longevity. In their natural habitat, land hermit crabs are omnivores, meaning their diet consists of both plant and animal matter. In a captive environment, replicating this varied diet is key. A balanced approach involves providing a quality commercial hermit crab food as a base, supplemented with a diverse array of fresh foods and occasional treats to mimic their natural foraging habits.
Keep reading to delve into the specifics of feeding your hermit crab, covering everything from commercial diets to fresh food options and essential nutrients.
Commercial Hermit Crab Food: A Convenient Base
Commercial hermit crab diets offer a convenient and often nutritionally complete foundation for your pet’s meals. While these specialized foods might not always be readily available in smaller pet stores depending on your location, they are easily accessible through online retailers.
Florida Marine Research (FMR) and Zoo Med are reputable brands known for producing high-quality commercial hermit crab foods and treats. FMR offers time-tested formulas, while Zoo Med provides a variety of pelleted diets and treats designed to appeal to even the most discerning hermit crab palates.
Pelleted foods are generally fed once daily. For smaller crabs, crushing the pellets can make them easier to consume. Moistening the pellets slightly can also enhance palatability. It is important to remove any uneaten food, including commercial pellets, every day to maintain a clean and healthy environment and prevent bacterial growth.
Fresh Foods and Treats: Mimicking Nature’s Buffet
While commercial diets offer convenience and balanced nutrition, supplementing them with fresh foods is vital for enriching your hermit crab’s diet. Hermit crabs thrive on variety, and offering a rotating selection of fresh foods mirrors their natural scavenging behavior and ensures they receive a broad spectrum of nutrients.
A diverse range of fresh foods and treats can be offered to your hermit crab on a rotational basis. Introduce a few options one day, and then switch to a different selection the next to keep their meals interesting and nutritionally balanced.
Consider incorporating these fresh foods and treats into your hermit crab’s diet:
- Fruits: Mango, papaya, coconut (fresh or dried), apples, applesauce, bananas, grapes, pineapple, strawberries, melons.
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Dried coconut flakes are a nutritious and appealing treat for pet hermit crabs, offering essential fiber and natural oils.
- Vegetables: Carrots, spinach, watercress, leafy green lettuces (excluding iceberg lettuce), broccoli.
- Other Plant Matter: Grass, leaves and strips of bark from deciduous trees (avoid coniferous trees).
- Nuts & Seeds: Unsalted nuts and seeds offer healthy fats and protein.
- Occasional Treats: Peanut butter (in moderation), raisins, seaweed (nori sheets from grocery stores).
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Dried seaweed sheets, like nori, are a nutritious source of minerals and trace elements, making them a beneficial supplement to a hermit crab’s diet.
- Grains & Starches (in moderation): Crackers (unsalted or low salt), unsweetened cereals, plain rice cakes, popcorn (plain, air-popped, occasional treat).
- Protein Sources (cooked and in moderation): Cooked eggs, meats, and seafood.
- Dried & Frozen Options: Freeze-dried shrimp and plankton (available in pet stores in the fish food section), brine shrimp, fish food flakes.
While this list offers a wide variety, most fruits (fresh or dried) are safe for hermit crabs. However, it’s generally recommended to limit highly acidic or citrus fruits such as oranges, tomatoes, lemons, and limes, as excessive acidity can be detrimental to their health.
Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Hermit Crab
Certain foods should be avoided to ensure your hermit crab’s well-being. Starchy vegetables like potatoes are not recommended, and iceberg lettuce should be avoided due to its minimal nutritional value.
While hermit crabs might be attracted to salty, fatty, or sugary snacks like pretzels, chips, and sweetened cereals, these should be strictly avoided. These processed foods lack nutritional value and can be harmful to hermit crabs in the long run. Dairy products should also be excluded from their diet as hermit crabs are not equipped to digest lactose.
The Importance of Calcium for Hermit Crabs
Calcium is a crucial mineral for hermit crabs, especially for maintaining a healthy exoskeleton. It is particularly vital during molting, the process where hermit crabs shed their old exoskeletons to grow. Providing ample calcium is essential for successful molting and overall health.
Here are several effective ways to provide sufficient calcium to your hermit crabs:
- Cuttlebone: Readily available in pet stores (often in the bird section), cuttlebone can be offered whole or shredded and mixed into their food.
- Calcium Vitamin Supplements: Reptile calcium supplements are suitable for hermit crabs and can be easily added to their food.
- Crushed Oyster Shell: Found in the bird section of pet stores, crushed oyster shell is an excellent natural source of calcium.
- Coral Sand: Fine coral sand can be used as part of the tank substrate or offered as a supplement.
- Crushed Eggshells: A readily available and cost-effective calcium source. Boil eggshells to sanitize them, then dry and crush them before offering to your crabs.
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Boiled, dried, and crushed eggshells provide a readily available and natural source of calcium, essential for strong exoskeletons in pet hermit crabs.
Water: Fresh and Saltwater Essentials
Providing access to both fresh and saltwater is non-negotiable for all hermit crab species. Fresh water is essential for drinking, and most hermit crabs will also drink saltwater. Some species even enjoy bathing in saltwater, so providing a dish large enough for them to enter is beneficial.
It is imperative to treat all tap water with a dechlorinator to remove harmful chlorine and chloramines. Dechlorinator drops are readily available at pet stores.
For saltwater preparation, use a commercially available marine salt mix like Instant Ocean, designed to replicate natural seawater. Avoid using salt intended for freshwater fish treatments or table salt, as these lack essential components found in natural seawater. While the ideal salinity is debated among hermit crab enthusiasts, using the proportions recommended for a saltwater (marine) fish tank is generally a safe starting point. Hermit crabs will naturally regulate their intake of fresh and saltwater to meet their salinity needs.
Food and Water Dish Considerations
When selecting food dishes, prioritize shallow, sturdy, and easily cleanable options. Heavy, flattened plastic dishes designed to mimic rocks (often found in the reptile section) or shallow ceramic dishes intended for small animals are good choices. Some keepers also utilize natural seashell halves (flatter shells) as feeding dishes.
Since both fresh and saltwater are essential, you will need two separate water dishes. These dishes should be large and deep enough to allow crabs to soak if desired (particularly the saltwater dish), but also easy for them to exit and not so deep as to pose a drowning risk. For most species, a deep pool is unnecessary, although Strawberry hermit crabs benefit from a saltwater pool deep enough for full submersion.
For deeper dishes, incorporating smooth river stones or pieces of coral can serve as ramps or steps, facilitating easy exit from the water. Additionally, placing natural sea sponges in the water dishes is highly recommended. Hermit crabs may drink by pressing on these sponges, and they also contribute to maintaining humidity levels within the enclosure.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hermit Crab Food
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Can hermit crabs eat strawberries?
Yes, strawberries are a safe and nutritious fruit option for hermit crabs. -
Can hermit crabs eat apples?
Yes, apples are among the many fruits that are beneficial for hermit crabs. -
Can hermit crabs eat tomatoes?
Yes, but tomatoes should be offered sparingly. Due to their acidity, they are not suitable as a dietary staple. -
Can hermit crabs eat bananas?
Yes, bananas are a good and readily accepted fruit choice for hermit crabs.
By providing a varied and balanced diet that includes commercial food, fresh options, and essential calcium, and by ensuring access to both fresh and saltwater, you can create a thriving environment for your pet hermit crabs. Understanding “what food do hermit crabs eat” is the first step towards responsible hermit crab ownership.
