introducing new food

[Jaci]

I have cut up some grapes and I'm not sure if they're eating it or not. For their regular food, I use Crab Island T-Rex Fruit and Flower Crab Food. I switched this with their treat food which is a mixture of coconut, papaya, pineapple, sea salt, banana chips, apples, mangos, rolled oats, and wheat germ. How often should I put a new food in there, like carrots, or celery? How do I know if they like it and if the food was a hit or not?

[ayianna]

There are many different ways to approach introducing new foods.

Personally, I introduce new foods in the same dish as their regular foods. It is important to cut open vegetables and fruits so they can smell the food and access it, however I would not suggest to use small pieces to begin with. It might lead you to believe that they are eating food that they are simply taking out of the food dish and abandoning or burying in the sand.

How do you know your crabs like the food? When something new is put in that they can smell, if they like the smell, you'll see your crabs begin to stir and move in the direction of the food dish.

Crabs enjoy variety and will eat almost anything edible - they are scavengers.

Carrots, potatoes, celery, etc:
Y'know, when I have my crabs roaming around a table and someone has left out some cooked potato, they'll munch on that for ages, but never with a raw potato. I have tried raw carrots and my crabs just weren't interested in it. Carrots do not smell much or very appetizing when they are raw. I would suggest cooking firm vegetables if you want to feed them to your crabs.


~~~Ayianna

[Jaci]

Thanks for the response, that really helped. So if I put apples in their food dish, I shouldn't mash them up? I guess I did that because my crabs are still pretty small. How big should the pieces, of whatever I put in their cage, be? I read on here where they like Cheerios, should I smash those before adding them? I'm sorry for so many questions, I'm a brand new crab owner (4 months). How often should I change food between their regular food and other "people" food?

[Julia_Crab]

For a long list of foods they can and can't eat, check the FAQ at

http://www.epicureanhermit.com

[Jaci]

Wow, thanks! That list was really helpful and extensive. I do have a question about it though. It listed vegetables and fish, should they be cooked first or will they eat them raw?

[Wai]

They can eat them raw, but I strongly suggest washing them thoroughly (with dechlorinated water) before feeding.

[Jedi_Sena]

Instead of smushing up food, I like to feed cubes of fruit and look for pinch marks on the clean edges.
Drizzling honey on new foods is a good way to draw some attention. Also, sometimes the second time you offer a new food is the time they'll investigate it.