How To Feed Hermit Crabs: 11 Steps (with Pictures) - WikiHow

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Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow How to Feed Hermit Crabs PDF download Download Article Co-authored by Marshall Stephens

Last Updated: February 19, 2026 Approved

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  • Feeding Your New Crab
    • |
  • Controlling Your Crab’s Environment
    • |
  • Expert Interview
    • |
  • Q&A
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  • Tips
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  • Warnings
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This article was co-authored by Marshall Stephens. Marshall Stephens is an Aquarium Expert at Private Oceans Aquariums in West Palm Beach, Florida. Marshall has over 20 years of experience in the aquarium industry and focuses on captive-bred animals. They specialize in tropical and marine aquariums and are a contributor to the Loggerhead Marine life center in Jupiter Florida. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 84% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 148,188 times.

Feeding your new hermit crab is an essential task to ensure that your crab is happy and healthy. Feeding a hermit crab may prove to be easy enough, although it is a surprisingly multi-faceted process. Take care to provide the proper foods and correct type of water for your little friend’s crabitat.

Things You Should Know

  • Hermit crabs can eat a variety of different foods, like commercial crab food, veggies, fruits, wood, and even treats, like peanut butter.
  • To keep your hermit crabs healthy, feed them at night and use a shallow dish for easy access.
  • Fill a shallow dish with dechlorinated water so your hermit can drink throughout the day.

Steps

Part 1 Part 1 of 2:

Feeding Your New Crab

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  1. Step 1 Choose a high-quality commercial crab food. 1 Choose a high-quality commercial crab food. There are several varieties of commercial crab food available that you can use as the basis for your crab’s diet. What’s more, you can alternate between these and provide your crab with a well-balanced diet.[1]
    • Hermit crab food is available in pellet form, in gel form, in powder form, or like canned dog food. If you choose any of these types of food, give small crabs about 1 teaspoon per day.
    • Generally, all forms contain many nutrients not found in every human food, like tannins, carotenoids, and cellulose, to name a few.
    • There is some conflict over whether or not to feed your crab commercial crab food. However, the consensus is that organic food is better than non-organic, and that you should avoid buying commercial food that has copper sulfate or ethoxyquin.[2]
  2. Step 2 Pick different colored and textured vegetables. 2 Pick different colored and textured vegetables. Hermit crabs not only love vegetables and fruits, they are able to consume a wide variety of them. You should change up the menu by rotating between kale, broccoli, bananas, and any other safe fruit or veggie, like mangoes, papaya, and coconut. This will help keep your crab from getting bored with the same old food, in addition to providing a well-balanced amount of the vitamins and minerals found in different veggies.
    • You can serve vegetables raw as long as you rinse them thoroughly in water (without soap!).
    • Some believe it is important to note that the main source of nutrition should be from a commercial crab food, with vegetables and fruits being added only as a supplemental treat.[3]
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  3. Step 3 Provide wood for your crab. 3 Provide wood for your crab. Crabs love wood because they can play on it and they also enjoy eating it. A positive feature of wood is that it lasts longer and does not have to be replaced daily. It is also abundantly available right outside your front door.
    • There are several types of wood for their enjoyment, like Birch, Oak, Ash, or Cholla, to name a few.
    • Your crab is a little creature, so there is no need to feed them multiple times a day. Feed your crab once daily in order to keep the fruits and veggies fresh.
    • Foods like wood will last considerably longer, so change the wood when you see it gets slimy, old, or otherwise unappetizing.
  4. Step 4 Give them enough protein. 4 Give them enough protein. Many new crab owners neglect to provide an adequate protein source or variety. Protein is important for maintaining a crab’s musculature, exoskeleton, and also for aiding in the processing of carbohydrates. More protein makes for a stronger crab.
    • You can select from a wide range of widely available protein sources like animal protein (turkey, unseasoned beef, duck), seafood (lobster, catfish, cuttlefish), or grubs (bloodworms, earthworms). You can even source some of these from your own yard (just dig up some worms after a fresh rain).
    • You should include a fresh protein source on a daily basis. Fresh in this case means that each day you’ll need to provide new food, replacing the old protein.
    • The protein sources you serve can be raw or cooked, including meat. Crabs do enjoy eating meat off of the bone, but they do not do well with sauces or butter. Make sure to exclude these. Seafood can also be served raw or steamed.
  5. Step 5 Give your crab treats. 5 Give your crab treats. Just because protein is essential for your hermit’s diet, it doesn’t mean you can’t treat the little fella from time to time. Aside from fruits and veggies, you can give your crab a little peanut butter as a treat. Just be sure to look at the ingredients so you can avoid extra sugars and other unwanted items.[4]
    • Natural peanut butter will be best. Honey, washed grass, trail mix, and popcorn are other favorable treats.
  6. Step 6 Supplement your crab’s food with calcium. 6 Supplement your crab’s food with calcium. While hermit crabs are omnivorous and eat just about anything, they may be some extra attention when it comes to ensuring they have a complete diet.
    • It’s important to supplement their food with calcium source. Give them calci-sand substrate, crushed oyster shell, or cuttlebones. Each of these is calcium rich, which will help shell maintenance and exoskeleton development. Neglecting this could lead to an unhealthy crab.
  7. Step 7 Feed your crab at night. 7 Feed your crab at night. Crabs are nocturnal so feed at night or in the evening. If you have trouble remembering, you can always set a timer. Better yet, make feeding time a part of your daily routine.
    • It’s strongly recommended that you remove the meat and seafood the following morning to avoid attracting flies and other pests.
  8. Step 8 Use shallow dishes. 8 Use shallow dishes. The dishes you choose will have a great impact on your crab’s well being.
    • Taller dishes won't allow your crabs to freely access their food. The optimal height for a food dish is one that is shallow.
    • Crabs are also sensitive to metals. Make sure you choose dishes made of plastic or ceramic.
    • The best type of dish will also be non-porous. The tiny imperfections in porous materials (stone, some plastics) permit the growth of bacteria and germs.
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Part 2 Part 2 of 2:

Controlling Your Crab’s Environment

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  1. Step 1 Give your crab water. 1 Give your crab water. Your little friend will need a place to drink, bathe, and play. Put a shallow dish a fresh water in the enclosure daily. Your crab will decide when and what quantity to drink.[5]
    • You’ll need to treat any tap or bottled water with a water dechlorinator. This is crucial because hermit crabs are sensitive to chlorine and chloramines (a combination of chlorine and ammonia that affects their gills).
    • If you have an Ecuadorian hermit crab (land crab), give it one bowl of fresh water and one bowl of salt water. These crabs require both types of water to keep their gills wet (yes, crabs have gills!). Without both salt and fresh water the gills dry out and the crab suffocates.
  2. Step 2 Control the humidity level. 2 Control the humidity level. The amount of moisture in the air directly affects the health of your tiny crab, so keep an eye on it. You should strive to maintain a level of about 70% humidity in your crab’s home.[6] Keeping the environment humid only requires that you place a natural sponge inside of a dish of water in the enclosure, which helps disperse the moisture.[7]
    • Be sure to place the sponge in close proximity to the tank heater. This will ensure the water evaporates from the sponge.
  3. Step 3 Clean your crab’s enclosure. 3 Clean your crab’s enclosure. Make sure you keep on top of cleaning your crab’s enclosure, including the dishes.
    • You may notice a residue or film on the water dish. Even though this is a common, natural occurrence, you need to clean it off regularly. As an additional note, when you change the water, also clean other undesirables from crabitat, like crab feces. This will help reduce water contamination, as well as cut down on any odiferous emanations from the crab’s home.
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Community Q&A

Search Add New Question
  • Question Can I feed them a banana? Josh Granger Josh Granger Community Answer Most hermit crabs love sweet things like fruit, including bananas. As long as you cut it into small pieces or mash it, you can feed them bananas. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 10 Helpful 80
  • Question How do I know if they are eating? Community Answer Community Answer Put in small amounts of food at a time or weigh the food and look for changes. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 11 Helpful 70
  • Question My crab buried himself in the corner, should I be worried? I just got him, how soon should I get another crab? Can three medium crabs live well in a ten gallon tank? How should I arrange the bowls? Imbisale Imbisale Community Answer The crab is just a bit shocked because of the move and soon he will be climbing and digging everywhere to check it out. It is best to get new crabs as soon as you get the first so that way the first crab can't find all the good spots before the others and dominate them. In a well-suited ten gallon tank, up to five medium sized crabs can live happily together. The bowls for water should be in the front corner of the tank next to each other and the food bowl should be at the opposite end of the front corner. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 20 Helpful 68
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Tips

Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
  • My hermit crabs like the cheap and more natural food, not the expensive stuff that people make!
  • Avoid acidic foods (tomatoes, citrus, etc.), and never feed them onions or garlic.
  • My hermit crabs like apples.
  • Hermit crabs love coconut!
Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

Warnings

  • Only use dechlorinated water. Tap water contains chlorine and chloramines, both of which are not good for hermit crabs. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • When using Ash, be certain to follow local guidelines regarding the transportation of this wood, being careful not to spread the Ash wood disease. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • The humidity level in your home can affect the humidity of your crabitat as moisture is drawn from the crab’s home into your home (which could range from 40-60%). Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • As your crab eats, it will grow. Provide at least 2 extra shells for each crab. The shells should be slightly larger than your crab’s current size, roughly 10-15% larger. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
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Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about caring for hermit crabs, check out our in-depth interview with Marshall Stephens.

References

  1. ↑ Marshall Stephens. Aquarium Specialist. Expert Interview
  2. ↑ http://www.hermit-crabs.com/food.html
  3. ↑ https://www.petco.com/content/petco/PetcoStore/en_US/pet-services/resource-center/caresheets/hermit-crab-care-sheet.html#
  4. ↑ http://www.hermit-crabs.com/food.html
  5. ↑ Marshall Stephens. Aquarium Specialist. Expert Interview
  6. ↑ Marshall Stephens. Aquarium Specialist. Expert Interview
  7. ↑ http://www.hermit-crabs.com/care.html

About This Article

Marshall Stephens Co-authored by: Marshall Stephens Aquarium Specialist This article was co-authored by Marshall Stephens. Marshall Stephens is an Aquarium Expert at Private Oceans Aquariums in West Palm Beach, Florida. Marshall has over 20 years of experience in the aquarium industry and focuses on captive-bred animals. They specialize in tropical and marine aquariums and are a contributor to the Loggerhead Marine life center in Jupiter Florida. This article has been viewed 148,188 times. 6 votes - 84% Co-authors: 23 Updated: February 19, 2026 Views: 148,188 Categories: Crabs Article SummaryX

To feed a hermit crab, provide 1 teaspoon of commercial crab food per day, whether in pellet, gel, or powder form. You can add to your crab's diet by providing it with fruit or vegetables, like kale, broccoli, and bananas. For a longer-term option, give your crab a bit of wood, which hermit crabs like to play on as well as eat. To ensure your crab gets enough protein, you should also feed it earthworms, cuttlefish, or turkey from time to time. Then, if you want to treat your crab, try giving it a little peanut butter. For tips on how to control your crab's environment, including by giving it water and changing the air humidity, keep reading! Did this summary help you?YesNo

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Yes No Advertisement If you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission.Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Marshall Stephens Co-authored by: Marshall Stephens Aquarium Specialist Co-authors: 23 Updated: February 19, 2026 Views: 148,188 84% of readers found this article helpful. 6 votes - 84% Click a star to add your vote Sophia Ramey

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