HCA: Hermit Crab Association

We put a reptile hammock in our 10g crabitat a little over a week ago! At first our 2 PPs were living in and on it! We put live moss in it and the small one was burying himself and never moving- the last few days I’ve noticed he isn’t in there at all and today I changed the food for my son and saw that the hammock is COVERED in mold. I’ve read that it isn’t harmful to crabs but it’s definitely off putting. Could it be because of the moss? Should I clean it and try again without? Or is this type of hammock doomed in high humidity?


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I have never had luck with woven seagrass or cornstalk items myself. You could try boiling it in an extremely salty pot of water (I use kosher salt for boiling crab items) and let it dry completely, and that may help ward off more mold if you leave it someplace there is airflow in the tank. These natural decorations tend to break down in the heat and humidity though and are the perfect food source for various molds.

I've never had luck with hammocks like that either. Since my tank usually is over 90% humidity, I always had mold growth and could never get rid of it- no matter what I tried. I ended up resorting to trying out another climbing structure-a grapewood vine. I've had more luck with it in terms of how much mold grows on it, which is relatively minimal.


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I've got a hemp hammock that I've had for maybe 3 months. It's held up really well so far. I soaked it in MSW for a while before putting it in the tank, and I've not had any mold issues. There's a seller on Etsy that makes them.

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Well, I tried boiling it in saltwater and completely drying it out before putting it back in but the mold is back so I’m surrendering to it- if I don’t replace it right away it’s okay for them? I know I’ve read that it isn’t harmful to crabs but it still freaks me out if they are crawling around on and in it it’s ok if it is moldy?!


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kaykmerr wrote:Well, I tried boiling it in saltwater and completely drying it out before putting it back in but the mold is back so I’m surrendering to it- if I don’t replace it right away it’s okay for them? I know I’ve read that it isn’t harmful to crabs but it still freaks me out if they are crawling around on and in it it’s ok if it is moldy?!


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Yes, it's still okay. I've honestly never seen my crabs crawl over mold, but it doesn't hurt them. It is harmful to us. You don't need to replace it unless if it bothers you, otherwise it's fine!


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I hate to beat a dead horse about the mold... but I have more questions. The moldy hammock got moldier- until today I noticed that there is barely any mold left on it at all. I’ve also noticed my crabs are seemingly not eating anything that I try to feed them (fresh and organic fruits, veggies, grains and proteins) could they be eating the mold? Is this problematic?

We also planted some chia and buckwheat seeds that have grown like crazy and they don’t seem to touch it, do I pull it out (some mold is growing between stalks) or leave it?


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kaykmerr wrote:I hate to beat a dead horse about the mold... but I have more questions. The moldy hammock got moldier- until today I noticed that there is barely any mold left on it at all. I’ve also noticed my crabs are seemingly not eating anything that I try to feed them (fresh and organic fruits, veggies, grains and proteins) could they be eating the mold? Is this problematic?

We also planted some chia and buckwheat seeds that have grown like crazy and they don’t seem to touch it, do I pull it out (some mold is growing between stalks) or leave it?


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I'm not sure if crabs actually eat the mold, I don't think so. Even then, I don't think it's a problem if they did- but other experienced crabbers can chime in!

Sometimes crabs go crazy for different food items at different times- they are weird. Some crabs may prefer dry foods over fresh too. There's also a possibility that they are eating but in such small amounts that you don't notice!

As for the sprouts, you don't need to pull them out. I plant my spouts in moss and allow them to run their full course until I plant more. A lot of crabbers who plant sprouts in the substrate do the same. It is up to you if you want to pull them or leave them, especially if the mold bothers you.


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Crabs don't eat mold. Usually mold will grow and then die off.

Mold doesn't bother the crabs, just us