Feeding
Your Land Hermit Crab
Sometimes
it takes a while to bond with your crab. they might not feed
from your hand from the first time you try but if you persevere
and are patient, it will happen.
Gently hold the back of their shell with thumb and forefinger,
and hold a piece of fruit (fresh or dried), nut (especially
almond) bread, popcorn or cracker near the crab's cheliped,
or grasping claw, perhaps even brushing the food against it
until your crab starts to become interested in the food and
and
they will responsively clutch at it and then want to taste it.
You should then see your hermit crab happily breaking bits off
the food and passing them to their mouth using 'feeding hands'
known as maxillipeds, munching away.
Your
hermit crab needs to feel completely at ease with you, and trust
you implicitly. Slow, gentle movements and soft voice calming
them as you coax them to eat works the best for me. Once you
hit on their favourite foods you will have no problems with
getting your crab to eat. They can be real little pigs at time
and eat a tummy full (their stomachs are tiny so it might not
seem like a lot) in a short time. Take some time to enjoy your
hermit crabs and remember, hermit crabs are nocturnal so the
chances are your hermies are feasting when you are asleep, they
have been known to go without food for a few days and still
be quite healthy. Just try to vary their foods as hermit crabs
have been found to not like leftovers, that is, they don't like
the same food day in, day out. I would suggest fresh foods in
one day, dried foods in the next, a mixture the day after that,
etc.
One
final note of advice : some romaine lettuce with a small amount
of peanut butter on it, or a sprinkling of coconut over dried
food has done wonders for picky hermies! You will wonder where
they put it all! Don't be disheartened if it doesn't happen
right away. They only eat small parts at a time so it might
not look like much to you but it is a lot to them. When you
bring them home from the store they will be very active and
want to explore their cage and get used to their environment.
If you leave some food in a bowl they will take what they need
during the night or day and they can go for many days without
food.
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