Diet inquiries!

[Savage Destiny]

Some of you may have seen my other post in the Chirp & Chat board, but I'm making a more specific one here. And yes I copy/pasted a bit from my other post. xD

Basically, I am a huge believer in natural, fresh food diets. I make my kitties their food and my dog's as well. I even did a raw diet with my rats when I had them. Are there crab nutrition guidelines? Anything they can't have? Do they need meat in their diet? Could I use, say, the fruit and veggie puree that I make for my dog/cats and supplement that with things like crushed eggshell, cuttlebone, or meats with ground raw bone? Can they do things like yogurt for the good bacteria?

Generally my fruit and veggie puree is whatever is in season and I can buy at our local Whole Foods. I always try and include things like blueberries and cranberries for antioxidants and urinary tract health, and leafy greens like kale for vitamin C. There's usually some carrots, bell peppers, and broccoli, along with apples and an occasional orange or other fruit. I sometimes throw in some squash or zucchini as well.

Is there a certain calcium:phosphorus level crabbies need? Dogs and cats its 1.1:1 ideally, and I formulate my diets with the raw bone and such around that, so I need to know if I should alter that for crabbies. Also, what is a good ratio of vegetables/fruits? Dogs need 20-30% of their diet in vegetable/fruit matter, but cats only need about 5-10%. Do crabbies need more veggies than meat/calcium or the other way around? Are organ meats okay for crabs?

Sorry for the long post!

[iluvhermies]

Here is an awesome website that has lists of foods hermies can and cannot have. It is under the popular section near the top in the middle. http://www.epicureanhermit.com/mambo/index.php Yes they do eat meats and they can have dairy once in awhile.

[Jaci]

i'm still wanting some Es, but not until we get into our new place....after i find a real job.

[Jedi_Sena]

Plain yogurt is fine.

Avoid anything canned, salted, or w/ added sugar.

Definetly include plenty of protein and calcium. The exact ratios for crab nutrition have not been established as in the case of dogs and cats, etc. But the prevailing crab wisdom says that if you offer a large variety of nutritious, safe foods, then the crabs will pick and choose for a healthy balance. Their nutritional needs change w/ certain processes (such as molting) and so having availability to whatever those physiological changes might require is vital.

You will probably find the research on my blog helpful as well: http://hermitcrabfoodtrials.blogspot.com/

[Jaci]

ok....where do you buy plain yogurt?

[Wai]

Yeah, it's very important that they actually have access to the nutrients they need in the first place, so try experimenting and putting sufficient amounts of food in. Avoid giving them anything that may kill them, if they try tasting it though.

[Savage Destiny]

Well the crabskies are really eating now that they've settled in. They scarf up vegetable and fruit mash, dehydrated fruit, dried shrimp, and any raw meat I put in there (so far they've had chicken, turkey, quail, duck, and guinea hen). They've also got an orange-flavored cuttlebone they munch on.

Jaci: You can buy plain yogurt pretty much anywhere. My personal favourite brands are Mountain High and Nancy's, both of which you can buy at Safeway or Fred Meyer's.

[Jaci]

i'll have to look around here for some of those names. my crabs ignore the meat i've put in there. i've tried chicken, shrimp and turkey. i don't get it. i cooked it how i was supposed to. is there a substitute i could try?

[Jedi_Sena]

I really like the idea of feeding shrimp on a regular basis since it is a crustacean too and has similar dietary requirements and similar make-up. But mine don't always eat much shrimp. I think dressing it with a little extra virgin coconut oil might make it more appealing.