HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Just brought home 4 new crabs from the beach. Am sure the setup is not ideal yet, but I did what I could w/ it until I can get to Petco by setting up the wet sponges, play sand, etc.

Meanwhile, one of the crabs climbed up on the sponge that is attached to the climby-mesh thing and proceeded to EAT it. I mean, it is HAlf GONE! I did not see any sponge debris that would indicate he was just ripping it up.

Is this normal, and will it hurt the crab?

If it's a plain, natural sea sponge, it's safe enough, but the crab is really hungry for cellulose. Try offering him a corn cob after you've eaten the corn off it for a quick fix.

For more information on feeding and diet, I'd recommend you read the FAQ at http://www.epicureanhermit.com

Crabs need a wide and varied diet in order to be healthy, and eating up a sponge that quickly means it's very hungry indeed. There's a lot you can do to help though, mainly by providing a wide variety of fresh foods.

There's a long edible list at that site, as well as a list of foods to avoid.

My crab eats the sponge all the time :roll: But I provide alot of food... so he shouldnt be hungry

When I used to put sponges in my hermit crab's tank,they ripped them apart.They may have eaten them,too,lol.I need to put them back in there,though when I buy some.

Heehee this was one of my first questions when I joined this forum!

Eating a bit is ok, if they are eating nothing else, they may need a more varied diet!

About a year or so ago, I found Soccer eating the shell he was in! Now that he's no longer with me, I put his shell on a shadow box in my bedroom - Soccer nibbles and all.

PS: I always bury my crabs with their shells. I don't feel right taking the one thing that's theirs. When Soccer died, he was in a different shell. His original (unoccupied) shell is the one keepsake I have. It's the shell I first brought him home in.

Eating the sponge is 100% normal crab behavior. In fact, they do almost everything they can do with the sponge, like eat it, climb over it, destroy it, shred it, and push it around.