Land Hermit Crabs are arthropods. Arthropods have a stiff cuticle made largely of chitin and proteins, forming an exoskeleton that may or may not be further stiffened with calcium carbonate. They have segmented bodies and show various patterns of segment fusion (tagmosis) to form integrated units (heads, abdomens, and so on). The phylum takes its name from its distinctive jointed appendages, which may be modified in a number of ways to form antennae, mouth parts, and reproductive organs.
Land Hermit Crabs in the wild eat a lot of protein in the form of dead fish, prawns, seaweed, cuttlefish as well as other forms of protein including plants. Some have been known to eat soft crabs, clams, worms and barnacles. Gourmet food for a hermit crab!
In Lisa Loseke’s table of Hermit Crab Nutrition she states that “High protein level of 50% of total food is required for growth.” and that “sources of protein should always be a part of each nightly food offering. Spirulina (dried seaweed) is 48% protein by calories.” ( Dall & Moriarty 1983). Lack of protein will result in little to no growth and cannibalism in pet hermit crabs. Protein should be a mix of plant and animal proteins.
Foods should be ethoxyquin (fish meal) and copper sulfate free.
Ethoxyquin: A pesticide.
Ethoxyquin is an antioxidant and stabilizer used in fishmeal and fish oil to prevent fish and shrimp from spontaneously combusting during storage and transport. It’s a common ingredient in shrimp feed and is used in aquaculture. However, ethoxyquin is controversial and raises concerns about the potential for it to cross over into the human food supply chain.
Copper sulfate: A pesticide.
Copper sulfate can be toxic to crustaceans and other aquatic organisms, and can negatively impact the health of aquatic ecosystems.
Toxicity
Copper sulfate can be toxic to crustaceans at certain concentrations. For example, a treatment containing 0.50 mg L-1 of copper sulfate can dramatically decrease the survival of shrimp.
Ecosystem disruption
Copper sulfate can lead to decreased populations of crustaceans and other aquatic organisms, which can disrupt the ecosystem.
Additional information:
Hermit Crab Nutrition Table
Hermit Crab Feeding Guide
Soystache (SoyStache: Sources of Protein: Plant-based sources vs. animal sources
Plant-based protein and animal protein listed)
References:
- Dall, W. and Moriarty, D. J. W. (1983). Functional aspects of nutrition and digestion.
- Crustacean Nutrition 1st Edition by Louis R. Dabramo (Editor), Douglas E. Conklin (Editor), Dean M. Akiyama (Editor)
- The Biology of Crustacea. Vol. 5. Internal Anatomy and Physiological Regulation. Academic Press, New York, 215-61 bibliography pp. 251-61.
- https://shrimpalliance.com/know-your-supplier-ethoxyquin-shrimp-aquaculture/
- http://www.ciba.res.in/Books/ciba0596.pdf https://nutraceuticalbusinessreview.com/ethoxyquin-does-not-belong-in-your-food-99579
- https://www.koenderswatersolutions.com/blog/the-dark-side-of-pond-care-why-copper-sulfate-might-be-doing-more-harm-than-good.html
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0044848600004427
- https://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=ijbc.2008.35.41
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0044848600004427
