Hermit crabs are not actually crabs because they are not closely related to the true crabs. They were called hermit crabs because they just love to keep themselves secured using different shells as their temporary shelters while keeping their exterior part much like crabs. Because their lower bodies are not covered with exoskeleton, they took this propensity of taking abandoned shells as their homes to protect their vulnerable parts. Hermit crabs are also popular because of their intelligence and their weird way of living. They are now one of the most popular pets among households and they are loved dearly by kids.

Today, hermit crabs can be found even on professional aquariums and they are used as symbols in support of the ecosystem conservation because of the way they eat without leaving any wastes. We have a large number of different species of hermit crabs that are used as pets but as of today, the Caribbean and the Ecuadorian hermit crab is the most popular. A hermit crabs food is not much of a special food because they eat both plants and scavenged meat. They are not so picky with their diet but when in captivity, they must be fed with nutritious food because this is the only way we can sustain them the food they miss on the wild.

In the wild, the hermit crabs are scavengers, meaning they can eat anything as long their pinchers can tear and their small mouths can nibble. Hermit crabs as pets are usually fed with commercial foods and they come mainly in two forms – the pellets and the canned food. However, there is a slight disadvantage when it comes to feeding commercial food to some species of hermits because other species are known to be choosy with their food. So how can you sustain a healthy hermit crab food if you are not sure your hermits would eat the food you bought? The answer is simple. Just feed them natural foods and they will love it. All species of hermit crabs would love to eat fruits, vegetables, oatmeal, and breadcrumbs or treat mix.

You can also make them healthy and lively if you can supplement their diet with various cooked meats, eggs, and fish. They also love the taste of sweets from natural food such as the strawberries, apples, melons, mangos, grapes and bananas. For vegetables, you can boil for them broccoli, spinach and watercress. Just remember that before feeding any hermit crab food, it must be cut in small pieces so that even the small hermits could benefit.

For their calcium supplement that they need for their molting or in changing their exoskeleton, some pet owners feed them grounded eggshells, oyster shells and cuttlebone. However, if you want to make sure your hermit crab will have enough intake of calcium, you can provide them with calcium vitamin supplements that you can buy from many pet stores. There are many ways on how to find the best food and preparation for your hermit crabs but as we have said certain species of them prefer certain types and preparation of food. So if you will be interested in owning hermit crabs as pets, then visit my site, it will tell you about their species and feeding habits.