New, aspiring crab owner here...?

[Andyfox]

Hello! I am interested in purchasing two or three (or four, or five, or six, or one hundred ) purple pinchers. I have done lots of research on hermit crabs and know, hopefully, all I need. However, I am wondering if this supplement is good for my little crabbies. I don't want to slowly poison them!

It's the Hermit Crab Patch's Organic Soil/Diet Supplement. Here's the description on the website:

The Hermit Crab Patch Organic Soil/Diet Supplement - 4 oz. Contains 100% organic worm castings. We offer a bowl of this supplement in our cages and find that we are refilling this dish frequently. The Castings are loaded with minerals and our crabs devour them.

Analysis: Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Sodium, Phosphorus, Sulfur, Nitrogen, Boron, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Zinc, 60-70 Trace Minerals and Elements.

Trace elements? Boron? Being the newbie I am I have no clue if this supplement is good for my hermies. Please help. I want to give them the best life possible and make sure they're all happy. Thanks!

[hermitcrab24]

Hello and welcome!
Yes, this food is totally safe!! My hermit crabs are OBSESSED with it, its crazy!! It is their favorite food, I definitely recommend it

Let us know if you have anymore questions!

Bonnie

[EmiLovesHermies]

If it if from The Hermit Crab Patch, than you can tell it is safe.
But great question.

[Andyfox]

Okay, thanks! There's been unsafe food from the Hermit Crab Paych before. Some of their foods carry copper sulfate, as well as bone meal and suspicious "trace elements". Most of my food, because of this, is ordered off of Esty or I make it. I particularly enjoy Crabtastic and The Happy Hermit Supply. They have 100% organic and cheap food for our lovely hermines.

[KellyCrabbieLove]

I trust HCP with my crab's lives. I don't think they would ever hurt them. Tammy and Kirk are awesome.

[Andyfox]

Okay. Looking back it was actually Flunker's food that the shop was carrying. So the shop may not have been aware. In general I like their products. Do any of you recommend the feeder spoon?

[EmiLovesHermies]

I know that have always trusted my hermit crabs with The Hermit Crab Patch, but I think it is good to question something when you are unsure.

[EdisNiksic]

I wouldn't trust the copper

[Andyfox]

Thanks for all the advice. I've decided to buy food from THCP, but only the Crabtastic Food. The Crabtastic Food is 100% natural and organic. It has absolutely no chemicals and it seems super awesome. Is four dollars an ounce to expensive? Am I going to be spending lots of money every month for my hermies food? I know it won't all be dry, but some of it will. Roughly how much do small purple pinchers eat a month (in ounces)?

[megmaholm]

Any of their non-commercial blends on there are going to be all natural, so don't feel like you have to just stick with the Crabtastic Foods stuff. All the foods I've bought from there last quite a while, so depending on how many crabs you have a few ounces of food will last a long time, especially if you're supplementing with fresh.

[EmiLovesHermies]

I agree that the copper, particularly the copper sulfate but, I now look very closely at the ingredients after reading about the consequences :legs::How could these companies do this

[wodesorel]

Their blood is copper based, so they do need some form of copper in their diets or they can have trouble. It's the same thing if humans don't get enough iron, we get anemic since our blood is iron based. Too much iron for a human is deadly - iron poisoning is the number one toxic cause of death for children because they get into the chewable vitamins and overdose. The same holds true for hermit crabs - too much copper will poison them as well. They get copper from the proper saltwater mix, and from some foods, and a little bit of the right kind of copper in commercial foods is probably not an issue and may actually be helpful.

[EmiLovesHermies]

Thanks I didn't know that

[orangeinecrab]

Neither did I know that either