HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Can I put in fresh leaves with my PPs? Am thinking I read oak was good. Can I go out in my woods and just get a small oak limb and put it in with my little guys? What is the best way to dry them?What are the types of leaves Ok for them?

Any trees on the safe foods list will be OK. http://landhermitcrabs.com/eve...510198 ... 036713just make sure that they aren't from areas with insecticides or pesticides sprayed near them. Freshly fallen is best so they haven't contacted any fertilizer or anything. I just dump them in the tank as is and they'll naturally dry out in a few days.

There are basically three kinds of oak. Red, white and black.The kind with lobed leaves is OK. The kind with spoon shaped leaves is OK. The kind with pointy leaves is Red Oak, which is not OK. Red oak has a poison in it that repels arthropods.The best leaf is Maple, I think. I can't really find them online and they don't grow in my area, but I have a friend who sends me whole leaves. They dry out naturaly if you just leave them on a shelf. When they're dry, the whole leaf makes a lot of noise when the crab walks on it or eats it, so that's nice, actually. The crabs seem to play with them... Maybe it's just a coincidence. Note that if you get leaves in the spring/summer, they dry out and stay green because the tree is producing chlorophyl. But in the fall, they dry out brown because the tree is producing less. I believe my crabs like the brown ones much more. But it may have been that they were deprived of fiber when I first gave them the brown leaves. They were very enthusiastic about the Maple back then.Do research or at least ask us about any wood you're going to put in there. Some species are naturally resistant to arthropods and others aren't pet safe. I suspect anything that is aromatic.

I put a ton of maple leaf-filled twigs and branches in my crabitat last year after a hailstorm.It made the crabitat look really cool for about a week until all the leaves turned grey. But I can't say the crabs really went after them. Though it was later summer which is usually a "down" time for crab activity anyway. I should try it in earlier summer.

Thanks for responses. I printed out all the safe / non-safe food list as well as the safe wood lists. I don me that I should check it . I will make sure to stay away from the red oak. We have access to about 50 acres of trees so I bet I can find something. They love the grapevines I put in. Thanks again.