HCA: Hermit Crab Association

We've had our straws about a week, and I have noticed some differences between how and when they eat vs the PP we have. I keep 3 dishes of food, one for crab meal and shrimp, one for fruits and veggies, and one for nuts and peanut butter. It just makes it easier to keep up with and clean.

My PP seem to be snackers. They graze several times throughout the day. They also prefer the fruits and nuts. I've never seen them eat the crab meal. I only bought it to transition them from the pet store foods to fresh foods anyway. Obviously they didn't need it.

The straws seem to eat only at night, and every other day. And they're on the same schedule, so it is pandemonium every other night, and the next morning the food dishes look like they were trampled by a herd of buffalo. They are really messy. They strongly prefer the crab meal, and then the nuts, and lastly the fruits and veggies. But they do eat a little bit of everything.

I have also noticed that they don't seem to submerge like I thought they would. They just perch themselves on the edges of the water dishes and drink, or wander in the salt water just a little bit, but never very far.

Mini crabby buffalo stampede
It took all my crabs over a month to start submerging. They were shyyyy. But now they do it all the time. I dont always catch them, but if there's a handful of sub at the bottom of the pool and a squeaky clean crab, i know someone's been dipping!


Crabbers unite!!!

It's interesting how they all have such different personalities. Overall the new straws are very outgoing.I have one that is shy, and one PP that is really shy. But most of them are out and about a lot.

Of course after I posted this they all destroyed a dish of mango last night. But didn't touch the banana. It's a new variety that I got from the local Filipino market, so maybe they don't like that kind.