Any tipps for an Parabuthus villosus enclosure?

Alveus

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 7, 2025
Messages
3
Hi
Next month i'm getting a 2/3i Parabuthus villosus. So i am starting to set up an Enclosure for it.
My goal is to set up a natural as possible Habitat as possible.

My Plans for now:

Enclosure size: 40x40 x34

Substrate: 8cm mix from Excarvatorclay and a bit forrestsoil and/or sand.
2cm toplayer of desert sand with some lose stones/ gravels ect.
One or two big rocks for the scorp to burrow a hide underneath. Secured against colapsing for shure.

Backwall: i'm not sure if i want to go with a rockbackwall or (i don't know to describe it in english)an edge where the desert soil broke of. Something like this: 20250109_122042.jpg


Currently im more in to a rock wall.
Like my Pterinochillus murinus enclosure:
20250105_124927.jpg




With a Rockbackwall i will losa a little bit more roaming area (not as much as in the murinus enclosure,). But for sure 3-5cm on each side (more in the edges to smooth them out).
But the Scorpion can dig under the rockwall, if it wants to.

Deco:
A Smal dead bush, wich grows out of the corner in thr backwall

Plants: not sure yet. Must be some smal desert plants origin in namibia.
Open for suggestions!

Tec: two led spots. One of them gets realy hot. If it provides not enough heat, i'l have to improvise. I don't got enough space above the encloser for a heat lamp. Evt a heatmap behinde/ on the side of the enclosure, but that would be suboptimal with a backwall made out of styrofoam and cement....


Questions:

When i build a natural looking rock backwall i'll lose a bit of space. The roaming area will shrink from 40x40cm to 30x30 +/-. Is that still enough? The backwall will not go down all the way. So the digging area will stay 40x40.

Do they enjoy to climbe a lot?
If yes, can it survive drop from max 20cm hight on a rock/ branch?

Any special habits?
Like: do they enjoy to lay on flat rocks during the day? Or do they like to stick their but in to the water from time to time like tarantulas?
Do the change their hides often like Tityus stigmurus, or do they use only their main hide like those lazy ass holes in the ground called Heterometrus?

Greetings, Alveus

Ps: Sorry for my bad grammer. I'm not used to write like this in english. This is the first time i'm doing it.
 

Veno Manus

Arachnobaron
Active Member
Joined
May 16, 2023
Messages
427
IMO, i don't ever give my scorpions the option the climb the walls. Give to many opertunity to fall and cause damage. Just somthing I personally don't do some other would agree. But it's just a risk and the investment in the creature dosent outweigh the risk. Maybe a shallow background that dosent go all the way to the top but that's just my opinion. But otherwise sounds like a pretty sweet build.
 

Alveus

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 7, 2025
Messages
3
Hello and thank you for your answer.

Yeah, the posablity of a fatal fall is my biggest concern at the moment.
The problem is that i have a strikt concept for this Enclosureshelve: no visible glaswalls
20250105_124855.jpg

Here, a image, so you know, why i'm a little stuborn with the Background.

But when a 20cm drop is to much of a risk i could build the wall like this:

20250109_171930.jpg

That would reduce the max fall height to 10cm.
Still to much risk? What do you think?

Greetings, Alveus
 

Veno Manus

Arachnobaron
Active Member
Joined
May 16, 2023
Messages
427
You could maybe split the background 50/50 and go to a pet store or online and grab a background art to slap on the back side of the glass to "hide" the glass look?
 

Veno Manus

Arachnobaron
Active Member
Joined
May 16, 2023
Messages
427
Those enclosures look super sick BTW.




Hello and thank you for your answer.

Yeah, the posablity of a fatal fall is my biggest concern at the moment.
The problem is that i have a strikt concept for this Enclosureshelve: no visible glaswalls
View attachment 489175

Here, a image, so you know, why i'm a little stuborn with the Background.

But when a 20cm drop is to much of a risk i could build the wall like this:

View attachment 489176

That would reduce the max fall height to 10cm.
Still to much risk? What do you think?

Greetings, Alveus
 

Alveus

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 7, 2025
Messages
3
So do you think spliting the backwall with a "balkony", is still to much risk?
In my minde, when it drops from the top, it drops on the Balkony. Worst case it slips further down to the ground another 10cm. But the balkony slowed down the velocity.



Those enclosures look super sick BTW.
Thank you! Im working on it for a long time. An its a pain in the ass with the glas. I'm not good at cuting glase yet...
 

adam james

Arachnosquire
Active Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2023
Messages
129
So do you think spliting the backwall with a "balkony", is still to much risk?
In my minde, when it drops from the top, it drops on the Balkony. Worst case it slips further down to the ground another 10cm. But the balkony slowed down the velocity.





Thank you! Im working on it for a long time. An its a pain in the ass with the glas. I'm not good at cuting glase yet...
Very nice looking enclosures, great looking designs (you are talented!).
I would tend to agree about the fall hazard, especially if its to land on something hard from the max height. I however will say that I am not sure if I am just being overly paranoid as I have no direct experience with scorpions falling.
is there any way to grade it down enough that there is less 'cliff' angle? I suppose you would lose even more floor space though. maybe grade the floor toward it a bit as well? Just guessing though. Either way I am sure you will find a design that works. Good luck!
 
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