Crabs losing color

KayedeeLove<3 · Post by **KayedeeLove<3** » Sat Mar 25, 2017 3:23 pm

Almost all my crabs were that deep alabama crimson tide red. Now they are all turning to normal pet store purple pincher color! How do i get back to that deep red? I don't know what i changed in their diet but my big guy just doesn't look the same!

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YouTube · Post by **GotButterflies** » Sat Mar 25, 2017 4:00 pm

Doesn't sound like the color they change to prior to a molt, so it sounds like what you are feeding them. Make sure to follow the food pyramid. I personally feed fresh foods, and make my own mixes, so I find the food pyramid really easy to follow. I keep all my hermit crab goodies in my crab room, and have a space in the fridge and the freezer. My husband jokes that the crabs eat better than he does

Food Pyramid: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 25&t=92554

HeyItsEggs · Post by **HeyItsEggs** » Sat Mar 25, 2017 6:08 pm

GotButterflies wrote:Doesn't sound like the color they change to prior to a molt, so it sounds like what you are feeding them. Make sure to follow the food pyramid. I personally feed fresh foods, and make my own mixes, so I find the food pyramid really easy to follow. I keep all my hermit crab goodies in my crab room, and have a space in the fridge and the freezer. My husband jokes that the crabs eat better than he does

Food Pyramid: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 25&t=92554

GB! You have a separate room for your crabs?! LUCKY!!! I am so jealous rn

KayedeeLove<3 · Post by **KayedeeLove<3** » Sat Mar 25, 2017 8:24 pm

GotButterflies wrote:Doesn't sound like the color they change to prior to a molt, so it sounds like what you are feeding them. Make sure to follow the food pyramid. I personally feed fresh foods, and make my own mixes, so I find the food pyramid really easy to follow. I keep all my hermit crab goodies in my crab room, and have a space in the fridge and the freezer. My husband jokes that the crabs eat better than he does

Food Pyramid: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 25&t=92554

Ya know ive looked and the only thing i don't see in my feeding routine is sprinula and it's on it's way. I even feed them the color booster from hermies kitchen (plenty of asaxythen) or however you spell it! This is something i want to get turned around but i guess I will just do majority color enhancing foods until it changes!

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Hermiearth · Post by **Hermiearth** » Sat Mar 25, 2017 8:57 pm

Carrots have done a lot for my crabs color

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KayedeeLove<3 · Post by **KayedeeLove<3** » Sat Mar 25, 2017 9:34 pm

Going to by carrots collards and pineapple tomorrow plus i have jumbo krill and quinoa. Gonna mix it up but they are going to eat allot of all that stuff.

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YouTube · Post by **GotButterflies** » Sun Mar 26, 2017 10:41 am

HeyItsEggs wrote: GB! You have a separate room for your crabs?! LUCKY!!! I am so jealous rn

Yes

I have a bedroom full of aquariums. A 100g crabitat, 75g crabitat, a 55g ball python tank, and another 55g tank that I'm going to eventually convert to another crabitat. We used to have a yellow rat snake, up until last week, but we rehomed it bc my son was nervous with it. The snakes are "his" even though I care for them. Fortunately for my son I love all animals/creatures. One of these days if you really want a room like that you can do it too!

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YouTube · Post by **GotButterflies** » Sun Mar 26, 2017 10:46 am

KayedeeLove<3 wrote:Going to by carrots collards and pineapple tomorrow plus i have jumbo krill and quinoa. Gonna mix it up but they are going to eat allot of all that stuff.

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Color enhance that I feed: Radish, beets, real shrimp, lobster exoskeleton, krill, river shrimp, carrots, strawberries, raisins, cranberries, cherries, blueberries, tomatoes, red quinoa, sweet potatoes, oak leaves, almond leaves....I know there is more. Oak bark..but I need to go take care of my garden

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Edit: roses, hibiscus, passionflower

KayedeeLove<3 · Post by **KayedeeLove<3** » Sun Mar 26, 2017 10:54 am

Speaking of garden...

I was thinking why not grow their food myself. Just need to talk to ace hard ware about a completely organic soil to grow in.

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KayedeeLove<3 · Post by **KayedeeLove<3** » Sun Mar 26, 2017 10:55 am

Ty btw i will keep this list!

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YouTube · Post by **GotButterflies** » Sun Mar 26, 2017 11:54 am

Yw! I grow my own foods for them, that way I know they are 100% organic

Edit: they do make organic seeds if you want to be completely organic

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KayedeeLove<3 · Post by **KayedeeLove<3** » Sun Mar 26, 2017 5:15 pm

OMG even the seeds have to be bought organic?

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soilentgringa · Post by **soilentgringa** » Sun Mar 26, 2017 5:19 pm

I know someone mentioned axastanthin (sp) powder. Some of the crab food vendors sell it, or "color enhancing foods". I've noticed that it doesn't really seem to matter what color foods I've fed my crobs. Some of the PP's are getting darker as they get older but have a really brilliant purple pincher. My E's have gone from being bluish/greyish/greenish when young to orangey brown after a few molts. They've also doubled in size since we got them last year. I'll have to do a before and after side by side of them soon.

KayedeeLove<3 · Post by **KayedeeLove<3** » Sun Mar 26, 2017 5:26 pm

Yes i won't buy the color booster anymore clearly they dried and crushed a bunch of red goodies together but that's not what I'm looking for. From what I've read most of the things that holds axastanthin and tanin arent even red. -__-

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KayedeeLove<3 · Post by **KayedeeLove<3** » Sun Mar 26, 2017 5:28 pm

Really it is mostly my big guy i noticed (because how could you not) losing color. It happened very quickly like past two weeks quick!

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HCA: Hermit Crab Association