Top 10 Dietary Requirements Of A Hermit Crab

The hermit crabs are the animals which consume both plant and animal matter. When you are keeping them as pet you got to have knowledge of at least top 10 dietary requirements of the crabs so that you can keep them properly. This demands the knowledge of food supplements available in the market as well as combination of fresh foods and treats. Following the article you can know how to feed them well.

First option for any one would be a commercial food meant for the crab. The stores in the market are flooded with commercial foods for

Secondly, the food you are going to be feed the crab must be properly moistened and crushed. Also the pelleted food should be fed only once a day. The uneaten food should be removed on a daily basis.

Thirdly, you will have to see to it that you rotate these commercial foods properly, at least two to three a day.

Fourthly, you would have to check the commercial food for its content. It must not contain copper sulphate or ethoxyquin.

Fifthly, your crab needs change and it actually loves the change in the eating habit. So properly supplement the commercial food with fresh foods. The stuff included in the fresh foods and treat are apples, mango, apple sauce, spinach, melons, coconut, broccoli, papaya, grapes, crackers, unsalted nuts, raisins, unsweetened cereals, brine shrimp, cooked meat, cooked egg, flakes of fish food etc.

Sixthly, you can switch to any fruit. But try not to feed fruits having too much of acidic content like orange, tomatoes etc.

Seventhly, frozen selections are also good to look for like plankton, krill, blood worms and shrimp. The things that you find for a fish in the frozen food section can almost suit your crab’s food needs.

Eighthly, as another diet you can feed vegetables. But those with starch content have to be avoided, like potatoes. Dairy products can also be another good food to feed them.

Ninthly, a must for mention is that the food for hermit crabs should have a good amount of calcium. This supports their health and is an essential part of the food during molting. One can try options like cuttlebone, crushed oyster shell, crushed egg shells and coral sands. Cuttlebone is available in local pet stores. Add them to the food, give it as whole or shredded. For this go to the birds section. The same section can be looked for oyster shell. Before you give the crab egg shell, boil it, dry it and then crush it. This is the easiest source of calcium for the crab. There are some calcium vitamin food supplements, usually given to the reptiles, which you can put in the food.

As the tenth and last thing you must know the importance of water for hermit crab diet. The crab must be given an easy reach to fresh and salt water. The crab both the water types for drinking at times. The container with the salt water should be big enough to accommodate the crab as it may like to bathe in it. If you use tap water, then be sure to treat it so as to remove the chlorine content from it. For the salt water do not use common salt to make it salty. This may miss some important components of natural sea water. There are products available in market to make it similar to the ocean water. How much of salt content should be there in the water is not exactly known. Experts say that the salt content like that of a fish tank is also suitable as the crab would adjust the requirements with the fresh water intake.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/top-10-dietary-requirements-of-a-hermit-crab-1792006.html

Preston Blackmore is a hermit crab enthusiast. For more answers to questions like - what do hermit crabs eat?, visit www.hermitcrabclub.com.