HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I recently observed my crabs gnawing on the salt water bowl. I feed them vegetables daily and cheese eggs and meet when I can find some that's unsalted. I'm concerned that they are going to be poisoned by the plastic bowl. Is there something I'm missing?I am also planing to do a huge remodel of my tank. I want to grow some live moss in some eco-earth. I'm wondering if it would work with the hermit crabs.

Yeah anything plastic should be removed and replaced if their pincer is big enough to hold it thru

Thanks!

Go to food list and change up their diet

Agree with Laurie, I have plastic water dishes and mine don't eat/nibble on them. If what you wrote is all your giving they are probably not getting enough of something. I think it is cellulose they they get from dried oak/maple leaves, popcorn unseasoned/unbuttered, or I think there is some other things you can give instead. Also you can go to the pet store and get frozen brine shrimp or blood worms and offer occasionally. Check the food list like laurie said and it is broken down into the different groups of nutrients they need regularly.

Ok. Thanks for your help. How do I sterilize the oak leaves? Can I bake them?

Most of us just rinse them in the treated crab water, but if you have a lot of bugs and such that your worried about just boil them. If you bake them they might burn/catch fire. When using oak try to use black oak such as black jack. White and red oaks can be irritating if memory serves correctly. Maple leaves are a lot safer route if you can get them. I'm lucky enough that I have a couple Maples and a ton of black jacks on my families property so getting them is no prob for me. Make sure anytime you bring something in from outside that it hasn't been exposed to pesticides or other treatments. Hope that helps.

Thanks!

Where is the food list?

Here ya go! FOOD LIST It's one of the stickies over on Zoea.

good question, nick B, i have heard moss is good. it keeps in humidity very well, they like eating it too!

When a hermitcrab consistently goes after plastic in the tank thats a key indicator that its not getting enough cellulose/fiber in its diet and is trying to self correct the issue.You can easily address this by placing a natural sea sponge directly on the substrate floor and the crab/s will eat this instead as its an excellent source of cellulose.If after two weeks you continue to see the same behavior you may want to think about offering raw rolled oats twice a week as these are also a great source of cellulose and nitrogen another key component in molt success and overall health, you can drizzle a little raw or organic honey on the oats to entice the crabs into eating.I've had plastic bowls for both kinds of water and food in all of my enclosures and never had a problem with my crabs nibbling on them.