Prepping food

[Kermie16]

Wondering what are some good ways to prep food in advance? I would love to have some advice on what mixes of foods are best to freeze in daily portions. Also, we eat a lot of eggs in our family, can I freeze the egg shells to give to the hermies? And can I use the powdered PB-2 as is or would I need to mix it in dechlorinated water for them to eat?

[Jedi Sena]

One tip I can share is using ice cube trays to freeze single portions. Then you can keep the food cubes loose in a freezer bag. Dried foods should be stored in a cool, dry place and remain sealed.

[Kermie16]

Great! I have plenty of those Is it better to mix the fresh foods in with some organic baby food? Also can Frozen fruits and veggies be used? Could u also recommend some good organic peanut butter for the crabbies? My family and I use powdered PB2 - but looking at the ingredients, it has salt in it :/ Thanks so much!! The HCA members have made learning about the care of these beautiful creatures so less stressful for newbies like my daughter and myself and very enjoyable

[Kermie16]

Ack! Jedi Sena!
Just realized ur the owner of crabotanicals! I was just looking at ur store recently and I believe I read through one of ur blogs ^_^ Very cool!! Looking forward to some purchases soon Appreciate ur advice!!

[AleyedtoBuggie]

Something I've been wondering as well. Any help is most appreciated here!

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[pandaincognito]

I freeze my eggshells ^^ other than that I have frozen vegetables thay I feed my crew (my people and my crabs) since I mostly cook every night, I just grab a handful and pit it in the crab tank before I dump the bag into the skillet pr pot

[Giner13]

I freeze my eggshells ^^ other than that I have frozen vegetables thay I feed my crew (my people and my crabs) since I mostly cook every night, I just grab a handful and pit it in the crab tank before I dump the bag into the skillet pr pot

Do you use a particular brand of frozen veggies? Or fresh veggies that have been frozen?

[pandaincognito]

A little of both. Birdseye is usually what I feed us, so thats what the crabs get as well. I throw in fresh veggies too when they're used (except tomatoes, they dont seem to do well frozen). The crabs diet is based on what I cook on a nightly basis. I also have freezedried foods on hand as well for nights I can't cook (like the past couple of nights)

[pandaincognito]

I have a baggie in my freezer of tidbits of vegetables from bags of frozen, and trimmings from things I use fresh. As well as a Tupperware container of yard egg shells. ^^

[Kermie16]

So glad I can freeze the egg shells! And throwing in tidbits of food from cooking for the fam is a major plus! Do u re-wash the veggies/fruits in dechlorinated water before freezing?

[pandaincognito]

It really depends. I trust birds eye, bit when I buy generic, I rinse before I put it in their tank. Just to make sure pesticide residue is gone. Maybe thats just an irrational fear....

[The Franckinator]

My go-to is a mixture that I found online and modified. I don't even freeze it, I just place the mixture in a small air-tight plastic container. About 1/3 of it is powdered calcium carbonate and another 2/3 consists of ground almond, dried red shrimp, and psyllium seed. I also put Morton's sea salt in it along with shredded carrots, cut up raisins and shreds of spinach leaf. You could also put it in the fridge to preserve it longer, but that's already facilitated by the salt and air-tight seal.

[AleyedtoBuggie]

Where do you get the dried red shrimp and psyllium seed?

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[The Franckinator]

Where do you get the dried red shrimp and psyllium seed?

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I get the shrimp from Petsmart (or any pet store, probably) in the aquatic turtle section. It's called Large Sun-Dried Red Shrimp by Zoo Med. If you don't trust it cuz it's Zoo Med, I don't blame you, but my crabs seem to like it. The psyllium seed I bought from the Vitamin Shoppe. If you can find an herbal or vitamin enhancement store, they might have it since it's also very good for and marketed towards people.

[Kermie16]

So a little bit of Morton's sea salt in their food is ok?