HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Sorry for the bad quality pic its hard to hold the lid up and take a pic, and the front is fogged up so you couldn't see.
Anyways, the wood I have in there, safe? I got it at the lake, boiled water 3+ times and poured over it, cleaned it, poured cold water over it, then let it dry some and placed it in the tank. Is it safe to do that? Wanted to make sure. I can't afford to buy things for them to climb on atm, so when I saw this driftwood I immediately thought of the crabitat. Let me know if it's unsafe and I'll take it out, just thought it's a nice little addition to their home.

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Will probably be ok but lots of members here dont take chances. What type of wood? Will it mold or rot? Was the lake clean of fertilzer or pesticide runnoff?

Perhaps identify an appoved tree. Find a nice piece of wood And treat it?

DaJimmer wrote:Will probably be ok but lots of members here dont take chances. What type of wood? Will it mold or rot? Was the lake clean of fertilzer or pesticide runnoff?

Perhaps identify an appoved tree. Find a nice piece of wood And treat it?

I will try to find some better options soon. Do you know what leaves & trees are safe?

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A limb came down from one of our maples, I hacked one of the limbs up and used that.

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Perfect. Wash and Disinfect. viewforum.php?f=51 read read read
Im not sure how to "do it right" so read

the wood should be fine. you just need to be sure the water source is clean. (no recent oil spills or other issues) any and all wood will rot or mold. i clean mine by soaking it in SW then putting it in my oven till dry. depending on the wood i do it multiple times a day. i also touch my wood up every month or other. and leaves or woods on the safe list are safe also needs to be pesticide free.

viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92557

Just Jay wrote:the wood should be fine. you just need to be sure the water source is clean. (no recent oil spills or other issues) any and all wood will rot or mold. i clean mine by soaking it in SW then putting it in my oven till dry. depending on the wood i do it multiple times a day. i also touch my wood up every month or other. and leaves or woods on the safe list are safe also needs to be pesticide free.

viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92557

okay thank you!!

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Of course! Some of the best things are found

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Being aged in water removes sap and phenols and tannins which is what causes most items to end up on the unsafe or untested list. With fish keeping, there are many fresh woods that could never be used but well aged driftwood is almost always okay. But, like others have said, that driftwood will absorb toxins, pesticides, and other bad things that can cause harm when eaten. It really comes down to if you trust the source enough. I personally don't trust anything in my area because I know how many chemicals are and were in use due to industry and farmland. The stuff I get from Alaska Hermit though is totally fair game to my hermits!

Agree with Wodesorel. .. there are places where I know the water quality is safe up north, but I don't even trust squirrel poop from the city/run-off basins near housing, farmland, developments or industrial regions, no matter how green & beautiful the parks around them are.

Also, I like a good salt soak (as mentioned above) & bake before adding wood to a tat. Helps a bit with mould. Good for pieces too big to boil.