Hermit crabs love a wide variety of natural foods. They are not picky eaters and will eat just about anything you give them, including scrambled eggs and popcorn. Depending on your hermit crab’s size, you may want to try anything you eat, or you may want to avoid giving your hermit crabs any type of food. In any case, don’t give up! You’ll find it very rewarding to watch your hermit crab grow in the process.
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Fruits
Hermit crabs like fruits. Whether they are fresh or freeze-dried, they can enjoy almost anything you can put in front of them. Try spicing up their food with a few pieces of apple, blueberry, or mango. You can also try offering them some baby food or a fruit medley. Other options include sweet corn casserole, apple and applesauce, walnuts, or sunflower petals.
Hermit crabs also love vegetables, and they will eat carrots, cucumbers, and green beans. In captivity, you can feed them pellets and rice cakes. You can also feed them fruit, although citrus fruits are not advisable because they contain too much acid. Aside from fruit, hermit crabs also enjoy algae, meat, maggots, seaweed, and dried shrimp. If you’re looking for a new treat for your hermit crab, you should try these tasty treats!
Pizza
Hermit crabs love pizza! But do they get fat eating it? In short, no! Instead, the extra calories are stored for future molts or burned off during the growth cycle. You can give your hermit crab high-calorie food like pizza, if you want them to enjoy it, too. But be careful! There are some important guidelines you should follow when feeding your hermit crab pizza:
When feeding your hermit crabs, use only the highest quality commercially available food. Avoid starchy vegetables, which are high in sugar. Hermit crabs also love cheese. Organic blue chips and corn bread muffins are great sources of sea salt. If you can’t find them locally, use sea salt in a canister. Remember, iodized salt is poisonous to hermit crabs. And don’t feed your crabs chocolate or onion!
Oatmeal
Many people are surprised to learn that hermit crabs love oatmeal. This simple, grain-based food is perfect for hermit crabs, as it’s low in calories, rich in fiber, and offers variety. Because land hermit crabs don’t have a taste for cereals, oatmeal is a perfect choice. This natural food is also nutritious, and will satisfy hermit crabs’ sweet tooth. However, if you’re trying to find a diet for your crab, you can try something different such as baby food, fruit medley, or apple and applesauce. Alternatively, you can try nuts and sunflower petals, or even honey.
Adding milk or honey to rolled oats is not recommended, as dairy can be hard for hermit crabs to digest. However, a little bit of dairy might be enjoyable to hermit crabs, and you may want to consider cutting down on the quantity of milk or honey that you offer to her. Alternatively, you can offer your crab a variety of alternatives, such as applesauce, baby food, or dry oats.
Leafy greens
Hermit crabs love leafy greens! It may surprise you to know that these creatures don’t actually need exercise, muscle building, or any other kind of physical activity to stay healthy! However, their appetites can be tantalizing and a variety of greens will satisfy their tastes! If you’re wondering what hermit crabs love, here are some suggestions:
Broccoli is a favorite of hermit crabs, but they don’t need much of the vegetable to get the necessary nutrients. Try cutting up the broccoli in pincer-sized pieces, leaving the stem in. Hermit crabs also love cabbage! It contains high amounts of calcium and protein, and is generally considered safe for them. And while they’re not very interested in cooked broccoli, they still like it!
Soil supplement
Hermit crabs prefer a substrate that is moist and healthy. Soil is far better than sand at holding moisture, which is important for keeping the hermit crab habitat moist. It also reduces the need for hermit crabs to lubricate their substrate while digging. Because hermit crabs are nocturnal, they spend most of their day “chilling” in sand and only scavenge at night. Soil is a better choice because it is more forgiving of hermit crabs’ clumsiness.
Another good option for your hermit crabs is forest bedding, which comes compounded into a brick. It feels like soil, and is fluffy enough for them to burrow in. Add a little water and allow it to soften. For extra nutrition, add some salt water to your crabs’ habitat. You can also buy a soil supplement that is made for hermit crabs. This will provide them with a supplemental diet of minerals.
