Diy hermit crab food (catch clean cook)

[Quinnthescrub]

I cooked for them: 2 small crayfish, 1 baby crayfish, a 2" creek chub, a huge worm of some sort, a pregnant salamander, a leech, and a small snail. They ate all of it in a couple hours.

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[curlysister]

I'm not sure I understand why you would kill those poor things to feed your crabs. You can feed meat that is from a species that is already being killed for human food supply. Crabs eat so little that you can literally feed them scraps from your own food.

[Quinnthescrub]

the reason I killed the creatures is because I like the idea of making them a meal from scratch; foraging is fun for me; these creatures are used as bait or eaten by us hoomans. I didn't kill the salamander, she just dried up, and went to sleep forever; I would've released her if she lived. The crabs liked it better than any other food I've fed them before. They ate all of it.

[hermitsinnc]

I don't see anything morally wrong with feeding this stuff to crabs if you so choose. I wouldn't do it just because I'm squeamish, but to each their own. What I would be worried about is risk. Maybe it depends on area, but it seems to me that these creatures have probably ingested some pesticides, even if it wasn't a lethal dose.

[JoeHermits]

The worm you posted is an insect larva, I’m guessing cranefly


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[Quinnthescrub]

its a huge larva; about 2-3 inches long

[Quinnthescrub]

Today's catch

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[curlysister]

I hope that's not all you are feeding them.

[Quinnthescrub]

today yes; they ate their weight in crayfish. they ate the meat off of one of the big ones and ate half of the other 2. i've never seen them eat like this before. you should buy some from a store, boil em and feed them to your crabs. they'll love it. I'll send a pic after school

[hermitsinnc]

It should be fine (nutrient-wise) as long as you're feeding the crayfish exo or have a calcium source in your tank. Just make sure they get some 'veggies' (can forage for those too) and fats (seeds, nuts, etc) every week.

[curlysister]

As hermitsinnc stated, crabs need other foods too - variety is key to ensuring they get all the nutrients they need. Calcium, vegetables, fruits, nuts, leaves, etc. Be sure to read the 'nutrition' care sheet for lots of info about their dietary needs.

[Quinnthescrub]

i normally feed them fruit, veggies, etc. this is a treat

[GotButterflies]

I don't know how many hermits you are feeding, but hermit crabs eat very little. There is no way they are devouring all of that in one feeding unless you are feeding 100s of them...
TBH...this post made me sad.

[Quinnthescrub]

i don't kill things for fun (ants are an exception), but I love finding them food outside of my kitchen. They eat so much of this, it is physically impossible, but I've seen the remains- only exoskeleton. They can eat 2 of them every other day. I can't and won't stop feeding them this because they love it so much. ( I have 9 crabs: 2 jumbo, 2 large, 2 medium, and 3 small)

[curlysister]

I am sad about it too, GB.

What size tank do you have for your 9 crabs? They could have dragged a bunch of the dead things into hiding places or under the sub.