HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I really went to the trouble of Sawing and Sanding a Coconut to make a Hut for my Hermits!
But I'm not even sure if this is okay for hermits

Well Since I live in Canada and go to the store T&T Supermarket alot, I saw mini-Coconuts being sold for 1.99 each
bought one and sawed it in half then started to Scoop out all the Coconut Meat (Then later Sliced it in thin and dried it for Hermit Treat)

After all that Scooping I sanded the outside and inside then Drew a Semi-Oval on the place I Sawed for the door opening.

It turned out well too
I didn't want to spend 6 dollars on a Coco Hut from a petstore

Needs:
- Good/Clean Saw
- Mini-Coconut 1.99 each
- Sand Paper
- Paring Knife or Regular table knife (A Spoon will NOT help with scooping)
(get someone "Adult" or someone with experiance to help with Sawing)

Will try to post Pictures.. if my web-cam doesnt go blonky on me

It will be ok as long as you bake/microwave it. We use a real coconut in our tank and the crabbies love it.
Just remember if you microwave it to watch it carefully in case it catches on fire.

My daughter and I just finished cutting open our coconut. Sarah even tried the milk! My question is how do I 'dry' the coconut so that I can make use of ALL the meat? We scooped it out and gave our guys some fresh meat, but they will never finish all this meat. Also how long can I keep it fresh? Should I store it in the fridge with some of the milk?

Thanks in Advance. The buzzer just went off. The hut is ALL boiled and ready to be dried in the oven. What a GREAT mother/daughter project this was! A lot more fun than just picking one up at the pet store!

I must be spoiled here in Indiana . . . the local pet store sells coco-huts for $2.99

I would say freeze the milk in ice cube form. As for the meat I would say grate it then bake it 150F it shouldn't take long.

Thanks Great owl. I had shaved the extra meat, but was not sure if you could simply bake it. That will go in the oven when the huts come out.

It was more about the fun of the project and the time we shared together and NOT the cost. We had a lot of fun and got two personally made huts for $2.00 and more coconut shavings than our hermies can eat!

I was more referring to what Licidy said about not wanting to spend $6 on a cocohut. It just seems like my supplies are cheaper here in Indiana for some reason. I found this was true with my guinea pigs too when I spoke to GP owners on another site.

In honesty the cost of cocohuts in Connecticut varies from around $3 to $6. They charge more for the ones painted with words Hermie Hut etc. It really pays to shop around though.
I apologize if I made it sound like I was criticizing you for your comment. That is why I dislike email/forum format a bit. You can never tell the "tone" of the comments. It is easy to misinterpret that.
Sarah and I are always doing crafty things. This is just another way to include that aspect of our family into the lives of the crabs!
Valerie