[Jess]

I think my hermie's cage is rather boring, and I'd like to make it look a little nicer. I have a few questions, if someone could help me!


I'd really like to use some real drift wood in their cage, but everything I use seems to get moldy. I have plastic "drift wood" in there right now, but I'd like something more natural. I was thinking that Malaysian drift wood might work? That's what I have in my aquarium, so I was thinking it wouldn't start rotting or anything in a humid enviornment.


I would also like to give them some live plants. I was thinking I would plant them in Echo Earth in little clay pots, so the hermies couldn't dig them up. What hermie-safe plants could I use?


And last but not least... I would really like to make them a DIY Rock hide like I made for Dudley. I'm not sure what to seal it with though, because the Mod Podge I use doesn't do so well with water. I have heard of sealing them with aquarium grade silicone, but I'm not sure.


Any suggestions?

 

[Sasami]

We used Malaysian driftwood (and some other driftwood that wasn't labeled) with no issues .

We never tried live plants in our hermie enclosure but maybe some air plants would work? I had a few in a dart frog terrarium and they really thrived in the warm, humid environment. Not much care needed, I think I just misted them directly from time to time. I was using Eco Earth for the top layer of substrate but the air plants weren't really planted any way.

 

[Jess]

Ok, I think I'll try the Malaysian stuff then. Thanks!
I was using grape vine before, and I think that's more prone to mold anyways.


What are air plants? Can you get them at a pet store, or...?

 

[Sasami]

They're plants (usually found in deserts, I believe) that absorb water and nutrients through their leaves, not roots. The roots are just there to anchor them. Because of that, they don't need soil or watering although misting them occasionally is a good idea.

I got mine at a reptile expo but I've seen them for sale with regular house plants and in a few pet stores. There are a bunch of species but I honestly don't know what kind I had :lol:. Sorry, I'm not great with terrestrial plants, ha.

 

[Jess]

Well there's a reptile expo next weekend, so maybe I'll find some there!

They sound like a great idea though, maybe even for Dudley too. Are they non-toxic?

 

[Sasami]

Well there's a reptile expo next weekend, so maybe I'll find some there!

They sound like a great idea though, maybe even for Dudley too. Are they non-toxic?

I got mine from a dart frog vendor .

I think they are but I'm not sure...you might want to look it up. Dart frogs don't eat plants so I never worried about that.

 

[Jess]

I looked it up and they are non-toxic! Here is a website I found about how to take care of them: http://plants.web-indexes.com/airplants/airplant-pups.html


My mom said that she knows what they are, so I hope I can find some!

 

[urofan]

Jessica Can you use Zoo-med New Zealand Sphagnum Moss or Exo Terra Forest Moss to protect the wood from moisture?

 

[Jess]

Hmm, never thought of that. Would it grow onto the wood, or would I just set it there? I already have some moss, but it's not the "living" kind.

 

[urofan]

I've never used those products, and I don't have hermit crabs anymore. I noticed on the package of the Zoo-Med New Zealand Sphagnum moss that it had a picture of a hermit crab on the cover. All I've used is Eco Earth and calcium sand (which was a horrible product). It was like powder, and it made me sick. It was also very hard to clean up. I'm not 100% sure that the moss would be safe. I was just trying to come up with some options for your hermit crab cage. These are just a couple of things that you could look up to see if they would work in your cage for decorations. Drift wood is another thought, but I would check all of these things out with experts before you use any of them.

 

[cest-la-vie]

The only problem with live plants in a hermit crab enclosure is that you have to expect that the plants will be damaged. If you are going to put plants in, maybe focus on something that is cheap and easy for you to get. I know millet is okay for hermit crabs and it's cheap to get and easy to sprout, I'm actually growing some at the moment.

Moss is totally fine! As long as it's not spanish moss and you're sure that it's not got chemicals on it. So, stuff from florists isn't good, but home grown stuff and pet stuff is okay. a lot of people make a moss pit to help with humidity.

Calcium sand isn't recommended for hermit crabs, as it clumps and it can also get caught in their gills.

Aquarium silicone is fine, but it needs to cure before the hermit crabs are exposed to it. Once it's cured, it's totally safe.

When you say cage, do you mean a tank? or a cage like what you keep mice and things in?

 

[Jess]

Yeah, I know... I used to have bamboo and another plant in there, but they totally destroyed it LOL. They even pinch leaves off of the fake plants I have! But I was thinking of making little ledges to set the plants on and attaching them to the walls, so they can't reach the plants as well.
And I already have a "moss pit" in there (It is safe moss from a pet store) but I wanted something live.


I'll try the millet, that sounds easy enough. Just the bird seed, right?


And my hermie's live in a 20 gal long aquarium, so no worries. They are well cared for. Let me know if you have any more suggestions for it!

 

[cest-la-vie]

Yup, You can either buy millet by itself (usually comes on a stick sort of thing ) or birdseed. I have a stick of millet in there, for them to eat, and at the moment I'm sprouting two plates of birdseed.

What I do is get paper towels, and soak them in water, then put the birdseed on it. I'm just going to put the sprouts in, not planted, for them to eat, but to actually plant them, If possible, try and get "Worm castings" ( It's the proper name for worm poop lol!) It's better to use then soil, because there are less nasties in it and it wont hurt the crabs to eat it. A gardening shop should have it.

It looks awesome! I'd show mine, but I can't post pictures yet.