Ethoxyquin
Ethoxyquin is an antioxidant used as a preservative in many popular hermit crab and fish foods. It’s believed that Ethoxyquin leads to deformities in hermit crabs during the molting process. Essentially, Ethoxyquin blocks the good vitamins and minerals from entering the hermit crab’s system. The long term effects of this are really unknown.
This is one of my tiny PPs post molt. I suspect his discoloration, deformed eyes, and missing big pincher are a result of Ethoxyquin. While my crabs have had very little Ethoxyquin while in my care, I suspect that all the food that they received after being harvested and housed in the pet store contained Ethoxyquin. From my discussions with other crabbers, EQ’s effects can last for up to two years. I have had many successful molts, so the only thing that I can assume is that the preservative has more of a negative affect on tiny crabs. Other than his obvious physical deformation, he’s doing fine.
So what can we do to prevent this? Well, stop feeding crabs foods that contain Ethoxyquin. This preservative may be listed on the label, but since there is no regulation on pet food labels, many times it’s not. Popular foods like FMR, T-Rex Crab Island, and most fish flakes all contain EQ.
Start feeding your crabs fresh foods. If you look in the diet category of this site you can find a lot of alternatives to packaged hermit crab food. If you must feed packaged foods, consider Jurassi Diet or Hikari brand, neither contain Ethoxyquin.
As I mentioned, most hermit crab foods do not list Ethoxyquin on their labels. So don’t think that just because it’s not listed you’re food is Ethoxyquin free. Instead of buying commercial crab food, try this recipe to make your own hermit crab food. When in doubt, call the manufacturer or post a question on the Hermit Crab Association.
Please read the comments below to see more information on Ethoxyquin.
