Thousands
of people out there acquire hermit crabs as pets and then are convinced that
they will need to feed these crabs primarily just the food that they can pick
up at the pet store. While giving a hermit crab store bought foods is not
hazardous to them, there are thousands of other things that you can feed your
amazing pet and still have them live a long and hearty life. This post will
cover what hermit crabs consume in the wild, the right diet for a crab, ın
addition to the wide choice of everyday foods they can be provided with. Read
on if you’ve ever been curious about what do
hermit crabs eat.
We are still not
sure quite what a hermit crabs nutritional necessities are in order to stay
healthy, but recently we’ve learned a reasonable amount about what to feed
them. Hermit crabs need to have lots of calcium in their diet simply because of
the fact that they have an exoskeleton, meaning that they drop their hard shell
when they have grown. To be able regrow a strong shell, hermit crabs need
plenty of calcium as it is what they use to harden their exterior. Hermit crabs
get this calcium in the wild by feasting on small chunks of rock or bones they
find on the coast.
It’s also
integral that your pet crab has a lot of carotene and antioxidants. These will
help make certain that your crab maintains a healthy orangeish-red color. If
you discover that your hermit crab has molted and does not seem to be
developing his color back, he may have a deficiency. You can give your crab
foods like corn, carrots, or even pesticide free marigold petals to help them
get these vital vitamins and minerals.
Besides just
making sure your crab gets the suitable amount of vitamins, it’s also really
important that you feed them the types of foods that they would consume in the
wild. Hermit crabs are scavengers, which should tell you they eat whatever they
can discover laying around in their tide pool, on the seaside, or the edges of
the tree line. This can encompass things like dead fish, nuts, seeds, coconuts,
grass, meat, many fruits and vegetables. A great general guideline for feeding
your hermit crab is to only feed it healthy things that you parents would have
fed you, or the doctor would tell you to eat more of.
Hermit crabs are
fond of crunchy food so make sure that you are getting them fresh fruits and
vegetables, not old food that has dried out or canned food. It’s also vital to
make sure that the food you give to your crabby is free of any chemicals or
pesticides as these can make your pet very ill. Many people will buy only
organic fruits and vegetables to give to their crab, or they will give them
fish that they have caught themselves earlier that day.
You could give
your hermit crabs snack foods when they have been good, or when you are just
wanting to give them an everyday delight. If you are seeking to treat your
hermit crab they are keen on bits of dried coconut, as this is a sought after
treat on their island homes. You can also provide them things like brine shrimp
(sea monkeys), sea weed, escargot (snails), pretzels, pineapple, and fish
flakes.
If you adhere to
the above information when picking out food for your pet hermit crab you’ll
make it easier for them to live as long as possible. Most people do not realize
that when grown safely, hermit crabs can live to be as old as 20 years and grow
to be very big!
