HCA: Hermit Crab Association

So there are a few food sources that are abundant in DE that can potentially be used for hermit crabs. For each of these, I'm wondering if they are safe and what preparation (cooking, boiling, etc) they require, if any:

-Snails (Small snails found around my house, under gutters, etc.)
-Meat from wild animals (deer, rabbit, squirrel, groundhog, etc. Cooked? Raw? Which parts of the animal?)
-Horseshoe Crab exoskeleton (Hundreds of these wash up from the Delaware Bay, they would be AMAZING to have for food if they are safe. I could easily get pounds of exo in this way. If they are safe, does anything need to be done to prevent against possible pollutants/toxins that they might have?)
-Beach Grass

Thanks for your help.

To get rid of toxins, it would be best to boil anything you give them. Great that you found all this potential crab food

Thanks Teedeums

Hoping wodesorel will reply with extra information, this question seems right up her alley ;P

Bumping this in hopes of some more information. I want to be sure before trying any of these ;P

I put my snails in tank and only rinse them off....my crabs love them. Wild game cook without adding seasonings, can freeze some or dehydrate. I've been feeding snails and earth worms for 4 years now, they love them and the rolly pollies that live in my tank.

The meat and exoskeleton are safe after you boil them. The snails and grass are more likely to contain pollutants because snails are grazers and consume everything in their path. If you find a lot around your house and you don't use any pesticides they might be safe.

Thank you all for the help. I'm definitely going to try for the meat and exoskeletons. The grass is in an area away from houses and fields, so I'll try that as well. As for the snails, my dad sprays ant pesticides around the house. I'll see if I can find some in the woods about a quarter of a mile away.

ViiT wrote:-Meat from wild animals (deer, rabbit, squirrel, groundhog, etc. Cooked? Raw? Which parts of the animal?).

My dad and my oldest son hunt deer so we often have deer meat over winter. I have given some to my crabs raw and cooked. They love it! I've never offered the other animals you've questioned but I think as long as they're in season (check state laws), go for it.

Edit: make sure you also check state laws on beachcombing. I can't remember what they are at the moment, I rarely go to the beaches here. But for example, in Chincoteague, VA, it's a gallon or less of unoccupied shells.