For all the reptile owners on TCS

I have a bag of this stuff (the one I have is 10 lbs)


I need to get rid of it so if anyone wants it let me know by PM, it's free..It has been sitting in storage for a while and I'm doing some cleaning up. I used this stuff when I had a hermit crab but he died about a year ago This bag is unopened though I bought it to stock up and never got to use it. I am not even sure if it will be worth it to be shipped because I dont' remember how much it cost but I feel bad throwing it away. I may try donating it to goodwill but I doubt they take stuff like that...

Chunk it... Honestly the stuff is deadly to reptiles. No one needs to be using it.

And as someone in a past thread pointed out, it's even bad for hermit crabs.

Would it be ok to use on the sidwalks/driveways as part of the traction when it snows?

Better then just tossing it IMO.

Oh wow I had no idea it was bad for them!! Scary that they sell and advertise it that way..
GoldenKitty that's a great idea, but too bad I don't live where it snows

Originally Posted by ut0pia

Oh wow I had no idea it was bad for them!! Scary that they sell and advertise it that way..

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Lots of items sold for pets are not safe. Just walk into the cat toy section - bells, ribbon, eyes, and easy to break and swallow stuff. A lot of herp stuff is poorly repurposed from other uses. Slap a new label on it and charge a few dollars more.
People try to talk about the "dangers of dry cat foods" - they've seen nothing compared to the things that get called foods for herps, small mammals, birds, and even fish (it's not as regulated - none of the products are).

The point: Never believe what someone in a pet store says or the fancy packaging.


It recently snowed in El Paso, TX. So never say never!

I'm REALLY into hermit crabs....basically, everything sold in the hermit crab section is either harmful or worthless. You really have to do a lot of research to keep hermit crabs successfully. It's honestly just as difficult as keeping a chameleon. Too bad they're sold as throwaway pets, and the proper info isn't given to buyers.

Although calcium sand isn't terrible for crabs if a small amount is mixed with a larger percentage of regular sand and coconut fiber. And it can be used as a calcium supplemnt for them if it isn't colored. So if you know any hermit crab owners they might take it. Or....I dunno, mix it, a little bit at a time, with the kitty litter? LOL.

O/T ^Is plain white cuttle bone safe for hermit crabs to pick at if it's cut up in small pieces? That's one of the few things that's sold for one animal but can generally be used safely for some others (but they don't repackage and sell it that way ).

Originally Posted by strange_wings

O/T ^Is plain white cuttle bone safe for hermit crabs to pick at if it's cut up in small pieces? That's one of the few things that's sold for one animal but can generally be used safely for some others (but they don't repackage and sell it that way

).

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Yep, cuttlebone is great for them. You don't even have to cut it up. I just toss the thing in whole (their claws are tough). But if your tank is smaller you wouldn't want to take up too much room of course.

Originally Posted by Willowy

I'm REALLY into hermit crabs....basically, everything sold in the hermit crab section is either harmful or worthless. You really have to do a lot of research to keep hermit crabs successfully. It's honestly just as difficult as keeping a chameleon. Too bad they're sold as throwaway pets, and the proper info isn't given to buyers.

Although calcium sand isn't terrible for crabs if a small amount is mixed with a larger percentage of regular sand and coconut fiber. And it can be used as a calcium supplemnt for them if it isn't colored. So if you know any hermit crab owners they might take it. Or....I dunno, mix it, a little bit at a time, with the kitty litter? LOL.

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I loved my hermit crab, I had him for three years I wish I could find a picture I could show you guys.. I will look for pics because he was awesome, he was fairly big too. I know three years is not a lot for a hermit crab though so he probably did die fairly young I did try to research stuff but I was probably around 15 or 16 when I had him so I doubt I looked too much into it.. This stuff was not all I used, there was another brand of sand I used and it wasn't calcium sand it was something like what you would find at the beach..I can't remember what it is now. It was a long time ago..He molted too, I was so proud of him At first when I saw his old exoskeleton I freaked out and I thought it was a corpse and my baby had died but in reality...it was just his old skin!! He molted about a year after I got him..Unfortunately he never changed shells..

Yeah, they can live a long time, even in captivity---one lady has had her 2 since 1977 (I think...I'd have to look it up to be certain, but they're older than I am for sure)---but it's hard to keep them healthy, even with optimal conditions. And they aren't really "hermits"; they prefer to live in large colonies.

It's not necessary for them to change shells, if they're happy with the one they have. The only have to change when it gets too small for them (and even then, some prefer too-small shells, seeing it always makes me laugh). Molting is a good thing but they should do it while buried underground. Topside molts are a very bad sign, and few survive. That's the main reason the calcium sand is bad for a substrate---it doesn't take moisture well so the sand doesn't keep a tunnel when they dig. They really need good moist tunneling substrate. And very high humidity (around 80%), a varied diet of fresh foods, and good-quality marine salt water. Those are the most important things.

Not that pet stores ever tell you any of that .