Hermit Crab Diet
It is very important to provide our hermit crabs with a varied diet for numerous reasons.
A diet with nutritional deficiencies not only impacts the moulting and growth of hermit crabs, but can also lead to aggression as the hermit crabs will fight to ensure their needs are being
met. While hermit crabs are scavengers in the wild- in our tanks we must feed the crabs proactively to ensure their diets are varied, safe, and nutritionally sufficient.
Hermit crabs find foods through olfaction- that is their sense of smell. While we know that hermit crabs require high humidity to lubricate their modified gills for breathing, they also require this for finding food as well. Humidity increases the electrical signals induced in the
antennal neurons and the behavioural response to such stimuli.
Basically? Keep your tank warm and humid if you want your crabs to be able to find their food. Check out Setup Tips for more info on that.
Food Dish Visual
Hermit Crab Owners state that "Land hermit crabs (coenobita spp.) in the wild are primarily herbivorous--meaning that while yes, they're technically considered omnivores, animal matter makes up a pretty small percentage of their diet. The majority of their diet comes from plant detritus and plant litter and is supplemented by living plants, fruits and seeds, encrusting algae, fungi, small invertebrates, and carrion."
I like to make sure my hermit crabs have a mostly plant based diet, based on their needs. I'll include the feeding schedule that I follow below :)
Feeding Schedule
It is good practice to ensure worm castings, leaf litter,
calcium; cuttlebone, egg shells, and/or oyster shells are available in the tank and
substrate at all times as these foods are essential staples for hermit crabs.
Here is simplified example of a feeding schedule for hermit crabs. This will help as a basic outline to ensure the foundations of a great diet.
What's Important?
Hermit Crab Owners Food Chart is another great guide in knowing how much of what type of food the hermit crabs need. The most important is terrestrial and aquatic plant litter.
I like to add handfuls of leaf litter every few weeks or as needed so that there is a constant supply. When I get a chance to mix more substrate I always add more leaf litter, worm castings, egg shells and sphagnum moss. Not only does it improve the aeration and drainage, it also means the crabs have a food source while digging around.
Leaf Litter
For me, it's much easier to access birch, oak, maple, and pecan leaves.These ones are easy to identify as well. Always check that the leaves you're collecting leaves from an area that is free of pesticides or fertilisers.
DIY Dry Food
I like to dehydrate different foods and store them either whole or I grind them up into a powder.For me, having a variety of dried foods on hand at all times means I have an easy way to feed the crabs and ensure they're eating foods that aren't processed with additives.I bought a Kogan dehydrator for $50 and it's been perfect at making people food and crab food.
Lacey & Hermie's Kitchen
Lacey was a mentor and bestie of mine. Her dedication to the care and support of hermit crabs and their owners is unmatched. Lacey passed away in 2022 and the hermit crab community has lost an advocate, an educator, and a friend. I miss Lacey every day, and I’m so thankful to have known her.
