HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi, I am new here. I have four small PP in a 20 gallon (I will upgrade as they get bigger, I would do it earlier but my parents won’t let me) long. I normally get food for the hermit crab patch, but lately I’ve been wanting to start a diet for them with fresh food. I’ve been feeding them scrambled eggs, egg shells, grapes, carrots, peanut butter, honey, and oatmeal. But I feel like there could be more variety. Do you have any suggestions? They seem to like the eggs but nothing else, so I was wondering if there is something specific that most seem to like. I just want them to be as healthy as possible. I still do dry foods, such as dried greens, calcium, protein blends, dried fruit, and powdered nutrients. Thank you for your time. I know there are probably a billion of these threads, but I just wanted responses and opinions to my specific issue. Thanks again.

Safe food list: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92557
Unsafe food list: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92556
Food pyramid: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92554

Think sweets!! They like fruits a lot. Mine have always been partial to banana, apple, coconut, oranges. When I can get it Jicama and Ugly Fruit, which are native to where they come from. Honey and bee pollen is always a huge hit. Corn is another thing they go crazy for. I give meat scraps when making dinner, they really like fatty beef trimmings. Dead insects, not dried but still fresh, I have reptiles though so the crabs get the insects that didn't make it. Frozen fish food is another option, they have insects and worms and fish that can be defrosted and fed moist.

Not 'fresh' per se, but crabs also love dried leaves, like raspberry, oak, maple, birch. Worm poop is well liked. Rabbit poop too.
Fresh or dried dandylion greens & flowers are accepted. (Just be sure they're pesticide free!)

Dried seaweeds are fun too.

I have a fish tank and farm a little patch of green algae for the crabs (it isnt super popular, but I see them picking at it sometimes).

Yours might like root vegetables - like sweet potato, or perhaps parsnip or turnip. Try squash. I baked a tiny bit of squash & drizzled maple syrup (real maple syrup) on it for thanksgiving. It was popular - like wodesorel mentioned, they really like sweets.

I cook seafood scraps for them in coconut oil sometimes - they love octopus legs. No seasoning or anything, just the oil. Maaaaybe a dollop of raw honey (I swear my crabs eat food without sugars added most of the time!).

I also offer cod liver oil & salmon oil.

Fruits I've fed include papaya, dragonfruit, passionfruit (I never see them eat this, but it smells so good I just can't believe they wouldn't like it), charamoya (didn't see them eat this the one time i tried it but wasn't watching all day either... and not many were above ground at the time), coconut & pinapple (popular of course), berries, purple mangosteen, pears, fig, olive (fresh... no takers for that, it juse sat there). Um...
Oh, and plums. One of my crabs is just mad for purple plums. And I want to try ackee.

mine go crazy for mango! i buy a lot of bulk dried food at whole foods market because they barley eat anything, one piece of dried mango can last a year if you dont have too many crabs!

other things they have noticieably loved-
butternutsquash steamed and drizzled with honey
cauliflower- i just use a small fresh piece, it is always found pulled into the sand the next morning
dried insects - i bought from the pet store in the turtle food section
apple and grapes
freeze dried chicken which i also bought at the pet store in the cat treat section
kombu which is a dried seaweed product from the grocery store
peanut butter(also from whole foods bulk section, its freshly ground, organic, nothing but peanuts!) which my crabs devoured when i first brought them home (my E literally ate a green pea sized piece!!!!)

Seems mine love cauliflower leaves. It was the first time I tried this and Caramel at least had a big feed on it.


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Cute E and babylon!

AwesomeHermit wrote:Cute E and babylon!

*aussie. they pretty easy to confuse.

Thats so interesting Renroc, since I work in produce next time some caulies come in I may nick a leaf or two and see how the crabs like it... Just gotta wait for an organic shipment....

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Mine love nuts! I've tried walnuts, pecans, almonds, and peanuts and all have been a hit. Chia seeds are similarly popular but I haven't had luck with pumpkin or sunflower seeds with the shells still on. I get the nuts from places like Whole Foods or Sprouts, where you can get raw unsalted ones in the bins with the scoops.
And flowers! I buy dried flowers (rose, pansies, lilac, and dandelion to name a few) online from various hermit crab stores and they're always eaten.

Mine ate a whole almond in 2 days. Oh, that is an Aussie? I thought they were more pale.

aussieJJDude wrote:

AwesomeHermit wrote:Cute E and babylon!

*aussie. they pretty easy to confuse.

Thats so interesting Renroc, since I work in produce next time some caulies come in I may nick a leaf or two and see how the crabs like it... Just gotta wait for an organic shipment....

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I just buy normal from the local fruit shop.


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AwesomeHermit wrote:Mine ate a whole almond in 2 days. Oh, that is an Aussie? I thought they were more pale.

Aussies come in all shades from pale almost white to deep chocolate or burnt orange. One of mine is sort of blue grey too


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Can I just ask...does anyone have a hard time telling if your hermies enjoy the food you give them? I've tried offering many items from the safe food list and I can't say I've found my crabs love any food in particular. I always read that crabs eat a lot of certain foods and everyone seems to know their crabs favorite food. I have seen my crabs eating, so cute by the way, but even after witnessing a feeding, you can't really tell that they ate any of it. A large majority of the foods I offer get thrown out the next day. I keep waiting to find that one thing that they really love, but have yet to discover it. I was just curious if anyone else has experienced this?

Crabby Mom wrote:Can I just ask...does anyone have a hard time telling if your hermies enjoy the food you give them? I've tried offering many items from the safe food list and I can't say I've found my crabs love any food in particular. I always read that crabs eat a lot of certain foods and everyone seems to know their crabs favorite food. I have seen my crabs eating, so cute by the way, but even after witnessing a feeding, you can't really tell that they ate any of it. A large majority of the foods I offer get thrown out the next day. I keep waiting to find that one thing that they really love, but have yet to discover it. I was just curious if anyone else has experienced this?

We all do, we just continue to offer a variety of goods and see what clicks. It can take a while.

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Crabby Mom wrote:Can I just ask...does anyone have a hard time telling if your hermies enjoy the food you give them? I've tried offering many items from the safe food list and I can't say I've found my crabs love any food in particular. I always read that crabs eat a lot of certain foods and everyone seems to know their crabs favorite food. I have seen my crabs eating, so cute by the way, but even after witnessing a feeding, you can't really tell that they ate any of it. A large majority of the foods I offer get thrown out the next day. I keep waiting to find that one thing that they really love, but have yet to discover it. I was just curious if anyone else has experienced this?

I think a lot of people tend to overfeed their hermits. Hermit crabs eat very little! They have tiny mouths!
My crabs love proteins, raw organic honey and oak leaves!!!