HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hey yall! Bare with me, this is gonna be a long one. I know i'm not the only one wondering about food, it's so much to get together! haha

I have 7 mixes from TheHealthyHermit. Would it work to feed 1 mix a night every week, or will they get tired of that?
I also organized my single items into the categories of the food groups, and i'd like your opinions on how often you feed these items. I want to be able to rotate them out so my crabs never get tired. Do you feed every food group every night??


[[[ If theres a *** by it, i wasn't sure what group it went into so i guessed]]] (if i have anything incorrect, please let me know!)

I used this list from the care guides page for reference: https://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/p ... 25&t=92554



Animal Protein-
Plankton, Shrimp, Freekah, beef tripe, turkey, wild herring, ocean whitefish, krill, beef lung, cochineal

Plant protein-
alfalfa hay, spinachtastic (a mix from Hermit Crab Patch)

Sea Vegetables-
green marine algae

Harvestables-
chamomile, cholla wood, daisy, maple leaves, mushrooms, oak leaves/bark, rose buds, walnuts, zucchini

Fruits & vegetables-
banana, coconut, papaya

Fats-
coconut oil, walnuts

Other-
Cuttlebone, Worm castings, Chicken manure***, honey, oyster shell, barnicle cluster, bee pollen***, rolled oats***


These are items i either already have, or items i'm ordering this week from TheHealthyHermit.

I also have some items i ordered when i first found some hermit crab info and i'm not sure where they categorize but i do feed them sometimes:
-popcorn mixes from Hermit Crab Patch: Berrylicious Popcorn: Popcorn (popped in flax seed oil and ground) dusted with Honey Powder, Coconut Powder and Blackberries. Sweet Claw: Popcorn (popped in flax seed oil and ground) dusted with Dried Coconut Milk and Honey Powder. Tutti Poppin Fruitti: Popcorn is (popped in flaxseed oil and ground) dusted with organic banana powder, organic bananas, apples, strawberries, honey powder, coconut milk.

-Crabby Meal Deal from Hermit Crab Patch: Delightful mix of 10 kinds of Beans, Crickets, Walnuts, Pecans, Almonds, Sunflower Seeds, Yellow Squash, Zucchini, Beets, Carrots, Blueberries and Leaves, Red-Orange-Yellow Sweet Peppers, Corn Husk, Pansies, Blackberry Leaves and Parsley.

-Crabtastic Foods Claw Lickin' Good - about a 1/4 cup fine mix of Dates, Coconut, Honey Powder, Peas, Cashews, Almonds, Peanuts, Corn, Hemp Seeds, Chia Seeds and Krill.


Okay, that's all i have i believe. I'm feeding Purple Pinchers and Ecuadorians.

Also struggling with this....

Just try not to feed the same thing twice in a row, and try to always have a protein and fruit available.

wodesorel wrote:Just try not to feed the same thing twice in a row, and try to always have a protein and fruit available.

So each mix served once a week wont be too much? I think they all have different items in them

I feed some same items each day...basically make them available if wanted because I’ve noticed they partake of it more...peanut butter and honey have been staples. In addition to those I will feed the prepared stuff like basic diet, minerals etc. I’m probably wasting a lot at this point but I’m still figuring out what they prefer.

If the mixes are dried, I always leave them in for two or three days. No need to take them out and give something different every day. If I am feeding fresh, I will take it out after 24hours because it's gross LOL.

Honestly, I have never really overthought my feeding. I have a few different HCP mixes, as well as some single things like coral powder, dried shrimp, mineral etc. So I will put a couple of different things in the food bowls for them. Now that they are larger, and Sonny is so much bigger than Cher, I put two food bowls so they don't fight or so Sonny doesn't hog it all. Sometimes the bowls are the same and sometimes they are different. Sometimes I put the 'basic' mix or my leaf litter mix in a third bowl for them. If I am feeding fresh foods, the two bowls are usually the same stuff because it's easier. Sometimes I probably feed the same thing twice in a row, but I generally try not to. There are definitely things they like better than others, but I figure if they are hungry enough they will eat it, LOL. If I know that they like one food better than another, I will still put both in the dish.

Here's my perspective - I have Es (As well as PPs, Straws and a Lila). I don't want issues. To avoid issues, I change food daily, and I offer two choices of proteins per day. By following this guideline, I have never had issues. I recommend following the food pyramid.

You don't have to buy my food to meet these recommendations! Any food from the safe food list is great!

When feeding fresh food, I personally recommend changing it daily to prevent mites, springtails, gnats and unpleasant smells.

GotButterflies wrote:Here's my perspective - I have Es (As well as PPs, Straws and a Lila). I don't want issues. To avoid issues, I change food daily, and I offer two choices of proteins per day. By following this guideline, I have never had issues. I recommend following the food pyramid.

You don't have to buy my food to meet these recommendations! Any food from the safe food list is great!

When feeding fresh food, I personally recommend changing it daily to prevent mites, springtails, gnats and unpleasant smells.

You're so sweet!
I don't have access to many organic foods in our town and the little bit we do have it's crazy expensive. I love supporting friends so I'm happy to order from your store! Everything is always perfect!

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Well..thanks!

I would suggest the following changes to your list:

Freekah is a wheat not an animal protein
Alfalfa Hay - protein and fiber
Walnuts - protein
Zucchini - vegetable
Make a Calcium List: barnacle cluster, cuttlebone, oyster shell

GotButterflies wrote:Well..thanks!

I would suggest the following changes to your list:

Freekah is a wheat not an animal protein
Alfalfa Hay - protein and fiber
Walnuts - protein
Zucchini - vegetable
Make a Calcium List: barnacle cluster, cuttlebone, oyster shell

Thank you!!

By the way, I've made some changes to my order. I'll finalize everything tonight and work and let you know.

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curlysister wrote:If the mixes are dried, I always leave them in for two or three days. No need to take them out and give something different every day. If I am feeding fresh, I will take it out after 24hours because it's gross LOL.

Honestly, I have never really overthought my feeding. I have a few different HCP mixes, as well as some single things like coral powder, dried shrimp, mineral etc. So I will put a couple of different things in the food bowls for them. Now that they are larger, and Sonny is so much bigger than Cher, I put two food bowls so they don't fight or so Sonny doesn't hog it all. Sometimes the bowls are the same and sometimes they are different. Sometimes I put the 'basic' mix or my leaf litter mix in a third bowl for them. If I am feeding fresh foods, the two bowls are usually the same stuff because it's easier. Sometimes I probably feed the same thing twice in a row, but I generally try not to. There are definitely things they like better than others, but I figure if they are hungry enough they will eat it, LOL. If I know that they like one food better than another, I will still put both in the dish.

That actually makes sense! I can have a 14 day rotation instead of 7 by serving them for 2 days each.

I leave fresh food in the tank until the crabs stop eating it and it gets gross. Then I rotate it with something different.

Once again...I would like to stress that the OP has Es. IMO when you have Es you need to be more aggressive about changing food. They are extremely active crabs, and can get bored really quickly.

Edit: I would also like to state that I think a lot of people over feed their crabbies. This can lead to a lot of food getting wasted.

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I forget what kind of crabs everyone has, sorry. I have PP's, so I guess am lucky about them being a little easier to feed!

curlysister wrote:I forget what kind of crabs everyone has, sorry. I have PP's, so I guess am lucky about them being a little easier to feed!

No worries! PPs are a lot easier!