HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I haven’t had my hermit crabs and although I dip the sponges in hot water and then squeeze them out, I have heard that you should microwave the sponges every few days. I don’t know if I should do the microwave cleaning method or every few day or throw out the sponges and replace them with new ones.

I know that bacteria and mold can grow on the sponges quickly, and although I haven’t seen anything on them yet, I don’t want to risk it. I also don’t want to stop using sponges because my crabs seem to like them. So, is it safe to microwave clean the sponges along with hot water or should I just replace them?

They do hold bacteria. You can feed them dry natural sponge.

You should not use them in the water. Like HG said, put them in the tank dry for the crabs to snack on. Not in the water bowls.