How to make Coconut huts for my hermies?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 11, 2003 2:24 am

First i want to say i have really enjoyed your forum here. We are new to hermit crabs. We want to give our hermies, "Herecules", and "Strawberry" the best hermie habiatat possible.We want to make a hermie hut from a coconut. I know that you can purchase these, but we are interested in making our own. If anyone has managed to successfully do this, would it be possible to instruct us on how to go about doing this?Thank you in advance to any advice.Crystal & kids

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 11, 2003 3:50 am

Sure! Get a nice tall coconut, a really pretty one. Take a sharp knife and put it into the spot that they give you for "easy" cutting. Work the knife back and forth until it cracks upen. Drain it as it cracks. Now, the coconut dosen't always crack right, so there's no guarantee that you'll get a coog half- and half coconut. Talk a coping saw or sheet cutters and cut a rounded doorway into the house. The ones I make usually turn out ok. Good luck!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 11, 2003 4:06 am

I have made four coconut huts and all of them have turned out ten times better than any hut I have seen from $4.00-$8.00 at pet stores.I like to choose the biggest coconut I can find. I prefer a coconut hut with a really thick diameter as opposed to one that is long. The bigger it is overall the better though...long and around.I use a fine tooth woodworking saw to make the first cut.I like to cut off the end that has the 3 "eyes" as I have found that the eyes can rot through leaving you with holes in the top (sunroof). I would suggest starting your cut 1"-2" below the center or fattest part of the coconut(of course this will depend on how long your coconut is). This cut gives you the base that will be sitting on your substrate. The second cut is for the door. To get that nice round entrance you need to make a perpendicular cut from the top down to the base. Don't start your cut to deep into the coconut or the door will be to big....you can always cut off more if you want the door to be bigger.The hardest part (in my opinion) is removing the meat. I use a very thick bladed knife to pry the meat out. Starting with the base towards you, you can slide the tip of the knife between the meat and the hard shell. Pry towards the center of the nut because if you pry outward using the shell as your fulcrum you could crack the shell or worse break a huge piece off. The meat will come off in chunks. Once you get down to where the nut curves it is best to dice the coconut making your cut all the way down to the hard shell. Once it is diced you can slide the blade of your knife into the cuts and twist the blade sideways prying out each chunk that you have pre-diced. The finishing touches would be to use a grinder to smooth the edges and make your entrance smooth and round.I have just talked to my photographer and he has agreed to photo-shoot the making of a coconut hut for me. As soon as I have the pictures I will post step-by-step directions with pics. If you can wait I should have this early next week.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 11, 2003 4:25 am

I have also baked mine to ensure that all the coconut meat is gone, reducing the possibility of mold.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 11, 2003 9:17 am

i boil mine for a few hours untill the meat slides out easily

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Mar 12, 2003 12:55 pm

They score those things all the way around, so you have a pretty good chance of getting a fairly even break just by giving it a whack or two. I too think getting the meat out is the hardest part of the project.I'm not too fancy, I didn't even bother to cut a doorway. I just propped a couple small pieces of driftwood under the half-shell and they just crawl under it.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Mar 12, 2003 2:51 pm

Yes, I too buy the scored coconuts at the grocers for $1.99. I just pound the coconut on the fireplace until it opens. Getting the meat out is the hardest part, but the crabs enjoy the milk and meat very much for treats, so it's all worth it. I also punch the eyes all the way through, first so they do not rot the coco hut, second, so air can circulate. Sometimes my crabs will pull the coconut on top of themselves when they are sleeping. Willa only sleeps in a coconut. No where else. I'll be curious to see if her next moult is in one.I don't bother doing anything to the halves, the crabs all have their own preferances, and arrange them the way they like them. I don't bother with a doorway either. It's not a savy thing to do to a cocohut when one of your crabs wears frilly conchs. Shell too long. Can't get in.Gertie