u/Awesome-Han

My strawberry hermit crab, Raspberry, just came back up after finishing his 8th molt.

And yes, he molted in the same Harlan Aspen bedding that caused so much controversy in my last post.

Since that post, two more of my hermit crabs have successfully finished their molts, including Raspberry. That brings my record to 39 successful molts out of 40 molting burrows in this setup.

The one loss was a hermit crab that was attacked by another hermit crab while molting. It wasn’t caused by the substrate. After that happened, I changed the enclosure to give them more separated molting areas.

I’ve been keeping hermit crabs since June 25, 2024, and I’ve used Harlan Aspen bedding from the beginning. I also keep records of every molt.

I also want to clear up one misunderstanding about the aspen bedding.
In the Korean hermit crab community, when aspen bedding is used for hermit crabs, Harlan Aspen bedding is the type commonly recommended, rather than ordinary aspen bedding made for hamsters or other rodents. This isn’t something I personally decided to use on my own.
The usual method is to thoroughly soak the Harlan Aspen with water and then squeeze out the excess moisture before using it. When prepared this way, it packs together well, holds humidity, and provides a substrate where hermit crabs can form molting burrows.
So when I say that Korean keepers use “aspen bedding,” I don’t mean that we simply use any kind of wood bedding without thinking about it.

I understand that people here are very serious about substrate and hermit crab welfare. I am too.

But I was honestly shocked by how aggressive some of the responses to my last post were. My substrate was compared to poison. Someone said a molt in it looked like torture. My actual hermit crabs and enclosures were even called AI-generated. There were also comments making it sound like Korean keepers use aspen simply because we don’t have enough proper husbandry information.

That was hard to read.

After 39 successful molts, I don’t think it’s fair to say that hermit crabs simply cannot burrow or molt properly in this substrate.

AdaptiveFauna, you were especially critical of my setup in the last post. If Harlan Aspen itself is known to harm hermit crabs, I genuinely want to see the evidence.

I also said before that I would switch to sand the next time I rebuilt my enclosure. I want to take that back. At the time, I was overwhelmed by how hostile the discussion had become and just wanted the argument to stop.
I plan to continue using Harlan Aspen bedding.

I’m not saying everyone should use it, and I’m not saying my 39 molts scientifically prove that it is the best substrate.

But if there is actual scientific research, veterinary evidence, or other reliable data showing that properly prepared Harlan Aspen bedding harms land hermit crabs, please share it with me. I will read it seriously, and if the evidence shows that what I’m doing is harming my hermit crabs, I will reconsider my setup.

I just don’t think my husbandry should be compared to poisoning or torturing my animals without evidence.

I wanted to share the two habitats I’ve built for my hermit crabs!

🏔️** AwesomeValley — “Mountains & Valley**”
A darker, rocky forest-style habitat inspired by mountains, valleys, and streams.

🌊 AwesomeBeach — “Sea & Jungle”
A brighter tropical habitat inspired by the ocean, beaches, and dense jungle.

I wanted each crabitat to feel like its own little world rather than just an enclosure, so I’ve been slowly adding different landscapes, climbing areas, hides, and details to give each one its own atmosphere.

They’re always a work in progress, but watching the hermit crabs explore everything is probably my favorite part of the hobby. 🐚

Which one would you rather live in — AwesomeValley or AwesomeBeach? 😆