HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hello! New hermit crab owner here!

I’ve been wanting to add some leaves/bark to my tank but am nervous about picking the wrong ones and everything is covered in snow!

I found “natural bark maple leaves” made by Choice’s Crafts at Dollarama. They aren’t leaves but bark cut into the shape of a maple leaf. They say they are natural.. but I hesitate to trust that. Do you think this is safe? Or should I just wait until spring to get some leaves from outside?



(Did the photo work? This is my first time attaching a photo this way..)

Thanks!

Kristen

Those are made for crafts, so I wouldn’t use them. They are likely treated to keep them from rotting

If you’re learning to ID trees in the winter one of my favorite guides is Winter Tree Finder, available publicly at http://www.publiccollectors.org/PDFs%20 ... Finder.pdf


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

David & Alexis wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 25, 2025 10:09 pm

(Did the photo work? This is my first time attaching a photo this way..)

Yes, it did.

Thank you both! I will not use them!

Hello from the Canadian prairies, where we are also still covered in snow!
As long as you can source leaves and flowers from an area where no pesticides/ insecticides are used, you can get many that are safe for crabs. I feed fresh in summer, and dry them for winter. I use my 'redneck dehydrator - a shallow cardboard box (like from a flat of pop or other cans) on the dash of my car for a few hot days in summer then into a ziploc bag in the freezer for storage.
Leaves that I have dried include maple, poplar, ash, lilac, oak, dandelion, clover, chard, beet tops, pumpkin, zucchini, squash, grape, strawberry, raspberry.
Flowers that I have dried include lilac, clover, lily of the valley, squash, zucchini, pumpkin, sunflower, petunia, marigold, apple and cherry blossom.
I'm sure there are some I'm forgetting too!