Many hermit crab owners love including their pets in holiday traditions — and it’s tempting to share a bit of your Thanksgiving feast! While some festive foods are perfectly safe (and even healthy) for hermit crabs, others can be dangerous. Here’s a list of holiday favorites you can offer your crabs — and what to avoid — so they can safely celebrate with you.Read More →
Hermit Crab Feeding Guide – A look at the nutritional needs of land hermit crabs.Read More →
Guida base per la cura dei paguri di terraRead More →
Written by Anne Grady Food mites, more properly called grain mites are something that can be found in any tank at any time. The first thing to understand is that they did not come from the crabs, having hermit crabs does not cause you to have food mites. Food mites come into your home through the everyday things you buy at the grocery store. Anything that contains grain can have food mites. Oatmeal, grits, breakfast cereal, noodles, flour and rice are a few examples. In general you won’t see them and they are harmless, but that box of corn meal or pancake mix that getsRead More →
Ingredients: 1 portion dark red/black cherries1 portion blackberries1 portion blueberries1 portion red apple (Unwaxed only, she peel is the important part)1 portion red beets1/2 portion red raisins1/2 portion dried plums/prunes2 portions red beans (do not skip, or you won’t be able to grind into a powder) Blanch each item in a small pot of crab safe water, reserving and reusing the water for each item. Prunes and raisins get soaked in the warm water last until they are very soft. Blend all items, including the reserved soaking/blanching water (start with a little) until its a paste about as thick as pancake batter. You may feedRead More →
Ingredients 1.5 cups organic yellow cornmeal (I used Bob’s Red mill) 1 cup packed, freshly ground coconut 1 large very ripe (brown) banana 1 package very ripe strawberries (pint) 1 cup or so sunflower seeds 1.5 cups whole, with shell, dried river shrimp (I used chubbymealworms.ca brand) 2 tbsp beet root powder 2 tbsp carrot root powder 1 tbsp chlorella powder 1 tsp powdered nutra Rose or 2 teaspoons liquid nutra Rose 1 cup dried apple ribbons Soak/cook the cornmeal with treated hot water as per the cooking instructions.Blend the strawberries and banana together and mix with the cornmeal after it cools a little. MixRead More →
If you are going to be away on vacation these cookies are an easy way to provide your hermit crabs enough food until you return. In addition to offering a Hermit Crab Oreo Vacation cookie I suggest sprinkling your crabitat with some dried foods. This will encourage foraging and offer lots of different foods at once. Dried flowers, grains, seeds, egg shells, nuts and mealworms are all ideal dried foods. I recommend that greensand and worm castings be available in your tank pretty much all of the time. You can cycle them out for a day or two if your crabs completely refuse other foods.Read More →
Ingredients: “Wild Craft” all dried ingredients.passion flower, nettle leaves, African honey bush, mushrooms, chamomile, oak leaves, maple leaves, raspberry leaves, rose, marigold, rose hips, black sesame, chia, flax, wakame (seaweed), coconut, hemp seeds. About equal portions crumbled dried leaves, rose and marigold. A little less of the rest of the ingredients, except the seeds and rose hips. Put enough seeds that it is well distributed throughout, or to your liking.No hard rule on quantities 🙂 Wild forage, clean, blanch and dehydrate yourself, our buy from a reputable source. This is a combo of purchased and foraged ingredients. Instructions: Crunch up all the leaves andRead More →
Ingredients 1 Cup+ dried meal worms1/3 Cup dried beef or chicken (break into small pieces first)1/2 Cup polenta or cornmeal (it’s the same thing)Several clean dry egg shells1/3 Cup peanuts2 tbsp sunflower seeds2 tbsp pine nuts Instructions Blend all ingredients until smooth except nuts. Pulse in nuts last and leave a little chunky. Nuts eventually go bad. Store in a cool dry place, or put in fridge/freezer for long term storage.Store in an airtight container. I prefer glass jars. Does not require refrigeration. Can be frozen. Submitted by Amber MinerRead More →
Ingredients: Flax SeedChia SeedAmaranthWheatSesame SeedsQuinoa (Red and White)Kelp PowderMixed seed bird seed with dried fruitOrganic Coconut oil In a small bowl with a lid add all of your dry ingredients. Add a small amount of Coconut Oil (room temp is ideal). Use a spoon to smear the oil around so it begins to pickup the dry ingredients. Mix as well as you can using the spoon then place the lid on the bowl and shake it. You may need to add more oil. If so just add a bit and shake again. You want the seed to be just coated enough to stick together. IRead More →
Two tablespoons of whole organic yellow corn kernelsTwo tablespoons of extra virgin olive oilCrushed red pepperChicken liver powder (Isopod Connection) Mix 2 tablespoons of evoo in a microwave safe bowl with 2 tablespoons of organic yellow corn kernels. Remove kernels from the bowl and place in a brown bag and set popcorn button. Keep an eye on the bag so it doesn’t catch on fire.Once finished take a hand full of popcorn and break it up. Then dust with about 1/2 teaspoon of chicken liver powder and 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper.Put the popcorn in crabitat and watch it disappear. I keep the popcornRead More →
For the outdoorsy hermit crab enthusiast we have compiled a list of foods that can be collected or harvested. It’s perfect to tuck into your backpack for easy reference. Please forage responsibly! Don’t over collect. Respect all local, state and federal laws regarding wild foraging and collection. Sustainable Foraging “In addition to considering your own safety when foraging, it is also important to take a long-term view: sustainable foraging means remembering that you are not the only creature which may wish to make use of a given resource. For example, wild berries play an important role in birds’ diets. Whatever you take, leave plenty forRead More →
The basics of hermit crab feeding Most commercial hermit crab foods contain ethoxyquin and/or copper sulfate. Fish meal typically contains hidden ethoxyquin that is not required to be listed. Both ethoxyquin and copper sulfate are toxic to invertebrates. There are many things in your kitchen that your hermit crabs can eat also. The collages below made by Amber Miner show some of the more common food items you can safely feed to your hermit crabs. Here is a printable safe food list for feeding your hermit crabs: Safe Food List-A Generous List of Foods Your Hermit Crabs Can Safely Eat Hermit crabs require a nutritionallyRead More →
Written by Julia Crab (Kerie Campbell) Saturday, 19 November 2005 Zeaxanthin is an important precursor to astaxanthin, the carotenoid crustaceans need most to regulate their body systems. If astaxanthin is hard to come by, then zeaxanthin is the substance that coenobita need most. Beta carotene, while a valuable carotenoid, is not used as efficiently by crabs and is not of as much dietary use as zeaxanthin is. The following lists are of zeaxanthin-containing foods. There are three lists, one each for foods containing high, moderate, and low or trace amounts of this important substance. They are partial and will be updated as new information comesRead More →
Written by Julia Crab (Kerie Campbell) 2005Coconuts: A Really Tough Nut to Crack Yeah, these guys are tricky to open. But the fresh meat and milk inside are crab ambrosia. The best method for opening them is to employ an adult human male. Barring access to one of those, note the three depressions at one end of the coconut. These are the coconut’s eyes. An icepick, a chisel, or a strong slot head screwdriver placed firmly in the center of one of the eyes, and bashed firmly and repeatedly by a hammer will eventually reward those with perseverance. A drill or jigsaw can also beRead More →
Written by Julia Crab (Kerie Campbell) August 2005 This list contains beneficial foods for hermit crabs that are moderate to high in beta carotene apricotsbell pepper of any color, red being the highest in carotenidsblueberriesbroccolicantaloupecarrotchardcilantro (raw)collard greensdandelion greens (raw)fava beans in the pod (raw)grape leaves (raw)lettuce (dark varieties, not iceburg which is nutritionally empty)mangopapayaparsley (raw)passionfruitpeachespeaspersimmonpineapplepumpkin and squash, and seeds (dried)snap beans (raw)spinachspirulinaseaweeds and microalgaessweet potato Astaxanthin is another carotenid found in shrimp and krill and red seaweeds, that the crabs also use. Astaxanthin must be fed with a healthy fat/oil to be absorbed properly. Tannin is also a color booster. Dried oak or sycamore leaves,Read More →
Written by Vanessa Pike Russell 2004 I have done some research on colour enhancing foods and figuring out how to get crabs a certain colour.If you want really dark brown colour hermit crabs then give them lots of foods rich in tannins such as Brown Oak Leaves, Brown Oak Bark (pesticide free). This comes from Carol of CrabWorks. Her hermit crabs have been eating this since they were itty bitty crabbies, 28+ years ago! https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/ethnobotany/tannins.shtml If you want orange hues that foods such as carrots, marigold petals have been known to create an increase in orange colour. Foods rich in Astaxanthin are what you areRead More →
Written by Julia Crab Monday, 01 August 2005 – this information has not been reviewed or updated but is maintained here for archival and reference purposes. What follows is a list of ingredients added to commercial and processed foods that may harm hermit crab health when fed. While I believe that these substances should be avoided, there is no actual scientific proof that these are harmful. This list is being compiled as a guide to dietary harm reduction. The key to good diet, in crabs, other pets, and people, is informed label reading. Anything enzyme modified *Anything fermented *Anything protein fortified *Ascorbyl PalmitateAutolyzed yeast *BarleyRead More →
written by Julia Crab (Kerie Campbell) 2005 If you’ve decided to get rid of commercial diet completely, and go natural, here is a list of the recommended human-grade beginner foods. These are the highest in nutrition and will make a good base for adding fresh fruit, vegetables and meat too. When you are ready to expand your knowledge of hermit crab nutrition check out the Hermit Crab Feeding Guide. Add a couple of the following dried flowers or flower products: Add some dried fruit (unsweetened and free of sulfur dioxide or other additives): If there is still room for more purchases, here is the list IRead More →
These recipes were created by hermit crab foodie Kerie Campbell aka Julia Crab in 2005. There are endless food ideas but these may help get you started. We have more hermit crab food recipes submitted by others. Be sure to visit our Hermit Crab Feeding Guide to ensure you are using only safe ingredients. Fruity Fish & Flowers II dried calendula (about 2 tsp.)dried chamomile (about 1 tsp.)coconut chunklarge papaya chunkpink flame rose bud Kibble and place in the serving dish. Air-pop about 1 Tbl. amaranthshred some dulse1 Tbl. Flott tuna1 tsp rolled oatslarge pinch dandelion rootlarge pinch dried dandelion leaf. Kibble and place onRead More →
Hermit Crab Care 101 – a guide for properly caring for your pet so that it thrives in captivity.Read More →
This is a compilation of forum posts from our old site. To date we have not confirmed whether diseases fish may have can be passed onto hermit crabs.Sat Mar 05, 2005Ladycrab wrote:Bought some gold fish for the hermies. Froze them last night just need to know if they need to be prepared any special way before serving them??? Julia_Crab wrote:There’s a bit of controversy afoot about the goldfish method right now. Freezing is a great way to kill any bacteria that might have affected the crabs, if any, though. I’m still not convinced that crabs can be affected by bacteria in the food, but I’mRead More →
Originally written by Vanessa Pike-Russell Sometimes it takes a while to bond with your crab. they might not feed from your hand from the first time you try but if you persevere and are patient, it will happen. Gently hold the back of their shell with thumb and forefinger, and hold a piece of fruit (fresh or dried), nut (especially almond) bread, popcorn or cracker near the crab’s cheliped, or grasping claw, perhaps even brushing the food against it until your crab starts to become interested in the food and and they will responsively clutch at it and then want to taste it. You shouldRead More →
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 proteinRead More →
Source: http://www.prestigepetproducts.com/WhatIsIt.htm Alfalfa meal: is the aerial portion of the alfalfa plant, reasonably free of other crop plants, weeds and mold, which has been finely ground and dried by thermal means under controlled conditions other than sun curing. Alfalfa is an excellent source of phytochemicals and phytoestrogens and their antioxidant effect stimulates the immune system. Amaranth: is a seed plant which is a good alternative source of carbohydrate energy. Amaranth is a valuable carbohydrate ingredient with a unique flavor that compliments the flavor of barley, oats and rye. It is also high in linoleic acids, which are good for skin and coat. Chicken byproducts: consistRead More →