If your hermit crabs are having molting mood swings, showing signs of brittle shells, and or walking around with the sluggish scuttles? Yeah, it’s probably the menu. Let’s fix that.
Why Food Variety Matters
The pellets that they sell, often with hermit crabs, really do not have the right nutrients that they need to thrive. Hermit crabs can live as long as fifty years with the right food and environment. It takes a lot of hard work, money, and understanding to help our crustacean creatures thrive. Without proper nutrition, hermit crabs will struggle to do natural things that they do—like molt.
Kevin and Carl, my hermit crabs, both just came up from a two-month molting cycle. This would be Kevin’s third time molting since we got him. And as you can see below, proper nutrition makes that little man have a glow-up—literally.
Before molting. How his coloring looked looked when we got him.
AFTER: Would ya look at this crustacean glow up! And no, that’s not a filter—that’s pure, unfiltered vitamin-fueled fabulousness that Kevin is rocking. His limbs? A rich red like he just came back from a crab spa retreat where he has been pampered and made to feel amazing. The legs? Hair’s growing back like he’s prepping for a stereotypical hippie modeling ad where hair is all the rage. And those pale spots from before? That was his “malnourished indie band phase.” Now he’s living his best life, dipped in nutrients and strutting around like he owns the tank. Granted, by big boy Carl would never actually let that. He defiantly prefers chill roommate vibes. But I am proud of Kevin’s a red-carpet-level exoskeleton transformation. 💅
The Menu: What I’m Feeding Them & Why
- Puff the Magic Snack with Salmon and Tropical Salsa – The magic snack has: puffed rice, guajillo peppers, and honey granules. There is also Crushed Freeze Dried Salmon, Organic Tricolor Quinoa, Walnuts, Organic Kale, Organic Cayenne Pepper, Organic Dandelion Leaf, Organic Tomato, Organic Freeze Dried Mango, Organic Freeze Dried Pineapple, Organic Freeze Dried Dragonfruit, Organic Crab & Lobster Shell, Organic Sesame Seeds, Organic Shredded Coconut.
- As you can see, we have some carbs, veggies, fruit, and honey, which my hermit crabs LOVE. The salmon is a protein. Quinoa is both a carb and protein source. We have walnuts and sesame for some good fats. Kale as a veggie. Lots of fruits and a little dandelion leaf for extra foraging flavor. Then we have crab and lobster shells for some good, rich calcium. I guess for a hermit crab it would be the equivalent of us eating our fingernails but way less gross and more nutritious? For these two foods, please see the link down below.
- Salmon Patty Bowl with extra Freeze Dried Salmon: Salmon, Crab Meal, Kelp Powder, Paprika, Coconut, Celery Seed, Flax Seed, Carrots, Wakame Seaweed, Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs.
- We have an extra dose of protein with the salmon in the patty bowl as well as the extra I added to the meal. We also have some good fats with the seeds and a dose of good veggies with the carrots. And a few more carbs with the whole wheat bread crumbs along with the good flavorings of seasoning.
- Tomato and Chicken Liver Orzo: with Sun Dried Fish- Organic Tomato, Chicken Liver, Orzo, Fish.
- This was actually a sample, which a lot of the Esty shops provide all the time and it was a good size sample! Unfortunately, I was unable to find it again on their site so I try to use it sparingly until they restock. The sun dried fish is just a good source of protein and these little scavengers love to see a full dead fish while feasting…yum?
- Calcium Cup in Watermelon
- Not quite sure what is in this bad boy either but I do see some seeds, watermelon, coconut and it is encapsulated in a smell good oil that I know is great for their exoskeleton. I wish Happy Crabitat still had this particular item but they do not. I have linked a similar product so you can see not only what I am sure if very similar to this product but also verified sources this vendor uses.
- Mojo Mix: Coconut, Rose Petals, Banana, Plantains, Cranberries, Sunflower Seeds, Canary Seeds, Blueberry Powder, Chia Seeds, Popcorn, Mango Powder.
- All this bag of purple goodness is great for their exoskeleton to give them that vibrate purple coloring all while feeing them with food fats and vitamins.
- Krill Fried Rice and Organic Raw Walnut: Krill, Shrimp, Egg, Black Sesame Seeds, Pumpkin, Soy Beans, Red Rice, Mango, Chopped Pecans, Organic Raw Walnuts, Cornmeal, Mushrooms, Ivory Teff, Crab and Lobster Shell.
- We have protein with krill, shrimp, and egg. We have carbs with rice and teff (yes–I had to look up with ‘teff’ was). We got good fats and more fruits in there.
- Raw Organic Yellow, Green, Red Peppers with Jalapenos: I didn’t feel like they got enough veggies in this one so I added some veggies out of my fridge on a separate serving plate.
- Because the crabitat has to stay 80 degrees heat and 80 degrees humidity levels for them to be able to always feel like they are in the Bahama’s–when I serve them fresh food out of my kitchen-I like to keep it on a different plate in case mold happens. Believe me-strawberries are the worst about going to the dark side really fast in the tank and could run the risk of throwing it out within the hour and I do not want to waste entire plate of hermit crab food.
Here’s the gourmet crab cuisine I whipped up—tiny veggie bites, artfully plated like a five-star buffet for Carl and Kevin. Hermit crabs, much like us dramatic humans, need a variety of foods to thrive (and also to judge us silently if dinner’s not up to their standards). I always keep a little greensand and worm castings in the tank, because apparently, my crabs enjoy earthy snacks between meals like they’re attending a fancy garden party.
And yes, you can just feed them stuff from your fridge—no need to go full Etsy chef like me. But listen… my crabs are picky. Like “this salad isn’t massaged kale and heavenly pressed to my liking” picky. So I like to offer options, in case Carl wakes up craving calcium and Kevin suddenly decides he’s a protein bro.
Please see the links below for all the wonderful people who I buy my hermit crab food from and all the sources to dive deeper in to your hermit crab care.
Hermit Crab Care Resources I Trust
Reliable sources for information on how to take care of your exotic pets
- https://crabstreetjournal.org/
- https://www.youtube.com/c/crabcentralstation
- The Complete Guide to Land Hermit Crabs and Their Care: Changing the Mindset of Hermit Crab Keeping https://amzn.to/4k2TLrc
Reliable Vendors that I trust to not poison my crabby children
- CrabPax on Etsy
- NaturallyCrabby on Etsy
- CrabcuisineCo on Etsy
- South of the Ocean on Etsy
- Happy Crabitat
- HermitHideaway
Reliable Shops for Shells-Because they needs LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of shells. Hoarders of all the shells
- Nessastores on Etsy
Shell-ebrate With Us in the Comments!
Please leave your comments, pictures of your crabby friends, and ideas for us to share to ensure that all the hermit crabs out there get the nutrition and love that they need. Remember, they are supposed to live for the next fifty years! I want to see what you guys are doing for more inspiration and ideas.
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