Okay to use wood from backyard?

CryotheCrab · Post by **CryotheCrab** » Sun Mar 22, 2015 2:27 pm

Hi guys! I expanded my crabitat to make room for climbing space, and I found a great little dead branch to use from my backyard. The only trouble is, I'm worried if introducing something from outside might hurt the crabs, whether by introducing fungus, other parasites, or some chemical in the untreated wood. It's red pine, by the way

Is it safe to use for my crabs?

CryotheCrab · Post by **CryotheCrab** » Sun Mar 22, 2015 9:17 pm

Would really like an answer on this xD

And also if it's not okay to use, are there any ways you'd recommend for sterilizing the wood or anything?

YYWW · Post by **YYWW** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 12:04 am

You mostly need to watch out for pesticides. If any has been used on/near the leaves, branch, trunk, or roots, you could kill your crabs that way. If there have never been any pesticides, you can clean the branch by freezing it, giving it a soak in SW, then baking it dry.
Double check the safe and unsafe lists for red pine
Unsafe: viewtopic.php?t=92556

Crabbers unite!!!

Post by **wodesorel** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 12:58 am

PIne is something we're still unsure of using with hermit crabs. They can eat pine needles and pine cones without issues, but the problem is the sap and volatile oils in the wood - in small mammals and reptiles it can cause serious breathing and skin issues and in some cases has lead to deaths. Hermit crabs are obviously not mammals or reptiles, but there is some concern about how toxic pine could be to them when they are trapped in an enclosed, poorly aerated space, which pretty much all crabitats are because of the humidity the crabs require. It's not something that is an automatic answer of "No, unsafe", but is instead something that we cannot answer "Yes, definitely safe" yet. Small amounts of well-aged pine seem to be okay for use in the crab tank, but no one has wanted to risk their crabs by trying larger amounts or fresher wood, and my personal opinion is that there is a good likelihood that too much would be harmful to them.

Sorry there's no clear-cut answer on this.

CryotheCrab · Post by **CryotheCrab** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 7:01 pm

The prevailing opinion seems to be that pine is no good, so I kept it out. Thanks for the advice! I used some cut up wicker to give them a climbing medium instead

HCA: Hermit Crab Association