HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi everyone! I have one more question and then i’ll stop spamming this forum
Would there be any harm in adding cardboard egg cartons to my crabitat, maybe to grow chia in or just use as a general decoration? With that, is cardboard in general harmful to put inside a crabitat? I know it may get too damp due to the humidity, but beyond that, are there any other issues with it?


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hmmm....well, it would for sure get damp and break down into mush eventually. The crabs would pick at it and potentially eat it too.
A better option for growing some chia would be to use half an egg shell! They can munch the chia AND the shell container!
Note - not my original idea, I saw someone else do it and thought it was brilliant!

Egg cartons are made of a pulp created from recycled paper products, so any inks, binders, or adhesives present in the recycled material could still be in the carton.

I don’t think I’d use cardboard, not only because it’ll get soggy but also it’s probably not good for the crabs if they try to eat it.


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curlysister wrote:hmmm....well, it would for sure get damp and break down into mush eventually. The crabs would pick at it and potentially eat it too.
A better option for growing some chia would be to use half an egg shell! They can munch the chia AND the shell container!
Note - not my original idea, I saw someone else do it and thought it was brilliant!

Oh, thanks for the suggestion! i bake with eggs a lot so that’s a great idea

I know my hermit crabs LOVE eggshells too—the first time i put half of one in their tank they ate it all in a couple hours lol.

Do you know if i’d need to sterilize the egg shells at all before putting the chia in and putting it in their tank?


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JoeHermits wrote:Egg cartons are made of a pulp created from recycled paper products, so any inks, binders, or adhesives present in the recycled material could still be in the carton.

I don’t think I’d use cardboard, not only because it’ll get soggy but also it’s probably not good for the crabs if they try to eat it.


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Ah, okay, that makes sense. Thanks for the response, I had no clue what all was in them tbh!


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No need to sterilize - you should just be able to put a little sub in there and plant away!

curlysister wrote:No need to sterilize - you should just be able to put a little sub in there and plant away!

Oh, okay! That’s super easy, thanks for the help


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