Sea Sponge: Where do I get one other than a pet store?

[al3sha]

I've had my hermit crabs for maybe a year now and i'm having minor problems with mites/bugs at the moment (I have a 60 gallon tank, so it's hard to maintain). currently in the process of doing a huge sanitation.

Anyways, I use sea sponges as directed so the hermits don't drown, but I find buying them at the pet store EXTREMELY expensive, especially since I use 2 at a time (salt water bath and drinking water) and they're tiny and get disgusting after a while. Do you know where I can find larger sea sponges without chemicals? Is it okay to use a sea sponge at the store that specifies that it's "natural" I heard people saying they don't even use the sponge and have a shallow dish for water and bathe the hermits themselves (I just don't want to interrupt if they're molting), is this recommended?

[hermitcrabdc]

Using sponges isn't recommended because they grow bacteria easily. I think it's okay to use them if you clean them very often. I threw mine out a long time ago, they didn't do anything If you're still wanting them, off the top of my head I think Pet Supplies Plus has them for cheap, it's something like $1 each. It's still a pet store but they're cheaper than those packs that have 2 and it's like what $5?
Shallow dishes aren't recommend either. A crab needs to be able to fully submerge in the water. They'll get in the water when they need and know how much they need in their shell.
Baths are stressful for crabs and the way I see it, it would be forcing a crab to get wet when they know better than we do how much water they need at any given time

[al3sha]

Pet stores around me are like $7 each sea sponge thats about 1 1/2" wide.. which is RIDICULOUS considering how often they need to be replaced.
I feel the same way, I don't really want to force them to bathe. I will check some online pet store retailers. Thank you.

Using sponges isn't recommended because they grow bacteria easily. I think it's okay to use them if you clean them very often. I threw mine out a long time ago, they didn't do anything If you're still wanting them, off the top of my head I think Pet Supplies Plus has them for cheap, it's something like $1 each. It's still a pet store but they're cheaper than those packs that have 2 and it's like what $5?
Shallow dishes aren't recommend either. A crab needs to be able to fully submerge in the water. They'll get in the water when they need and know how much they need in their shell.
Baths are stressful for crabs and the way I see it, it would be forcing a crab to get wet when they know better than we do how much water they need at any given time

[soilentgringa]

Sponges aren't necessary and can be breeding grounds for bacteria...ditch the sponges and consider getting them some containers they can submerge in. As long as they have a way out they won't drown. I've seen crabs stay underwater for over an hour with no problems. You can get the supplies at Wal*Mart for less than $10 easily (if in the U.S.) Many people use tupperware type dishes, zip ties, and plastic mesh embroidery sheets from the craft section. You could also try Dollar Tree. I put all the shells they don't like to wear in the bottom along with a plastic mesh ladder so they can climb out. You could also use a plastic plant as well.