HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi i found some lego to make a diy stair bridge. It helps my crabs get in the water pools. Therefore some of the lego is submerged in water / saltwater. Question is this safe for hermit crabs? thanks!

I've heard it suggested before, but it was a long time ago and crabby info changes often so idk if it is still considered 'safe'. I don't see how it can hurt them. Its made of the same stuff as our plastic plants.

Legos are fine to use. In the past, a few crabbers have made awesome crabitat climbing structures out of Legos but the downside is keeping them clean. Since plastic can't be boiled, just be sure to scrub the Lego staircase with hot water and a toothbrush/Q-Tip every time you clean the pools.

Legos are NOT dishwasher or washing machine safe so bear that in mind. The manufacturer recommends soaking them for an hour or more in soapy water with a mild soap such as Dawn and then hand scrubbing each one with an old splayed toothbrush. After rinsing the soap off, you can then run them through a mild bleach rinse of 1TBS/gallon. They then recommend air drying or hand drying.

That sounds way too labor intensive for me!

I am a preschool teacher and we put our legos and duplos in the dishwasher (top rack, in a net bag) all the time You'd be surprised what can go through the dishwasher:)

Nch0202 wrote:I am a preschool teacher and we put our legos and duplos in the dishwasher (top rack, in a net bag) all the time You'd be surprised what can go through the dishwasher:)

Good info!

Legos are made of ABS plastic, which is NOT heat resistant. Any temperature above 100F will melt (un-noticeably) the plastic and cause it to outgas toxins. I too work at a school (not a preschool) and we are not allowed to wash our Legos in anything but the sink with warm water and Dawn dish soap followed by a weak bleach rinse to sanitize them.

ABS plastic also absorbs toxins (such as cigarette smoke) and it is very hard to get the smell out of them.