Four important Tips on what to feed a Pet Hermit Crab
Taking care of hermit crabs means a lot of maintenance and time spent in monitoring their food and water dishes. Even if they are marine creatures, land hermit crabs spend most of their time on land and need water and food ready everyday to survive. In the wild they would usually go in packs and search for their own food and shells, but when kept in captivity as house pets, it is your job to supply them with the cleanest water and the healthiest foods that they need to survive. If you are still clueless as to what to feed a pet hermit crab, then read through the article to find out some tips and advice on healthy diet.
- These fascinating creatures usually eat the food and water that are found inside shallow seashells. These receptacles contain calcium which is a vital nutrient for them. You can collect and leave shells inside their tank for them to crawl and transfer to easily.
- Nowadays people are taking in a land hermit crab as pet, so pet stores are now providing food for crab owners everywhere. When buying this type of food, you should feed it 2 small pinches of crab food since this could already sustain them for more than a day. Also make sure that you research on what types of hermit crab food are the best ones to avoid any problems in the future. Some of the commercial food being sold in pet stores may contain chemicals and foods that may be harmful to hermit crabs after all, so consult or research whenever you can.
- A land hermit crab eat fruits and vegetables, especially tropical ones. For fruits, you can give your pet hermit crabs grapes, mangoes, coconut, and papaya as long as you remember to wash and clean their food dishes all the time after eating. They also eat vegetables that are rich in carotene such as carrots and corn, which actually helps when they molting from time to time.
- You can also give your small animals certain treats like dry cereal, flakes, crackers, seeds, peanut butter, and even unsalted popcorn. As always check first if other hermit crab owners are feeding the same thing or get some expert advice from experts to be sure that you are feeding your pets the right way.
Some more advice you should follow on what to feed a Pet Hermit Crab
To keep happy and healthy hermies fresh food and water should be given at the same time and of the same abundance. The water to be given should be de-chlorinated since this is a chemical very harmful to your land hermits. Some hermit crabs would crawl while carrying their shells with them to their water dishes and just sit there for hours, so make sure to monitor their water dishes for cleaning and replenishing. Try to change their water dishes with new and clean water everyday. The best kind of water are usually bottled and filtered water, but for those who want to maintain a low budget can use tap water or a water purifier to clean out and filter the harmful chemicals left in the water.