Exo terra conversion for tarantulas.

[Blonc]

I've recently picked up a pair of exo terra tanks (12x12x12 or 30x30/30) and was wondering about the easiest ways to make them safe for tarantulas. I'm not so keen on the mesh top to start with and that ventilation slot at the bottom of the background probably won't be an issue when the planned rehousing comes around but is that something that should be seen to?

 

[MetalMan2004]

I think you’ve answered your own question. If you want to replace the mesh top with acrylic then have at it. Just make sure it has plenty of ventilation. I don’t think there is anything else that needs to be done to exo terras.

 

[Blonc]

Thanks, any thoughts on how thick the acrylic ought to be though? I've got a sheet 4mm thick that I can use but I was wondering if I could get away with half of that.

 

[CheckThrust]

Thanks, any thoughts on how thick the acrylic ought to be though? I've got a sheet 4mm thick that I can use but I was wondering if I could get away with half of that.

Thickness shouldn’t really matter. 4mm will work, as will 2mm. If it were me, I’d probably go with the 4mm but I just like to overdo things

 

[moricollins]

Thickness shouldn’t really matter. 4mm will work, as will 2mm. If it were me, I’d probably go with the 4mm but I just like to overdo things

Thicker is better. You may find that acrylic or plexiglass will warp over time. I would go with a glass top, have it drilled so that there's ventilation.

 

[brahn]

I did this for one of my exo terra terrariums, replaced the top with 4mm acrylic.
I wouldn't go lower than 4mm, though, as acrylic tends to bend easily once it gets too thin, and you might end up acidentally popping the lid into the terrarium.

Other than that it works great, but is a pain to make. Have to drill the ventilation holes really slowly to avoid cracking the acrylic.
I'd highly recommend using a stepping drill-bit, as normal drill bits will grab a hold of the acrylic once you punch through it and lift it up.
As for cutting it, I had great success with a table saw, and a sander.
Do watch out for flying acrylic splinters, those things hurt.

 

[Blonc]

Thanks for the tips guys, I might just look into getting a couple of glass covers cut and drilled if I have too much trouble with the 4mm acrylic.