What do Hermit Crabs Eat

Hermit crabs are actually saltwater animals and have a striking resemblance to snails. More and more people want to keep them as pet in their aquarium. Therefore, they want to know, how to care for hermit carbs in general and what do they eat in particular.

Hermit Crab Food Facts

Hermit crabs are omnivorous scavengers.They like variety in their diet, especially salty and sugary snacks. You will find them as pets in homes or in offices as they scavenge the algae and debris in the aquarium. The answer to the question 'What do hermit crabs eat?' is: They eat almost everything. They are usually not choosy about the food they eat. The location of the food becomes an important point as far as feeding is concerned. They tend to locate food either by smelling it or by seeing the other crabs feeding on it.

Hermit crabs have five pairs of legs. Generally their right claws are bigger than the left claws. The right claws are used to shred food and the left claws to pick up food and put it in the mouth.

Hermit crab food should be nutrition-rich. Their diet should contain antioxidants, carotene and calcium in sufficient quantities. In case of nutrition deficiency, they lose their color in the molting process and also have problems molting the next time. You can add crushed egg shells, cuttlebone, and calcium and vitamin supplements to their diet.

They eat vegetables, fruit, as well as fish and meat. It is important that you wash the vegetables and fruit before you give them to the crabs, but be careful to pat them dry first. Just like any other pet, they relish a dessert once in a while. Citrus fruit also can be given to these crabs once or twice a month. It is suggested that they be fed organic food. Hermit crabs are largely found in tropical climates. Therefore, you can feed them tropical fruit like mangoes, coconut, papaya. They can be fed carrots and corn (for carotene), broccoli, and spinach as well. They are especially fond of tannin-rich food. Oak tree leaves and bark are said to be a rich source of tannin. Remember to give the crabs crunchy leaves, as they like the leaves crunchy. They relish raisins and peanut butter a lot.

Do not add any seasoning, butter or sauce to the meat. You can feed them raw meat, especially shrimp. Hermit crabs should be served any kind of meat in moderation.

Make sure you give food to the crabs just once a day. They are slow eaters. Whatever they have not eaten should not be left in their plates for the next day. They need a lot of water; hence, provide them with adequate water, but not chlorinated tap water. The chlorine water should be treated with chlorinate drops. Add salt to the water, though not kitchen salt. You will have to check with your pet store to get the right salts.

The pet shops have food labeled as 'hermit crab food'. You can feed your crabs the pet food to check if they take a liking to it. You can also buy seaweed for your crabs; since the crabs essentially belong to water bodies, they will like this treat you give them.

Hermit crabs eat just about everything. Hence, you should experiment with their food to find out, what food is a favorite with your pet. Like human beings, they tend to have food preferences. Many crabs also like junk food, but be careful while feeding them junk food. Popcorn from the junk food category is said to be a favorite with them. While these hermit crab facts can help you decide what to feed your pet, it is only after experimenting that you will find out the right food for your crab.