How can I tell if my crabs are eating?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 12:53 pm

I have some hermit crab cakes made by tetra and I'm not sure if they are eating it because I put fresh ones in the morning and the next day it appears to be the same amount I put the day before. So what am I doing wrong, I crush the cake up into smaller pieces and put it in their food dish. So is there anything I'm doing wrong? I once saw one of the crabs take its claws and take a nibble out of it once but thats it. Also what treats can I give them?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 1:44 pm

I feed fresh food like coconut, fish, honey, veggies, fruit, etc... They eat so little, that I feed only a little. If you want to see for yourself, then you can smooth out the sand around the food dish and look for hermie tracks in the morning.

starmaiden · Post by **starmaiden** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 1:56 pm

Another idea is put a small piece of lettuce over the food when you first put it in and then look the next morning to see if the lettuce has been moved.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 1:58 pm

Well most of them walk around the water and food dish so I don't believe that would be the most accurate test, would putting one piece of a crushed up pellet work to see if they eat it? Do you mean like actual dead fish or fish from a resturant? Would they eat the lettuce as well?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 2:17 pm

They might eat the lettuce...and that would be fine, to the right >>> under Crab Care FAQ is a safe food list. Feel free to try any food on that list with your crabs... one word of caution check lables on foods to make sure they contain no preservatives, salt, or anything on the unsafe food list (in the same spot as the safe food list). Human salt has anti caking agents in it and either they're no good for crabs or we don't know what they do... I'm not sure which. So if you are serving salmon for dinner tonight save a raw crab sized portion and give it to your crabs or cook it with out seasonings using just a little olive oil so it doesn't stick or steam it or what ever and then give it to your crabs. Cooking for crabs is one of the fun things about having them... trying all kinds of new things to see what they like...

BTW the only way I know mine are eating is I see bits of Coco fiber (the substrate I use) in the dishes.

Oh, for a special sweet treat try honey. Mine always eat some of that... bu t again if I didn't see the dirt in the bowl I wouldn't know they ate any.

I use cleaned juice caps to serve honey in that way I don't have to clean it I can just throw it out when I am done. My favorite tip. I also searve most of their treats in juice caps... shrimp tails... organic baby food... I save my food dish for Narnar's dry kibble that I always have in the tank.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 6:23 pm

It is hard to tell if crabs are eating, but Iâ€™ve also never heard of anyone having success with Tetra crab flakes. I know I tried them when I first started crabbing without success, they may not be very palatable for crabs. Iâ€™d take a look at the safe food list if I were you and look for more variety in crab diet. It will make all the difference!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 6:48 pm

Well the pet store where I got them from said that its the same thing they feed the crabs there with. I will take a look at the safe crab list, thanks alot. So I can really feed them banana's and frozen bloodworms? How do I serve it to them?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 7:38 pm

Hermit crab cakes are bad for hermit crabs. They have bad ingredients.

A way to tell if they're eating is to see if they drag food all around the 'tat'.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 7:41 pm

How is it bad and what will happen to the crab if it eats it? What food would you suggest me to buy?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 8:07 pm

it has ethoxyquin in it.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 8:43 pm

ok, what food would you suggest? What happens if they eat it? Why hasn't it hurt the crabs at the lps since they are feeding them the same thing?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 9:03 pm

Anything on the safe food/safe plant list is okay to feed them. Generally organic fresh foods are the way to go. Also, check at larger pet stores like PetCo or PetSmart for frozen stuff that makes our human noses go on strike like frozen whole silversides and frozen krill. I generally try and feed my crablets a different colored veggie every day from the food list, as well as a meat protein, fruit, and anything else I feel like throwing in there for a treat. I had FMR food when I first got them, and quickly learned it was bad for crabs and switched them to a fresh diet. It's currently in a landfill somewhere. I believe I read that preservatives cause issues with molting and deformities (I hope I remember correctly). I guess the severity of the damage things like copper sulfate and EQ can do, depends on how long the crabs have been eating it. It's not something you can see instantly. But regardless, think on the level of the crab... would they come across food with preservatives in it in the wild? Doubtful. Preservatives really aren't good for humans to begin with, much less crabs who are used to feeding on fresh foods.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 9:30 pm

So your saying they can only eat fruits and some meats? That can get costly as bananas don't last long after being opened. Can they eat bloodworms?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 9:43 pm

Go here:
http://www.epicureanhermit.com/index.ph ... 4&Itemid=9

Read all of it. I printed one out, as well as the unsafe food list and the safe plant list on the same website to keep with me when I'm grocery shopping. It cost a bit of money to get my food stock up. I took all my fresh stuff and cut it up into very small pieces. The chopped stuff went into seperate plastic bags in the freezer, and I take out small bits every night and put it in their feeder shells. I generally don't cook my crab's foods, but occasionally I'll heat up their meat to get it nice and smelly. Once you get your food stock built up, it's pretty cheap! They only need very small amounts of food in their shells, but a wide variety to choose from. Another thing you can do is cut off pieces of food (unseasoned!) that you are going to eat for dinner that is safe. That's how I got my supply of chicken, beef, fish, and shrimp that's residing in my freezer.

Willow · Post by **Willow** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 9:45 pm

I cut up one banana and put it in the freezer...it has lasted a good long time, and I have 25 hermies. Most things hermies like can be frozen, and that will help you not to waste food and money on things spoiling. They can eat just about any fruits or veggies, and unseasoned chicken, fish, beef....just about any meat, as long as it doesn't contain preservatives, seasonings, or additives. Try for things they'd find in the wild.....fruits, greens (you can go outside and pick dandelions greens for them, as long as they haven't been sprayed. Delicious and nutritious, and FREE!), leaves, fish, bugs (dead crickets are a big hit in my crabitat), etc.