Safe Food List from EH

[CrabbyMom33]

Rosemary and thyme are on the unsafe list
Mint (not peppermint) and Sage blossoms (Salvia officinalis) are on the safe list.
I'm not sure about oregano.

[wodesorel]

Mint (not peppermint) and Sage blossoms (Salvia officinalis) are on the safe list.

Can I just point out that having peppermint on the unsafe list and the other mints on the safe list makes no sense?? Peppermint is a cross between watermint and spearmint. If it was unsafe than spearmint should be as well, and if spearmint is safe then so should peppermint be. They're all Mentha sp.

[CrabbyMom33]

Can I just point out that having peppermint on the unsafe list and the other mints on the safe list makes no sense?? Peppermint is a cross between watermint and spearmint. If it was unsafe than spearmint should be as well, and if spearmint is safe then so should peppermint be. They're all Mentha sp.

Well, that all makes sense to me. So which list needs to be fixed?

[wodesorel]

Eh, I'll give it a shot overnight. I've got a mint garden on the side of the house as nothing else will grow there. I'm betting it's one of those "won't eat" additions to the food lists rather than a "kill your crab" problem. I wish we had the original literature and thoughts of why things ended up on the unsafe list, since it's actually an unsafe OR won't eat list. I know that my crabs won't eat things that other's crabs will, and vice versa!

[wodesorel]

I ended up giving them the peppermint last night. They were fighting over it at one point, and all three stalks are gone this morning. If any of them die I'll let y'all know. (I wouldn't have given it to them if I actually thought there was a risk. My peppermint patch is so bug eaten that I'm sure it's safe for them.)

[fluffy]

What about pumpkin flowers?

[wodesorel]

What about pumpkin flowers?

Completely safe! Mine would eat them, though.

[Charper]

Is resurrection fern safe? I am putting live plants in the tank, but I have no idea if this is safe or not.

[wodesorel]

Ferns are a hard lot to call since many contain a chemical that causes thiamine deficiency in mammals. It's likely that this would have no effect on the crabs if they were to eat it, but it is so hard to say. I use several species of ferns with my exotic cockroaches, and they get eaten constantly with no ill effects so it's likely that it has no effect on arthropods, but again, it's an unknown.

[ceo1282]

Is there a safe plant list? I'd like to add some in as I'm redoing my tank. Anyone know if orchids are alright? I grow orchids & the temp/humidity in a crab tank is perfect for them!

[SoulLonely]

Goji Berries should be safe. I feed dried ones I bought at Whole Foods and it always disappears out of the food dish every time I feed it

[ShinyDragonfly]

Are canned veggies safe?
Frozen Veggies?
Frozen fruit?

[CrabbyMom33]

Are canned veggies safe?
Frozen Veggies?
Frozen fruit?

If it only contains the veggie or fruit and not preservatives or salt.

[wodesorel]

Goji Berries should be safe. I feed dried ones I bought at Whole Foods and it always disappears out of the food dish every time I feed it

I got a very small amount at the Market District down near Pittsburgh when we picked up an adopted E, but they are so good I haven't been able to give any to the crabs. I'm not sure I can find more locally! ($22 a pound, too I nearly fell over, but a small amount didn't weigh too much.)

[Gummihopper]

Now, whether they'll actually eat any of the above depends on the time of day, how they're feeling, what their mother fed them as children, where the Earth is relative to Sagittarius, what song is playing on the radio, and whether it's raining right now in Tulsa.

You can never tell what they'll like and what they won't, and their likes will changed from day to day, and from crab to crab.

You crack me up Wode because it's so true!