While it is true that crabs are scavengers with a wide repertoire of foods they can eat, there are many plants and foods that just should not be fed to a crab. The foods on this list are to be avoided. Some are toxic, some are insect repellents or used as insecticides, and some the crabs just won't go near, such as lemon -- lemon won't hurt them, but they certainly won't eat it. This list, like the Edible List, will be updated regularly, so be sure to check back often. Aconite (Monk's Hood) African violet leaves African daisy (Osteospermum) Alder bark Aloe vera (interferes with potassium absorption) Amaryllis American Hellebore Anemone/Windflower Aniseed Avocado leaves Azalea/Rhododendron Bay leaves (natural insect repellent) Bindweed Bird of Paradise Flowers Bluebonnet Bottlebrush flowers Bougainvillea Boxwood Buckthorn Buttercup Carnation leaves Castor Bean Catnip Cherimoya Seeds Chocolate/cocoa Chrysanthemum Cinnamon Citrus (leaves and branches to be avoided; part of the evergreen family. The fruit is fine) Columbine Compost (unless 100% organic) Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) (contains cyanogenic glucosides) Crocus Crown of Thorns Cube Plant Custard Apple (young fruit) Cyclamen Delphinium Derris Dieffenbachia Dill Dittany Eucalyptus European pennyroyal Evergreen (pine, cedar, juniper, etc.) Feverfew Fleabane Garlic Geranium Golden Pothos Green hellebore Hemlock Holly Berries Horsetail Ivy (of any kind) Juniper Berries Kalanchoe Larkspur seed Laurel Lavender Lemon Balm (Sweet Melissa) Lemon Grass Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) Mayweed Mistletoe Morning Glory Mulberry leaves Oleander Onion Oxeye daisy Papaya seed Parsley Seed (fruit) Peace Lily Pencil Tree Cactus Peppermint Philodendron Pine or cedar wood or needles Prickly juniper Pride of China fruit Prunus species trees (apricot, bitter almond, cherry, cherry laurel, nectarine, peach, plum) Fleshy fruits are edible, everything else contains a cyanide-like compound and is fatally toxic, including seeds, wood, leaves, bark and flowers. Red Emerald Rosemary Sago Palm Sanseveria Schefflera Stargazer Lily (Lilium x Stargazer) Sweet Flag Tansy Tea Tree Texas Mountain Laurel (Sophora secundiflora) Thornapple Thyme Tobacco Vanillin Verbena Vinca Wild Angelica fruit Wormwood Yew Yarrow From: The San Diego Turtle and Tortoise Society Compiled by And other sourcesLast Updated ( Monday, 19 March 2007 )
Does anyone know if Tillandsia (an air plant) is safe? I had the idea to put one in the tank to make a bridge between my second level and the "climbing wall" but of course Peaches (aka Piggy!) has started chowing on it. I'm hoping someone knows if it's okay for me to keep it in there! Thanks!
Can hermit crabs eat ham? This ham is from applegate farms and no antibiotics were used and it's fully cooked. Thhe ingredients are: pork, water, sodium lactate, sea salt, evaporated cane juice, celery juice concentrate, lactic acid starter culture(no from milk), spic extractives. Is this okay? Also, can hermit crabs eat eco-earth?
Whew! Good thing I checked this list! Lowes had these cute little tiny sago palms, and I almost bought one to put in the crab tank. Nikki
Can crabs eat pine cones? Like just the cone all dried out and stuff from the garden? Coz i put one in the tank and they like climbing on it and stuff and Timone and Pumbaa, when she was alive, pulled the bits off it for fun? Is that safe for them? Mia!
Most of these things are plants. What about foods like peanuts for example. Also, are flowers ok to give to crabs? Do they eat the petals and stuff?
There's a safe food list as well as this unsafe food list - there's a ton of stuff on it, so please look at it. There are safe flowers to offer, but there are unsafe ones as well so do check before offering anything new.