HCA: Hermit Crab Association

My straw (Ritz) came up from a molt a few months ago and she lost alot of her red color I've only had her since January so I figured that I just did not have her long enough to fix her mal nutrition from the store . But I had 2 PP's and they molted and they gained more color so do straws need a special diet to gain color? I've given her cuttle bone and some dried shrimp but she has not really taken notice. here is a comparison between before and after molt.

Before Molt.
[img=http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/2678 ... hz0.th.jpg]

after Molt
[img=http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/7652 ... yg1.th.jpg] it does not look that much like she lost color in the pic but she has

I just want to know what can I give her to gain color next molt I'm going to get her a pack of frozen krill from the fish store would that work?

thanks

She looks like she might have lost a little color, but the picture doesn't show her truly pale. (She is still beautiful, by the way!)

Some "color" foods that I know of include:

Raisins
Spirulina
Sweet potatoes
peas
grapes
corn & cornmeal
mango
cilantro

Thanks! :I like her just the same, but she does not seem like the same crab after that molt not as active and digs more, distressing? ,near death? I hope its not the later, I really like her, she is by far my favorite.

I'm gonna go to tat tropical ( fish store) this week and by her some frozen shrimp and krill mabye she will like those

i hope she clears up soon.

I think carrots might help.

I have always fed her carrots and still do so hope fully she will regain color by her next molt.

A lot of people's straws loose color when they molt. I suspect that we don't know what to feed them for color like we do other species.

I can't tell that she changed color. Congrats on the sucessful straw molt.

One of my two straws lost color (they've both molted with me). Every single meal has color enhancing foods in it. I honestly don't know how to account for it. My straws tend to need a little more R&R after molting than other species. They take longer to get back to their old selves, I'm sure she'll be fine.

Leafy greens are very important for hermie health. Try to feed greens at least a couple times a week, the darker green they are, the better. I buy packaged spring mix at Sam's Club (mainly for me and the tortoises), and the hermies just munch it right up.

I give my guys at color enhancing foods, including green veggies almost every single day.

red bell pepper, broccoli, romaine lettuce, squash, carrot, snap beans and sweet potato along with other veggies on veggie night

blueberries, mango, peaches on fruit night along with of course other fruits,

spirulina on protein night (mixed in with pureed different meats until it's bright green)

Now, if that list won't help straws maintain and gain color, then there's something else going on here that we don't understand.

Anyone whose straws have gained color, I should would love to see before and after molt pics as well as the diet secret, cause I'm doing all I can for my straws and I feel good if they stay the same color after a molt.

my pps seem so pale after they molt one b4 she molted was brite red and purple now shes dull

I have shrimp in my food bowl at all times, and that has helped with my PPs color. Maybe it'll help with straws. I tried the carrot thing, but they never seemed to really care for that. They liked the lettuce more.