Complete Hermit Crab Food List (Safe and Unsafe)

* Products recommended in the post contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through our posts, we may receive a commission at no extra charge to you. See our full disclosures here. 

Listen:

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Hermit crabs are fascinating creatures. They live in shells, eat algae, and spend their entire lives alone. They are also extremely hardy animals. If you want to keep your hermit crab happy and healthy, you need to provide him with the right food. There are many different types of foods that hermit crabs enjoy eating. In this article, I will share with you the complete hermit crab food list that you should feed your hermit crab.

How Often Do Hermit Crabs Eat?

Hermit crabs eat once a week. They eat at night when they are asleep. During the day, they sleep under rocks, logs, plants, or other objects where they feel safe. When it is time to feed, hermits crawl out of their hiding places and look for something tasty to munch on.

If you have an aquarium with live rock in it, your hermit will be happy there because he can hide from predators while eating his favorite foods. He may also like to hang around the edge of the tank to have easy access to water if needed.

What Are Some Common Foods That Hermit Crabs Like To EAT?

1) Algae – This is what most hermit crabs feed upon. It helps them grow, but it can be hard to digest, so you may need to provide some type of supplement or treat.

2) Shellfish – Crustaceans like shrimp, clams, mussels, oysters, etc. These shellfish have calcium carbonate, which makes up part of the exoskeleton of crustacean shells. The more calcium carbonate there is in an animal‘s diet, the stronger its shell will become.

3) Worms – There are worms out there that hermit crabs love! You should try feeding your hermit crabs worm castings from fish tanks.

4) Shrimp – If you want to give your hermit crabs something easy to prepare, then shrimp would work well. Just make sure that the shrimp isn’t too big since hermits don’t usually chew things very much.

5) Fish Food – Many people think that hermit crabs only eat seafood such as shrimp, crawfish, lobster, etc… However, this isn’t true at all. Most hermit crabs actually prefer meaty foods over seafood. Try giving your hermit crabs pieces of chicken, beef, pork, lamb, turkey, ham, sausage, bacon, etc.

6) Insects – Another great thing about insects is that they’re full of protein and fat. So if you’d instead not buy expensive seafood items, insect larvae might be just suitable for your hermit crabs.

7) Nuts & Seeds – Shelled nuts and seeds are good sources of nutrition for hermit crabs. Make sure that these items are shelled through before offering them to your hermit crabs. Otherwise, they’ll probably choke on them.

8) Vegetables – A lot of vegetables contain high amounts of water content. That means that they won’t help your hermit crabs stay hydrated.

9) Bread – Yes, bread is one of those foods that we know hermit crabs hate. But sometimes, when you’re trying to get rid of mold on your walls, bread works wonders.

10) Dried seaweed – Dried kelp, dried spirulina, and dried dulse is excellent choices for providing nutrients to your hermit crabs without having to worry about making them sick by adding fresh ingredients into their diets.

11) Fish scales – Scales are a natural source of calcium for hermit crabs. They also come in many different colors and patterns.

12) Dead fish – When dead fish start smelling bad, throw them away. Your hermit crabs will enjoy chewing on them.

13) Eggshells – Eggs are another item that hermit crabs really dislike. However, eggshells do offer a nice amount of calcium for your hermit crabs‘ growth.

Here is an unsafe list of foods for hermit crabs

1) Any kind of meat, fish, or poultry – Hermit crabs are omnivores and will eat anything they can get their claws on. They have no teeth, so if you feed them any type of animal flesh, it could be fatal to the hermit crab. If your pet has eaten something like this before, then they may not want to try again.

2) Raw vegetables – such as carrots, cucumbers, celery, etc. These should only be fed cooked. The same goes for fruit. Fruit needs to be peeled first. Otherwise, hermit crabs might mistake it for raw meat. This would cause an upset stomach which in turn could lead to death.

3) Nuts – Hermit crabs cannot digest nuts well at all. So don’t give them any!

4) Citrus Fruits – Oranges, lemons, grapefruits, etc. Again these need to be washed thoroughly because hermit crabs do not know how to peel citrus fruits.

Complete list of Safe Food

A

Acorns

Agave

Alfalfa

Almonds

Aloe

Amaranth

Anchovy oil

Apples and natural unsweetened apple sauce

Apricot

Arame

Artichokes

Ash Wood

Asian Pear

Asparagus

Avocado

B

Bamboo

Banana

Barley

Basil, whole plant

Beans

Bee pollen

Beef, unseasoned

Beets

Bell peppers

Birch Wood

Bison

Blackberries, leaves & flowers

Blackstrap molasses

Bladderwrack

Bloodworms

Blueberries

Bok Choy

Borage blossoms

Broccoli and leaves

Brown rice

Brussels sprouts

Burning Bush

Buttercup

C

Cabbage

Calcium carbonate powder, plain

Calendula flowers

Camellia

Cantaloupe

Caribou

Carnation flowers

Carrots and carrot tops

Cashews, unsalted

Catappa Leaves

Catfish

Cauliflower and leaves

Celery

Chard

Cheese

Cherimoya

Cherry, fruit, and wood

Chestnuts

Chia

Chicken, cooked and unseasoned

Chickpea

Chickweed

Cholla wood

Cilantro

Citrus

Class worms

Clams

Clover blossoms and leaves

Cochineal

Coconut meat, oil, water, and shells

Cod liver oil

Cod

Collards

Coral, untreated

Cork bark

Corn

Cornmeal

Crabapple

Cranberries

Crickets

Crustaceans

Cucumber

Currants

Cuttlefish

D

Dairy products

Daisies

Dandelion flowers, leaves, and roots

Dates

Daylilies

Deer

Duck

E

Earthworms

Edamame

Egg and Eggshells, cooked

Eggplant

Elderberry flowers

Extra-virgin olive oil

F

Feces

Feeder cockroaches, dead

Fennel

Fig

Filberts

Fish flakes w/out chemical preservatives

Fish Oil

Fish, all species

Flaxseed oil

Flax seeds/Linseeds

Flounder

Frozen fish food

G

Garbanzos

Garlic

Gladiolus

Goji berries

Goliath worms

Gooseberry

Grape Leaf

Grapefruit

Grapes

Grapevine

Grasshoppers, dead or dried

Green Beans

Guava

H

Halibut

Hazel leaves

Hazelnuts

Hemp

Hempseed Meal

Hibiscus flowers

Hollyhock flowers

Honey

Honeybush

Honeydew Melon

Honeysuckle flowers

Horn Melon

Hornworms, feeders only

Hot pepper

Huckleberries/Bilberries

I + J

Indian Almond Leaves

Impatiens

Irish Moss

Japanese Maple, leaves or branches, dried or fresh

Jasmine flowers

Jicama

K

Kale

Kamut

Kelp

Kiwi

Kohlrabi

Krill

L

Lavar

Lentils

Lettuce

Lilac, flowers, branches, and leaves

Lima Beans

Liver, unseasoned

Lobster with a crushed exoskeleton

Locusts

Lychee fruit

M

Macadamia nuts

Madrona wood

Mango

Mangrove

Maple leaves and branches, all species

Maple syrup

Marion Berries

Mealworms, live, dead or dried

Milk thistle flowers

Millet

Mint

Moose

Mopani Wood

Most organic baby foods

Mulberry

Muscadine

Mushrooms, all types edible for humans

Mussels

N + O

Nasturtium flowers

Nectarines

Nettle, stinging

Oak Leaves and bark

Oats

Octopus

Okra

Olives and olive oil

Oranges

Oysters

P

Pansy flowers and leaves

Papaya

Parsley

Parsnip, root, and greens

Passionflowers

Passionfruit

Pasta, no added salt or preservatives

Peaches

Peanut butter

Peanuts and shells

Pears

Peas

Pecan bark

Pecans

Peonies

Persimmon

Petunia blossoms

Phoenix worms

Pickling cucumbers

Pimentos, no salt or preservatives

Pine Cones

Pineapple

Pistachio nuts

Plankton

Plantain

Plum

Pomegranate

Popcorn

Pork, unseasoned

Potato

Prickly Pear

Psyllium & husks

Pumpkin, plus entire plant

Purslane

Q + R

Quinoa

Radish, roots, and greens

Raisins

Raspberries

Red raspberry leaves

Reindeer

Rolled Oats

Rooibus

Roquette

Rose

Rowan

Royal Jelly

Rhubarb

Russian Olive leaves

S

Safflower Oil

Sage blossoms

Salmon

Sand dollars, untreated

Sardines

Scallops

Sea biscuits, untreated

Sea fan, untreated

Seagrasses

Sea Horses, untreated

Sea salt

Sea Sponges

Sea Urchins, untreated

Seaweed

Semolina

Sesame oil

Sesame seeds

Shrimp and exoskeletons, all types

Silkworms

Snails

Sorghum

Sorrel

Soy and soy products

Spelled

Spinach

Spirulina

Sprouts

Squash

Squid

Star fruit

Starfish, untreated

Strawberry and tops

Sugar cane

Sunflower Seeds

Superworms

Swamp cypress wood

Sweet potato

Sweetgum

Sycamore leaf

T

Tahini

Tamarillo

Tangelo

Tangerine

Thimble Berry

Tilapia

Timothy hay

Tomato

Tomatillo

Tree Fern

Triticale

Trout

Tulip flowers

Tuna

Turkey

Turnip, roots, and greens

U + V

Ugli Fruit

Venison

Viola flowers

Violet flowers

W

Walnuts

Wasa All-Natural Crispbread

Watercress

Watermelon

Waxworms, live or dead

Wheat germ

Wheatgrass

Wheat

Whitefish

Whole Wheat Couscous

Wild rice

Worm Castings

Complete list of Unsafe Food

A

Aconite

African violet leaves

African daisy

Alder bark

Amaryllis

American Hellebore

Anemone/Windflower

Aniseed

Avocado leaves

Azalea/Rhododendron

B

Bay leaves

Bindweed

Bird of Paradise Flowers

Bluebonnet

Bottlebrush flowers

Bougainvillea

Boxwood

Buckthorn

C

Carnation leaves

Castor Bean

Catnip

Cedarwood or needles

Cherimoya Seeds

Chocolate/cocoa

Chrysanthemum

Citrus

Columbine

Compost

Crocus

Crown of Thorns

Cube Plant

Custard Apple

Cyclamen

D

Delphinium

Derris

Dieffenbachia

Dill

Dittany

E

Eucalyptus

European pennyroyal

Evergreen

F + G + H + I

Feverfew

Fleabane

Golden Pothos

Green hellebore

Hemlock

Holly Berries

Horsetail

Ivy

Juniper Berries

K + L

Kalanchoe

Larkspur seed

Laurel

Lemon Balm

Lemon Grass

Lucky Bamboo

M + O

Mayweed

Mistletoe

Morning Glory

Oleander

Oxeye daisy

P

Papaya seed

Parsley Seed

Peace Lily

Pencil Tree Cactus

Philodendron

Prickly juniper

Pride of China fruit

Prunus species trees

R + S

Red Emerald

Rosemary

Sago Palm

Sanseveria

Schefflera

Stargazer Lily

Sweet Flag

T

Tansy

Tea Tree

Texas Mountain Laurel

Thornapple

Thyme

Tobacco

V + W + Y

Vanillin

Verbena

Vinca

Wild Angelica fruit

Wormwood

Yew

Yarrow

Conclusion

Hope you like this article about the hermit crab food list. If there is any other information that we can add to the post, please let us know in the comments section below! Also, if you have a question for us, feel free to ask it as well. We will try our best to answer your questions. Thanks again for reading!

Read more from Tropical Fish Answers:

https://tropicalfishanswers.com/