Hermit Crab Nutrition
Hermit crabs, like humans, need to eat a nutritionally balanced diet. They need to eat from the following food groups regularly: proteins and fats, carbohydrates, omega fats, calcium, and chitin. So, what should you feed your hermit crabs? Check out the lists below for why these food groups are important and what you can feed your hermit crabs.
Proteins are important because they help keep the exoskeleton, muscles, and other bodily systems healthy. Proteins also allow the body to process carbohydrates and fats. You can feed them all meats from: bovines such as cow, bison, buffalo; deer such as red deer, reindeer, elk and moose; rabbit and hare; birds like chicken, duck, goose, turkey; fish like salmon, trout, and catfish; seafood like crab, oysters, shrimp, and tuna; pig and boar; and sheep. Other foods that provide protein are crab, fish, eggs, freeze-dried bloodworm, freeze-dried plankton, freeze-dried shrimp. ***All foods must have absolutely NO salt or seasonings. All shellfish should be boiled or steamed prior to serving to avoid the spread of diseases of the exoskeleton.
Fats are important because they’re used to develop cell membranes and aid in dissolving certain vitamins. You can feed nuts and seeds, oils like olive and coconut (cold pressed are best), fish and fatty meats. Omega fats found in salmon, seeds and nuts, are important to include in your crabs diet because they help with their nervous system, exoskeleton, and processing minerals.
Carbohydrates help provide a quick energy boost for your crabs. You can feed them rice, oatmeal, grains, any sweet fruits, starchy root vegetables and nuts.
Calcium helps your crabs build a healthy exoskeleton, and aids in cell and brain function. You can feed them sand dollars, sea urchins, starfish, oyster shells, cuttle bone, eggshell, and bonemeal.
You can also feed your crabs certain foods to help enhance their colour. Feed beta-carotene, which can be found in brightly coloured red and orange fruits and vegetables. As a rule of thumb, if your foods are vibrantly coloured they will have necessary vitamins and nutrients. ***Dark greens and other foods high in Oxalic Acid should be cooked prior to serving. Oxalic Acid and Phosphorus block calcium absorption.
Foods that contain chitin are important for your crabs exoskeleton. You can find chitin in exoskeletons of insects, mollusks and crustaceans, and in fungi and algae.
If your hermit crabs aren’t eating everything they’re giving you, don’t worry - they can be picky eaters, but they know what nutrients to eat when they need them. As long as you’re providing them with the different categories of food we talked about above, they will consume all the nutrients they need. For more information on hermit crabs and nutrition, please visit: Crab Street Journal’s Ultimate Guide to Feeding Your Hermit Crabs.
Reference: Griffith, Stacy. Crab Street Journal. CrabStreetJournal.org, [https://crabstreetjournal.org/download/hermit-crab-feeding-guide/] Accessed [2025/02/17].