HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi All,

Where would be a good place online to get oak bark that hasn't been treated with any pesticides? I was hoping that smoking grade wood chips like here

https://smile.amazon.com/WESTERN-78077- ... s=oak+wood

would be good, but seems like I'd be getting mostly wood, not bark. Thanks!

The HCA has a shopping resource located towards the bottom in the FAQ section. The are a number of online shops & etsy places that cater to crabs & sell leaf litter.

Some even sell things like rabbit or moose poop! You can also scope out Ebay, though I never have, I'm sure you'd find something.

I collect from my local areas.

Edit: I lied - shopping is actually a link near the top of the FAQ... http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/pa ... pping.html

LadyJinglyJones wrote:The HCA has a shopping resource located towards the bottom in the FAQ section. The are a number of online shops & etsy places that cater to crabs & sell leaf litter.

Some even sell things like rabbit or moose poop! You can also scope out Ebay, though I never have, I'm sure you'd find something.

I collect from my local areas.

Edit: I lied - shopping is actually a link near the top of the FAQ... http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/pa ... pping.html

Hi. (different person here. lol) i just hot in my shipment of a variety of stuff from hermie's kitchen. I got leaf litter. (Looks like I could have just gone in my neighbors yard and scooped some up). Anyway, how do I put the leaf litter in their tank? In a dish? No dish, just a pile in the corner?

You have options!

You can certainly put it in a dish. But I feel like that sort of deprives them of a natural feature in their tank, so I scatter the leaves (and stems & flower petals - though petals are more apt to mould, just fyi if that bothers you - I don't mind small bits of mould) over the sub. The crabs dig through & under the dry leaves. Every now and then I'll rescue a bunch of litter from being utterly buried. Isopods love this, too!

Another option is having a litter pit - like a moss pit, but leafy.

I also take branches with dried leaves (black & English oak both retain leaves really well I've noticed) and stick them into holes in larger climbing wood structures.

It's totally up to you! Have fun with it.

LadyJinglyJones wrote:You have options!

You can certainly put it in a dish. But I feel like that sort of deprives them of a natural feature in their tank, so I scatter the leaves (and stems & flower petals - though petals are more apt to mould, just fyi if that bothers you - I don't mind small bits of mould) over the sub. The crabs dig through & under the dry leaves. Every now and then I'll rescue a bunch of litter from being utterly buried. Isopods love this, too!

Another option is having a litter pit - like a moss pit, but leafy.

I also take branches with dried leaves (black & English oak both retain leaves really well I've noticed) and stick them into holes in larger climbing wood structures.

It's totally up to you! Have fun with it.

Cool!