HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I was wondering if bamboo skewers are safe for a crabitat. I want to make some climbing stuff (with the pointy ends filed off). The ones I have are from Publix. This is what the product search showed, but I don't know how the processing is done.




Publix bamboo skewers are made from natural bamboo. 

Publix sells a variety of bamboo skewers, including flat and pronged skewers. The skewers are made from natural bamboo that has been processed to remove grease, prevent mildew, and straighten. 

Bamboo skewers are a popular choice for grilling and making fruit kebabs. However, because bamboo is combustible, it's recommended to soak bamboo skewers in water before using them to prevent burning. 

If they’re food safe they should be fine, although I also don’t know if processing means that there’s anything left in the finished product. If you do use them I would soak or boil in saltwater so they don’t get moldy


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i would say make sure they're not processed. even if they aren't, try boiling'em. id say just to be safe!

Thanks! I was leaning toward boiling in saltwater. Hopefully I can come up with some creative ideas

salt water boiling sounds perfect !! -snuggles/turtle

FYI don't use the skewers I was asking about. I did a saltwater boil & let them completely dry. Made a little bridge that didn't touch substrate, but a week later there was green mold & I took it out. Luckily no crabs were in yet.

Gagabond wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 16, 2025 4:30 pm

FYI don't use the skewers I was asking about. I did a saltwater boil & let them completely dry. Made a little bridge that didn't touch substrate, but a week later there was green mold & I took it out. Luckily no crabs were in yet.

Mold isn't harmful to crabs. You could try soaking the whole thing in salt water (heavily salted with kitchen salt) and letting it dry in the sun, to see if that would decrease the mold. Any wood products have the risk of mold in our tanks with high heat and humidity.

Thanks for the info! I'm new & everything makes me nervous. I just got my 3 small babies yesterday & am worried I'll do something wrong