The Healthy Start Collection contains every "consumable" your crabs need to thrive! This kit will feed 3 medium hermit crabs for approximately 2 months with extra of some products left over. Every product arrives labeled with usage instructions, too. *$39.00 value for $34.00*
1 - 1oz. glass bottle of Seachem Prime (treats 295 gallons of water!)
1 - 1/2c Instant Ocean
1 - 1oz. pkg “The 24/7”
1 - 1/8lb. Better than Leaf Litter™
4 - 1/2oz Complete Meals (My choice of recipes. If you have a preference, please let me know in the "Notes" section during checkout.)
1 - 5mL (1tsp) jar of organic, unrefined, cold-pressed, non-GMO coconut oil with spatula
If your crabs were purchased in the last few months from a beach shop or pet store (other than Josh's Frogs or ILL Exotics), they were wild-caught and have been through a long journey that was super stressful to them. Don't worry, most of us started with store bought crabs! I encourage you to add a couple drops of coconut oil to the top of food for several months.
*The 24/7 - Is a calcium based mix and should be kept in your tank at all times. Simply place a small amount (a literal pinch at first) in a dish separate from their food and change it weekly. (Less is better with hermit crabs so we don't waste product...we can always add more.)
*Better than Leaf Litter™ is a hermit crab favorite that is also highly nutritious and offers them places to hide, forage and explore. Leaf litter is a “staple” in their diet. Check out the listing for details and usage ideas. My crabs love it placed directly onto the substrate a couple of inches thick.
Every South of the Ocean complete meal contains a minimum of 50% protein.
Dried foods are preferred by most crabs and they work much better than fresh in the warm, humid environment hermit crabs need to survive and thrive. Multiple ingredients together provides a foraging opportunity for your crabs and is easily accessible to both small and large crabs. I personally love that my finely ground mixes prevent my boldest crabs from carrying away and guarding all the favorites! With a fine ground texture, even the bashful crabbies get a chance at some of the most coveted ingredients! If your crabs are slow to gobble down the nutrition you offer, grab some nutritious oil (located in the Oils category) and drop a little on the food. The oil blends with their food and they come running to the feast!
Each serving of every South of the Ocean Complete Meal is nutritionally complete and contains one or more ingredients that are not only nutritive but also enhances your crabs' gorgeous color. A serving is 1/3tsp per 3 crabs daily. It is recommended to keep a separate dish of greensand, worm castings, and a calcium source at all times in your crabitat (called The 24/7 in the shop’s Food Staples section).
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All land ingredients are either certified organic, foraged/dispatched from my pesticide-free, private land or sourced from local farmers who are family friends. All sea ingredients are either certified organic or hand-harvested by my husband or me.
Research for full and proper hermit crab nutrition is based on the work of Kilimanjaro’s Hermits and multiple well-respected land hermit crab care organizations of which I am a member. Every South of the Ocean Complete Meal contains the proper amounts of protein(s), vegetables/fruits, harvestables, fat(s), calcium, cellulose, carbohydrates, vitamins, carotenoids, astaxanthin and beta carotene. Items not listed as a "complete meal" do not contain everything needed in the hermit crab diet and you should supplement those items appropriately. South of the Ocean is an approved shop by both Hermit Crab Owners (HCO) and Land Hermit Crab Owners’ Society (LHCOS).
***THE LEGAL INFO***
None of my products are meant for human consumption. Even when human grade ingredients are used, you are not advised to eat this since it is marketed and sold as pet food.
Finished products are stored near items that are created in a kitchen which uses all known food allergens. All foods are potential allergens and have the potential to be cross-contaminated by other foods. Although equipment is cleaned and sterilized between ingredients, batches, and recipes, the risk is always there. If you have food allergies…please take necessary precautions when handling these products.
We are a smoke-free home. Our pets are two rescued pups, one rescued kitty, and 29 hermit crabs who are nearly all rescues (my obsession started like many of us at a beach shop). Please adopt, don’t shop for hermit crabs unless they are captive-bred babies. Let’s work to end the capture and torture of wild hermit crabs!
