In 2009 we introduced isopods to our crabitats.

In: Crabitat
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The list of critters that can safely exist with hermit crabs is fairly short. Yes Isopods** – beneficial tank cleaners Springtails – beneficial tank cleaners Food/soil mites – harmless   No Fiddler Crabs/Halloween Crabs – aggressive diggers and are likely to eat molting hermit crabs. Earth worms, beetles, centipedes, crickets, praying mantis, roaches: May stress each other, over populate, disrupt/harm/ kill/ eat molters. Crabs may harm /kill them. May carry/spread disease/parasites, especially with over population. Centipedes – venomous Millipedes – poisonous Snails – Hermit crabs can kill snails Frogs/Lizards – could harm each other, different habitat needs Fish – inappropriate water for a fish   **Read More →

In: Food and Nutrition
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For the outdoorsy hermit crab enthusiast we have compiled a list of foods that can be collected or harvested. It’s perfect to tuck into your backpack for easy reference. Please forage responsibly! Don’t over collect.  Respect all local, state and federal laws regarding wild foraging and collection. Sustainable Foraging “In addition to considering your own safety when foraging, it is also important to take a long-term view: sustainable foraging means remembering that you are not the only creature which may wish to make use of a given resource. For example, wild berries play an important role in birds’ diets. Whatever you take, leave plenty forRead More →

In: Ask Milo
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Alison asks: I have small brown beetles in my crab cage. They are not on the crabs and they are not mites. They move very fast and hide under the bowls and there are dozens and dozens of them that come out at night to eat crab food. I suspect they may have hatched from some of my high-end crab food. Any ideas for getting rid of them short of dumping the entire sand/sphagnum substrate (very large cage with six inches of substrate…weighs about 75 pounds so hard to deal with.) Hi Alison! It’s difficult to know what kind of bugs you are dealing withRead More →

Booklice

In: General
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originally written by Jedediah and updated by Stacy Griffith Need to identify a bug? Place it in a cup of water so you can take a clear photo of it or use a magnifying glass to inspect it. Insects Insects have six legs and three body parts that are usually clearly visible, the head, the thorax (the breast) and the abdomen. Most of them have wings, although those might not be clearly visible, some insects can hide them in a sort of pouch on their back (like earwigs) and some insects have no wings at all. The vast majority of insects that you might findRead More →

In: FAQ
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Originally written by Vanessa Pike-Russell-Updated by Stacy Griffith Common Name/Scientific Name Dust Mites-House Dust Mite Dermatophagoides sp. Grain Mites-Grain Mite Acarus siro L House Mouse Mite-Liponyssoides sanuineus (Hirst) Follicle Mite-Demodex folliculorum (Simon) Itch or Scabies Mite-Sarcoptes scabiei hominis (Hering) Mold Mite-Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank) Dust Mites – House Dust Mite Dermatophagoides sp. “Dust mites are microscopic, small enough to live inside the weave and fibers of your clothing, bedding carpet and such. They don’t actually bite they are waaay to small .. they actually live on the skins flakes we shed. When people have problems with dust mites it is because they are actually allergic toRead More →