Dietary issues with Ruggies

dbolack · Post by **dbolack** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 10:36 am

With the exception of one, our long time Ruggies are gettting paler. We're at a loss. They get a great variety of foods, some of which are supposed to be influencial in color. But with the exception of the one that *LOVES* raisins,they are all shifting slowly grayer.

Any thoughts to what they are missing or perhaps something we are giving them that is doing this?

They all seem otherwise very healthy and as active as ever (which is to say, not horribly, but clearly moving around the tat and active when handled/approached)

starmaiden · Post by **starmaiden** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 10:56 am

Ruggies eat algae and tortoise poo in the wild. I make sure to provide mine with an algae source every day and this seems to help preserve their coloring. You can buy powdered spirulina at a health food store or online from
http://stores.ebay.com/Hermit-Crab-Addiction

They also enjoy flowers, popcorn, mangrove bark, and the bugs n' nuts from Narnars store you can visit by going here:
http://stores.ebay.com/The-Happy-Hermit-Crab
Narnar makes color enhancing foods as well that I haven't tried yet but totally intend too!

I also give all my crabs Emerald Entree fish food cubes: Click Here
Spirulina fed Brine Shrimp cubes: Click Here
And seaweed salad that's just 100% marine algae pressed into sheets like nori: Click here I moisten it with a bit of fruit or coconut milk.

Hope that helps!

NaRnAR · Post by **NaRnAR** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 12:15 pm

Hmm, I had that happen with one ruggie for the first year or so that I had her...now she has darkened up considerably and has even began to regrow her eyes that she had lost part of!

Some other things that I feed mine are foods with tannin in them..leaves, bark, raisins. They also like mango, carrots, and orange bell peppers...and of course rotting fruits!

If you have just switched to organics from commercial foods as a staple, it will take a couple molts before they regain their coloration.

HERMEZ · Post by **HERMEZ** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 12:46 pm

I have had 2 lose color--one died the other is not a real active crab--I cant say its diet--its offered but I cant make them eat it which frustrates me. I am trying everything I can to give it a variety--I wish I had a better answer for my own. I am glad others are regaining color.

starmaiden · Post by **starmaiden** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 1:15 pm

Another thing that might make a difference, but I have no real info on it is a sunglo bulb or at least access to natural light so they can bask. My ruggies like to sun themselves since i added the sunglo bulb to their tat. I don't know if it makes a difference with coloration or not, but I've noticed an increase in their activity level since I began providing 12 hours of light for them, which I'm sure helps to stimulate appetite too.

HERMEZ · Post by **HERMEZ** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 1:21 pm

I use those but its thru glass which I know dimishes UV

dbolack · Post by **dbolack** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 9:34 pm

Our biggest and longest kept Ruggie, Star, loves the raisins. She doesn't seem to have lost color, or has done so so minimally that it's hard to tell it's occuring.

Now, these other ruggies in question never were dark, but they seem to have lost pigment over time. Most of our food isn't "fresh" aside from shrimp, but we have several tannin bearing things in our bags of freezedrieds. We have had a lot of luck with the Kaytee foods ( usually marketed for gerbils or birds )

We haven't gotten around to trying NarNars stuff, yet, but it is on the todo list, particularlly if she's got stuff for Blue Es.

So no one knows for certain if this is a real deficiency reflected in their pigment or is simply a pigmentation issue.

Is it possible this is part of the diff between ruggies and psuedoruggies?