Is zoo med a good brand?

[Rebbecca]

I keep seeing it at all the pet stores around here. I don't want to buy anything from them if it isn't a good brand though.

:]

[ladybug15057]

No, ZooMed Part 1 does not remove heavy metals from tap water. (and please do not buy the ZooMed Part 2 either)
API tap water conditioner, (found at most pet stores) Wardley's Clor out, (can also be found at WalMart)
The tap water conditioner should remove heavy metals, chlorine, and chloramine from tap water. It should not have a slime coating in it, because the slime coating could possibly effect how the hermies absorb nutrients from the foods they eat.

[Rebbecca]

ahh! I almost bought the zoo med part 2! I ended up getting HBH safe soak and spray. It doesn't say anything about what it removes. should I stop using it?

[ladybug15057]

I would strongly recommend to return the HBH spray if possible. Buy one of the dechlorinators above, or choose from these ocean/sea mixes:
http://crabstreetjournal.com/xoops/modu ... storyid=20

The Oceanic Natural Sea Salt Mix is the least expensive and can be found at PetSmart and other pet stores.

[Rebbecca]

I should be able to return it haha. Thanks for the help. I always feel bad when I find out I have been giving my little guys things that might hurt them

[CrabbyJo]

Read up on the new crabber info Rebecca, that should help out a bit so you don't accidentally pick up something they shouldn't have. Remember, pet stores think of hermit crabs as throwaway pets that will die in less than a year, so they will sell items that are not useful or safe for them.
Always a good idea to check here or on Crab Street Journal for info.

[Wai]

As a general rule: any product with a picture of a hermit crab on it is NOT safe for hermit crabs (unless you bought it at an online store run by an experienced hermit crab owner).

Pet store workers around here still continue to use outdated hermit crab methods. They read the info back in say... 2002... then they don't do any more research. Most pet store workers have never kept hermit crabs at home themselves.

I'm often confronted by pet store workers who say that the Internet is unreliable and that they "know" what they're "doing". So who do you trust? Someone who just sells hermit crabs, or someone who has kept hermit crabs for years with much success?

I was fortunate enough (purely by coincidence) to walk into a pet store and meet a lady and her daughter who were just about to start crabbing by adopting three hermit crabs and buying a "starter kit". They received some counselling from one of the pet store workers, then the lady and her daughter walked away to buy some more climbing ornaments. That's when I slipped by and had a chat with them. You could guess how unsurprised I was. They were not told anything about humidity or moulting - two of the most basic yet most important concepts to crab keeping. The starter kit wasn't much better either. If you asked me to "throw out" whatever I deemed dodgy to hermit crabs, then I would only keep the glass tank and the two rock pool dishes. Although I respected the lady's decision to try out with the set up first, I did manage to convince her to buy a hygrometer and replace the heat rock that came with the kit with a small UTH. I also gave her our URL and the address to buy some fine beach sand to replace the green *shivers* Calci-Sand that came with the kit.

I hope she joins our forum some day!

[Sterwick]

I think I best remove my 'zoomed repti-safe then.' It seems better than 'zoomed part1' but it does mention slime-coat development. I looked in an aquatic store in the past because I wanted a better dechlorinator. I found one that destroyes choramines, chlorine and heavy metals but it said it added iodine which I know from other parts of hermit crab care it is dangerous. Problem with aquatic ones is you need a massive container to store all the water in because they are very strong because of aquariums.

Stevo.

[CrabbyJo]

Stevo,

Iodine is not unsafe for crabs. That's a mistake people have been making. I believe this has arisen from the warnings against using table salt for your crabs. Iodine occurs naturally in seafood and seaweeds, and is a needed nutrient in all diets. The dangers of table salt are the anti-caking agents and who knows what other chemicals may be used in the processing of the salt to make it table ready.

BUT, if you are still leery of using a water treatment that adds iodine (which we have not seen as a need for the hermit crabs anyway, they probably get plenty from their food if they are getting plenty of seafood and seaweeds in their diet), there are quite a few out there that neutralize heavy metals and chloramines. I found mine at Walmart, but get this, my pet store didn't carry any that did both. Go figure. So check out the department stores.

I don't know what you're talking about here:

Problem with aquatic ones is you need a massive container to store all the water in because they are very strong because of aquariums.

To what are you specifically referring? Aquatic um what? Water treatments? I guess I don't know what you mean by Aquatic, because it means water lol.

[Sterwick]

'Iodine is not unsafe for crabs. That's a mistake people have been making. I believe this has arisen from the warnings against using table salt for your crabs.'

I've got pure seasalt with Iodine in so I was wondering why people said it was dangerous.

'To what are you specifically referring? Aquatic um what? Water treatments? I guess I don't know what you mean by Aquatic, because it means water lol.'

Oh sorry, should've made myself clearer. I mean ones you put in the fish tanks.


I found mine at Walmart, but get this, my pet store didn't carry any that did both. Go figure. So check out the department stores.

Problem is though we don't have a big store like Walmart in England- we've got to rely on pet stores. But I'm sure they'll be one in pets at home (although I really hate that pet shop )

Stevo.