Is colored sand dangerous to hermit crabs?
Colored sand can be safe for hermit crabs, if you buy it from the proper sources. Pet stores generally won’t sell you a product that is bad for your pet, so their colored sand is typically safe. What you want to watch for is the dyes that are added to the sand. Heavy metals (anything on the left side of the periodic table) are often ingredients in dye but can be absorbed into the hermit crab and can poison it. So make sure that none of the ingredients of the sand are metals. Generally, if the sand says “kid safe” then it’ll be fine for your crab, too. You should try mixing in some coconut fiber with your sand. The crabs really love it, and it helps keep your humidity up, too. This website that other person recommended seems really informative: http://www.hermit-crabs.com/care.html Edit: By the way, getting calcium carbonate sand is a really good idea. I just studied biomineralization at school recently (I’m a chemical e
