How to Feed a Halloween Hermit Crab

Halloween hermit crabs, also called cone shell hermits, are not picky eaters. Feeding them requires minimal effort. These creatures are omnivores and scavengers, feeding on live and dead plant and animal material. While most food will be can come from the aquarium if the crabs are in a shared tank, you may want to supplement your Halloween hermit crab's diet with occasional feedings to ensure it is getting enough nutrients.

Things You'll Need

  • Seaweed
  • Hermit crab food
  • Small crustaceans
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Keep your Halloween hermit crab in an aquarium with other organisms. These orange-legged crabs eat ditritus, uneaten food left over by fish and other organisms and many kinds of algae and cyanobacteria that otherwise could make your aquarium look dirty.

    • 2

      Feed your Halloween hermit crab at night because it is nocturnal. Don't disturb its normal activities for feedings.

    • 3

      Supplement the diet by feeding seaweed, shrimp and other small crustaceans. Crustaceans are a good source of calcium for hermit crabs. It helps them develop strong exoskeletons. Pet stores carry a variety of appropriate foods.

    • 4

      Allow food to sink to the bottom to be easily accessible to your crab. Hermit crabs have difficulty in competitive aquariums because fish snatch up all the floating food. Competition can lead to aggressive behavior in your hermit crab, resulting in the death of similarly sized fish and other organisms.