What can Hermit Crabs eat?

[Sancho]

Well my son has 2 hermit crabs and I bought some hermit food from petco but they never touch it. Is there something else like carrots or lettuce they can eat and enjoy more then this petco crap?

 

[Lizardlover]

I remember i had hermits ages ago....i fed mine hermit crab food, idk if theres different kinds, it had dried shrimp pellets and raisins in it from what i remember, remember they are nocturnal so while you may see daytime activity they are active and feed at night.

 

[Sancho]

I remember i had hermits ages ago....i fed mine hermit crab food, idk if theres different kinds, it had dried shrimp pellets and raisins in it from what i remember, remember they are nocturnal so while you may see daytime activity they are active and feed at night.

Yeah I know that but their food isn't touched it's round balls and they are still round without any bites out of it or anything but I guess if they been living for 6 months they must be eatting it.

 

[toddmkeller]

I have never owned a hermit crab but Me and google is best frenz!

http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/hermitcrabs/a/feedhc.htm

See Ya,

Todd

 

[kinyonga]

Hermit crabs are omnivores and can eat veggies, greens, fruit, fish, etc. but make sure they have a source of calcium (like cuttlebone) and beta carotene to keep their colors bright.

 

[sandrachameleon]

I keep hermit crabs. Like kinyonga said, they're omnivorous. Scavengers really. This is what I feed mine:

Corn kerrnals (raw or thawed from frozen), coconut, walnuts, cooked egg (and sometimes bits of washed shell), fall oak leaves (as in the dead leaves that fall from trees - they prefer oak to all others I've tried - dead leaves and tree bark give them tannins, which help with colour and shell), seaweed (like you make sushi rolls from, or organic dulse), small amounts of peanut butter, many kinds of fruit (including watermellon, pear, grapes, mango, avacado, blackberries, peach, blueberry), some veggies (zucchini and zucchini flowers, small amounts of cabbage, squash, gratted carrot), occassionally a piece of cat or dog food kibble (usually softened just a bit with water), ocassionally fish flake food, occassionally commercial hermit crab food (which they dont much care for), small amounts of cooked brown rice, Small amounts of cooked quinoa, smashed cooked chicken bones (so they can get at the marrow), krill, bloodworms (freeze-dried), raw unsalted sunflower seeds, millet,...

Its important that they have a place to get both fresh (mostly) AND ocean water at all times - they will balance the saline levels within their shells. They need a substrate to burrow into when molting. They like having rocks and wood /bark to climb on and dig under.

You may find this site helpful: http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com
and this one: http://hermitcrabcuisine.com/

 

[Sancho]

I keep hermit crabs. Like kinyonga said, they're omnivorous. Scavengers really. This is what I feed mine:

Corn kerrnals (raw or thawed from frozen), coconut, walnuts, cooked egg (and sometimes bits of washed shell), fall oak leaves (as in the dead leaves that fall from trees - they prefer oak to all others I've tried - dead leaves and tree bark give them tannins, which help with colour and shell), seaweed (like you make sushi rolls from, or organic dulse), small amounts of peanut butter, many kinds of fruit (including watermellon, pear, grapes, mango, avacado, blackberries, peach, blueberry), some veggies (zucchini and zucchini flowers, small amounts of cabbage, squash, gratted carrot), occassionally a piece of cat or dog food kibble (usually softened just a bit with water), ocassionally fish flake food, occassionally commercial hermit crab food (which they dont much care for), small amounts of cooked brown rice, Small amounts of cooked quinoa, smashed cooked chicken bones (so they can get at the marrow), krill, bloodworms (freeze-dried), raw unsalted sunflower seeds, millet,...

Its important that they have a place to get both fresh (mostly) AND ocean water at all times - they will balance the saline levels within their shells. They need a substrate to burrow into when molting. They like having rocks and wood /bark to climb on and dig under.

You may find this site helpful: http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com
and this one: http://hermitcrabcuisine.com/

AWESOME thanks so much my son is reading it over right now. And he is raiding my fridge lol

 

[kinyonga]

Glad you mentioned the ocean water...its important too!

 

[Clifford]

And worm castings. Yes, i mean worm dirt.

 

[Sancho]

Interesting! He has two coconuts in there with play sand.