How to Feed Brackish Water Crabs

Crabs are scavengers, eating microscopic dead organic matter.

Brackish water crabs, of which Fiddler Crabs are the most popular pets, are adapted to life in lagoons that have more salt than fresh water and less salt than saltwater. They are scavengers, subsisting on bits of plant and animal matter in the sand. Before concerning yourself with the feeding of your crabs, make sure they have the right environment. Their enclosure should be about 90 percent land and 10 percent water. Add aquarium salt (not table salt) to the water until it has a specific gravity (measure with a hydrometer, available at most pet stores) between 1.01 and 1.08.

Things You'll Need

• Sinking crab food
• Shrimp pellets
• Fresh vegetables

Instructions

1. Purchase sinking crab food or shrimp pellets from a pet store. The amount you should use depends on the size and number of crabs.

2. Sprinkle the food in the aquarium, either in the water or on the sand. Give the crabs enough food, but avoid fouling the water with too much of it.

3. Supplement your crabs' diet with freeze-dried shrimp or plankton, or seaweed purchased from an oriental food market.

4. Give your crabs fresh zucchini and other vegetables to balance their diet. Crabs can eat a wide range of different foods. Almost any fruit or vegetable is okay, but avoid highly acidic fruits such as oranges or tomatoes, and low-nutrient vegetables such as iceberg lettuce. Meat and seafood are okay in moderation. Crabs will also eat junk-food snacks, but this is not recommended. Dairy products should also be avoided. When the crabs molt and leave their shells behind, do not remove the shells. They will eat the old shells, which are an important source of calcium.

References

• Fiddler Crabs as Pets