Thursday, 23. April 2009, 9:20
By Ygra/Moni
Translated by Ulli Bauer
Most crabs are omnivores, i.e. they eat vegetable as well as animal food. Depending on the crab species, they prefer either a balanced mix or show a tendency towards one of the other kind of food.
In order to provide crabs with food as suitable for their species as possible you will have to watch your animals and thus find out their preferences so you can offer them a balanced food mix. After some time you'll get a pretty good overview of what these critters like and which foods you don't even have to bother with.
The following list gives possible crab foods you can feed without hesitation and which most species like to eat. However, please do not be astonished if yours of all crabs does not accept some of the foods on this list, in our experience, crabs often have individual tastes (also within a species).
First an important pointer as to which foods must not be fed at all:
• Foods containing oxalic acid must never be fed uncooked, as soluble oxalic salts are toxic. And some should not be fed at all, parsley with up to 185 mg in 100 g fresh herbs is among these, as well as ocas and sorrel. Raw chard and spinach also are high in oxalic acid and thus should not be fed. However, if these vegetables are boiled over they can be given to the crabs, as the largest part of this acid deteriorates under heat.
• No foods should be fed that contain higher percentages of Prussic acid, among these are beans, tapioca, raw bamboo sprouts, unripe elder berries as well as various fruit stones (cherry, apricot etc.).
• Citrus fruit and other fruit high in fruit acid should not be fed either, as well as foods that contain copper.
Tree leaves
The main staple for many crabs in nature. Beech and oak leaves are suitable, as well as leaves from all other European broad-leaved trees as well as Indian almond.
Water plants
Many a crab keeper dislikes this fact, but in the view of most crab species, aquatic plants are a welcome addition to their diet. They do not harm the animals, but this behavior might affect the moneybags of their keepers
Fruit and vegetables
Nearly everything that can be found in a well-stocked kitchen or the supermarket around the corner is suitable. Peas, lettuce, cucumber, apple, zucchini, pear, banana, grapes, tomato (without the kernels), Brussels sprouts and blanched spinach, peppers, carrots (boiled or raw and coarsely grated); potatoes and rice (boiled) are often accepted and make the crabs go easy on the aquatic and terrestrial plants in the terrarium.
Unfortunately, citrus fruit are not suitable due to their high acid content, and parsley must not be fed either. Please abstain from feeding beans as they contain Prussic acid, or from giving the crabs herbs and other foods high in essential oil or with copper contents.
When feeding fruit in the water please make sure you don't leave it in for too long a time. The high sugar content of some fruit can lead to a bacteria bloom in the water.
In general we recommend peeling all fruit and vegetables before feeding as noxious residues (pesticides etc.) tend to accumulate in the skin.
Dry foods
Catfish tablets, fish (flake) food, food sticks, rabbit, guinea pig or chinchilla pellet food (without copper!), Spirulina tabs, crayfish food tabs, Gammarus
Frozen foods
Blackworms, glassworms, bloodworms, Cyclops, brine shrimp, clam meat, smelt, shrimp
Live foods
Earthworms, however, they are best cut in parts before feeding as these worms also dig into the substrate under water but drown there. Then they start rotting in the ground, and foul parts form that can cause problems in the tank. Aquatic snails are good scrap eaters and double as great protein food.
Other foods
Chicken bones with few meat and gristle rests (cooked, unseasoned and washed so not too much grease gets into the tank), trout, tuna fish, sardine, herring etc, either fresh or from a can (in their own juice, not in oil).
Calcium food
Cuttlebone, crushed eggshells or calcium powder in self-made food sticks.
Varied feeding is very important, however, only one kind of food should be fed at a time. If you offer a choice of foods your crabs will very probably become picky.
Food rests should be removed from the land parts as they can get moldy. In the water they only have to be taken out (except fruit) if there aren't any scrap eaters in there (snails and shrimp).
Translated by Ulli Bauer
Most crabs are omnivores, i.e. they eat vegetable as well as animal food. Depending on the crab species, they prefer either a balanced mix or show a tendency towards one of the other kind of food.
In order to provide crabs with food as suitable for their species as possible you will have to watch your animals and thus find out their preferences so you can offer them a balanced food mix. After some time you'll get a pretty good overview of what these critters like and which foods you don't even have to bother with.
The following list gives possible crab foods you can feed without hesitation and which most species like to eat. However, please do not be astonished if yours of all crabs does not accept some of the foods on this list, in our experience, crabs often have individual tastes (also within a species).
First an important pointer as to which foods must not be fed at all:
• Foods containing oxalic acid must never be fed uncooked, as soluble oxalic salts are toxic. And some should not be fed at all, parsley with up to 185 mg in 100 g fresh herbs is among these, as well as ocas and sorrel. Raw chard and spinach also are high in oxalic acid and thus should not be fed. However, if these vegetables are boiled over they can be given to the crabs, as the largest part of this acid deteriorates under heat.
• No foods should be fed that contain higher percentages of Prussic acid, among these are beans, tapioca, raw bamboo sprouts, unripe elder berries as well as various fruit stones (cherry, apricot etc.).
• Citrus fruit and other fruit high in fruit acid should not be fed either, as well as foods that contain copper.
Tree leaves
The main staple for many crabs in nature. Beech and oak leaves are suitable, as well as leaves from all other European broad-leaved trees as well as Indian almond.
Water plants
Many a crab keeper dislikes this fact, but in the view of most crab species, aquatic plants are a welcome addition to their diet. They do not harm the animals, but this behavior might affect the moneybags of their keepers
Fruit and vegetables
Nearly everything that can be found in a well-stocked kitchen or the supermarket around the corner is suitable. Peas, lettuce, cucumber, apple, zucchini, pear, banana, grapes, tomato (without the kernels), Brussels sprouts and blanched spinach, peppers, carrots (boiled or raw and coarsely grated); potatoes and rice (boiled) are often accepted and make the crabs go easy on the aquatic and terrestrial plants in the terrarium.
Unfortunately, citrus fruit are not suitable due to their high acid content, and parsley must not be fed either. Please abstain from feeding beans as they contain Prussic acid, or from giving the crabs herbs and other foods high in essential oil or with copper contents.
When feeding fruit in the water please make sure you don't leave it in for too long a time. The high sugar content of some fruit can lead to a bacteria bloom in the water.
In general we recommend peeling all fruit and vegetables before feeding as noxious residues (pesticides etc.) tend to accumulate in the skin.
Dry foods
Catfish tablets, fish (flake) food, food sticks, rabbit, guinea pig or chinchilla pellet food (without copper!), Spirulina tabs, crayfish food tabs, Gammarus
Frozen foods
Blackworms, glassworms, bloodworms, Cyclops, brine shrimp, clam meat, smelt, shrimp
Live foods
Earthworms, however, they are best cut in parts before feeding as these worms also dig into the substrate under water but drown there. Then they start rotting in the ground, and foul parts form that can cause problems in the tank. Aquatic snails are good scrap eaters and double as great protein food.
Other foods
Chicken bones with few meat and gristle rests (cooked, unseasoned and washed so not too much grease gets into the tank), trout, tuna fish, sardine, herring etc, either fresh or from a can (in their own juice, not in oil).
Calcium food
Cuttlebone, crushed eggshells or calcium powder in self-made food sticks.
Varied feeding is very important, however, only one kind of food should be fed at a time. If you offer a choice of foods your crabs will very probably become picky.
Food rests should be removed from the land parts as they can get moldy. In the water they only have to be taken out (except fruit) if there aren't any scrap eaters in there (snails and shrimp).