Cucumber in water?

[gingerspica]

Hi! I have a little idea forming in my head.... I was wondering if putting a slice of cucumber in the hermies' freshwater would be okay? I think they might like the slight cucumber taste in the water. Would that contaminate it in any way?

[Wai]

It would rot over time and contaminate the water, so I would leave it out.

[gingerspica]

Well, I wouldn't leave it there for days on end. I would take it out every day, just like I change the water every day. In that case, would it be okay?

[ladybug15057]

I just did a search here and apparently it wasn't here that it was asked about cucumber in the water? I know I heard this before and there were a couple points against it that I thought were good points. (as with putting any types of food or such in the water dish)
Whereas one could even change out the water pond daily, what about that hermie who fills his shell between the ocean and fresh water to burrow for molting? What happens if they dampen the substrate and make their molting nest with that water? Chances of mold forming is extremely high in their nest and elsewhere in the tank. What if they just fill their shell and not need water for a few more days up to a week or so? Putting any food in the water pond is almost the same as asking for a mold/bacteria problem.

Edited to add:
Oops, and hermies are known not to eat the same food for a week or sometimes longer once they eat it. What if they do not want cucumber that day, or already had it? Chance of them not using the water pond too due to the cucumber.

[hermie_lover3542]

I can understand the mold problem but what about in the wild, ocean water has all sorts of bad things in it yet they still drink it. Another thing is like in little tide pools and puddles it is stagnent water right? Hmm this is a tuffy?

[ladybug15057]

And mother nature has its own disinfectant called the sun that kills majority of bacteria. It is not in our confined crabitat where there is no sun as well as mother natures natural winds. Along the beach as well as inland where hermies live naturally the rain water has a higher salinity level too, which also helps to disinfect.
I am not sure how natures water and tidal pools relate to cucumbers and such being in the water pond? In the wild I do not think they come across cucumbers, strawberries or other items in the water pools or dew on plants?

[hermie_lover3542]

Yes, but what about dead plant matter or fecal matter in the pools. I was trying to compare our pools to nature pools is all.

[Wai]

You could give it a try if you really want to, but I personally wouldn't. If the dead plant and fecal matter is best left out of the ponds, then why not leave them out?

[gingerspica]

Oh, I see. Thanks for the advice, guys! I'll leave it out until there's a study that says cucumbers are beneficial in hermit crab water. xD

[ladybug15057]

If you'd like, maybe make a small soda lid of a cucumber smoothie for your hermies and see how it goes? The percentage of vitamins is low in a cucumber, and it is used to help prevent water retention so not sure how this would benefit a hermie? Not sure if it would effect the way a hermie would retain water between their old and new exo that is needed for easier shedding when they molt?

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tnam ... ce&dbid=42