Scorpion Enclosure sizes

Mixed Dinner

Arachnopeon
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May 17, 2017
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Is there any general rule of thumb on how wide and long a scorpion's enclosure should be? I
have heard some with tarantulas like that it must be twice as long and wide as the tarantula
itself. I understand this probably can vary depending on species. I am fairly new to the hobby
and am looking into buying an Asian forest scorpion.

Thanks,
Jeremy
 

ArachnoDrew

Arachnoprince
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Feb 1, 2017
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Well depending on the scorpion. Some are tree climbers and will spend 90% of their time on bark so ground space isn't as necessary. For a burrower you want deep substrate. They will spend most of their time underground. Scorpions they become very active when your not looking or asleep and they do like to wander around. I personally house all mine in exo terra breeder boxes small and medium

Hard to find a single enclosure that will house a scorp from young instar to adult hood. These work best for me so far
 

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ArachnoDrew

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Their awesome. Some might find them pricey. But if you don't have a crazy large collection. Their the go to. Accept for very tiny species.... I use a small breeder box for my U chubbi. But it's like a mansion for her to roam in
 

pannaking22

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How tall are the breeder boxes? Just curious since I really like the look of them, but if I'm keeping some of the nastier terrestrial buthids I'd rather not risk them being able to get up to the top.
 

pannaking22

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@Mixed Dinner, if you're going with H. spinifer, they like to have a deep substrate to burrow in. A couple good hides can go a long way though if you can't/don't want to provide several inches of substrate. I'd shoot for something twice the length of the scorp with its tail extended. Height is something you want to be aware of too so it doesn't get to the top of the enclosure and potentially figure out a way to escape.
 

ArachnoDrew

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@pannaking22 They come in smal, medium and large . Their stackable too. A medium container can house a pretty large size scorp. And the large breeder boxes can house just about any lol. I haven't had to use anything larger than a medium yet. Not sure exact height I'll have to get specs when I get home
 

pannaking22

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@ArachnoDrew, gotta love stackable enclosures. Makes keeping things organized so much easier. I probably wouldn't need a large unless I have a communal group of something and need to add extra hiding spots.
 

Tim Benzedrine

Prankster Possum
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@Mixed Dinner Height is something you want to be aware of too so it doesn't get to the top of the enclosure and potentially figure out a way to escape.
Indeed. I had a recently acquired Asian Forest (H. longimanus, probably, I'm not entirely sure) climb out after I added some fake foliage and had decided to leave a gap on the enclosure lid for a night of air-exchange.

The bright side, apparently scorps don't tend to wander off as far as tarantulas do, I found it within three feet of the enclosure. I had a baby one one get loose due to an unnoticed condiment cup lid malfunction, and it didn't go far either.
 

Anoplogaster

Arachnodemon
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I love the breeder boxes! You could easily house an asian forest scorpion in one, as long as you keep the lid secure. As others have said, they're pretty low. I wouldn't really feel comfortable putting a buthid into one because of how low they are. They seem to be intentionally designed low so you can stack them and save space. They also have that little door on the side of the lid for easy feeding while stacked. They look like a kk, but I feel like they're built way better! And the price is good, IMO
 

ArachnoDrew

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They house all my scorps from my Australis to my P trans. However my Asian forest is always climbing to escape. But the "Large breeder boxes " are pretty big. Believe you me they can house ANY scorp . Just not as recommended for Arboreal species who climb up.
 

pannaking22

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Perfect, so I can keep terrestrial buthids, just with caution (which I show plenty of anyway working with that family). I had an old A. bicolor who was hellbent on escaping, so I had to keep it in a Critter Keeper of all things while it was still small, otherwise it would reach the top and try to escape. I've got my setup for the arboreals down pat, but I've been wanting to get back into the terrestrials again and was contemplating having a few "fancy" display enclosures for them instead of just deli cups. I do have a 2.5 gal glass enclosure, but I'm likely going to be moving my white spot assassin bugs in there first.
 

RTTB

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Stackable enclosures are the way to goi. Going vertical saves space.
 
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