HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I want to make sure my hermit crabs are getting a well rounded diet everytime I feed them. Is there a mix that you guys recommend on etsy that meets all the diet requirements of hermit crabs? I'm worried that I'm not covering my base with my own mix of foods. And I have seen the food pyramid, but when I'm feeding them it's hard to remember what needs to given every day vs. 4 days a week vs. 2-3 days a week, etc.

It's more about offering a variety rather than making it about the exact number of days. Always have a protein and fruit available to them, keep a bowl of calcium in the tank,, and everything else can be swapped out in rotation.

Agree with Wode. Crabs like variety. So even if you had a 'complete' mix, you should vary their diet. Like other species (and people) every meal every day does not need to be complete, it is more about making sure that they are getting a well rounded variety on an ongoing basis.

I tried making a “complete” mix to meet all their nutritional needs but found that they ate a lot less when they had the same stuff over and over again. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is unknown.


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I have 9 different mixes, bought from a couple of etsy stores. I keep them in threes. I use those tiny clothes pins to keep them together, 1 protein mix, 1 fruit mix and one weedy type mix. I rotate those. I also offer a calcium, worm castings and a raw protein (tiny slivers of meat). Real fruit when we have it. Bits of cheese occasionally. I just got some bee pollen (that was a big hit). I have those measuring spoons that are pinch, dash and smidgen.

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I have many different food mixes that I buy from HermitGrub (on Etsy.)_She sells GREAT foods that the crabs love!
Like Wlfwo, (sorry if I didn't spell that right) I rotate - but every day they get protein, fruit, calcium, and so on.
also feed fresh fruit and veggies when available.

I read somewhere (and of course now I can't find it) that hermits have a biological mechanism that makes them not want the same food for every meal. It has something to do with keeping them from just sitting on large dead animals until they are completely gone. It keeps them moving and searching for the varying nutrients they need.

Does anyone know the article I'm talking about?

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Enson wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 06, 2020 8:06 am

I read somewhere (and of course now I can't find it) that hermits have a biological mechanism that makes them not want the same food for every meal. It has something to do with keeping them from just sitting on large dead animals until they are completely gone. It keeps them moving and searching for the varying nutrients they need.

Does anyone know the article I'm talking about?

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Food choices of land hermit crabs (Coenobita compresses H. Milne Edwards) depend on past experience
Lead author is Thacker, published in the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

There is a free PDF available online.

wodesorel wrote:
Food choices of land hermit crabs (Coenobita compresses H. Milne Edwards) depend on past experience
Lead author is Thacker, published in the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

There is a free PDF available online.

Yep that's it! Thanks!

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