Do Hermit Crabs Eat Insects? (9 Interesting Facts!)

Many people ask a question that do hermit crabs eat insects. Insects are not a recommended diet for them. You should use a diet that has rich calcium bicarbonate content because calcium is very important for the exoskeleton of hermie.

Do hermit crabs eat insects? Yes, they eat insects, but they can also eat fresh fruits and vegetables, musk, and algae. If you want to feed bugs to hermit crabs, it is best to use frozen and pre killed invertebrates. Insects are of different tastes. Hermit crabs give preference to plants and fruits. They also eat bugs as snacks. It would be best if you gave them a nutritious and balanced diet.

In this article, we will discuss whether hermit crabs eat insects, the benefits and risks of insects eating hermit crabs, and many other related things. Let’s dive into the details of Do hermit crabs eat insects.

Can Hermit Crabs Eat Live Insects?

Do hermit crabs eat insects? Insects are not recommended for them, but they may eat insects because they are opportunistic feeders. In-tank or wild, many insects live in that ecosystem.

When they have a food shortage, they may kill insects and then eat. Do hermit crabs eat insects? The insect is not a balanced diet for them. It would help if you gave them such a diet that has all essential nutrients in a good amount. In this way, your hermie will not get any issues related to health.

 If you want to feed them with insects, then buy insects from a local store because insects from the yard may be disease carriers, and it may cause a serious issue to them.

Can Hermit Crabs Eat Dead Insects?

Do hermit crabs eat insects that are dead? Yes, hermit crabs eat dead insects. Hermit crab is an omnivorous scavenger; they may eat clams, mussels, and other insects. They can also eat dead animals like dead insects.

Can Hermit Crabs Eat Frozen Insects?

They may eat frozen insects, but the amount should be moderate. Do hermit crabs eat insects?  You cannot regularly feed them with frozen insects because it is not a staple diet. You can use it as an occasional treat for hermit crabs.

Frozen and pre-killed bugs are a good treat for them. Do hermit crabs eat roaches? Yes, they do eat roaches when there is less food supply.

Do Hermit Crabs Eat Bugs?

They belong to omnivores; it means that they can eat animals and plants. They can also eat a wide variety of insects, leaves, vegetables, fruits, etc. hermit crabs are not picky eaters. That is why they want to eat a variety of edibles.

Do Hermit Crabs attract bugs? They can eat bugs, but regular use of bugs is not recommended. You can use bugs and insects in the diet of hermie. Bugs do not have all the essential nutrients for body development and body color.

Do Hermit Crabs Eat A Lot?

Yes, hermit crabs do eat a lot of things. They can eat a wide variety of things in the wild. In captivity, you should give many items like fresh fruits, vegetables, etc. because hermit crab-like to eat fresh fruits and fresh vegetables.

Before giving a new thing to them, you must give a new edible in small amounts. If hermie is okay after consuming then you can give it to them.

Do Hermit Crabs Prefer To Live Alone?

No, they don’t prefer to live alone. They get bored when they are alone, which is why it is recommended that you should have three hermit crabs in one place to minimize this issue.

What do you need for a hermit crab habitat? You need to give them proper space for moving. The temperature should be moderate and optimum. They might chirp sometimes to get what they need from pet owners.

The humidity level must be between seventy to eighty percent. What do hermit crabs like to climb? They like to climb on a surface that is not smooth. You can place climbing toys in a tank as a source of enjoyment.

Do Hermit Crabs Eat Spiders?

They can eat spiders; the spider is a favorite snack of hermit crabs. You can add this to the diet of hermit crabs. Regular use of insects like a spider is not good. You can use it occasionally. Please give them a diet that has rich calcium content. It is essential for molting.

What Should Hermit Crabs Not Eat?

It would be best if you did not feed them with citrus, garlic, onion, etc. When you feed them any dried meat, then check the ingredient list. Many brands use pesticides to preserve the fish and hermit crab’s food. Don’t give anything to them that is toxic and can be fatal for him.

Can Hermit Crabs Eat Freeze Dried Crickets?

Yes, hermit crabs eat freeze-dried crickets. You can give them pre-killed cricket. But beware of the toxicity. Don’t use crickets from the yard because they may contain herbicides and pesticides. You can give them all recommended things, and these things should be free from harmful chemicals.

What Do Hermit Crabs Eat Other Than Insects?

Hermit crabs are known as omnivorous scavengers; they are opportunistic feeders. They can eat microalgae, dead animals, clams, microscopic mussels, etc. they need food rich in calcium and proteins.

These things are very helpful for them for strong exoskeleton and good healthy color. You can also give them vegetables and fresh fruits. What can hermit crabs eat list? Following are the things that are good feeding items for hermit crabs.

Contents of Aquarium

Wild hermie can adjust them to any environment, and there are natural adaptations in them that make them live in any place. But when they are in captivity, you have to give them such an environment that closely resembles wildlife.

Like when they are in the wild, they can eat things like algae, moss, wood, etc., in the same way, they can eat these things in captivity. Don’t worry about it if they eat the content of the aquarium. That is why many people keep hermit crabs in the fish aquarium to eat debris like algae from the aquarium. They act as a cleaning agent and generally climb the walls of aquarium and play.

They can eat the other organic elements in the aquarium. If they eat algae, then it is a good thing because it maintains the cleanliness of the aquarium.

Bugs And Invertebrates

Hermit crab habitat is the ecosystem of hermit crabs in captivity. Many other living organisms like insects also start living in this ecosystem. It would be best if you cleaned the aquarium or habitat of hermit crabs every month because there can be many insects living in it.

Do hermit crabs eat insects? They don’t like to hunt things because they are not hunters, but they eat them when they see any insects in the enclosure. They cannot sustain themselves by eating the insects. They can eat insects as a side dish. It means that giving them insects by buying from a local store is not recommended. You should only use such items for feeding them that vets recommend.

If you want to introduce a new thing to them, give them a small quantity of that food. If they are okay, then you can give them.

Fish Flakes

When you keep hermit crabs with fish, there is a chance that they can eat the fish flakes. This food is also good for them when you give them moderate amounts. Otherwise, it can cause problems.

If you want to give them fish food, you should check the ingredients present in fish food. There may not be anything poisonous and toxic for them. This is the best thing to save hermie from getting any issues. When you give fish flakes in high concentration, they can be problematic. It would help if you only gave them any edible in moderate amounts.

Cuttlebone

It is advisable to add the cuttlebone in the habitat of hermit crabs. You can mix it with food by grinding cuttlebone. Or you can also leave the slabs of cuttlebones in the substrate.

Cuttlebone is the skeleton of a cuttlefish. They have very much calcium, and it is ideal for hermie because they need calcium for proper color. Calcium is also very important for their exoskeleton.

Cuttlebone is also a good source of enjoyment and a source of nourishment. They love to interact with hurdles or obstacles in the environment. They may also nibble or pinch these types of apparatus.

Vegetables And Fresh Fruit

Vegetables and fruits are very important things in the hermit crab’s diet. You can offer them fresh food like bananas, grapes, strawberries, etc. If you are going to buy the vegetables and fruits for a hermit crab, it should be fresh.

On the other hand, vegetables are also good for hermit crabs. You can give them vegetables, but leafy vegetables are good because they contain calcium. You can give them such items that contain calcium.

Calcium is a good thing for them. Please beware of the vegetables or fruits containing any pesticides or insecticides because they can be lethal.

Health Benefits of Feeding Insect to Hermit Crab

Do hermit crabs eat insects? Insects contain protein that is very important for the healthy development and nourishment of the body. When there is no protein in the diet, it may result in muscle and body weakening. That is why you should add protein content to the diet of hermie. Baby hermit crab especially needs the right diet for healthy growth.

You can buy insects from a local store that are frozen because they will not contain toxic chemicals. Insects also provide a dietary supplement to hermie. In this way, they can digest their food quickly and don’t get any issues related to digestion.

Health Hazard of Feeding Insect to Hermit Crab

There is no health hazard if you give insects to hermit crabs. It can be the problem only case if you feed them with insects from your yard. You may use chemicals on trees or plants. When these insects come on those plants, then it may cause problems to hermie when they eat such insect.

You should remove the food from the tank or habitat because it may start rotting. Live insects can also cause problems to them. They don’t prey on insects, and insects may hurt them for fighting for life.

The larger insects that are present in the ecosystem of hermit crabs prey on the small insects, resulting in the cleaning of the ecosystem. On the other hand, larger insects become dominant in the tank when they multiply in large numbers.

Wild and household hermit crabs can eat insects, but it is not a staple diet for them. It is considered a second food choice for hermie. It would help if you focused on the fresh vegetables and fruits to feed them. They also like to eat both of these things.

Final Verdict On Do Hermit Crabs Eat Insects

Insects are not a staple diet for hermit crabs, but you can use them as a treat on specific occasions. You can add this to the diet of hermie to fulfill the demand for proteins. It would be best if you gave them a calcium-rich diet because it is good for their exoskeleton and body growth.

Fruits and vegetables are recommended things for hermie but don’t use vegetables or fruits containing toxic chemicals like insecticides, fungicides, pesticides, etc.

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet hermit crab a good and comfortable life!

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️