How To Set Up A Hermit Crab Enclosure

In the wild, hermit crabs often encounter wood. Every bit explained by the Journal of Crustacean Biology, wild hermit crabs often climb trees. This means that the presence of wood in a hermit crab enclosure will bring comfort as it mirrors the hermit crabs' natural habitat.

Many hermit crab habitat ideas involve wood. You can use forest to create climbing apparatus, such as bridges. Wood tin be used to create ramps in and out of bathing pools.

Forest can even create shaded shelters and hiding places, and some woods are edible.

Never paint or varnish woods before placing it in an enclosure. Likewise, don't place pre-treated wood in a tank. The varnish or pigment will start to flake in the heat, which is toxic to hermit venereal.

Should I Apply Wood in My Hermit Crab Tank?

Wood is a neat textile for hermit crabs, as long as y'all choose the right kind.

Safe wooden toys and climbing apparatus will keep your hermit crabs happy. Wood can also be used to make breathtaking decorations.

Your aim should be to replicate the natural habitat of your captive hermit crabs as much as possible. Wood, such every bit branches, tin can be a valuable way to achieve this. Your hermit venereal volition feel more than at home.

What'due south more, you lot can apply wood to craft decorations and hiding places for your hermit crabs. Hermit crabs tin overheat in very warm climates. Edifice a wooden shade will offer some welcome respite for your pets.

Do Hermit Crabs Swallow Wood?

Hermit crabs love to nibble on wood. This is not simply a source of nourishment; it's also recreation. This is why yous should include woods in a hermit crab tank only must choose carefully.

Decaying wood is a item favorite of hermit crabs. This wood is softer and thus easier to chew and swallow. With this in mind, do non worry if the wood in the enclosure is in less-than-exemplary condition.

Can I Apply Woodchips every bit a Substrate?

Woods shavings are not a proficient substrate. Hermit crabs need sand or soil as substrate. Wood must just exist used in a hermit crab tank in solid class.

This is because hermit venereal like to couch under the substrate to protect themselves from heat or cold. Before they do and so, they will spill water on the substrate. This creates welcome wet. This will not be possible if you utilise wood shavings of chips as a substrate.

Using woods will eventually lead to the gills of your hermit venereal drying out. This, in turn, leads to the gamble of suffocation. What'southward more than, hermit crabs could easily hurt themselves on wood. Woodchips can potentially get trapped in the optics of hermit venereal, for example.

Where Can I Get Wood for Hermit Crabs?

Earlier putting wood in a hermit crab enclosure, eddy it in unchlorinated water and exit it to air dry out. This will remove any leaner or mites that are living in the wood. You must likewise ensure the wood is devoid of any pesticide or herbicide traces.

Wood in a tank will withal attract insects. This does non need to be a bad matter, though. Hermit crabs can eat insects. What's more, turning a hermit crab enclosure into a tiny ecosystem of its own helps go on it make clean.

Practice not skin the bark from wood before applying it to a tank. Hermit crabs savor gnawing on bark. Y'all may want to consider sanding whatever rough edges to prevent injury to your hermit venereal.

What Wood is Rubber for Hermit Crab Tanks?

Not all wood is created equal. Hither are the types of wood that are condom to use in a hermit crab enclosure. If a form of forest is non listed here, yous should not put it in a hermit crab tank.

Ash

Ash wood is one of the most common materials used in construction throughout the country. If you accept ash wood lumber in your chiliad, it can be used in a hermit crab enclosure.

This wood is not-toxic to hermit crabs and sturdy enough to act as a base material for shelters or bridges. Every bit a solid hardwood, it will comfortably agree the weight of multiple hermit venereal at once.

Aspen

Aspen is a pop pick of substrate for minor rodents and some invertebrates. As discussed, hermit crabs should never have a wood-based substrate. Aspen is fine to utilize in a hermit crab enclosure when solid.

Aspen woods is quite soft, only information technology tin carry a hermit crab'south weight. Perhaps more importantly, it is easy to chew and bite through. Your hermit venereal will not hurt themselves on aspen wood.

Bamboo

Bamboo is a popular, eco-friendly pick of forest for pets. Regular, traditional bamboo is fine.

Lucky bamboo is toxic as information technology contains oxalic acid, which prevents hermit venereal from arresting calcium. This, in plough, will prevent your hermit crabs from developing a tough exoskeleton.

Birch

If y'all alive in the northern states, y'all may be surrounded past birch copse. The branches and bark of these copse are smashing for hermit crab enclosures. Provided the forest is free of any chemicals, then it is safety.

Cholla or Choya

Cholla woods, sometimes known as choya forest, is arguably the optimum forest for hermit crab tanks. Most decorations available for a hermit crab enclosure are made from cholla woods.

Chollas are a species of cacti, found in Mexico and southwestern States. Cholla wood is what is left when the greenery and spikes fall off the plant.

Cholla wood is tough and filled with holes. This makes information technology fun to climb while also offer hiding places for pocket-sized hermit crabs. If you only determine to use one kind of wood in your hermit crab tank, get in cholla woods.

Driftwood

Many of the recommended woods are driftwoods. Driftwood for hermit crabs is the ideal addition to an enclosure. Information technology is invariably safe to consume, while strong enough to back up the weight of your pets.

As hermit venereal love to climb, driftwood will provide hours of entertainment. Information technology is strong plenty to withstand the pinching force of hermit crab claws.

Cork Bark

Cork bark falls from cork oak copse. This wood is safe for hermit crabs and provides an eco-friendly way to bring forest into their enclosure. As cork bawl is stripped from copse organically, in that location is no need to damage the tree to think it.

Cork bawl tin can be chewed and nibbled by hermit crabs without ill effect. If you lot're lucky, yous'll likewise detect larger, tubular chunks. These brand tunnels and hiding places for hermit crabs. This means that cork bark can likewise human activity every bit a toy for hermit crabs.

Cork bark is a natural insulator. Withal, it is inadvisable to place a corkboard inside an enclosure for boosted warmth. Corkboards from stores are frequently treated in a chemical bath ahead of shipping for sale. Proceed a corkboard exterior the tank.

Cypress

Cypress forest is widely considered prophylactic. To err on the side of caution, only use Bald Cypress or Swamp Cypress variants. These woods are located in the wetlands of America.

Some breeds of hermit crabs are native to swampy territories, though these are rarely kept as pets. This means that your hermit crabs may non be familiar with cypress wood. It's all the same rubber, just perhaps should non exist considered the first selection of wood for a tank.

Wood shavings cannot be used every bit a substrate for hermit crabs. You may encounter a cypress wood substrate in exotic pet stores. This is fine for reptiles, but not for hermit venereal.

Grape Vine

Once grapevines have been plucked and the grapes harvested, usually for winemaking, the vines tin be used in hermit crab enclosures.

Grapevines are normally quite long and tough, so hermit crabs will enjoy climbing on them. If they withal acquit the odour of grapes, then much the better. Hermit crabs often adore these fruits.

Mangrove

Mangrove trees grow around the h2o. This makes mangrove woods popular with hermit venereal that live around wet terrain. The Mangrove Hermit Crab climbs mangrove copse as a defence force mechanism.

As with cypress, mangrove is not a common wood for hermit crabs. These trees – and the hermit crabs that frequent them – are more frequently found in Africa. This means mangrove, while safety, is best kept as a back-upward option.

Manzanita

Manzanita is a pop forest for invertebrate habitats as information technology holds up well in any climate. This means the heat and humidity of a hermit crab enclosure will not rot or damage this wood.

You tin can as well utilise this woods for aquatic hermit crabs. The branches of a manzanita tree tin make for striking decorations. Your hermit venereal will also have fun climbing these branches.

Maple

If you're getting maple forest, or Japanese maple, information technology volition be a little costlier than some alternatives. This is because maple wood is amidst the hardest woods available. This means it will certainly exist stable for use in a tank.

If you have the finance and patience to construct decorations from maple wood, they will probable outlive your hermit venereal. No amount of attention from claws or mouthparts will destroy this wood. This makes it a worthwhile material for those that can make use of it.

Oak

The mighty oak is among the most impressive copse that Female parent Nature provides. Your hermit crabs will likely agree. Many hermit venereal love the challenge of nibbling on tough oak bawl. Oak bark can exist high in tannins.

To be on the safe side, stick with the previously profiled cork bark of an oak tree. If you do wish to use branches, ensure whatsoever acorns are removed. These are widely considered unsafe for hermit crabs. The leaves of the oak tree are a hermit crab delicacy, though.

Pecan

Pecans are among the favorite foods of many hermit crabs. Your pets will likely go crazy for the scent and gustatory modality of these nuts. Happily, the same also applies to the leaves and bawl of the pecan tree.

Pecan trees are commonplace through the southern States. If you happen to live close to such growths, you will have an appealing source of natural nourishment for your hermit crabs. The wood is also pretty tough, so information technology can exist used to create obstacles and toys.

Poplar

Poplar woods is mainly celebrated for its versatility. Many crates and storage boxes are fabricated from poplar wood. This can exist a brittle woods, but that makes it ideal for hermit venereal. Your pets will enjoy shedding poplar wood.

Naturally, this brittleness likewise comes with warnings. Do not expect poplar to concur the weight of several hermit crabs. This could lead to a fall. Poplar branches ofttimes snap and fall from trees, making them easy to get together equally toys and decorations.

Sycamore

Some people use sycamore woods as an alternative to maple. Most ofttimes, this woods is found in domicile effects. This means that it has the same benefits and drawbacks as maple for hermit venereal.

If you need a safe, stable woods, sycamore is readily available and a little cheaper than maple. At that place is little point in getting sycamore, though. If you live shut to American or California sycamores, experience complimentary to utilise the bark.

Willow

The wood of a willow tree, which typically grows in wet climes, is much softer than oak or maple. This means that hermit crabs volition enjoy nibbling on willow. It'southward perfectly rubber for them to exercise and so. Willow is ofttimes claimed to have medicinal properties.

If you live almost willow trees – including weeping willows – the bark and branches are a great add-on to a hermit crab tank. You may merely need to supercede it a little more often than you would other types of woods.

Woods That's Not Safe for Hermit Crabs

Equally discussed, not all wood is safe for hermit crabs. The following types of wood, in particular, must be kept out of a hermit crab tank. If your hermit venereal swallow these woods, they will become sick.

Avoid evergreen forest, like pine, cedar, and redwood, which are unsafe. These trees are evergreen for a reason – their barks contain natural pesticides. This will lead to animate difficulties and lung damage in hermit crabs.

Trees that yield fruits should too exist avoided. The bawl of these trees can exist decumbent to disease. If hermit crabs chew on this bawl, they can grow sick. If in incertitude, avoid any fruit tree. Exist especially vigilant about steering articulate of the following:

Apple
Apricot
Red and Cherry Laurel
Mango
Nectarine
Peach
Plum

There are numerous other trees with toxic bark. These woods will kill hermit crabs and must exist avoided at all costs. Toxic barks stalk from the post-obit trees:

Black Locust
Boxwood
Eucalyptus
Hemlock
Laurel
Yew

Studies into hermit crabs and wood are not exhaustive. To be safe, only the types of wood that we've listed should exist considered hermit crab-friendly.

Source: https://www.hermitcrabanswers.com/safe-wood-for-hermit-crab-tanks/