Reconstituting Crabotanicals

My crabs prefer to eat dry kibble, and so I usually serve Crabotanicals right out of the bag. But the kibbles could certainly be moistened for variety. They could simply be wet down a bit with dechlorinated water, or saltwater. The kibbles could be stirred into applesauce or cottage cheese, or dressed with honey, molasses, or pure maple syrup. 100% fruit juices, organic milk would be wonderful. Whenever I split a coconut, I always freeze the coconut milk into tiny ice-cube trays which can be thawed to pour onto other crab food and is always a hit with the hermit crabs.

Oil. One of my favorite ways to serve Crabotanicals is in oil. You could use some cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, or (my favorite): extra virgin red palm oil. The Happy Hermit Crab sells a high-quality oil product that is half coconut and half red palm that I highly recommend for a bi-monthly or weekly offering.

Broth. In our home we boil meats in the crockpot on a regular basis and that unseasoned liquid is sometimes used to wet dry crab food. Also, we usually have some green liquid in the bottom of the pan after steaming vegetables like broccoli.

Tea. Another option is to brew some herbal tea to reconstitute the dry foods. True teas contain caffeine which is not recommended for crabs, but hibiscus blossoms, chamomile blossoms, spearmint leaves, organic basil, etc. can be bought and made into a “tea.” The food could be soaked in hot tea and served for crabs once it has cooled.