Enclosure Re-boot

MikeInNC

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 9, 2012
Messages
38
I'm not sure if this is the correct forum, but as it involves T enclosures and transferring, I'm taking a chance :)

You may recall my first thread in which I accidentally bought and used coco husk, which unintentionally created the big "wood chip" debate :D

Well, I found the Eco-Earth bagged product (no need to hydrate and wring out) and, after baking it for an hour to kill anything in it, got around to upgrading my GBB's enclosures.

As this was my first time moving T's, I was extra careful with the preparations. I rinsed out a plastic storage bin (about 1.5'Dx2'Wx7"H) to do the work in so that the T's would have an additional barrier to get out of if they made a run for it.

I worked with one T at a time, working in an empty room with one T (with door closed to keep the cats out) while the other was in still in the study.

I put the 4"x"4"x5" enclosure in the empty large bin and removed the top of the enclosure. After removing the water dish, I used long tweezer/tongs to remove the 1.75" PVC hide (all items were placed on paper towel outside of the large bin. Having kept the small plastic containers the T's were wrapped up in during shipping, I just settled the container in the enclosure and used a paint brush to guide them in. They more then happy to comply and "escape" into their temporary hides :)

I then put the small container with the T in one of the CD spindle enclosures I built (the one with the finer plastic mesh top) and screwed the lid on. The T's never left the small plastic containers while they were in the CD spindle enclosure, but now I didn't have to worry about them while I worked.

I dumped out the coco husk and packed in the finer Eco Earth material out of a medium-sized plastic container which I had transferred the baked substrate into. It's very dry, and maybe a little loose even after packing, but I think it's a HUGE improvement over the craggy lunar landscape they had to navigate before.

I returned the PVC hide and water dish and I placed a few coco husk chunks here-and-there for asthetic purposes.

Getting the T's out of the plastic containers and back into their updated homes was slightly more difficult because the restricted 4"4" space made it tough to get the paintbrush in and coax out the T while keeping the tiny container low enough to prevent a fall, but I managed with extra patience and care with the brush.

The hidey T went back to hiding, and the more "adventurous" T explored his new home (again), pacing off the size and testing the roof (already planning his escape :) )

They seemed to settle in after I fed them yesterday, now that I've disturbed them again, I'm hoping they'll be more relaxed after their next meal this Wed/Thurs.

One thing of interest...... When I was planning the move and looking for a useable "catch glass"/"catch container" I found that when I took the main body of the CD container (the clear part) and just lightly pressed down, the edges mashed outwards, creating about a 4"-5" flat edge to shoo a T into. That seems much better than using a rigid glass or rigid (round) plastic container where you only have a small edge contacting the surface. Plus (again), once in the CD spindle, screw the top on and that's that! If you have a CD spindle, test it out and see what you think. I didn't have to use it to corral a T, but this could come in handy in the future.

So, that was my first experience with moving T's, changing out substrate, and re-housing. I know this is probabaly old news (and easy work) for most of you, but thought I'd post it juuust in case some method I used seems helpful to anyone.

Now I can relax and enjoy my GBBs, and I hope they're more comfortable, too.

Have a good one!

-Mike
 

khaos

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 5, 2012
Messages
24
I like this cd spindle idea...unfortunately, when my 6" l violoceopes decided to explore outside her enclosure, it would not have been big enough to corral her in LOL! I do have smaller t's and will be testing out this idea in the future.
 

MikeInNC

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 9, 2012
Messages
38
khaos - I see what you're saying. When my GBBs grow up, I'll need a bigger solution, too :)

Big News - After changing the substrate this morning, I've seen more of both GBBs in one day than I have the entire previous week. Instead of spending most of their time in the hides, they actually stand out in the open. Changing from coco husk to the finer Eco Earth "potting soil" type substrate has really made a difference, it seems.

-Mike
 
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