What is your Crabs Favorite Treat?

[TuneChi]

Hello there, I am the proud father of 6 hermies at the moment, Pokie, Pebbles, Moses, Glock, Rocky, and Abraham Lincoln. And all my guys LOVE Carrots, I have tried a lot of things but so far Carrots are what they love, they also seem to like apples too, but I was wondering what your all's crabs love so I can get some ideas for some more treats. Also if anyone would answer something for me, when I put a dish of treat like carrots, apples, etc. in the crabitat how long should I leave it in there? Most of the time they devour all the carrots but other things how long?
Thanks, Brandon!

[JulesRolyCrab]

Hello! Welcome to the HCA. My hermies absolutely love popcorn (unseasoned/unsalted). It's gone in minutes. I always keep a seashell in the tank with dry supplement and worm castings/oyster shell. They are completely dry and can stay for a very long time till they need to be refilled, etc. The fresh foods are taken out in a day, sometimes two , mostly fruits and vegetables. If I put in non-dried meat in the evening, though, I take it out the next morning to prevent bacteria. Oh, and they really like worm castings. Good luck!

[Crabinski]

Popcorn! As @JulesRolyCrab says, it's gone in minutes. My crabs love popcorn so much that whichever crab gets to the dish first guards all of the pieces (4 crabs, 4 pieces) so the others have to wait .

They also love half an eggshell with raw albumin -- it's a double goody as they can pinch bits of the eggshell for a calcium boost. Next time you're making scrambled or fried eggs, take one of the half shells and pour the extra clear "goop" from the other shells into it, then serve! It's a big yum.

[CallaLily]

As far as treats go, popcorn and honey are always a hit.

Foods they always seem to munch are walnuts, freeze dried krill, fresh or dried greens, raw eggshell, watercress, cilantro, coconut, dried flowers and leaves, most dried fruits, chicken livers, and deer meat.

As for when to remove foods, it depends on the food. Things that get really stinky and gross quickly (like say eggs or seafood) I remove the next morning. Things that hold out a little longer, I leave for another day or two. Pretty much I change it out whenever it looks gross.

[TuneChi]

Awesome u all thanks, I had another question tho, I have yet to feed my herms any meat, I was wondering what kind and how do u serve it? Raw or cooked or what? I know unseasoned though, just don't know the details.

[CallaLily]

Cooked or uncooked is up to you. If you choose raw, of course be cautious of bacteria. Not an issue for the crabs but can be for you. In any case it's best to wash your hands before and after any crabitat maintenance or handling.

Unseasoned meats, poultry, or seafood. I tend to mostly feed chicken, salmon, tilapia, mackerel, sardines. Sometimes shellfish and turkey. Deer when I have it. Beef occasionally. Rarely pork. Meats and poultry I mostly cook. Fish is usually raw.

[Tala]

I've only given popped popcorn once and just like they said, it disappeared almost immediately. Sometimes they'll munch on unpopped kernels as well but it's not a favorite, haha. So far mine seem to love blueberries more than any other fresh fruits. They also love raisins, and dry rolled oats are a hit as well.

[marandashermies]

popcorn is also a favorite of my crabbies. They also love the honey coral calcium supplement from the HCA (link below)

http://www.hermitcrabpatch.com/Honey-Co ... /su113.htm

One of my crabs is obsessed with dehydrated watermelon. They also like applesauce, organic honey, dehydrated oranges and apples. I have a TON of crab food, and honestly they eat almost everything I give them!

[fantasybookworm]

I seriously need to try popcorn. I can't believe I still haven't yet!

My crabs go nuts over earthworm castings though. I can't think of anything they love more. I recently bought a fresh bag as I was almost out. I could already see the difference - fresh stuff was moister, a rich black color, etc. compared to the gray-ish dried old stuff. Put in some new castings and the crabs MOBBED the dish. They emptied the dish faster than I've ever seen them do it before!

That said, they also really like freeze-dried crickets and mealworms, cooked chicken & chicken bones, and eggshells. Shelob really likes all of the dried fruits I've tried - she came out of hiding quick for dried peaches! Eowyn's favorite is the leaf/flower bowl, I have 4 flower mixes and 4 leaf mixes. Each week I put in several pinches of one flower mix & one leaf mix along with some crushed shells. She'll spend an hour in the dish, picking through the mix & eating.

[wodesorel]

Corn in general is a huge hit in my tanks - dried on the cob, dried off the cob, popped, raw from the plant, cooked corn on the cob - they don't care, they demolish it. Heck, they even go nuts for Kix cereal (as a treat) now and then, and that's mostly corn!