Selecting the best hermit crab food can be a challenging task, especially considering how finicky these little creatures can be. They require a nutritionally balanced diet with a healthy variety of food, keeping their interest and overall health in mind.
A robust diet for hermit crabs includes a mix of fresh meats, fruits, and vegetables, but we understand that managing daily commitments like work, family, and kids can make it difficult to prepare fresh meals consistently for your hermit crab.
To make things easier, we have curated a list of the best pre-packaged hermit crab foods that you can turn to when you’re strapped for time. These alternatives aim to maintain dietary variety and meet the nutritional needs of your crab, all while saving you time and effort.
To quickly guide you, here are our top 3 picks of the best hermit crab food. But if you have a few more minutes to spare, we encourage you to read on and delve deeper into understanding the unique dietary needs of hermit crabs.
| Hermit crab food | Why we picked it |
| 1. JurassiPet JurassiDiet Hermit Crab Food | Best overall |
| 2. Zoo Med Hermit Crab Food | Best value for money |
| 3. Florida Marine Research (FMR) Hermit Crab Food | Most comprehensive |
Table of Contents
What To Look For In Hermit Crab Food
When picking a hermit crab food, you want to see whole ingredients and little to no preservatives. There are foods in pellet form, ground up and powdered, or in a “meal.”
You’ll probably have to try out different types and flavors to find what your hermit crab likes the best.
Even when you feed them a nutritionally balanced packaged diet, you should change it up occasionally and add fresh vegetables, fruits, and even meat sources. For their protein needs, you can feed hermit crabs fish, shrimp, oysters, eggs, chicken, beef, insects, and more as long as they don’t have added salt or seasonings.
With that being said, the following are the best pre-packaged foods to feed your hermit crabs. These are not listed in any particular order as they all have pros and cons.
Often, it comes down to what individual hermit crabs prefer.
Best Hermit Crab Food Options
1. JurassiPet JurassiDiet Hermit Crab Food
Hermit crabs all around seem to really enjoy the taste of this food.
Maybe it’s because the main ingredients are alfalfa, squid meal, fish meal, wheat, and red pepper. It could be because the pellets are small and easy to handle.
Maybe they enjoy the smell, though, to humans, it doesn’t seem to have a strong odor. Whatever it is, hermit crabs like this food.
JurassiDiet hermit crab food is guaranteed to help boost your pet’s immune system and give them ample energy, and brighter colors. Another benefit of this food is it has no corn or soy products.
It’s thought that soy affects calcium absorption, a nutrient that is vitally important to hermit crabs. The cons associated with JurassiDiet Hermit crab food include preservatives found in the food and the small size.
Unfortunately, this product does contain some preservatives, but reports suggest hermit crabs that are fed this food don’t experience any negative side effects. Plenty of reviews say they have fed this product to their hermit crabs for years with no ill effects.
The food comes in a very small 2.1oz container. Those who have more than one hermit crab will have to purchase these little canisters in bulk to keep their pets fed for more than a few days at a time.
2. Pisces Pro Variety Bites Hermit Crab Food
If you’re looking for food your hermit crab will devour but isn’t chock full of preservatives, you won’t have to look any further. Pisces Pros Hermit Crab Food is made of whole ingredients such as coconut flakes, fish meals, vegetables, grains, and insect protein.
It’s a completely balanced food for hermit crabs. Another good thing is this food is both powder and flakes. This is great for hermit crabs that don’t care for large pellets. It’s easy for them to eat, and most hermit crabs truly enjoy this blend.
Instead of preservatives to keep this food from spoiling, Pisces Pros use food oils. These natural oils also help ease the stress of molting.
This Hermit Crab Food is fortified with a wide variety of vitamins and minerals including calcium, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin D3.
This product is made in the USA for those who like to try and buy products that support American workers.
The only con for this product is the price. It’s a bit pricey for a small amount.
3. Florida Marine Research (FMR) Hermit Crab Food
For food, treats, and calcium all in one, you can’t beat FMR’s Hermit Crab Food combo. This one purchase nets you a decent-sized bag of food, a smaller bag of supplemental treats, and a calcium block that is scented with vanilla.
You can feed your hermit crab for a few days, then throw in some treats for variety later on. The calcium block provides a way for them to adjust how much of the mineral they need.
The calci-block smells like vanilla and makes the cage smell good. Maybe this scent attracts the hermit crabs because most of them are drawn to the block.
The everyday food is a mixture of pellets and ground meals. Whether your hermit crab prefers pellets or smaller pieces, he or she will find something they like.
If the pellets are too big for your hermit, you can always crush them into smaller pieces. It’s a great price for all so much together.
The only con I could find with this package concerns the calcium block. While the hermit crabs seemed to love it, the block itself doesn’t last very long inside the humid hermit crab habitat.
It tends to get moldy pretty quickly. Maybe this can be mitigated by removing it frequently and letting it dry out, but I’m not totally sure.
4. Zoo Med Hermit Crab Food
Zoo Med is a giant name in exotic pets, and it didn’t get there by making subpar products. Their hermit crab food is no exception.
Their hermit crab food is a vitamin and mineral-enriched food with fish, wheat, and shrimp ingredients. It comes in pellet form for larger hermit crabs and those that prefer firmer, larger chunks of food.
If your hermit crab prefers smaller bites, you can always crush or grind the pellets to a more palatable consistency.
This hermit crab food is also made in the United States, but it’s one of the most economical hermit crab foods available. Right now, you can get three 2.4oz bottles of food for less than $12.
Some of the cons associated with this product include what’s missing from Zoo Med’s hermit crab food. This food shouldn’t be the only thing you feed your hermit crab, it’s lacking significant vegetables and fruits.
While it’s great to add to a vegetable plate so they get plenty of protein, your pets may be lacking some essential nutrients if you only feed this pellet food.
5. Fluker’s Premium Pellet Diet For Hermit Crabs
Flukers is another giant in the exotic pet industry. Chances are if you have any accessories in your “crabitat,” some came from Flukers.
This food is a premium diet filled with protein sources such as eggs, shrimp, and fish. It’s also got enough nutrients to provide your hermit crab with the core dietary needs to keep it healthy.
Made with whole ingredients, added minerals and nutrients, and low on preservatives, Fluker’s Premium Hermit Crab food is great to feed regularly.
Cons include a premium price and a small dry pellet that many hermit crabs don’t care for. It comes in a slightly larger container than most other bottles, but it’s still rather expensive.
The small pellets don’t attract much interest from all hermit crabs. If yours doesn’t care for the texture, you may want to try moistening them to make the food more palatable.
6. Fluker’s Buffet Blend Diet
For those picky eaters, or hermit crabs that prefer shrimp and mealworms this buffet meal is made just for them. A complete, nutritional diet with pellets, dried river shrimp, and dried mealworms.
Sometimes feeding your hermit crabs live insects can be a pain. You have to squish the insect heads so they don’t bite and harm your hermit crab. It’s also advisable to do so to prevent the bugs from burrowing, running away, and breeding.
With this buffet blend, your hermits can get whole shrimp and mealworms without any potential injuries. The shrimp provide a natural source of calcium to help strengthen their exoskeleton.
One con associated with this brand of hermit crab food is the small package. You’ll probably have to purchase 2 or 3 at a time to make them last, especially if your hermit crab takes a liking to this food.
7. TetraFauna Hermit Crab Meal
First off this is a larger container of food for a very low price. It comes in meal form so if your hermit crab prefers larger chunks of food this might not be for your crab.
It’s a high-protein diet that is fortified with added calcium. It’s great as a supplemental feed to help add variety to your crab’s regular diet.
TetraFauna Hermit Crab food is an inexpensive way to add interest, protein, and calcium to your crab’s diet.
Cons include a fishy smell. Many people complain that this food smells strongly of fish or fish food. Some hermit crabs don’t care for the ground-up powder, but you can add a few drops of water to make a paste consistency.
Another con is the lack of a variety of nutrients. It’s got plenty of protein and a decent amount of calcium for your hermit crabs but you’ll need to feed another product to add other minerals.
You could also add this to their nightly meal of veggies if you don’t like dealing with other protein sources such as fish or oysters.
8. Hikari Crab Cuisine Rapidly Sinking Sticks for Bottom Feeders and Crustaceans
As it says right on the packaging, these are “ideal for crustaceans”! While there aren’t as many options available for aquarium hermit crabs here is a great food for these watery pets.
While they often feed themselves on algae, and other fish wastes, if they are exceptionally good at their job, they may need some extra food.
That’s where Hikari Crab Cuisine Sinking Sticks come in. These pellets sink to the bottom of the tank for your hermit crabs.
If you have fish, they may eat some of these before they get to the bottom but the formula is great for aquatic animals. It contains both protein sources and vegetation sources from spirulina algae and other plant matter.
This sinking pellet food comes in 2 1.76-ounce bags. That should last you a long time.
9. Freeze Dried Plankton
When feeding your hermit crabs, it’s important to add some fun treats on occasion. This helps with food boredom and can make feeding time more enjoyable.
Since hermit crabs are opportunistic omnivores, they will eat nearly any kind of food. Plankton is a wonderful treat that wild hermit crabs may come across very rarely.
Now you can spoil your hermits with freeze-dried plankton. Just soak a few in warm water for a few minutes before feeding them. The San Francisco Bay Brand of freeze-dried plankton contains a healthy dose of beta-carotene.
Beta-carotene is important in helping to bring out your hermit crab’s beautiful color. This treat is also packed with protein and essential lipids to help with overall health.
The only problem is the price. This treat can be rather expensive, but hey, we all like to spoil our pets sometimes, am I right?
10. Freeze Dried Mealworms
Another way that isn’t quite as expensive as plankton, but still provides plenty of nutrients and protein in a convenient snack is mealworms.
While live mealworms are a great way to add interest to your hermit crab’s mealtime, they can be a pain. Also, for those who don’t like live, squirmy insects, this is a perfect option.
Most hermit crabs love mealworms and other insects, so satisfy their hunting instincts by providing this treat on occasion.
I can’t think of any cons to this treat, as long as it’s not fed to your crabs as a staple. They are inexpensive, they don’t have a smell, you don’t have to crush any insect heads for safety, and hermit crabs love them.
11. Flukers Color Enhancer Treats
For those lucky owners who have a Strawberry or Blueberry Hermit crab, you need to feed them foods that enhance their already beautiful colors. Even if you don’t have these rare hermit crabs but you still want to make their colors pop, you should try these treats.
There are two varieties, a red and purple hermit crab color enhancer. Choose which one applies to your hermits and feed these treats on occasion to enhance their bright colors.
These treats are made of dried fruits and vegetables such as red peppers, grapes, blueberries, and cherries, and they have a minimal amount of salt, nothing else. There are no hard-to-pronounce chemical ingredients, artificial colors or flavors, or preservatives.
It’s important to remember that this is only a treat and should not replace a normal, varied diet.
12. Zoo Med Fruit Salad Treat
Some hermit crabs have a very large sweet tooth and love sugary fruits and honey. For those hermit crabs, Zoo Med has created an all-natural treat.
Many owners feed their sweet-loving hermit crabs baby food, but these can have added sugars and other preservatives. And the food could go bad before your hermit crab consumes all of it, meaning even more food waste.
To avoid those problems, try treating your hermit crab with Zoo Med’s Fruit Salad Treat. The ingredients include dried cranberries, apples, and dehydrated mango. That’s it, nothing more. There are no added preservatives or artificial anything.
Add this treat to their normal food every now and then to increase their appetite and add interest. No cons here, this is a great product to feed your hermit crab once every few weeks or so.
Natural Is Best
Hermit crabs in the wild get their food from numerous sources.
They are beach scavengers that help to clean up rotting fish carcasses, they feed on seaweed, and they will eat fruits, invertebrates, and anything else they can chew. Hermit crabs even feed on decaying wood.
While it’s best to try and mimic their natural diet as closely as possible, that’s not always a feasible plan. When you’re able to, try to feed your hermit crab leafy greens, nutritious vegetables, and sources of protein.
Protein sources include sardines, oysters, canned mackerel and salmon, or even chicken or beef. These proteins can be fed either raw or cooked, as long as there are no seasonings or salt added.
When you can’t feed your hermit crabs these foods, the above commercial foods will work great in a pinch, just don’t rely on them as the only food they get. They still need fresh, real food, just like we do.
FAQs
Do hermit crabs eat peanut butter?
Peanuts, peanut shells, and peanut butter are fine to feed your hermit crabs.
If you’re offering peanuts, be sure to reach for the unsalted kind. Also, look for all-natural varieties of peanut butter as most popular brands are full of preservatives.
Do you feed hermit crabs every day?
You should offer food to your crabs every day.
It’s true they only eat a little bit, so adjust how much you offer by how much they eat. If they finish everything you feed them, add a little more, they may be hungry and not getting enough if they finish all their food.
You want to see a little bit left over. You don’t have to provide food when they are molting. Hermit crabs will eat their shell during this process.
Once it has emerged from the burrow, continue the regular feeding schedule.
What should you not feed hermit crabs?
You should avoid onions, garlic, and anything that’s related to that family.
These include leeks, shallots, and scallions. You should also steer clear of citrus fruits.
The Verdict
To conclude, providing a varied and nutritionally balanced diet is crucial for your hermit crab’s health and longevity. As we’ve explored, a wide array of food options exist, and your choices may ultimately depend on your crab’s preferences. Here are our top three recommendations:
- Our best overall choice is the “JurassiPet JurassiDiet Hermit Crab Food“. Favored for its well-rounded nutritional profile, it also boasts ingredients like alfalfa, squid meal, fish meal, wheat, and red pepper, which are generally well-received by hermit crabs.
- For value-conscious owners, we recommend the “Zoo Med Hermit Crab Food“. This cost-effective option doesn’t compromise on essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals. Just remember to supplement it with fresh fruits and vegetables for a complete diet.
- If you’re looking for a comprehensive food option, consider the “Florida Marine Research (FMR) Hermit Crab Food“. This package covers all bases with food, treats, and a calcium block, making it an all-inclusive feeding solution for your hermit crab.
While these pre-packaged foods are handy, they should be complemented with fresh fruits, vegetables, and proteins for a truly diverse and natural diet. This way, you’ll help ensure your hermit crab enjoys a long, healthy, and fulfilling life.
More hermit crab guides
- How to pick the best hermit crab tank
- Choosing the best substrate for hermit crabs
- How to set upyour hermit crab tank
- How to care for your hermit crab
- A list of different types of hermit crabs