In: Food and Nutrition, General
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Dried or dehydrated Lavender flowers are being removed from the UNSAFE list. Fresh Lavender is still considered UNSAFE.  After some discussion regarding long time crabbers feeding the dried flower without any obvious issue we are changing our stance to dried/dehydrated Lavender is likely safe.  We can’t truly test dry Lavender or know the effects without a controlled laboratory experiment and an autopsy of any animals that die during (or after) the test. Therefore,  we ask that all sellers who wish to sell dry or dehydrated Lavender note on the product that is believed to be safe but the buyer should be aware there is noRead More →

In: FAQ, Food and Nutrition, General
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***REMEMBER NO SEASONINGS OR ADDED SUGAR*** Safe to feed: Turkey raw or cooked Save the neck and giblet bag for the crabs Turkey bones Crack them open so they can get at the marrow. Potatoes No eyes or green parts raw or cooked. Veggies raw or cooked *no onions or garlic* Dark Leafy Greens must be cooked first. Nuts ground, whole, chunks. Fruits Sour fruit will not be eaten (for example: they will not eat like lemon) Oils pure and cold pressed are best Herbs No Rosemary evergreen family. If you brine or injected with rosemary or rosemary oils compound butters etc could have absorbedRead More →

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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The information that was used as a basis for this article was intended for humans not hermit crabs. We have adapted the list of edible flowers to what we believe is safe for hermit crabs. Some may be safe for external remedies but not for consumption. Written by Julia Crab Monday, 23 May 2005 Did you know that flowers are good for crabs? They contain vitamin C as well as vitamin A and many of the pigmentation substances such as beta carotene. As there has been no study done on the nutritional content of flowers, much of their value remains a mystery. But crabs willRead More →

In: Ask Milo
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Froggy Kisses writes: Dear Milo , My crab Crab Cakes has sadly passed away recently and my other crab Sebastion seems depressed . My sister also has a crab but he is about 10 times larger than Sebastion . Will her crab Bam Bam hurt Sebastion ? And besides him interacting with Bam Bam is there anything I can do to help ? Dear Froggy Kisses, I am so sorry to hear about your Crab Cakes dying. 🙁 While some people may disagree there is no reason a large crab would harm a small crab. Think about how hermit crab gather in huge groups inRead More →

In: Crabitat, FAQ
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Hermit crabs love moss! Not only is it a great way to create and maintain humidity but your crabs will burrow in it and even eat it. They key is to select safe moss. This page should give you a starting pointing for determining which types of moss are safe for your hermit crabs. There are over 1200 types of moss so it would be impossible to address all of them. Listed below are the most commonly encountered types. In all instances you are looking for 100% natural, chemical free, dye free moss. When collecting your own live moss, know what you are collecting andRead More →

In: Crabitat
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Written by Julia Crab (Kerie Campbell) Wednesday, 28 September 2005. Updated by Stacy Griffith 2016. Here follows a list of woods that can be used safely in a hermit crab environment. These are non-toxic woods that won’t hurt them if eaten. This list, as all the others, is not in any way complete, and will be expanded as new information is received. The list of unsafe woods follows the safe list. Fruit bearing trees are generally considered unsafe. (Not necessarily the fruit but wood, bark, leaves, seeds.) Safe Woods AshAspenBirchCholla or Choya woodCork barkCypress (swamp variety, taxodium species) **not a suitable substrate!Grape vineMangroveManzanitaMaple/Japanese MapleOakPearPecanPoplarSycamoreWillow UnsafeRead 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, Food and Nutrition
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Hermit Crabs are beach scavengers and they can and will eat a wide range of things. General rules: Avoid chemicals, pesticides, table salt, moldy foods, plants that are toxic to animals. For hermit crab nutritional needs and the foods that provide them, download the nutritional food chart as a PDF by clicking in the gray box below. [wpfilebase tag=file id=43 /] Written by Kerie Campbell Fruits – Fresh or Wrinkly? I’ve read a lot about fresh fruits being in their diets, which I use a lot of BTW. But I’ve read a lot about people putting in fruits that are old and wrinkling up. IsRead More →

In: Crabitat, FAQ
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The LHCOS official stance on PVC is: Use at your own risk The safety of PVC is a hotly debated topic and without research on its effect on crustaceans we are not able to make a determination.  Below are some arguments against and for PVC. CrabbyAbbey answered: PVC isn’t a safe product to be used in a closed environment or with land hermits that tend to taste sample their surroundings, or really anywhere for that matter. It’s production includes chlorine and lead and it leaches chemical gases into the air, especially in heated areas. In closed areas like crabitats these dangers are even more harmful.Read More →