HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I've been reading around on different posts regarding Spanish Moss and the consensus seems to be that it is bad for hermit crabs but can not find anywhere where it says why it's bad.

What I'm wondering is can I use real Spanish Moss - I live in S. Florida and the stuff grows like CRAZY on palm trees and anything else it can attach to here. Not talking about the stuff you buy at a pet store, or anything that comes in a bag at all. I also know not to use the kind they sell at Hobby Lobby, Michael's, etc that's likely been dyed and is used for floral arrangements.

Real Spanish Moss holds moisture relatively well like other mosses even though it is not real moss and is part of the bromeliad family and related to orchids. Can anyone say why it is bad to use? I have an abundance of it all around us and wonder why it can't be used.

I feel like I've heard somewhere that the Spanish moss houses tiny red insects...?


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It is safe, but it doesn't work like ground mosses. It won't hold moisture or help with humidity the way spagnum.will. The non-pet kind sold in craft stores is sprayed with insecticide and the pet kind I've seen is dyed which is why it is rarely mentioned.

It is LOADED with parasites in the wild. Chiggers love the stuff, among other nasties. Also, living in a native hermit range, outdoor items could potentially have crab patasites that could affect them. If you wanted to use it I would strongly suggest heat treating it to kill off any problems! That would however kill the moss and make it brewak down faster.

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wodesorel wrote:It is safe, but it doesn't work like ground mosses. It won't hold moisture or help with humidity the way spagnum.will. The non-pet kind sold in craft stores is sprayed with insecticide and the pet kind I've seen is dyed which is why it is rarely mentioned.

It is LOADED with parasites in the wild. Chiggers love the stuff, among other nasties. Also, living in a native hermit range, outdoor items could potentially have crab patasites that could affect them. If you wanted to use it I would strongly suggest heat treating it to kill off any problems! That would however kill the moss and make it brewak down faster.

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Thank you, that makes sense! We do have quite the bug population down here - sleeping to the sound of frogs outside LOL. I saw a link on one of GotButterflies' posts that she uses the sphagnum moss sold at places like Home Depot. Think I'll grab some on my way home tonight. Thanks!

Only reason I knew that (I live in TN) is I was fascinated by the stuff hanging from trees in Savannah! Then a tour guide told the group no one wants to put any in their luggage for that reason!!!


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The Moser Lee moss from Home Depot is decent. I use it for my snakes moist hides because it's cheap to replace when they poo in it, and has lots of little branches which helps them with shedding. I go through bags of that stuff, but I find it to be very dusty and dirty. Personally, for my hermits (and geckos) I splurge on the ZooMed spagnum. That stuff is gorgeous, soft, smells great, and is very clean. I like the way it squeaks, too.

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I grew up in Florida and can vouch for the buggyness of Spanish moss. It's fun to play with, but you run the risk of chiggers. We use to feed our horses with Spanish moss as a treat, but would microwave it first to kill any bugs.

I don't think I would put it in a hermit crab tank though

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I put the sphagnum moss directly on my substrate. I go through it like crazy. My crabs love to dig in it, Isopods love to dig in it. I don't have any issues with the Mosser Lee Moss being dirty. They love it. Whenever I put new stuff in they are on it like crazy! I use it for my snake too.

About a month and a half ago, I did take a little Spanish Moss from my woods around here and I froze it for about 3 days and put it in the tank. All of the crabs loved it. I laid it on top of the cork bark. They munched on it for about two days. Then they left it alone. It now has kind of withered away. I didn't get any chiggers from it either. I handled it with my hands. Lived in Florida all of my life. To each's own though. I know another crabber that uses it in their tank, which is why I tried it in mine.