Sugar

Post by **Wai** » 17 May 2005, 23:46

Is it safe to add any type sugar to the food you give to hermit crabs? What type of sugar can't you give to hermies?

ayianna · Post by **ayianna** » 19 May 2005, 16:22

When sugar is added to the diet of any animal that does not naturally eat the sugar, problems with sugar levels develop over time. Hermit crabs, to my knowledge, do not access sugar, except perhaps sugar cane, the plant most of our sugar is derrived from. Therefore, it would be safest not to add sugar to anything they consume. If you wish to give them something sweet, a piece of fruit will do.

Julia_Crab · Post by **Julia_Crab** » 22 May 2005, 23:52

Crabs need sugar in order to make chitin, but processed sugar is bad for them, as for us. Avoid any processed white sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, etc.

If a natural food is baked with cane sugar or raw sugar, such as organic cookies, it's OK as an occasional treat.

The best way to get your crabs sugar is in fruits -- the natural sugar called fructose.

Jedi_Sena · Post by **Jedi_Sena** » 19 Aug 2006, 03:53

honey is safe and beneficial.

Jedi_Sena · Post by **Jedi_Sena** » 21 Oct 2006, 07:06

Once I toured a sugar factory and made a facsinating discovery when I accidentally went into a restricted area. The plant was a beet sugar factory, but they were bagging their product as cane sugar. Anyway, most sugar sold in the USA is beet sugar and it is so altered in the refining process that if skunk gets dumped in along w/ the collected sugar beets, the whole town stinks, but the sugar comes out fine. Because sugar made for human consumption is so broken down and cleansed of all nutrients that beet sugar and cane sugar are probably nearly identical--and void of nutrients.

Jaci · Post by **Jaci** » 27 Oct 2006, 04:25

i didn't think that sugar was safe for them. i agree with ayianna and giving them fruit. mine love grapes. i'm allergic to corn, so I can't give them anythign with corn syrup in it anyway! LOL

hermiesrokmysox · Post by **hermiesrokmysox** » 27 Oct 2006, 06:07

yeah, i give my crabs honey, too. i guess natural sugar is the best for them.

Jedi_Sena · Post by **Jedi_Sena** » 28 Oct 2006, 00:09

I've also been wondering if they can have Agave Nectar. It is sold at the healthfood store as a honey substitute. I think it would be safe since it comes from a an aloe-vera-type plant, but I'm not sure.

Jaci · Post by **Jaci** » 28 Oct 2006, 04:18

i need to try honey. i know that unsweetened applesauce was a hit

Post by **Wai** » 28 Oct 2006, 21:14

When I first started crabbing I did give small chunks from my birthday cake to them, and WOW. I've never seen them eat so much! Of course I didn't give them any cream, that wouldn't be very healthy.

Sugar

Sugar

sugar

toured a sugar factory

agave nectar