Hermit crab exo composition?
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Guest
Topic author
Hermit crab exo composition?
Does anyone know what the composition of a crab's exo is? I know of chitin, but what about calicium and other nutrients? Would it be beneficial to give them small amounts of a reptile multivitamin and calcium carbonate?
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Guest
Topic author
Calcium carbonate... yes, that is the form of Calcium that crabs can use... found in cuttlebones and shells and stuff...
I think money would be better spent on a good quality brand of natural Marine seasalt (like Oceanic and there are others) that they will get minerals from. Some of the vitamins made for reptiles and fish also have other things in them that are very bad for crabs. I also think that vitamins are best absorbed in their natural form... Food... so feed a varried diet of natural foods. Link to Crab Food Groups:
http://www.crabstreetjournal.com/module ... 1484#31484
Let me know if you cannot open this and I will copy paste the info here for you.
Also consider this post from Chestersmom
"as hermit crabs forage based on their own individual needs for specific resources...we sabotage that if they cannot recognize the form of food...the only place that I think they can control that is in the mineral extraction from ocean water...it has been proven that they will only extract what they need as the receptors in their cells will only allow what is not already present in the blood stream (sorry this is very general). This does however make them susceptible to heavy metal poisoning from water sources. "
I think money would be better spent on a good quality brand of natural Marine seasalt (like Oceanic and there are others) that they will get minerals from. Some of the vitamins made for reptiles and fish also have other things in them that are very bad for crabs. I also think that vitamins are best absorbed in their natural form... Food... so feed a varried diet of natural foods. Link to Crab Food Groups:
http://www.crabstreetjournal.com/module ... 1484#31484
Let me know if you cannot open this and I will copy paste the info here for you.
Also consider this post from Chestersmom
"as hermit crabs forage based on their own individual needs for specific resources...we sabotage that if they cannot recognize the form of food...the only place that I think they can control that is in the mineral extraction from ocean water...it has been proven that they will only extract what they need as the receptors in their cells will only allow what is not already present in the blood stream (sorry this is very general). This does however make them susceptible to heavy metal poisoning from water sources. "