Tips for dehydrating?

[Lokalai]

I just got my hands on a dehydrator and I really want to dry some foods for my crabs so that part of the food we buy for them doesn't go bad as well as having it last longer. There's only one issue, I've never even dehydrated food for myself. I've read that people tend to use a lemon juice mix for fruits and blanching the vegetables, then also partially cooking meat partially before putting them in the dehydrator.
How do I go about food items for the crabs? Do I still blanch the vegetables and do the steps for the other food items, or do you just chop most of what you dehydrate and pop it in without worrying about that stuff?

[wodesorel]

I cut and dry on a low temp - no higher than 95 for things like flowers, no higher than 125 for fruits and veggies. Some things like apples and eggplant will brown, if you want the color to keep then they need dipped in a mild mix lemon or cider vinegar and water but it does nothing for the food itself. I have never pre-cooked or blanched hermit food.

Keep in mind that salted dried meats and fruits usually have a shelf life of a few weeks. For the hermits, fruit should be dried crispy and it will keep longer. If you have something that stays leathery then it should be used quickly or frozen. (Citrus and pineapple.) Meat will not keep without being salted or smoked. Now, how much of an effect it has on hermits to feed plain dried meat I'm not sure (purchased fish foods are freeze-dried which is different) but I try to stay within human guidelines for safety.

[Lokalai]

Thank you! I've got melon, pineapple, and a few other fruits I plan to try first along with some greens. I don't think I'll be doing meats, at least not for a long time though. But the meat isn't a problem since we keep it frozen until it gets cooked anyways.
Are there any good ways to know when it's going or is bad for the stuff I keep out for quick use?