When you have a pet at home, it is impossible not to share your food with them. While it might prove to be a problematic habit in the long run with your cat or dog, if you own a Hermit Crab, you can rest easy. Being omnivores, these little creatures can eat most of the things that you can, both the veggies as well as the meat products. Hermit Crabs can eat most of the fruits, too. But what about strawberries?
Can Hermit Crabs eat strawberries? Yes, hermit crabs can certainly eat strawberries. Most of them even love eating these fruits. Strawberries are rich in a number of vitamins and minerals, including protein, which is of utmost importance for the maintenance of their exoskeleton. Hermit Crabs can directly bite into these fruits since their seeds pose no threat to them either. Just be careful about the tops (calyx), which might harm them due to the presence of pesticides.
If you recently brought a Hermit Crab home, it is only natural to have questions about their diet. Is your pet crab too young and you want to know whether they can eat strawberries safely? Or are you wondering how these squishy fruits can benefit their health?
In this article, you will find out the answer to all your doubts and queries about feeding strawberries to Hermit Crabs.
Do Hermit Crabs enjoy eating strawberries?
When it comes to their diet, Hermit Crabs are somewhat like us; each one of them has their individual taste and preferences. So, while one Hermit Crab may not like eating strawberries, the other one can devour these fruits.
If you have more than one of these pets, you can notice the difference yourself. A serving dish full of strawberries remaining untouched for long is a sign that they might not like it.
With that being said, most of the pet-parents to Hermit Crabs claim that their pets find strawberries quite appealing, and encourage the others to try them with their pet hermit crabs as well.
Are strawberries good for your Hermit Crab’s health?
If you have served your little pet a bowl of strawberries and find it empty the next day, congratulations! Your pet loves them. However, your responsibilities don’t simply end here. Now that you’ve figured your pet’s taste of strawberries, you need to find out how these fruits can benefit their health.
In order to understand how strawberries can benefit Hermit Crabs, let us go through the chart given below, which contains all the nutritional information of strawberries:
| Nutrient | Quantity |
| Vitamin A | 17.28 IU |
| Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) | 0.024 mg |
| Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) | 0.022 mg |
| Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 0.386 mg |
| Vitamin B4 (Choline) | 5.7 mg |
| Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) | 0.125 mg |
| Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) | 0.047 mg |
| Vitamin B9 (Folate) | 24 mcg |
| Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) | 58.8 mg |
| Vitamin E | 0.29 mg |
| Vitamin K | 2.2 mcg |
| Potassium | 153 mg |
| Phosphorous | 24 mg |
| Calcium | 16 mg |
| Magnesium | 13 mg |
| Sodium | 1 mg |
| Iron | 0.41 mg |
| Manganese | 0.386 mg |
| Zinc | 0.14 mg |
| Beta-Carotene | 10.08 mg |
| Copper | 0.048 mg |
| Carbohydrates | 7.86 g |
| Fat | 0.3 g |
| Protein | 0.67 g |
| Sugar | 4.89 g |
| Energy | 32 kcal |
Serving size: 100 grams
The list of nutrients inside strawberries stretches quite far. However, it is unfortunate that we have very little data about the nutritious needs of Hermit Crabs to compare them with these. Therefore, let us focus on the nutrients we are familiar with at the moment.
Protein
For Hermit Crabs, protein acts as a source of energy. A 100-gram strawberry contains about 0.67 grams of proteins, which is sufficient for your pets since they get the rest of it fulfilled through the meat products they eat.
Antioxidants
To maintain their cell health, Hermit Crabs need antioxidants. Strawberries contain Ellagic acid in abundance, which is a polyphenol antioxidant with several health benefits.
Calcium
Calcium is an essential nutrient for the Hermit Crabs; they need it to maintain the health of their exoskeleton. A single strawberry contains about 15 mg of calcium, which is enough for them.
Beta-carotene
Most of the red-colored fruits, including strawberries, contain a plant pigment called beta-carotene, which is responsible for the bright appearance of the Hermit Crabs.
The deficiency of beta-carotene in Hermit crabs can make them appear duller or paler.
Now you know how strawberries are healthy for your little pet friends and can be fed to them without any worries.
Can baby Hermit Crabs eat strawberries?
Baby Hermit Crabs can eat strawberries just as easily as their parents. In fact, you should feed them these fruits instead of other fruits because they are soft and squishy and can, thus, be eaten quite easily by them.
Are strawberry seeds safe for Hermit Crabs to eat?
Strawberries do not contain seeds in any real sense of the word, because they are not really fruits at all. The seed-like things that are present on the top of strawberries are actually small ovaries and are called “achenes”. These are completely harmless and could be eaten straight away by your Hermit Crab.
Can Hermit Crabs eat strawberry tops?
The tops of strawberries are also known as calyx, and should never be fed to your pet friends. Wondering why? We’ll tell you.
In order to keep strawberries safe from the attack of different kinds of pests and insects, the farmers and vendors spray their tops with pesticides. These chemical pesticides might not affect your health severely, but they can prove to be lethal for your little pets.
Most people believe that a wash can always get rid of them. However, that might not always be the case. Some pesticides are far too strong to be diluted by water. This is why you should remove the tops before feeding strawberries to Hermit Crabs.
Can Hermit Crabs eat strawberry leaves?
Now that we’ve established that strawberries are safe and healthy for your pet crab’s health let’s talk about the leaves of strawberry plants. Can these be safely consumed by Hermit Crabs?
The answer is yes. These leaves of strawberry plants contain no compound that can pose a threat to their health and are thus safe for them. Some Hermit Crab-owners even recommend adding strawberry leaves to the diet of these crabs.
Can Hermit Crabs drink strawberry juice?
As far as Hermit Crabs are concerned, it is best to feed them strawberries in their raw form. However, if you want to feed them the juice instead, you should always go with fresh, home-made juice instead of store-bought ones.
It is because the latter often contain artificial coloring, added preservatives, and chemicals, which are not healthy for your pets.
Strawberries for Hermit Crabs: Serving Ideas
Serving strawberries to Hermit Crabs is so easy you would be surprised. Strawberries contain no seeds within that need to be removed, which makes your job that much easier. You only need to be careful about two things while preparing strawberries for your pet crabs.
First and foremost comes a thorough wash. All fruits, especially the ones bought from markets, are very likely to contain some sort of chemical or pesticides to keep insects and pests at bay.
Therefore, you must wash them thoroughly before feeding them to your pet. Try to let them soak in lukewarm water for about 15 minutes, wash them off with fresh water, and you’re good.
Another essential thing you must not forget is to remove the calyx properly before serving them to Hermit Crabs.
Summing it up: Can Hermit Crabs Eat Strawberries?
Let us return to our initial question: can Hermit Crabs eat strawberries? Yes, by all means. Strawberries have an abundance of goodness and health benefits for your little pet friends and can be a wonderful addition to their daily diet. Even the leaves of the strawberry plant are good for them. However, you must always make sure to remove the calyx of the strawberries carefully before feeding them to your pet.