If you have an empty tank at your home and are wondering which aquatic pet to go for, consider my advice and bring home a couple of Hermit Crabs. These little crabs are more active than most of the other aquatic pets and are interesting to watch due to their brilliantly colored bodies and highly active personality. With them in your home, you will never get bored. Hermit Crabs are also surprisingly easy to care for. They can eat most of the fruits and vegetables found in the market. But what about grapes?
Can Hermit Crabs eat grapes? Yes, Hermit Crabs can safely eat grapes and do so lovingly. Grapes both have a delicious taste as well as a number of health benefits for these little aquatic creatures. Moreover, since grapes have no seeds or skin and are small in size, they can be served to your pet without much preparation. Even grape juices and jams are safe for your Hermit Crabs to consume as long as they are home-made.
Hermit Crabs are omnivore creatures, with their diet being not much different from our own. It means that the next time you ever run out of pet food, you needn’t worry. There are plenty of things in your kitchen that you can safely use to feed them.
However, how are these foods, including grapes, beneficial for their health? Can grapes be fed safely to baby Hermit Crabs as well? If you are looking for the answer to these questions, you are in the right place. Read on to find out everything you need to know about feeding grapes to Hermit Crabs.
Do Hermit Crabs like eating grapes?
When you pick the food for your pet Hermit Crabs, you want it to fulfill two functions: to appeal to their taste as well as to add to their health. So, let us begin by talking about first things first: do Hermit Crabs like eating grapes?
First of all, grapes are sweet fruits, and all sweet fruits appeal to the taste buds of Hermit Crabs. Therefore, your pet Hermit Crabs will most likely eat these fruits. However, much like us, Hermit Crabs have their own individual taste. It is entirely possible that while some Hermit Crabs will love it, others might not touch them at all.
The best way to find out your pet’s preferences is to serve them grapes at least a couple of times. If the serving dish returns untouched both times, they are probably not fond of grapes. In that case, you should move on to another fruit; you have plenty of options to pick from.
Do grapes have health benefits for your pet Hermit Crabs?
By now, you must have figured out whether or not your pet Hermit Crabs like eating grapes. If they do, it is time for you to learn about the health benefits grapes have for their health.
The first step to understanding the health benefits of any fruit or vegetable is to look at its nutritional chart. Given below is the table of the nutritional value of grapes:
| Nutrients | Quantity |
| Vitamin A | 66 IU |
| Vitamin C | 10.8 mg |
| Vitamin E | 0.19 mg |
| Vitamin K | 14.6 mcg |
| Thiamin (Vitamin B1) | 0.068 mg |
| Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) | 0.071 mg |
| Niacin (Vitamin B3) | 0.187 mg |
| Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6) | 0.087 mg |
| Folates (Vitamin B9) | 2mcg |
| Sodium | 1 mg |
| Potassium | 192 mg |
| Calcium | 10 mg |
| Copper | 0.128 mg |
| Iron | 0.36 mg |
| Manganese | 0.072 mg |
| Magnesium | 7 mg |
| Zinc | 0.07 mg |
| Carbohydrates | 18 g |
| Protein | 0.71 g |
| Total Fat | 0.16 g |
| Dietary fibers | 0.9 g |
| Energy | 69 kcal |
Serving size: 100 grams
If you go through the table carefully, you will notice that grapes are rich in a number of vitamins and minerals. However, how many of these nutrients are beneficial for your pet crabs?
Hermit Crabs are still one of the under-studied species, which is why we don’t have enough data to pinpoint their exact nutritional needs yet. But there are some nutrients that have been known to add to their health. Let us take a look at the nutrients in grapes that can meet these needs:
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are an essential nutrient for all living beings. They are the building blocks of energy for Hermit Crabs. Moreover, carbohydrates make up a small portion of chitin, a fibrous substance that is a major constituent of their exoskeleton. Grapes contain carbohydrates in abundance.
Fats
In order to process the vitamins from the food they consume, Hermit Crabs need fat molecules in their diet. Fats also help in building their cell membranes and are, therefore, indispensable. About 100 grams of grapes contain 0.18 grams of fat, which is enough to meet the dietary need of your pet crabs.
Protein
Amino acids make up protein, which maintains the health of the Hermit Crab’s soft tissue and exoskeleton. From grapes, they can acquire enough protein to suffice for their good health.
Calcium
Much like shrimps and snails, Hermit Crabs need calcium for the maintenance of their exoskeleton and cell function as well. There is 10 mg of calcium present in 100 grams of grapes, which is plenty for your little pet friends.
Antioxidants
There is no living creature alive who doesn’t antioxidants in their body to survive. Grapes contain two of these phytochemicals in abundance: proanthocyanidin and anthocyanin, both of which help the immunity systems of the Hermit Crabs.
Beta-carotene
Beta-carotene is a plant pigment present in all the richly-colored fruits and vegetables, including grapes. This plant pigment provides the Hermit Crabs with their rich color. A deficiency of beta-carotene in Hermit Crabs can make them appear duller or paler.
These six, among other nutrients, are the reason why grapes can be considered perfectly healthy for your little pet crabs.
Can baby Hermit Crabs eat grapes?
Yes, by all means. The diet of baby Hermit Crabs is not much different from their parents. Just like the adults, their younger ones are sturdy creatures who can eat almost anything. Grapes even have an advantage for them; these fruits are soft and squishy and are loved all the more for it.
Grapes for Hermit Crabs: serving ideas
There isn’t much you need to know about serving grapes to your pet Hermit Crabs. Grapes do not contain any seeds or skins that need to be removed. Neither are they big enough to need a cut. All you should be careful about is to clean them thoroughly, especially if they are bought from the market.
The fruit-sellers often spray their fruits with a number of chemical pesticides to keep the insects away. While these might be harmful to you, to your little pets they can be downright lethal.
Do give them a thorough wash, let them soak in lukewarm water for about 10 times, then wash them off with clean water. Your grapes are now ready to be served.
Can Hermit Crabs consume grape juice and jam?
Yes, Hermit Crabs can consume grape juice and jam as long as you prepare these for them at home. Feeding them store-bought juice or jam is a bad idea due to the added preservatives and chemicals in them that can impact the health of your pet crabs adversely.
Frequently asked questions
Can I feed lemons to my Hermit Crabs? You can try, but your pet crabs will most likely not eat them. Although lemons are perfectly safe for Hermit Crabs, they don’t like to eat them.
The wood from which trees can I safely add to the tank of my Hermit Crabs? There are plenty of trees that are harmless to Hermit Crabs, even if they attempt to eat them. Some of them are oak, ash, willow, cholla, pecan, aspen, poplar, cypress, mangrove, etc. I personally use cholla and oak wood in the tank of my pet Hermit Crabs.
Can Hermit Crabs eat garlic? No. Both garlic, as well as ginger, are unsafe for Hermit Crabs to eat.
Is the wood of black locust safe to add to the tank of my pet Hermit Crab? No, black locust woods are toxic to Hermit Crabs and should never be added to their tank. You might also want to be careful of the wood from the trees of mango, peach, yew, plum, cherry, boxwood, laurel, etc.
Can Hermit Crabs eat grapes? (final thoughts)
Returning to our initial question: can Hermit Crabs eat grapes? Yes, they certainly can. We have established that there a number of nutrients (carbohydrates, calcium, beta-carotene, etc.) present in grapes that are great for the health of your pets.
You can even include grapes in their daily diet if you want. All you need to be careful about is the proper cleansing of the fruits before they reach your pet.