Am i feeding my hermit crabs enough variety

[Altaccforhermitsssss]

I was just wondering if thwre is anything i can do better, but i feed my crabbies spinach, carrots, apple, eggshells(twice a week), grapes, chia seeds/plants, bird seed, and occasionally a chunck of chicken. Should i add anything else to their diet? Are any of these not reccomended to feed?

I would appreciate any advice
Thanks

[curlysister]

These all sound safe to feed, but for sure you should feed a greater variety.
Crabs should have animal protein daily, and all meats are safe. So you can feed beef, pork, shrimp and other seafood, wild meats, as well as chicken.
You probably eat way more fruits than grapes and apples, so you can give the crabs some of those - oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, bananas, berries, etc.
You also probably eat way more veggies than just carrots, so give those to the crabs too - peas, beans, lettuce, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, chard, etc.
Do you eat any nuts or seeds? Give the crabs some of those too - sunflower seeds, flax, chia, hemp hearts, almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, etc.
Do you eat grains like quinoa, oats, rice, barley, etc - give them some of those too.
Do you have access to pesticide free flowers and leaves? Leaf litter is important - trees like oak, maple, poplar, etc - veggies like squash leaves. Lots of flowers are safe!
As well as eggshells, cuttle bone is a good source of calcium, and people also give their crabs bones too.

I'm sure I'm missing many more foods too!

[Altaccforhermitsssss]

Thanks, about the oranges and bananas(or any food with peel) though, should i give the peel to them ad well? Are any oats safe?? Is frozen chicken okay to give them, vut my mom usualy puts salt on them before i can ask for a separate chunck, is that okay??

[curlysister]

Any oats are safe.
I usually peel things like oranges and bananas, but leave some peel on for things like kiwi or apples.
Some salt on food isn't harmful. You can put the chicken in raw, just be aware of the risks for you. I don't like the smell of raw meat that sits in 80 degree heat, so I only ever put in cooked meat.

[LavendarCrab]

Wow! I'm learning a lot on this forum! I thought oranges were unsafe.

[curlysister]

Wow! I'm learning a lot on this forum! I thought oranges were unsafe.

That is a myth that has been perpetuated. All citrus is safe!