What Do Pet Crabs Eat?

Dozens of species of crabs are commonly kept as pets, from land crabs to marine crabs. For many, their dietary needs are similar because they are mostly scavengers. However, some species need special foods or supplements to stay healthy as pets.

  1. Fiddler Crabs

    • Some of the many species in the genus Uca, commonly known as fiddler crabs, kept as pets include the Atlantic sand fiddler (Uca pugilator) and the Atlantic marsh fiddler (Uca pugnax). All the species of fiddler crabs have similar diets in the wild and as pets. They are filter feeders and eat detritus, which is a scientific term for debris. The fiddler crab takes in small debris found in the water and filters out the indigestible parts. As pets you can feed them most anything that will sit on the bottom of the tank where they reside. This can include commercial crab food, frozen brine shrimp, algae wafers and fresh produce. Veterinarian Ron Hines of 2ndChance.info also recommends leaving the crab's exoskeleton in the tank for the crab to eat and giving calcium and iodine supplements found in fish stores that sell saltwater supplies.

    Hermit Crabs / Land Crabs

    • Land crabs found as pets, such as the species Coenobita perlatus, naturally live along shorelines foraging on any animal and plant decaying debris they find. They need similar foods to scavenge on as pets. You can feed your pet hermit crabs cooked meats and seafood such as chicken and shrimp, produce, pieces of wood and freeze-dried brine shrimp found in fish stores. The Hermit Crab Association states that you can choose to feed commercially sold hermit crab food, but this organization only recommends the T-Rex Crab Island Food brand. To help hermit crabs molt, they should also be given a calcium supplement, which can be sprinkled on their food or cuttlebones.

    Scavenger Saltwater Crabs

    • Many saltwater crabs are also scavengers, feeding on the decaying debris that falls to the bottom of the ocean. These are often called cleaner crabs in the aquarium hobby. If you have a well-stocked saltwater tank, you may not need to supplement this crab's diet, as they will clean up any leftover food you feed the fish and algae growing in the tank. You can feed these crabs seaweed, algae wafers, large fish food pellets and fresh shrimp or squid. Iodine supplementation is also commonly needed for these crabs.

    Specialty Saltwater Crabs

    • Some marine crabs kept in home aquariums have very specific diets. For example, the anemone crab or porcelain crab (Neopetrolisthes ohshimai) in addition to its scavenged diet, eats mucus from the anemone it protects according to Aquatic Connection. If you are caring for some of the more unusual species of saltwater crabs, ask a local aquarist for advice on their particular dietary needs. Just like for other aquatic crabs, iodine supplementation may be recommended.