What's on today's menu & recipe sharing ~2013~

[alliciat]

Just an FYI. Spinach (fresh), unless organic, is one of the top 5 foods to retain pesticides. So if giving fresh spinach, washing is not enough, as it's absorbed into the leaves. Organic or cooked is best. Frozen spinach that's been par-boiled, is considered safe, but I'd rather just go organic on this one. I love the concoctions on here. So far, despite all the variety I've offered, fresh, cooked, steamed, my crabs are showing very little interest in their food. I worry they are not getting enough protein. Will have to try some of these concoctions and see if they are interested.

[sandra03]

they eat such small amounts that sometimes it's hard to tell that they've eaten, and mine tend to sit outside the dish and just grab whatever they can reach easily so the dish often doesn't look disturbed at all afterwards. other times they walk through it and drag the food all over the tank but that's another story lol. they can also go quite a while before getting hungry sometimes. i wouldn't worry too much but changing the variety of foods often is a good way to make sure they're getting everything they need. instead of putting a ton of choices in every day i'm starting to learn that it's better to give only a small variety and just change it every other day. i might give them veggies one day and then fruit the next, and i try to make sure i don't give the same fruit or veg twice in a row. it all depends on what i have in my fridge at the time though. their protein mix doesn't change and there's always a calcium source and flower/leaf mix.

so besides the proteins (flukers turtle medley), clacium (eggshell) and flower/leaf mix, yesterday and today they got crushed lentils and a chunk of mushroom, and i sprinkled in a bit of cuddle bone and bits of almond. the 2 days before that they had peanut butter, berries and a bit of coconut and walnut. tomorrow they'll probably get some carrots and snap peas and cashews

[alliciat]

They do get variety. The same main 2 days in a row, but always add something different to that the 2nd day. Then it's a new menu again. Cuttle bone is always in the enclosure. They have shown NO interest whatsoever in eggs or eggshells.

No interest in freeze dried bloodworms or shrimps (served both dry and soaked in bit of water). No interest in chicken/turkey (cooked) or chicken bones (cracked to allow marrow access). Organic Maple almond butter (pb made with almonds instead) didn't interest them either. Some interest in sweet potatoes. Popcorn is a win no matter when, but is a once a week treat, as they'll eat that rather than anything else in their dishes. No other fruit, vegie, or grain's seem to have been touched much. Maybe they just are very neat eaters, and leave no evidence behind that they've perhaps nibbled an of it. I just worry if they are getting enough protein! I don't want them to start 'snacking on each other'. Will just keep offering different mixtures I guess.

[MustLoveShells]

I decided to try out making a crabby food puree for the little guys yesterday, I was making up a sweet potato, cuttlefish bone and silkworm pupae one for a beardie so used that as the base. I then added in bee pollen, spirulina, dried hibiscus flower, bell pepper, dried small fish, linseed, almonds and fine beans, then blended it into a mush to freeze down in bits. I gave some to the hermies straight away and when they finally located it Rupert promptly ate almost all of it (I say almost, there is a chance little ninja got some but i'm not sure), must be a hit!

The freezing process has turned it into a very pretty deep purple and it looks like some kind of posh icecream.

[fluffy]

. I just worry if they are getting enough protein! I don't want them to start 'snacking on each other'. Will just keep offering different mixtures I guess.

Don't worry Even plant protein will do. You can try offering seafood from the counter at the store, and since you don't need a lot of meat it's super cheap. But you get weird looks buying so little, haha.

[alliciat]

Yes I wanted to get just a couple of shrimp. Guy looked at me like I was crazy LOL. I explained why I only wanted a couple. Turns out I had to buy 7 for the deli machine to even measure the weight and spit out a price lol! But alas, the had no interest in the shrimp either. Running out of ideas.

[fluffy]

wow, haha, yeah mine didn't like shrimp much either. You can try meal worms, the people at the store should be willing to give you two for free since they are really cheap in small numbers. You could dry out meat with a dehydrator or a oven set at 200 and then once it is dry grind it up into a powder and sprinkle it over the food dish.

[speeddemonbk]

Running out of ideas.

I see you have picky eaters. They may be eating but it's just a tiny amount you don't notice. You can try tricking them and put honey or molasses on some of the food. They also really like sesame oil but be very sparing with it because a little bit can stink up the whole place!


~Mine are having apple, mackerel, cranberries, banana chips, and celery leaves.

[alliciat]

I'm going to try cooking the meat until dry, and then grinding it with pestal mortar. Everything I try, they don't seem to like. Tonight I offered them some chicken bones, with some meat on it (spice free, etc), some barley, fresh pineapple, carrot, broccoli, black bean, ground peanut, ground dehydrated banana, since has no interest in fresh one. We'll see. I know they eat very small amounts, but they always left evidence in the dish, in the old habitat, showing they'd been to it. Since the new home, almost nothing.
Have also tried to just offer two-three vs several choices, seems to make no difference either way. The one night in the last 10, they showed signs of activity was last friday, when I offered them the treat: popcorn. It was gone in the am.

[fluffy]

how long have they been in the new tank?

[alliciat]

February 3rd, they were moved into their new tank.
I put some of their substrate from first home, on top of the new substrate in the 10g. Now I never ever see them. They stay in the cork round, no signs of activity with water or food dishes. The only difference is that in the new take the substrate, is a mix of play sand and cocofiber, some plants, forest moss bowl, and the cork round. Their old home was cocofiber and calci-sand (before I knew how bad it was).

Last night, I offered them honey (never offered before) with some crushed, freeze dried shrimp mixed in, along with their other typical food options. No go again.

Tonight they'll get: honeydew, broccoli, chicken, strawberry, and kiwi, pumpkin seeds, crushed flax, fresh pineapple, sugar snap pea, garbanzo bean. Cuttlebone is always in the crabitat. They have shown NO interest in the forest moss, but since it helps with humidity, I'll continue to provide that, but how often should I change out the moss?

[fluffy]

I don't think moss needs to be changed out unless on the rare occasion that it molds. The crabs are probably de-stressing since a move to a new tank can be stressful on them. I'm sure by the end of the month they will be doing normal crabby things.

[Skymall007]

Try sardines. My crabbies are pickier than many other crabs and I have noticed that sardines are a huge hit. They don't like shrimp very much which is a shame because I bought a big thing of small freeze dried shrimp for turtles. They also are not into crab, I occasionally will buy them a crab leg at the store, but really, it's all about the sardines.

[alliciat]

Ok, sardines..I'll plug my nose and give it a whirl. I know they can't have salt. Are there unsalted sardines? I've never ever bought sardines lol.
Tonight i got a meat snack for reptiles - 100% meat: chicken, beef, cod, calcium carbonate, which I rehydrated a few pieces (actually smelled tasty, but I didn't venture [no way no how] lol). Along with some all natural, no sugar no preservatives baby food fruit mix: apple, mango, kiwi, along with a fresh bit of the mix from last nights menu.

Also, is tunafish from a can safe for them? The salt is of concern, but I thought that maybe if I set it in dechlorinated water over night, the salt might exit the tunafish. What do you think?

[MustLoveShells]

I managed to get some fresh nasty free squid for mine and chopped it up then froze most of it, I gave them a small tentacle piece and it all went even though only one big and one teeny are up.
They still go mad for the muesli mix, worm castings have been picked over a bit, all the fresh stuff is being ignored though. Rupert walked over to the bee pollen shell, picked at it and tasted it, dropped the bit then flipped it over and stomped off. That would be a no then.