HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Posted: **Wed Sep 10, 2008 9:13 pm**

THIS IS THE OLD LIST. THE UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND HERE: [Care: Unsafe and Unpopular Food List].

Questions about an item on this list - or questions about any food item - should be directed to the [Food & Water] section as a new topic. This list will be kept updated as unsafe food items are brought to our attention.

The following is copied with permission from the Epicurean-Hermit website, with attributions to Julia Crab. You will need to obtain your own permission from EH to copy this list to your own site or publication. But direct links to this post are OK.

While it is true that crabs are scavengers with a wide repertoire of foods they can eat, there
are many plants and foods that just should not be fed to a crab. The foods on this list are to
be avoided. Some are toxic, some are insect repellents or used as insecticides, and some the crabs
just won't go near, such as lemon -- lemon won't hurt them, but they certainly won't eat it.

This list, like the Edible List, will be updated regularly, so be sure to check back often.

Aconite (Monk's Hood)
African violet leaves
African daisy (Osteospermum)
Alder bark
Aloe vera (interferes with potassium absorption)
Amaryllis
American Hellebore
Anemone/Windflower
Aniseed
Avocado leaves
Azalea/Rhododendron
Bay leaves (natural insect repellent)
Bindweed
Bird of Paradise Flowers
Bluebonnet
Bottlebrush flowers
Bougainvillea
Boxwood
Buckthorn
Buttercup
Carnation leaves
Castor Bean
Catnip
Cherimoya Seeds
Chocolate/cocoa
Chrysanthemum
Cinnamon
Citrus (leaves and branches to be avoided; part of the evergreen family. The fruit is fine)
Columbine
Compost (unless 100% organic)
Crocus
Crown of Thorns
Cube Plant
Custard Apple (young fruit)
Cyclamen
Delphinium
Derris
Dieffenbachia
Dill
Dittany
Eucalyptus
European pennyroyal
Evergreen (pine, cedar, juniper, etc.)
Feverfew
Fleabane
Garlic
Geranium
Golden Pothos
Green hellebore
Hemlock
Holly Berries
Horsetail
Ivy (of any kind)
Juniper Berries
Kalanchoe
Larkspur seed
Laurel
Lavender
Lemon Balm (Sweet Melissa)
Lemon Grass
Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana)
Mayweed
Mistletoe
Morning Glory
Mulberry leaves
Oleander
Onion
Oxeye daisy
Papaya seed
Parsley Seed (fruit)
Peace Lily
Pencil Tree Cactus
Peppermint
Philodendron
Pine or cedar wood or needles
Prickly juniper
Pride of China fruit
Prunus species trees (apricot, bitter almond, cherry, cherry laurel,
nectarine, peach, plum) Fleshy fruits are edible, everything else
contains a cyanide-like compound and is fatally toxic, including
seeds, wood, leaves, bark and flowers.
Red Emerald
Rosemary
Sago Palm
Sanseveria
Schefflera
Stargazer Lily (Lilium x Stargazer)
Sweet Flag
Tansy
Tea Tree
Texas Mountain Laurel (Sophora secundiflora)
Thornapple
Thyme
Tobacco
Vanillin
Verbena
Vinca
Wild Angelica fruit
Wormwood
Yew
Yarrow

Posted: **Tue Oct 20, 2009 1:21 pm**

mulberry is now considered safe too! My birds and crabs love it
http://hermitcrabfoodtrials.blogspot.co ... -bark.html

Posted: **Sun Jul 11, 2010 10:56 pm**

So pine needles are safe for crabs?

I think I may have some pine needles in the zoomed moss I bought and I was wondering if this is ok?

Posted: **Mon Jul 12, 2010 9:13 am**

Mama Crabs wrote:So pine needles are safe for crabs?

I think I may have some pine needles in the zoomed moss I bought and I was wondering if this is ok?

No! This is the unsafe list.

Posted: **Thu Nov 18, 2010 11:52 am**

Could someone pm me Julia Crab's email? I can't find contact details anywhere and I'd love to translate this list for my website with her permission

Posted: **Wed Mar 02, 2011 10:57 pm**

Sorry I'm two months late in answering this question.

You can contact vckums at www.epicurean-hermit.com or www.hermitcrabaddictionstore.com to get permission. I believe julia-crab retired from crabbing, but Vicki is maintaining it. She is also has an account here (vckums), you could try sending a PM.

They definitely appreciate when people ask permission. Too often on the web people just copy and propagate.

Posted: **Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:05 pm**

Are carnation flowers alright?

Posted: **Wed Mar 30, 2011 7:59 pm**

Unknown10101 wrote:Are carnation flowers alright?

The flowers on on the safe list.

Posted: **Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:30 pm**

Make sure the flowers are from your garden and not from a florist! Florists and growers use pesticides to make sure the blooms come out perfect, and chemicals are often used to preserve the cut flowers so they last longer. It makes for a gorgeous bouquet, but it's very dangerous (possibly deadly) for hermit crabs.

Posted: **Thu Mar 31, 2011 3:52 pm**

Good I was worried for a second there! Thanks!

Posted: **Fri Apr 08, 2011 1:04 pm**

What is it about the onion that is bad for hermit crabs?

Posted: **Fri Apr 08, 2011 1:11 pm**

I don't think that it's bad for them, but I think its just that they don't want to eat it. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

Posted: **Sat Apr 09, 2011 5:53 am**

Good question! Onions are toxic to companion mammals (dogs, cats, rabbits, etc.) due to toxins that cause the oxidation of hemoglobin, essentially killing them by causing severe anemia. http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1&aid=2414

Would those same chemicals affect hermit crabs since they're system is so different? And then there's the big question of if they would even eat them if they were safe, since fruits would be much more attractive due to the higher sugar content.

Posted: **Wed Jul 06, 2011 3:02 am**

would the pine wood also be on the dangerous list? i wanted to make a platform but not if its dangerous.

Posted: **Sun Nov 27, 2011 3:10 pm**

I was thinking that I would put in alder branches as highways, but seeing this list, is that a bad idea?
I also have an oak tree, would that be a better bet with the branch highway?
Also, what is the best method to sanitize it so that no unwanted bugs and things are brought in?

HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Unsafe Food List from EH

Unsafe Food List from EH

Re: Unsafe Food List from EH

Re: Unsafe Food List from EH