HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hello, i'm fairly new to hermit crab keeping so i need some advice from more experienced owners. About a month ago i got Mulder from a home that only fed him gross smelling store pellets (yuck). i've made food for my hermies but for reasons i'm not sure of he won't take anything fresh. he wont touch fruit / veggie slices or any leafies. Any suggestions on dry or dehydrated plants to help him get some vitamins? right now the food he eats consists of oats, wheat barley and rye seeds, crushed eggshells, dehydrated strawberries, dehydrated mealworms, and dehydrated catfish. Definitely need some veggies in there. any help is appreciated

Some herbs they can have (that you may have on hand) include parsley and dill.
You could also try dry seaweed (wakame, kelp, dulse). I found those and dried mushrooms at Whole Foods.
I also found some dehydrated chamomile flowers, broccoli, carrots, hot peppers, and sweet potato at a bulk store. And tons of dried fruits (no sugar added): fig, kiwi, raspberry, blackberry, apricot, raisins, mango...

A few other dry foods my crabs love are peanut butter powder (no sugar, just peanuts), nutritional yeast, and popcorn popped with coconut oil. (Not veggies, but to give some more variety.)

Lately when I put dry food in the tank, I've been making 2 identical portions: one with the food as is, and one mixed with a couple drops of hot water. They seem to like the 'rehydrated' stuff a bit better.

If you don't have it already, you might want to consider getting some worm castings. It has tons of nutrients, and the crabbies love it!

Many people also sell tried and true crab food mixes on Etsy: that's an option as well.

Hope this helps!

I have never given my crabs the option of being picky. I put in a variety of dried and fresh foods (more fresh in summer when it's available in my yard/ garden), and they can eat it or not. I mean, I notice things that are their favorites, like popcorn always disappeard. But it does not make a difference to me whether they eat a lot or a little of the other foods. Sometimes you need to offer a food a number of times before they eat it. If you are offering a variety, including calcium and protein daily, they will take what they need when they need it. This has worked for me for over 12 years!

thank you guys! I've added some more fruits and veggies and im starting with "wet" protiens to get him into hydrated foods. He seems to like river shrimp so ill see how he does