How to Feed a Pet Hermit Crab

Hermit crabs are renowned as low-maintenance pets and the ease of caring for them extends to their feeding. Commercial food for them is available at local pet shops and they also enjoy foods that are readily available in your kitchen, such as fruits, vegetables and even peanut butter! Remember to feed your hermit crab at night, since they are nocturnal creatures.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Pet store food
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Shells
• Dechlorinated water

1. Find small, shallow seashells to use as food and water receptacles. The calcium in the shells is absorbed by the food and water that they contain, thereby providing your crab with a required nutrient every time it feeds. Choose shells that your crab can easily enter and exit; if you prefer to use bigger shells, provide rocks inside the shell so that your hermit crab can crawl over so them and will not drown.
2. Buy hermit crab food from a pet store. 2 small pinches of this should sustain them for 2 to 3 days.
   
   
3. Provide fruits for your hermit crabs. You can feed your hermit crabs regular, domestic fruits like grapes, apples and bananas, but they may especially enjoy bits of tropical fruits like mango, coconut and papaya. Remove pits from any fruits served.
   
4. Give your hermit crabs vegetables. Your hermit crab can eat vegetables of all kinds but be sure to include vegetables that are carotene-rich, such as corn and carrots. Carotene helps in their molting process.
5. Fill a shell with water and place it into your hermit crab's habitat. Be sure to dechlorinate the water before giving it to your crab to drink and replace old water with new water each day.
6. Treat your hermit crab by giving them dry cereal, plain crackers, ground nuts and seeds, corn meal, applesauce, peanut butter and unbuttered and unsalted popcorn.

Tips & Warnings

• Remove perishable food items from your crab's habitat about 24 hours after the initial feeding and replace with fresh food.
• Wash all food before giving it to your crab. Make sure that anything that your crab may consume or come into contact with has not been treated with pesticides.
• Never use metallic containers to house your hermit crab's food or water. The metal can be very poisonous to them.
• Never feed your hermit crab foods that are overly sugared or salted.