HCA: Hermit Crab Association

i just bought one of those mats for the back of the tank for my crabs. how do i clean them? with boiling water? and will they support my largest crab, which is about half the size of my hand? the shell is around 3.5 to 4 inches in diameter.

Not sure about the cleaning. But I went out and bought bigger Velcro and it holds fine with that. But you really need to make sure that the glass is squeeky clean and dry before applying it.

Not that I am promoting it, but I have used those for over a year and never cleaned it before use. I get a new one every other month or so. I usually just stick it under a heavy book for a few days to flatten it out, and I also buy extra velcro for it. I have also used a single staple on each velcro thing to make sure it stays attached to the mat. I know metal and rust is bad for crabs and all that, but I use maybe 6 staples total and have never had any problems. Also make sure you use the right piece of velcro. I think you stick the male side to the mat and the female side to the tank, but I'm not for sure. Mine use theirs all the time and it helps with humidity.

so i don't have to wash it? isn't it dirty? and what holds it, glue?

It should come with velcro, I used staples to help keep the one side of the velcro attached to the coconut mat, too.

I tried to bake one once, it came apart. I think they should be considered "disposable". Mount it so there is a gap between your substrate and the bottom edge of the mat to reduce the chance of it molding.

i have some industrial strenght velcro circles that work extremely well. its almost impossible to take it off after it sticks. does it need some space between the top as well?

Well, I think it's a good idea to leave some space at the top of the mat, as well. They will climb to the top and sit there. And if they are in legs' reach of the top they may stretch and grab and pry for hours testing whether they can get out. While you're sleeping of course!

ok. thanks. the mats ready but i really can't tell what the female and male sides are. lol. is the male side the one with the small hooks? or is it the furry one?

The male side is the pokey side. The female side is the soft side.