You may wonder what hermit crabs eat in the wild. While they are omnivorous, they often resort to cannibalism to survive. Fortunately, they also eat algae, plankton, and meat. The following is a list of the types of foods your pet loves. Read on to learn more about hermit crab diets. Listed below are some of the most popular dishes:

Hermit crabs are omnivorous scavengers

As scavengers, hermit crabs are omnivorous in the wild. They eat everything from plant matter to dead animals. In fact, they are an essential part of the ecosystem and play a vital role in recycling dead matter, preventing the overpopulation of bacteria and vermin. Regardless of their type, hermit crabs are beneficial to the ecosystem and should be given as much space as possible.

A diet rich in calcium is essential to hermit crabs. This mineral is important to the exoskeleton of the crab. Fresh water is essential for the crab’s gills, while salty water helps to regulate its salinity. You should offer your pet both salt and fresh water to ensure that he has a balanced diet. When molting, hermit crabs soak in fresh and salt water dishes to help build up hydrostatic pressure that opens their exoskeleton and store water.

They eat a wide variety of foods

Hermit crabs eat a variety of food in the wild. Their diet varies from seaweed to fecal matter. Unlike many pets, hermit crabs are able to distinguish between the different types of algae. They use their claws to filter out the microscopic algae from water and sand. They also scrape away the dense sediment on rocks.

Depending on their diet, hermit crabs can be fed a variety of fruits, vegetables, and pellets. They are usually happy with baby food, fruit medley, or fresh fruit. Other popular foods include mango fruit, guava fruit, applesauce, and fresh vegetables. For treats, hermit crabs also enjoy peanut butter, sunflower petals, honey, and rose petals.

They can resort to cannibalism

Although hermit crabs don’t practice cannibalism in the wild, their behavior is not entirely surprising. They eat a variety of foods, including dead animals that wash up on the shore. In one study, Tran observed a hermit crab approaching a dead female of a different species, but not retracing its shell. It may have been startled when confronted with the dead female, but the crab did not act as if it were in danger.

Some species of snakes can also resort to cannibalism in the absence of their predators. Some species, such as rat snakes and king snakes, mistake the odor on their own tails for that of prey. Both sides end up locked in a life-or-death struggle. The term “autocannibalism” refers to snakes that eat themselves, as well as to cannibals.

They eat algae and plankton

Hermit crabs eat a variety of foods including algae, sand, and plankton. For variety, try offering your pet fresh fruits, veggies, boiled eggs, and fish roe paste. Other foods you can give them include shrimp, lobster, and seaweed. The most natural food source for hermit crabs is algae, plankton, and a variety of plants.

In the wild, hermit crabs filter water and sand for plankton, and some have specialized gills for this purpose. This filter-feeding behavior makes them very similar to the porcelain crab, which was named after its fragile nature and tendency to lose limbs. However, most of its limbs regenerate. This means that hermit crabs feed on algae and plankton in ponds.

They eat molted skin

Hermit crabs typically molt below ground. As they molt, they shed their old shell and mobile limbs. This process is caused by dead or dying ocean life, algae, or plankton. Hermit crabs don’t have thick armored skin. This allows them to absorb water and refuel themselves when they are not on the hunt for prey.

Hermit crabs are energy-dependent creatures and their bodies molt every 18 months. Molting protects their fragile exoskeletons and they eat decomposing wood, leaves, and grass. A hermit crab’s diet is incredibly diverse, ranging from decomposing wood to various types of grass. Because hermit crabs are omnivorous, they can eat almost anything.

They eat feces

Hermit crabs are herbivores, and they’re known to eat human and animal feces in the wild. If you’re feeding your crab feces, make sure it’s not made of copper sulfate or ethoxyquin, which are common in fish meal. These chemicals are harmful to crabs. They need to be fed a balanced diet, which will not only provide nutrition but also keep their health under control.

While you can feed your pet feces, the USDA doesn’t recommend feeding your hermit crab feces, and people have reported success with feeding their crabs guinea pig pooh for years without ill effects. There are no formal studies on whether or not hermit crabs can digest guinea pig or turtle poop, but the USDA provides guidelines for pet owners to conduct their own tests.