Possible Crabitat?

[ttreptile1]

Hello all! I am new here. First post (hopefully int he correct section). I am a LONG time python keeper and breeder (35 plus years). I recently decided to trade one of my higher end snakes and now have what I believe to be a nice habitat for an arboreal snake/lizard. Then it hit me. Well my daughter hit me lol. She said how about we upgrade our crabs and get more? I never really considered it to be honest. The cage is a custom designed acrylic 28"x28"x48" cage. It has a built in misting system and is heated by overhead ceramic emitters on a thermostat. It also has a full fan ventilation system mounted towards the bottom back (with a grill protector) that runs and draws fresh air through the many many vent holes. It was used for many years to house green tree pythons. The mister uses steam distilled water so the spray heads don't clog. I also have a fogger but I don't use it much.

I guess my question is, will it work? What changes and additions would you make to make this a comfortable long term home? How many could we keep in a tank this size and are the current branches too large in diameter for most crabs?






Thanks for looking!

Tim T

[HeyItsEggs]

Well, I personally like horizontal space more than vertical. But that's me. I think that that tank is just for reptiles and not hermit crabs. As I said, that is just me.


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[soilentgringa]

Well, I personally like horizontal space more than vertical. But that's me. I think that that tank is just for reptiles and not hermit crabs. As I said, that is just me.


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Vertical space is also super important. There's a reason lhc's are known as "tree crabs". They spent a LOT of time in trees in the wild.

OP, this could work for a crabitat as long as you can modify it so substrate would be deep enough and you didn't overcrowd.


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[Kermie16]

Wow!! That is a fabulous looking vivarium! I have to second soilentgringa. I think it would work great as a crabitat! I recall some HCA crabbers that have taken reptile tanks and added additional cuts of acrylic to the base by the door so they could add extra sub depth. I would love to see the end result when all is said and done:) Out of curiosity, what is the black Bowl looking thing on the top right of the pic? Almost resembles a heat lamp - if it's a heat lamp, that would need to be taken out and I guess you would need to look at a
UTH for the backside of the tank to help maintain heat and not dry out the sub?


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[GotButterflies]

Beautiful tank- sounds fancy! For the front door you would need a piece of plexiglass cut so your substrate could be deeper than the way the door opens.

The branch thickness is fine- they will love that! I have thick branches in mine as well, they climb around them!
I have heard that acrylic is not the best at holding heat and humidity- but it sounds like you are covered in that department.

I would use caution using misting- it can lead to flooding of the substrate, so you could put a false bottom in, or watch it closely.

Keep in mind the crabs will grow so that you don't overcrowd at least keep to the 1 crab per 5 gallons (depending on the size of crab).

Keep us updated! I'd love to see what you do with this!


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[ttreptile1]

The black bowl is a heat lamp that houses a ceramic heat emitter and is screened off so no contact can be made. It's also on a thermostat. You are right though, taller cages especially acrylic are hard as heck to heat. I haven't decided if I want to go crabitat or not at this point. A lot of good points to consider.

[GotButterflies]

The black bowl is a heat lamp that houses a ceramic heat emitter and is screened off so no contact can be made. It's also on a thermostat. You are right though, taller cages especially acrylic are hard as heck to heat. I haven't decided if I want to go crabitat or not at this point. A lot of good points to consider.

You could look into an UTH and do the height of the back of the tank. www.reptilebasics.com or www.beanfarm.com

[aussieJJDude]

Acrylic is actually meant go be better at keeping the hear in in comparison to what a glass tank would.
CHE are the best, and work well in any size tank. Honestly I don't think your crannies will try to come in to contact with your heater, mine have never tried in front of me and often refuse to climb around it.
The only problem with acrylic is the sand and the crabby legs. Crabs will scratch acrylic badly, so coming for resale or if you move them out and get a snake again it may leave a massive scratched put band. Buffering may help, but some scratches could run deeper......

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