# Re-purpose a Glass Vodka Bottle for OBT Enclosure



## lucarelli78 (Nov 30, 2014)

I got this really cool bottle of vodka in the shape of a skull. The vodka was delicious, in case you're wondering, and now I have this gorgeous glass bottle. 

So naturally, I decided I needed to somehow incorporate it into the enclosure for my 5 inch female OBT. I just converted my walk in closet into a spider room, and all the lights are red, including trim lights. I'd like to do something with the skull that would react specifically to the red light. 

I just got these tiny carved skulls with red and green gemstones set in the eye sockets, one for each of my smaller enclosures for my smaller tarantulas. So I was thinking of keeping within the same line, and finding bigger gemstones at the store and gluing them into the eye sockets of the glass skull. But then I was thinking, with all the possibilities that a glass bottle offers, there has to be something more creative to do. Maybe add a certain color food coloring to the water that would pop in the red light, or perhaps something dangling from invisible thread and floating in the water, or maybe some sort of oil and water duality with competing colors. I'm wondering if someone has tried something like this and has an idea for me before I mess up my kitchen. Any suggestion would be appreciated. Thanks guys.


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## lucarelli78 (Nov 30, 2014)

The container is 5"x9"x8". The skull will sit on 3 inches of Coco fibre bringing the top of the bottle just to the top of the container. It's a perfect fit and of course there will be a water dish in one corner leaving plenty of room for my OBT to web and tunnel up and over from front to back and make a burrow on either side. That's what she does now, in her current enclosure, she has webbed and tunneled up and over and around her hide but not into it.


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## cold blood (Nov 30, 2014)

Near impossible to do maintenance within (especially when it gets webbed up) and most importantly difficult if not impossible to properly ventilate, especially if/when the obt webs the top part. That little bottleneck area makes it even worse for venting.  You wouldn't be able to use a water dish and getting out a cricket or something would be an ample task for Mr. miyagi.   I really wouldn't even consider this.

It is an interesting bottle though, but I don't get the recent fascination people have with skulls, I see them in enclosure pics quite frequently.

Reactions: Like 1


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## 14pokies (Nov 30, 2014)

cold blood said:


> Near impossible to do maintenance within (especially when it gets webbed up) and most importantly difficult if not impossible to properly ventilate, especially if/when the obt webs the top part. That little bottleneck area makes it even worse for venting.  You wouldn't be able to use a water dish and getting out a cricket or something would be an ample task for Mr. miyagi.   I really wouldn't even consider this.
> 
> It is an interesting bottle though, but I don't get the recent fascination people have with skulls, I see them in enclosure pics quite frequently.


I agree cool concept but its not a suitable environment for your t..It would work well for a centipede tho..h.subsepines are usually readily available and cheap at your LPs.


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## ratluvr76 (Nov 30, 2014)

I don't think he's planning to use the skull bottle as an enclosure... but to fill it with something cool looking to put the whole thing inside of the enclosure, for the OBT to web around.


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## Poec54 (Nov 30, 2014)

Apparently alcoholics can make a real contribution to our hobby.

Reactions: Like 4


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## Ultum4Spiderz (Nov 30, 2014)

Poec54 said:


> Apparently alcoholics can make a real contribution to our hobby.


Yeah Skull is very overpriced for tarantula decoration, I would suggest him using it in a larger cage so maybe his spider has more room to move around,.... It looks like OP is building a cage for the vodka bottle , not any Invert except maybe a Pede.


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## Biollantefan54 (Nov 30, 2014)

I wouldn't use an alcohol bottle for any animal, not enough ventilation, cant do any maintenance, it is just a terrible idea to be honest. You could go to a party shop and get a skull with more holes in it so it can actually 'breathe'.


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## Poec54 (Nov 30, 2014)

Biollantefan54 said:


> I wouldn't use an alcohol bottle for any animal, not enough ventilation, cant do any maintenance, it is just a terrible idea to be honest. You could go to a party shop and get a skull with more holes in it so it can actually 'breathe'.



And then there are those that would say that fake skulls in animal cages are pretty cheesy.

Reactions: Like 3


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## Biollantefan54 (Nov 30, 2014)

I think a fake skull would look better than a bottle but that is opinion. Go and find some real bones or just don't put it in a tank, simple.


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## Disquiet (Nov 30, 2014)

As far as I can tell, the OP did not indicate he would use the bottle _as_ an enclosure but rather would place it _into_ the enclosure as decor.  I don't see any issue with that, personally--although I'm not a fan of the skull + tarantula "theme"   My recommendation would be to make sure it is 100% clean and dry inside and out as well as fully sealed--and definitely do not attempt to fill it with anything liquid!  That's a complete disaster waiting to happen, just think about it.  Rancid water and oil, buried in an OBT enclosure?  That sounds like a nightmare tank cleaning session to me.  If you're going to do it, it needs to be done in such a way that you can safely let it sit there indefinitely, like a rock or a piece of cork.  The material inside would have to be inert, i.e. sand, pebbles, or something like that (gemstones LOL?  ).  In addition, I will say that the enclosure you're planning to put it into is far too small IMO.  That bottle could be a suitable piece of furniture for a permanent home, but not one of the size pictured.  Good luck!



Poec54 said:


> And then there are those that would say that fake skulls in animal cages are pretty cheesy.


*any kind of skulls, amen.  But that's just me.


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## lucarelli78 (Nov 30, 2014)

cold blood said:


> Near impossible to do maintenance within (especially when it gets webbed up) and most importantly difficult if not impossible to properly ventilate, especially if/when the obt webs the top part. That little bottleneck area makes it even worse for venting.  You wouldn't be able to use a water dish and getting out a cricket or something would be an ample task for Mr. miyagi.   I really wouldn't even consider this.
> 
> It is an interesting bottle though, but I don't get the recent fascination people have with skulls, I see them in enclosure pics quite frequently.


Sorry if my original post was confusing. The bottle is to be filled in with a liquid or substance that will look cool while the OBT has the area around the bottle but inside the container. Think of the skull as just a big rock in the middle of the container. But now it's a rock that is  shaped like a skull and clear so I can put anything I want inside to react with the red light in the room. That's what I was asking, what to put in the skull to make it look cool while it's in the enclosure serving as a rock for the T to climb on?

---------- Post added 11-30-2014 at 09:50 PM ----------




yoyotits said:


> I agree cool concept but its not a suitable environment for your t..It would work well for a centipede tho..h.subsepines are usually readily available and cheap at your LPs.


Sorry if my original post was confusing. The bottle is to be filled in with a liquid or substance that will look cool while the OBT has the area around the bottle but inside the container. Think of the skull as just a big rock in the middle of the container. But now it's a rock that is  shaped like a skull and clear so I can put anything I want inside to react with the red light in the room. That's what I was asking, what to put in the skull to make it look cool while it's in the enclosure serving as a rock for the T to climb on?

---------- Post added 11-30-2014 at 09:52 PM ----------




Poec54 said:


> Apparently alcoholics can make a real contribution to our hobby.


It was a gift from my parents who went on a cruise to Russia, took me 2 years to finish it, don't think that makes me an alcoholic.

---------- Post added 11-30-2014 at 09:52 PM ----------




Biollantefan54 said:


> I wouldn't use an alcohol bottle for any animal, not enough ventilation, cant do any maintenance, it is just a terrible idea to be honest. You could go to a party shop and get a skull with more holes in it so it can actually 'breathe'.


Sorry if my original post was confusing. The bottle is to be filled in with a liquid or substance that will look cool while the OBT has the area around the bottle but inside the container. Think of the skull as just a big rock in the middle of the container. But now it's a rock that is  shaped like a skull and clear so I can put anything I want inside to react with the red light in the room. That's what I was asking, what to put in the skull to make it look cool while it's in the enclosure serving as a rock for the T to climb on?

Reactions: Like 2


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## Biollantefan54 (Nov 30, 2014)

Ok, so you don't have any intention of letting the T get into it, right? I don't know what you could put in it though lol.


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## lucarelli78 (Nov 30, 2014)

Biollantefan54 said:


> I think a fake skull would look better than a bottle but that is opinion. Go and find some real bones or just don't put it in a tank, simple.


The whole idea was to have a substance inside the bottle like a colored liquid in maybe a different color  oil that would interact or react to the red light in the room.

---------- Post added 11-30-2014 at 09:56 PM ----------

Nevermind guys, sorry I asked.


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## Biollantefan54 (Nov 30, 2014)

It's fine, I didn't get what you meant, I thought you were gonna use it like a hide or something.


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## lucarelli78 (Nov 30, 2014)

ratluvr76 said:


> I don't think he's planning to use the skull bottle as an enclosure... but to fill it with something cool looking to put the whole thing inside of the enclosure, for the OBT to web around.


Thank you for understanding.


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## Poec54 (Nov 30, 2014)

lucarelli78 said:


> It was a gift from my parents who went on a cruise to Russia, took me 2 years to finish it, don't think that makes me an alcoholic.


No one made that association besides you.  I was referring to alcoholics in general.  Now they can feel better about their drinking.


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## lucarelli78 (Nov 30, 2014)

Poec54 said:


> No one made that association besides you.  I was referring to alcoholics in general.  Now they can feel better about their drinking.


Still a little gun shy from the other day, and didn't help that nobody completely read my original post and automatically assumed I was trying to turn a bottle with a half inch opening into a tarantula enclosure.


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## Poec54 (Nov 30, 2014)

lucarelli78 said:


> Still a little gun shy from the other day, and didn't help that nobody completely read my original post and automatically assumed I was trying to turn a bottle with a half inch opening into a tarantula enclosure.


Come on now.  How about living up to your signature line of being the funny guy?  If you're going to be like this, you probably should change it.  Loosen up.  Being 'gun shy' only makes things worse.  We're nice people when you're not defensive or suspicious.  I promise, no one will hit you or steal your wallet.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Sana (Nov 30, 2014)

What about sparkly sand or bead or some kind?  Anything with a glittery or metallic flecking should reflect the red light and make the skull appear to glow.  Plus are an added bonus you wouldn't have to worry about the glass getting cracked at liquid seeping into your bedding and making a real mess.

Reactions: Like 1


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## freedumbdclxvi (Nov 30, 2014)

In Soviet Russia, OBT house you!

Reactions: Like 5


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## Medusa (Nov 30, 2014)

You could go to a Joann's or Michael's craft store and see what they have for sand, gems, or even some kind of non-toxic liquid. Or check out a pet store's aquarium section for ideas?


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## cold blood (Nov 30, 2014)

I did read the post, but obviously missed the point. D'oh!  

So what you are really asking is about aesthetics, which is completely personal and up to you (this is why I missed the point, I think).  No matter what you put in the skull, the t won't be able to open it, so I don't think you have much to worry about.  You could even dye water and put it in...someone mentioned rancid water, which makes no sense, as without adding something to get rancid, water its self won't just go bad on its own.

As was said by Digital Underground back in the day, "Do what ya like"


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## ratluvr76 (Dec 1, 2014)

lucarelli78 said:


> Still a little gun shy from the other day, and didn't help that nobody completely read my original post and automatically assumed I was trying to turn a bottle with a half inch opening into a tarantula enclosure.


I read it and got it and even commented about it... What am I chopped liver?? -

Reactions: Like 1


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## lucarelli78 (Dec 1, 2014)

Sana said:


> What about sparkly sand or bead or some kind?  Anything with a glittery or metallic flecking should reflect the red light and make the skull appear to glow.  Plus are an added bonus you wouldn't have to worry about the glass getting cracked at liquid seeping into your bedding and making a real mess.


Excellent suggestions, I was thinking about the sand idea and layering colors. I'll throw up some pics when I figure it out.

---------- Post added 12-01-2014 at 01:14 AM ----------




lucarelli78 said:


> Thank you for understanding.


You missed where I replied to your initial reply.


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## problemchildx (Dec 1, 2014)

First, I'm not sure why everyone thinks skulls are cheesy. I would never use one (unless it was a real animal skull like of a smaller mammal..) BUT, there will be no problems with this. However if it were my OBT I would make the overall enclosure bigger, the picture posted doesn't look very big. Also, you won't know how each individual spider will accept random decorations. When I get another P murinus I will make the enclosure as close to its natural habitat (unlike the last time I kept them). With rocks and clay and stuff. I don't think anyone can predict how this African species will take to a glass bottle, but I'm sure they won't care.


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## lucarelli78 (Dec 1, 2014)

ratluvr76 said:


> I read it and got it and even commented about it... What am I chopped liver?? -


Definitely thank you for understanding.  I posted a reply thanking you, maybe I did it wrong.  You are NOT chopped liver sir.  Thank you.

Reactions: Like 1


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## 14pokies (Dec 1, 2014)

Lucarelli78... This is in response to the post you made that said forget it sorry i asked...I misunderstood you also...don't let anyone's criticism constructive or other wise deter you from being creative with your enclosures...I recently was playing with the idea of setting up an arboreal enclosure featuring the Eiffel tower or some type of sky scraper just for fun but the naturalist in me just can't stand to put something artificial into an enclosure..
 When I was younger I had 4 hissing roaches in a setup featuring a 3d puzzle of...ummm I don't wanna offend anybody..so let's just say it rhymed with white house..it wasn't tho I assure you! and it featured a backdrop that if I described in any detail on this site i would be removed immediately..it reflected a period of adolescent angst..it was a very interesting enclosure that portrayed who I was and what I was feeling at that point in my life..it was an object that people would come over and see and it stirred many questions about my political views and obviously my love for exotic creatures
 Most importantly it worked for the roaches they were happy and healthy till the day I grew tired of them and that cage and fed them to my black roughneck monitor..individualism and expression of such is an important part of life and if you can incorporate it into tarantula keeping at no harm to the spider go for it... I have seen far worse than that in a ts cage...a small Nome,sea shells and shark teeth,matchbox cars...I mean come on!!!!!!!!! The only thing I would worry about is how much will your obt like nestling up to glass but a lot of burrowers dig to the bottom of the tanks their in so I don't see the harm..make sure u put it in and then add your sub, if not the obt might tunnel under it and get smushed..
 As far as what to put in it..well me personally I would put the skull on a shelf in my t room half fill it with carnivorous planting mix throw in a sundew and a Venus fly trap scatter a few barkchips a little green moss and call it a day! But its your ts your enclosures your house..do what make you happy!


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## Disquiet (Dec 1, 2014)

cold blood said:


> I did read the post, but obviously missed the point. D'oh!


You did it twice, I said _oil_ and water, which will get rancid with enough time.  The OP described making one of those colored mixtures I'm pretty sure everyone made in elementary school, and I can speak from experience that they don't stay nice forever.  Think, box of old school stuff in the garage for 5 or 6 years.. I still think the way to go is sand or rocks or gemstones since the OP mentioned those.

Reactions: Like 1


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## pyro fiend (Dec 1, 2014)

only thing i can think is invest in a bigger container.. that gives almost no room.. i know a buddy has a similar bottle he keeps in his reptile room.. it shines nice with a little highlighter ink and a black light  [has one pink one yellow and a very dull blue one] but they do look nice. could even add a bunch of different stones even painting the inside of the eyes maybe o.0

but i mean real skulls look nice, ish tho tacky. some people can pull it off.. but plastic skulls are a bit generic. especially for desert dwellers


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## lucarelli78 (Dec 2, 2014)

pyro fiend said:


> only thing i can think is invest in a bigger container.. that gives almost no room.. i know a buddy has a similar bottle he keeps in his reptile room.. it shines nice with a little highlighter ink and a black light  [has one pink one yellow and a very dull blue one] but they do look nice. could even add a bunch of different stones even painting the inside of the eyes maybe o.0
> 
> but i mean real skulls look nice, ish tho tacky. some people can pull it off.. but plastic skulls are a bit generic. especially for desert dwellers


Thanks for the tips, I ultimately decided to wait until I was housing her in her permanent vivarium down the road, giving me plenty of time to figure out what I'm going to keep inside the skull.


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## lucarelli78 (Dec 2, 2014)

pyro fiend said:


> only thing i can think is invest in a bigger container.. that gives almost no room.. i know a buddy has a similar bottle he keeps in his reptile room.. it shines nice with a little highlighter ink and a black light  [has one pink one yellow and a very dull blue one] but they do look nice. could even add a bunch of different stones even painting the inside of the eyes maybe o.0
> 
> but i mean real skulls look nice, ish tho tacky. some people can pull it off.. but plastic skulls are a bit generic. especially for desert dwellers


I want to thank everyone for their tips and suggestions. While I was attempting to situate the enclosure, I decided that some of you were correct and that there wasn't enough room in the container. I decided to go a different route for now, saving the glass skull for a bigger, more permanent vivarium in the future.


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## lucarelli78 (Dec 2, 2014)

Biollantefan54 said:


> It's fine, I didn't get what you meant, I thought you were gonna use it like a hide or something.


I want to thank everyone for their tips and suggestions. While I was attempting to situate the enclosure, I decided that some of you were correct and that there wasn't enough room in the container. I decided to go a different route for now, saving the glass skull for a bigger, more permanent vivarium in the future.


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## lucarelli78 (Dec 2, 2014)

Poec54 said:


> Come on now.  How about living up to your signature line of being the funny guy?  If you're going to be like this, you probably should change it.  Loosen up.  Being 'gun shy' only makes things worse.  We're nice people when you're not defensive or suspicious.  I promise, no one will hit you or steal your wallet.


I want to thank everyone for their tips and suggestions. While I was attempting to situate the enclosure, I decided that some of you were correct and that there wasn't enough room in the container. I decided to go a different route for now, saving the glass skull for a bigger, more permanent vivarium in the future.


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## Ultum4Spiderz (Dec 2, 2014)

Looks much better, how big is your OBT?


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## lucarelli78 (Dec 2, 2014)

Ultum4Spiderz said:


> Looks much better, how big is your OBT?


You are more than welcome to come over to my place and hold her down while I measure her [emoji6] but I'm guessing 4 to 4.5 inches.


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## Ultum4Spiderz (Dec 2, 2014)

lucarelli78 said:


> You are more than welcome to come over to my place and hold her down while I measure her [emoji6] but I'm guessing 4 to 4.5 inches.


Yeah Maybe I will someday, how far away is Cincinnati? If u ever get a lot of slings maybe Ill come get some wholesale. 
My OBT females are about 4-4.5" also some are bulkier, I measured them from outside of tank , inside if possible.
How many Ts you have right now? 

7


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## klawfran3 (Dec 3, 2014)

If you really want to use the bottle, how about try cutting the back out it and sanding down any sharp edges. Then you could use it as a hide possibly?


cold blood said:


> It is an interesting bottle though, but I don't get the recent fascination people have with skulls, I see them in enclosure pics quite frequently.


I don't use skulls in my enclosures for sanitary and maintenance issues, but I like collecting animal skulls for display on a shelf. They're really cool... At the risk of sounding weird I also put glasses or hats on them for a photo shoot or two. It's Pretty funny


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## Beary Strange (Dec 3, 2014)

Is that the weird shredded cardboard you sometimes find inside boxes as packing material? ::

Also this is late but that glass bottle IS pretty. Too pretty to waste on a tarantula that's just going to web over it imo. Go with your original idea of filling it and stick it on a shelf as decoration why not?


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## lucarelli78 (Dec 3, 2014)

Belle Fury said:


> Is that the weird shredded cardboard you sometimes find inside boxes as packing material? ::
> 
> Also this is late but that glass bottle IS pretty. Too pretty to waste on a tarantula that's just going to web over it imo. Go with your original idea of filling it and stick it on a shelf as decoration why not?


Oh my goodness, yes, yes it is that weird shredded cardboard packing, good eye. I thought I was going to have to explain it to everybody, because I had never seen it before receiving it in a box recently. It's stretchy, like a cargo net, but made out of cardboard, and really weird. But I like to repurpose things, so I started experimenting with it, and decided the best use was to roll it up like a piece of paper and then tie it off every few inches with twine so that I was left with one long flexible roll. It was the right color, and it was manageable, so I decided to use it.

As far as the glass bottle, I think I'm going to follow the suggestion posed by 14 pokies on the previous page of this thread. He suggested turning it into a miniature terrarium with carnivorous plants, and that's just what I'm going to do.

Because of the lack of light in the closet, enough to tell the Ts when it's day time, but not enough to feed plants, I need to look into finding a miniature grow lights outlet that will hold a bulb small enough to thread through the eye of the bottle and have it hanging just inside the lip, almost like a miniature Sun for the carnivorous plants. Also, because of the way the glass is shaped and is thick as it is, it would act as a dome light fixture and light up the whole room, possibly allowing for other plants/creatures. I'm talking about a grow bulb as small as one of those miniature Christmas tree lights. I don't know that they even make anything like that, but if they do I'll find it.


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