How to Serve Pineapple to Hermit Crabs

 So you've learned that hermit crabs enjoy a varied diet beyond the store-bought hermit crab pellets, and you decide to go buy a pineapple to see if they like it...now what?

Have you ever cut up a pineapple before?

No?

So I'm not the ONLY one? Good!

Once you buy a ripe pineapple, it's pretty simple. How do you tell if a pineapple is ripe? Grab one of the middle leaves, and pull it straight up. If it pops off easily, it's ripe! If it doesn't, it's not ripe.

To cut and serve your pineapple to hermies (or humans!), follow these six steps:

1. Lay the pineapple on its side.
2. Grasp the leaves firmly, and twist-they should pop right off.
3. Next, carefully cut off the bottom inch or two of the pineapple.
4. Cut off the top inch or two of the pineapple.
5. Stand the pineapple up on its base. Using a downward cutting motion, cut off the "skin/bark" of the pineapple, being careful to cut deep enough to include the little brown nubs.
6. Lay the skinned pineapple on its side, and cut slices. You can also cut out the middle of each slice if you want to make rings.

Once you have your pineapple sliced, it's ready to serve! Try giving your hermies a peeled piece and a piece that still includes part of the peel. Do they prefer one way over the other? Do they avoid it altogether, regardless of how you serve it? Be sure to keep track of your hermit crabs' likes and dislikes in a hermit crab journal, or "Crabble," as we like to call it!  ;)