# Kritter Keepers, Yea or Nay?



## silverhaze269 (Nov 10, 2017)

Hi everyone! 

I'm new at keeping T's and I'm looking for some opinions on enclosures. 

Right now I've got mine set up in a kritter keeper - I think it's a size "small" 9x6x6.5 - but I'm wondering if I should switch her out of it and into something else? She's fine in there for now, but I want to upgrade her to something slightly larger soon.

Are critter keepers just fine, or is an acrylic enclosure the way to go when it comes to keeping T's? I've been having a really hard time finding a source of acrylic enclosures in Canada, so if they really are the best thing to keep them in, what's the second best thing? 

Thanks in advance! 

Oh! I've got a female B. auratum, in case you were wondering...and I'm not sure how many inches her leg span is - she's usually cozy in her hide when I see her. I've only had her out once since I got her - to transfer her from what I got her in, to the enclosure I have her in now. Can post a picture from that moment of transfer if anyone is curious.


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## Sergic (Nov 10, 2017)

Critter keepers are my favorite enclosures for terrestrials that need to be, or are fine with being kept dry. I would not keep any species that needs moist substrate in a critter keeps, because critter keepers do not hold humidity and dry out quickly.  I've never kept B. auratum, but if I'm not mistaken, they are a desert species and should be fine in a critter keeper. 

A quick list of what I consider the pros and cons of critter keepers.

Pros:

Can open entire top or just the flap in the middle. 
When clean, sides are fully transparent.
Come in different sizes.
Cons:

Much more expensive than other options, such as sterilite tubs.
Do not hold moisture.
Holes in lid are large enough for slings to fit through.
Lids can be hard to open without any jostling.
Although they are my favorite enclosures for terrestrials,  I only have a couple, because I can't justify paying 3 or more times what I would for sterilite, and would rather use the extra money for more tarantulas.

Reactions: Like 2 | Disagree 1


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## Venom1080 (Nov 10, 2017)

Kritter keepers are great cages. Some spiders do snap their fangs off in the vents trying to escape. But I haven't had any issues. 

I've had zero issues raising Megaphobema, Hysterocrates, etc. In them. Ventilation is easily restricted if you think you need to.


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## Sergic (Nov 10, 2017)

Venom1080 said:


> Kritter keepers are great cages. Some spiders do snap their fangs off in the vents trying to escape. But I haven't had any issues.
> 
> I've had zero issues raising Megaphobema, Hysterocrates, etc. In them. Ventilation is easily restricted if you think you need to.


How do you restrict ventilation? I've tried using tape, which I applied to both the interior and exterior, so the adhesive was not exposed. Seemed to work fairly well, except one of my spiders managed to find the small bit of tape near the edge that wasn't stuck to anything and get it's pedipalp stuck. I was abke to free it with no apparent damage.

After that, I decided it's more time and cost effective to use sterilite.


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## Venom1080 (Nov 10, 2017)

Sergic said:


> How do you restrict ventilation? I've tried using tape, which I applied to both the interior and exterior, so the adhesive was not exposed. Seemed to work fairly well, except one of my spiders managed to find the small bit of tape near the edge that wasn't stuck to anything and get it's pedipalp stuck. I was abke to free it with no apparent damage.
> 
> After that, I decided it's more time and cost effective to use sterilite.


Plastic wrap. Mist the top of the cage. And put the wrap on, the water droplets will make it stick to the top tightly. 

You don't need it tho. Just water more than once every couple weeks. No big deal.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Sergic (Nov 10, 2017)

Venom1080 said:


> Plastic wrap. Mist the top of the cage. And put the wrap on, the water droplets will make it stick to the top tightly.
> 
> You don't need it tho. Just water more than once every couple weeks. No big deal.


Can't believe I never thought of that.  So much simpler than tape.  

I may have to give it a try.  My only worry with leaving a cage uncovered is that I gt out of town for a week or so a couple times each year.  During the winter, my house is heated with a furnace that runs most of the day, so cages dry out fairly quickly.


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## Deb60 (Nov 10, 2017)

They are really good for keeping species that like it dry . I have used plastic box’s( used for storing things in ) from the local supermarket, but found it gets to damp sometimes.


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## darkness975 (Nov 11, 2017)

silverhaze269 said:


> Hi everyone!
> 
> I'm new at keeping T's and I'm looking for some opinions on enclosures.
> 
> ...


I use Kritter Keepers.


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## viper69 (Nov 12, 2017)

You can keep Ts in anything that keeps them safe from falling and other animals.


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## mellyj1991 (Nov 12, 2017)

Sergic said:


> How do you restrict ventilation? I've tried using tape, which I applied to both the interior and exterior, so the adhesive was not exposed. Seemed to work fairly well, except one of my spiders managed to find the small bit of tape near the edge that wasn't stuck to anything and get it's pedipalp stuck. I was abke to free it with no apparent damage.
> 
> After that, I decided it's more time and cost effective to use sterilite.



If you wanted to be creative and have it permanent I bet you could use masking tape on one side to keep it flush and then fill with aquarium silicone, use something flat to scrape off the extra and fill holes then wait for it to dry and remove masking tape? I've never done this and it might be a terrible idea but just a thought haha


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## Ratmosphere (Nov 12, 2017)

I use them for a few species.


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## Mojo288 (Nov 14, 2017)

I'm personally not a fan of the opaque tops, but there is nothing wrong with a KK as long as it's appropriately sized.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Hiruma26 (Nov 15, 2017)

I like KK for its cover cuz I can just "make it rain" if I need to add moisture on the substrate without opening the cage.


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## Red Eunice (Nov 16, 2017)

KKs are fine, especially for the keeper with a small collection. Nothing wrong in using KKs of appropriate size.  Large collection keepers use less expensive alternative enclosures needing slight modifications to work. But, I'm frugal with shallow pockets. Lol!


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## Lil Paws (Nov 17, 2017)

I have a love-hate relationship with the Kritter Keeper. Yes, I like the trap door and ventilation—and the price of it is awesome for what you get (very good thing to consider if you have a lot of Ts)—but I hate that you can't easily see through the top (our enclosures are kept low), and if I need to take the whole lid off it is kind of loud and can move the enclosure (though putting rubber feet on the bottom really helped). I will be relocating my G. Pulchripes into a different type of enclosure after she molts as she could use something bigger anyhow.

I modified one of these into an enclosure and it is about the same size as the KK we own: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GK0W3NK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I like it a lot better. I drilled some holes on the back and sides and used Gorilla Glue hot glue to affix some nice acrylic hasps I found well-priced on Ebay. I just relocated our B. Albo into it, and find it looks more visually pleasing and is a lot easier to use if I need to get into a certain part of the enclosure to access the water bowl or feed the T. It doesn't have the cool trap door, but I'm willing to trade that for a lid that doesn't make a popping sound when removed.

The only issue is it took a bit to get it set up (I'm picky about hole placement so I use a template). It's also a little more $ if you factor in the supplies and time spent prepping in. If I wanted something with higher ventilation I'd probably still opt for the KK or something else pre-made, but they'd probably become a staple in our home if we owned a lot of Ts.


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## Noodile (Dec 6, 2017)

The humidity where I live is very high, so the extra ventilation in a KK is not a problem. The trap door is useful for feeding and the removable top gives great access for maintenance, cleaning and rehousing, etc. 

They have problems, but so do all other enclosures.

Reactions: Agree 1


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