HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Can hermit crabs eat mock strawberries?

Mock strawberries are safe for human consumption.

What is a mock strawberry? Never heard of that.

Mock strawberry

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock_strawberry

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We call those wild strawberries.

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There's a difference between wild strawberries (Fragaria) and mock strawberries (Duchesnea indica). It's my understanding that wild strawberries have good flavor, white flowers, and slightly different shaped leaves. Mock strawberries have no flavor and yellow flowers.

Neither are toxic to people. I don't know about mock strawberries being safe for crabs, but I can't see any reason to think they wouldn't. I tried some a few years back and they ignored them. Someone else may come along with a better idea.

The seeds are different on Potentilla fruit as well.They stick out, while true strawberries sink in.

I can't see any reason why it's not safe. We just don't have any in our yard to try.

We still call them wild strawberries here lol ("we" as in my family not people in general) Either way I am not planning on eating random things that grow in my yard any time soon. Tried them as a kid and never liked them. Blech! I will try giving them to my hermies if I come across any. They eat poop lol they have to taste better than that right?

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Kelly, if you do ever find wild strawberry, I hear they're really really good. Smaller but way sweeter than the kind we buy at the store.

I thought the ones growing in my yard were wild strawberry at first until I did some looking around (and got up the nerve to actually taste one lol). They're dry and don't taste like much of anything.