HCA: Hermit Crab Association

At the pantry at my college, they offer some food items such as fresh fruit and vegetables, which I feed to my crabs. They also have things such as cans of cat food, and dry dog food. I'm wondering if this is safe to feed dry hermit crabs, but some things that concerns me might be the use of preservatives. I hope these are not too bad for my crabs, and I read another post that said that about feeding hermit crabs expired dog food. I'm a budget right now, and any help will be appreciative!

Pet food https://imgur.com/a/OhwuSX6

Personally, I would not feed it to my crabs based on all the things that are added that I can not pronounce, LOL. I have also read that the way the laws are regarding pet food, not all the ingredients need to be declared on the bag. So there could be other things in the food that you don't even know about.

I give mine a piece of the really good cat food now and then, but I wouldn't make it a regular thing. I figure it's a good source of any vitamins and minerals they may be missing, but I only do it once a month or so to be on the safe side. I tend to be a little lax on food items for them, I know this would horrify a lot of crabbers!

I see, song I suppose that preservatives were pretty harmful for the crabs. Perhaps I shall give them a type of pet food that has I don't know preservatives, or seems to be the most natural or organic. Do all Pet Foods generally contain preservatives or chemicals? I would like to give them a treat sometimes, and also to give them they're needed vitamins, minerals, and proteins and the likes, but I think I will stick with the food chart for now.

DinkDonk wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 06, 2019 1:52 am

I see, song I suppose that preservatives were pretty harmful for the crabs. Perhaps I shall give them a type of pet food that has I don't know preservatives, or seems to be the most natural or organic. Do all Pet Foods generally contain preservatives or chemicals? I would like to give them a treat sometimes, and also to give them they're needed vitamins, minerals, and proteins and the likes, but I think I will stick with the food chart for now.

There are organic pet treats. I give mine sometimes. As long as you're following the food pyramid as best you can they'll have everything they need.

I recommend the purebites cat food and treats.
https://www.chewy.com/purebites-mixers- ... /dp/152599
https://www.chewy.com/purebites-mixers- ... /dp/152601

I wouldn't feed regular cat or dog kibble, but I've seen plenty of treats that are wonderful. Pure Bites is a brand that all of the animals in my house love, and they are dehydrated meat made with only one or two ingredients. Meijer's also has dried beef lung chunks for dogs that my critters love. I would say to always check the label of foods you're curious about trying, that's how I find different foods in the store.

I use the Pure Bites treats for my crabs too. I have chicken and lamb for them. I stick them in the food processor to beat them up a bit and make them easier to fit in their dishes.

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Okay, so I will not read my crabs these treats and pet food. Better to stick to a natural diet right? I am probably thinking about saving up for some purebites, or some other one ingredient treats. Right now I am trying to make my own gut loaded crickets and mealworms for them to eat, and it is also a good way to sneak in some extra nutrients the crabs could be picky eaters! I will try to be more cautious about the ingredients so that I can keep my crabs happy and healthy! I now have to deal with the constant chirping of crickets in my room, I feel like I just told a bad joke in front of an audience...

I found these Fancy Feast cat treats at Wal Mart. They are 100% chicken, tuna and salmon. They come in little pouches that are about perfect sizes for two servings.

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Motörcrab wrote:I found these Fancy Feast cat treats at Wal Mart. They are 100% chicken, tuna and salmon. They come in little pouches that are about perfect sizes for two servings.

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What a great find! I didn't realize there were no preservatives in them. Thanks for sharing!

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CrabbyLover77 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 09, 2019 5:23 pm

I use the Pure Bites treats for my crabs too. I have chicken and lamb for them. I stick them in the food processor to beat them up a bit and make them easier to fit in their dishes.

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I’ll definitely try the chicken soon! I’ve tried their beef liver, salmon, turkey breast, duck liver, and ocean whitefish treats! I’m a big fan.

PinchersAndShells wrote: I’ll definitely try the chicken soon! I’ve tried their beef liver, salmon, turkey breast, duck liver, and ocean whitefish treats! I’m a big fan.

The chicken is real flakey, even after I put it in the food processor. The crabs seem to like it though. I'll have to order some of the other kinds you mentioned!

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