If you care for hermit crabs, you should be aware of the practices and products that should be avoided completely or used with great caution.
1. WIRE CAGES - Wire cages are only useful for transporting hermit crabs on a warm day. They are ineffective at locking in the humidity your crab needs to breathe, so they are not a good permenant home for your hermit crab. Use a tank with a glass lid instead.
2. CRITTER-CARRIERS - Plastic critter-carriers typically have entirely too many breathing vents to maintain a high humidity level for your crabs' proper breathing. If you plan to use one of these as a permanent home for your hermit crabs, cover the majority of the vents with plastic wrap, leaving some of the vents for air exchange and monitoring the humidity with a guage.
4. METAL DISHES / SPRAY BOTTLES - Do not use metal dishes or metal spray bottles. Using them causes metal ions to leach into the water, and this can hurt a crab.
5. SEA SPONGES - Avoid using the same wet sponge for an extended period of time, since doing so can cause bacteria to harbor. Sponges are great for relasing humidity into the air, but plesae avoid clogging the hermit crabs' access to the water dish with its presence. Instead, place the sponge in a different location in the cage.
6. PLASTIC DECORATIONS - If possible, avoid plastic decorations, such as miniature palm trees or faux plants. Crabs love to tear and taste, and you wouldn't want them ingesting even the smallest bit of plastic. A plastic food and water dish, however, should be fine.
7. CLEANING PRODUCTS - When cleaning dishes, empty shells, or the cage, use only the methods of boiling, microwaving, or baking. Soaps and bleach leave behind a residue that is dangerous to a hermit crab.
8. ABSORBANT SUBSTRATE - Woodchips, corncob bedding, shredded paper, crushed walnuts, and kitty litter should not be used as substrate. These items absorb moisture, drying out both the atmosphere of your tank and your crab itself. Instead, use sand or fine gravel as a substrate.
1. WIRE CAGES - Wire cages are only useful for transporting hermit crabs on a warm day. They are ineffective at locking in the humidity your crab needs to breathe, so they are not a good permenant home for your hermit crab. Use a tank with a glass lid instead.
2. CRITTER-CARRIERS - Plastic critter-carriers typically have entirely too many breathing vents to maintain a high humidity level for your crabs' proper breathing. If you plan to use one of these as a permanent home for your hermit crabs, cover the majority of the vents with plastic wrap, leaving some of the vents for air exchange and monitoring the humidity with a guage.
4. METAL DISHES / SPRAY BOTTLES - Do not use metal dishes or metal spray bottles. Using them causes metal ions to leach into the water, and this can hurt a crab.
5. SEA SPONGES - Avoid using the same wet sponge for an extended period of time, since doing so can cause bacteria to harbor. Sponges are great for relasing humidity into the air, but plesae avoid clogging the hermit crabs' access to the water dish with its presence. Instead, place the sponge in a different location in the cage.
6. PLASTIC DECORATIONS - If possible, avoid plastic decorations, such as miniature palm trees or faux plants. Crabs love to tear and taste, and you wouldn't want them ingesting even the smallest bit of plastic. A plastic food and water dish, however, should be fine.
7. CLEANING PRODUCTS - When cleaning dishes, empty shells, or the cage, use only the methods of boiling, microwaving, or baking. Soaps and bleach leave behind a residue that is dangerous to a hermit crab.
8. ABSORBANT SUBSTRATE - Woodchips, corncob bedding, shredded paper, crushed walnuts, and kitty litter should not be used as substrate. These items absorb moisture, drying out both the atmosphere of your tank and your crab itself. Instead, use sand or fine gravel as a substrate.
Some of these items should be
avoided completely. Others
should be used with extreme
caution.
avoided completely. Others
should be used with extreme
caution.
