HCA: Hermit Crab Association

1) Kale, butternut squash, and ginger are not on either list... I know squash is listed as safe but I wasn't sure if butternut squash is a true squash or just uses the name. So safe or not?

Kale I've always assumed was safe and have fed it for awhile. They like it.
I gave them some butternut squash last night but no takers yet.
Ginger seemed too risky to just try out...

2) Often times when I'm cooking I'm going to be cutting up onions and garlic. Okay pretty much any time I'm making dinner there's going to be onions and garlic. Even if I wash my hands thoroughly they still smell like onion and garlic. Is it safe to prepare crab food with smelly onion garlic hands? I know it'd probably be better to cut up the crab safe foods before I cut up the onions and garlic but more often than not it slips my mind...

Re: cooking hands. You should be ok. If you're really concerned about it, rub fresh lemon juice on your hands. I've also been told lemon scented soap works, but I've never tried it.

For the onion smell I read once that if you rub your hands on stainless steel it will take the smell away. I have an stainless sink and it seems to work!

I have been trying yellow squash with mine ( the kind that looks like yellow zucchini) but so far no takers. My crabs are all relatively new though ( less than a month) and sort of just burying themselves and not eating much right now. Its so hard to be patient and just let them be. I wish I could ask them if they are just destressing or what, but I dont speak crab, lol.

Ive given mine butternut, acorn, spaghetti & yellow squash....as well as pumpkin and zucchini and it worked out pretty well with them enjoying the squash.