Daytime food

[Hermiesguardian]

Should I leave food for them during the day? It seems like they never come out anyway. I have a cuttlebone in there but it doesn't look used.

[LadyJinglyJones]

I do - and have a few crabs who eat during the day. But I also don't change my crabs' food every day - I've got leaf litter, moss, bark, wood, some seeds, and two kinds of protein in the tank on any given day... I tend to rotate food items out as they get gross.

People manage their crab's diets in different ways. Some feed daily, changing food and food items every day, some do as I do. There are people with weekly meal plans! (People who do this have attained a level of organisation I can only dream of.)

If they don't seem to come out much, it could be that there isn't enough cover to help them feel safe - but you may also just have crabs that are more nocturnally oriented.

[CrabMater]

hi, i like to leave non spoiling munchies out like Lady J (fd worms/coral/leaves/bark/egg shells) but i put fresh food out every day to 2 days. im a daily mister/checker. so if something is too far off/moldy i pull it out. also if something yummy comes in I like to share. Each crab has their own feeding time and preference. and depending where they are in molt cycle they don't/wont bother to come out for food. ive watched a crab eat a single grain of rice for 15 minutes, so they can "stuff" themselves on what seems like nothing.

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[Hermiesguardian]

hi, i like to leave non spoiling munchies out like Lady J (fd worms/coral/leaves/bark/egg shells) but i put fresh food out every day to 2 days. im a daily mister/checker. so if something is too far off/moldy i pull it out. also if something yummy comes in I like to share. Each crab has their own feeding time and preference. and depending where they are in molt cycle they don't/wont bother to come out for food. ive watched a crab eat a single grain of rice for 15 minutes, so they can "stuff" themselves on what seems like nothing.

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Uncooked rice? I know not instant rice.

[LadyJinglyJones]

For some reason CrabMater's post made me think of this, and it's sort of relevant but not really related to your initial query. Fair warning - I'm an insect nerd:

So also of note... there's less food cleanup if you add isopods (roly-polies/wood lice - a type of wee land crustacean that you've encountered all your life) and/or springtails (insect-like little dudes that aren't technically insects but still have six legs and jump via a very interesting anatomical feature, and the lineage of which goes a long way back in the fossil record, but that's another story) to your crabitat.

We call these animals the cleanup crew. They're tiny super stars. These are the only non-hermit-crab animals we recommend you keep with your crabs. (I suppose you could keep crickets if you wanted to, but they are terrible, so just don't. Personal experience )

This is how I get away with leaving things like dried fish/other dehydrated stuff in the tank & not having mould get out of control when I have humidity in the high eighties or nineties, but mostly only remove the fresh stuff I put in every couple days.

If you get a well established isopod colony going in your tat, they enable you to be a lazier crab parent.... er, y'know, if lazy is your thing. (It's mine.)

Obviously, this is not a necessary addition to any tat. And if you don't like 'bugs', it makes no sense for your tat.

Just something to think about.

(Unless you're feeling overwhelmed by the world of crabbing: then just forget everything you just read.)

And they will eat uncooked rice happily.

[daws409]

I too would leave food out during the day... I have some that are only active during the day and others that are only active at night. Some of mine will sleep in the trees/foliage for 3 or 4 days then eat whenever they "wake" up.

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[CrabMater]

hi, i like to leave non spoiling munchies out like Lady J (fd worms/coral/leaves/bark/egg shells) but i put fresh food out every day to 2 days. im a daily mister/checker. so if something is too far off/moldy i pull it out. also if something yummy comes in I like to share. Each crab has their own feeding time and preference. and depending where they are in molt cycle they don't/wont bother to come out for food. ive watched a crab eat a single grain of rice for 15 minutes, so they can "stuff" themselves on what seems like nothing.

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Uncooked rice? I know not instant rice.

cooked rice. white. no salt

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[GotButterflies]

I feed mine daily. At all times you can find cuttlebone, coral, leaf litter, oak bark, cork bark, seeds, worm castings, greensand and a stick in my tank. Then I offer a minimum of two proteins, a fruit, a fat, green leaf, veggie...etc in my tank.

[Hermiesguardian]

For some reason CrabMater's post made me think of this, and it's sort of relevant but not really related to your initial query. Fair warning - I'm an insect nerd:

So also of note... there's less food cleanup if you add isopods (roly-polies/wood lice - a type of wee land crustacean that you've encountered all your life) and/or springtails (insect-like little dudes that aren't technically insects but still have six legs and jump via a very interesting anatomical feature, and the lineage of which goes a long way back in the fossil record, but that's another story) to your crabitat.

We call these animals the cleanup crew. They're tiny super stars. These are the only non-hermit-crab animals we recommend you keep with your crabs. (I suppose you could keep crickets if you wanted to, but they are terrible, so just don't. Personal experience )

This is how I get away with leaving things like dried fish/other dehydrated stuff in the tank & not having mould get out of control when I have humidity in the high eighties or nineties, but mostly only remove the fresh stuff I put in every couple days.

If you get a well established isopod colony going in your tat, they enable you to be a lazier crab parent.... er, y'know, if lazy is your thing. (It's mine.)

Obviously, this is not a necessary addition to any tat. And if you don't like 'bugs', it makes no sense for your tat.

Just something to think about.

(Unless you're feeling overwhelmed by the world of crabbing: then just forget everything you just read.)

And they will eat uncooked rice happily.

Yes, I am overwhelmed by the world of crabbing. Lol. But that's not why I would forget what you said. Eewwww, bugs?? No thanks.
And someone else said cooked rice. Which I did. But isn't uncooked rice hard for the to eat?

[Happyhermiehome]

I feed each night and leave the same food out till the next nightly feeding. I also have some that are day eaters. I will dump it if it's super stinky in the morning when I walk by the tank lol but will replace with a bit of dried mix. I also have a leaf litter bin and moss pits, sweet gum bark and sticks, coral, cuttle bone and oyster shell on offer 24/7


@GB tell me about Green sand plz?

[Hermiesguardian]

I feed each night and leave the same food out till the next nightly feeding. I also have some that are day eaters. I will dump it if it's super stinky in the morning when I walk by the tank lol but will replace with a bit of dried mix. I also have a leaf litter bin and moss pits, sweet gum bark and sticks, coral, cuttle bone and oyster shell on offer 24/7


@GB tell me about Green sand plz?

I'll leave the food in there until next evening then. I've been removing it in the morning but leaving some coliander petals? I don't remember what they're called.