HCA: Hermit Crab Association

What a jerk! He killed my other hermit this morning

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Aww, I'm sorry for the loss of your other crab...

Sad story. Have you got protein food sources in your tank? Also calcium?


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Renroc wrote:Sad story. Have you got protein food sources in your tank? Also calcium?


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Is peanut butter and vegetables enough?

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Unfortunately no... You need multiple sources amd a good variety so they don't get tired of the same thing offered over and over again.

Protein examples: nuts (peanuts, pecan, almonds, walnuts, etc...), Mealworms, Bloodworms, crickets, grasshoppers, shrimp/krill, lobster, etc..

Calcium examples: egg shells, Cuttlebone, starfish, sand dollars, sea urchin, crushed coral, etc...

Protein and calcium needs to be offered all the time. And they also need a variety of fruits and veges.

Edit: Foods need to be organic as much as possible but here's the safe food list: http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... hp?t=92557

Second edit:
unsafe food list: http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... hp?t=92556
Nutrition link (scroll down you'll find a food pyramid similar to ours): http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... hp?t=92554

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I too am very sorry for your loss. The only time this happens is usually because insuffient diet and/or shell fights.

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Thank you for your replies. I will start feeding them crickets, mealworms, fruits, egg shells, and veggies. I feel really bad that I basically killed two of my hermit crabs.

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Awww sorry

You can also set aside unseasoned bits of your own dinner meats for them like chicken, ground turkey, beef and ground beef, pork, fish, shrimp tails, clams, canned tuna (in water only), sardines, pretty much any meat that u might eat they can have too as long as it's not seasoned and u can also feed it raw as well as cooked. Oh and eggs, My guys love eggs and if u crunch the shell up in it then its protein and calcium in one meal

One of my favorite crab facts is that they raid birds' nests for eggs in the wild. Crabs like egg.

LadyJinglyJones wrote:One of my favorite crab facts is that they raid birds' nests for eggs in the wild. Crabs like egg.

Yeah, like they are gathered behind a rock or log, planning the attack.
Then, the leader makes the call. Chaaaaaaarge!!

The is a hilarious image.

I am so sorry this got overlooked! Stores don't cover diet and I think we often forget to mention it since daily meals are the first thing that become routine and we don't give it much thought after a little while. They are scavengers and omnivores (eat everything, like humans, and bears). If they don't get enough meat based sources they will take matters into their own claws.

Edit: Since you have chams and are hopefully giving them a varied insect diet, the crabs will happily take both freshly killed insects and any that have been found dead. They make a heck of a cleanup crew and it's a great way to prevent waste. The crabs can eat anything the chams can!