# "Unnatural" enclosure decorations



## magneto (Aug 6, 2015)

When I first got into this hobby I was one of those people that thought skulls was cool in a T enclosure. But after a while I came to see just how tacky they are/can be. Especially if the skull looks fake. But I often find other things to use as decorations that one could argue does not belong in a natural habitat.

Most recently I found this hollow horn in a box that my grandparents left me years ago. I remember seeing it before but had forgotten about it. These days my brain is automatically scanning for things to use in this hobby, either as decorations or more practical things. And I think that this horn, after a bit of cleaning, could be a cool hide/den for a T.

What other "unnatural" but still acceptable and non tacky things do people here use in they're enclosures?

To give you an indication of the size of the horn, the diameter of the opening is a little over 3 inches.





"Mess with the tarantula and it will retreat into it's horn"

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## cold blood (Aug 6, 2015)

I think a spider would love to be able to utilize that thing.

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## DVMT (Aug 6, 2015)

cold blood said:


> I think a spider would love to be able to utilize that thing.


I agree.  I have some plastic Asian faces that look really good.  My cambridgei has webbed the one all up and the expression on the face coated in web is priceless.  Once I remove it, I will probably hang it on the wall still covered in web.  I got a pair of them at an antique store years ago.

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## Ellenantula (Aug 6, 2015)

Could make rehousings easier....

So, there's no way T could get lodged in small end?  I lost a fish once inside a conch shell, hence that coming to mind.  Guess Ts are a bit more flexi than fish though.

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## Arachnomaniac19 (Aug 6, 2015)

I mean I guess it's cheap, but I use deli cups as hides. I'm going to change from that to PVC (I think) pipes soon.


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## Jones0911 (Aug 6, 2015)

Arachnomaniac19 said:


> I mean I guess it's cheap, but I use deli cups as hides. I'm going to change from that to PVC (I think) pipes soon.


You should see the look I get from Home Depot workers when they ask me what I'm using the stuff for and i say exotic animals lol


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## magneto (Aug 7, 2015)

Ellenantula said:


> Could make rehousings easier....
> 
> So, there's no way T could get lodged in small end?  I lost a fish once inside a conch shell, hence that coming to mind.  Guess Ts are a bit more flexi than fish though.


I had not thought about that actually. I doubt it would, but just to be safe I'll hardpack some dirt in the tip.

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Jones0911 said:


> You should see the look I get from Home Depot workers when they ask me what I'm using the stuff for and i say exotic animals lol


I get that look from time to time to. At first it was funny but now I just find it irritating to have to defend myself to a complete stranger about why on earth I would want to keep "big hairy ugly bugs" in my home and why I just don't kill them.

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cold blood said:


> I think a spider would love to be able to utilize that thing.


I thought so too. I think it would have to be a heavy webber, GGB maybe. It would look awsome covered in web.


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## Tim Benzedrine (Aug 7, 2015)

To avoid a tacky appearance, I replaced the skull I had with tiny pink flamingos.

I do have a prairie dog skull in my scorpion enclosure. It looks reasonably natural even though prairie dogs are well, prairie dwellers and I have a dune scorpion.

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## magneto (Aug 7, 2015)

Tim Benzedrine said:


> To avoid a tacky appearance, I replaced the skull I had with tiny pink flamingos.


I can see how that would make all the difference. Flamingos are so much more dignified and they blend in more easily.

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## MrsHaas (Aug 8, 2015)

Arachnomaniac19 said:


> I mean I guess it's cheap, but I use deli cups as hides. I'm going to change from that to PVC (I think) pipes soon.


I used to do that and I would spray paint them all crazy colors and build weird structures, sorta like those weird hamster tubes lol Then my hubby got involved and now everything has to look all naturale down to the water bowls   well, they r probably more comfortable now lol


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## pyro fiend (Aug 8, 2015)

Jones0911 said:


> You should see the look I get from Home Depot workers when they ask me what I'm using the stuff for and i say exotic animals lol


Welcome to my world i use it for fish hides and even used to buy big elbows and T pieces for when i bred hedgehogs.. Even made a sugarglider cage from 1.5" pvc nd plastic mesh.. The looks are fairly fun... I still use pvc in some cages xD

To the op, i usr anything i can get my hands on i think the T may enjoy.. I have geathered a pile of animal skulls by my mums front porch id found wiel in the woods.. i just never added them as i always change my mind as it may not pease my eyes xD


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## LythSalicaria (Aug 8, 2015)

OP, I think that horn looks pretty cool! You should post pics when/if you end up using it!

Right now all my enclosures are pretty utilitarian. I tend to make use of whatever I can find around the house that looks like it will work for a hide. I had pill bottles in several juvenile enclosures that served as decent hides, in others there are pieces of cork bark. I also have some dried out pieces of maple bark I'm thinking about placing in arid enclosures. What with the fact that I've raised most of my collection from 1 inch or smaller, and with how often I'm having to rehouse a lot of them, I don't see much point in decorating. Especially when so many of them end up rearranging things to their liking anyway.

Once more of them are ready to be moved into permanent enclosures, on the other hand, I'm probably going to add a few decorations. I'm one of those people who likes skulls, so they'll probably be featured in at least a few of my enclosures. :biggrin: But what I'll probably end up doing is painting them up to look like sugar skulls. If I manage to catch one of my Ts sitting on top of one it would make for a pretty photo-op.

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## magneto (Aug 8, 2015)

LythSalicaria said:


> OP, I think that horn looks pretty cool! You should post pics when/if you end up using it!
> 
> Right now all my enclosures are pretty utilitarian. I tend to make use of whatever I can find around the house that looks like it will work for a hide. I had pill bottles in several juvenile enclosures that served as decent hides, in others there are pieces of cork bark. I also have some dried out pieces of maple bark I'm thinking about placing in arid enclosures. What with the fact that I've raised most of my collection from 1 inch or smaller, and with how often I'm having to rehouse a lot of them, I don't see much point in decorating. Especially when so many of them end up rearranging things to their liking anyway.
> 
> Once more of them are ready to be moved into permanent enclosures, on the other hand, I'm probably going to add a few decorations. I'm one of those people who likes skulls, so they'll probably be featured in at least a few of my enclosures. :biggrin: But what I'll probably end up doing is painting them up to look like sugar skulls. If I manage to catch one of my Ts sitting on top of one it would make for a pretty photo-op.


I still think skulls CAN look cool in the right setting, but it has to be a realistic one. Not the kind of plastic toy skulls or some of the aquarium decorating skulls that a lot of people use.

I have an idea I have wanted to try out for a while now but I don't have the time or skills to pull it off.
Basically I want to make a miniature jungle or forest landscape with a miniature mountain with a huge cave entrance. The point of this is to create the illution that the T is a giant. It could also be cool to make something similar with a urban enviroment.

T-zilla! :biggrin:

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## viper69 (Aug 8, 2015)

What's wrong with a neon green, glitter covered skull.
You guys have no taste!

Was in hardware recently and thought about buying PVC piping to make ready made tunnels, but I know better, they would prob never use them, after all, what do I know about being a T! [emoji23]

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## Ellenantula (Aug 8, 2015)

viper69 said:


> What's wrong with a neon green, glitter covered skull.
> You guys have no taste!


No one mentioned gnomes either.

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## Ultum4Spiderz (Aug 9, 2015)

Your gonna need a WAY bigger horn to fit an adult T in..Might work for baby Ts.:biggrin:





magneto said:


> When I first got into this hobby I was one of those people that thought skulls was cool in a T enclosure. But after a while I came to see just how tacky they are/can be. Especially if the skull looks fake. But I often find other things to use as decorations that one could argue does not belong in a natural habitat.
> 
> Most recently I found this hollow horn in a box that my grandparents left me years ago. I remember seeing it before but had forgotten about it. These days my brain is automatically scanning for things to use in this hobby, either as decorations or more practical things. And I think that this horn, after a bit of cleaning, could be a cool hide/den for a T.
> 
> ...


How wide is this? horn


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## windscorpions1 (Aug 9, 2015)

Have a former catch cup that ended up a g pulchripes hide.  he was a bit angry when I put him in his new enclosure and when I came back it had pretty much claimed the cup as its own. lol I'd definently use that horn though that's gonna be pretty neat in an enclosure.


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## magneto (Aug 9, 2015)

Ultum4Spiderz said:


> Your gonna need a WAY bigger horn to fit an adult T in..Might work for baby Ts.:biggrin:
> 
> How wide is this? horn


Just over 3 inches at it's widest.


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## spiderbesideher (Aug 13, 2015)

I usually use little flowerpots and fake foliage to try to have a somewhat natural look. But I found these miniature steps on eBay and they were too hilarious to pass up. Hopefully I'll get a pic of a t on them someday.


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## viper69 (Aug 13, 2015)

Who is the seller for those steps??!

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## spiderbesideher (Aug 13, 2015)

viper69 said:


> Who is the seller for those steps??!


The seller was "yxcxhs" and they are in China so it took several weeks to be delivered. I think they were two steps for 99 cents? They come in straight and curved, I got the curved style.

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## pyro fiend (Aug 13, 2015)

spiderbesideher said:


> The seller was "yxcxhs" and they are in China so it took several weeks to be delivered. I think they were two steps for 99 cents? They come in straight and curved, I got the curved style.


Actually i may have to steal this idea a little.. Im debating on how to make a lego style place with a natural twist this may be just it xD

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## spiderbesideher (Aug 13, 2015)

pyro fiend said:


> Actually i may have to steal this idea a little.. Im debating on how to make a lego style place with a natural twist this may be just it xD


Steal away! I have "stolen" so many ideas from this site...


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## pyro fiend (Aug 13, 2015)

spiderbesideher said:


> Steal away! I have "stolen" so many ideas from this site...


Actually looks like price changes, but, still not bad i found ine buy 4 get one free *shrug* dif seller.. It looks like its ment for fairy gardens tho very dif xD is that one of jamies bowls by it in ur pic? (Hoping not)

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## spiderbesideher (Aug 13, 2015)

Yeah the ones I ordered were I guess for miniature displays, like the model train diorama stuff. 
Yes it is a Jamie's water dish


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## pyro fiend (Aug 13, 2015)

spiderbesideher said:


> Yeah the ones I ordered were I guess for miniature displays, like the model train diorama stuff.
> Yes it is a Jamie's water dish [emoji14]


Awh man that means its smaller then i thought xc back to the drawing bored.. Xc still was fun looking.. Lol killed a good 10mins ^.^ nothing new on watch list so ig thats a goos thing huh?


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## Medusa (Aug 13, 2015)

viper69 said:


> Was in hardware recently and thought about buying PVC piping to make ready made tunnels, but I know better, they would prob never use them, after all, what do I know about being a T! [emoji23]


I use PVC pipe often - especially the black. All my T's have utilized them. I bury an elbow or an s-curve in the substrate with moss and other decor around. My burrowers usually web them up quickly and then I never see them again, lol. But they're happy, right?


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