Enclosure recommendations

[l4nsky]

I'd take a look at alibaba or aliexpress. They use to have acrylic vented terrariums for cheap. Shipping to spain it's quite cheap, not sure to the States


EG:

https://a.aliexpress.com/_ExeTSQP

They've been considered, but I have some pretty specific requirements for enclosures that they don't meet (namely cost and easy availability) .

Might be more inline with @Frogdaddy's requirements though.

 

[Dorifto]

@Frogdaddy sometimes this enclosures came with a protective translucent layer, leaving them will deffinetively make them translucent.

They've been considered, but I have some pretty specific requirements for enclosures that they don't meet (namely cost and easy availability) .

Might be more inline with @Frogdaddy's requirements though.

I have spent quite a lot on aliexpress, and usually the packages arrive in around two weeks. There is always some package that takes a long time to arrive, but usually it takes around two weeks, three at max.

If you talk to them they use to make great discounts, specially buying in bulks.

One thing to consider it's custom fees, here until 25 bucks we didn't pay anything, now the vat it's included in the price.

Don't know if it helps, but just in case

 

[Matt Man]

See I also prefer clarity in most cases. In fact, it's a personal requirement that all sling and juvies under 4" DLS are kept in clear containers to better monitor their health and growth. Sadly, I've yet to find a standard, clear enclosure of this size that checks all the boxes or atleast can be easily modified to do so.

Creative Habitat Enclosures are all over the place and the lids can be made

 

[l4nsky]

I have spent quite a lot on aliexpress, and usually the packages arrive in around two weeks. There is always some package that takes a long time to arrive, but usually it takes around two weeks, three at max.

If you talk to them they use to make great discounts, specially buying in bulks.

One thing to consider it's custom fees, here until 25 bucks we didn't pay anything, now the vat it's included in the price.

Don't know if it helps, but just in case

Considered. Keeping in mind I'm north of 50 tarantulas in the permanent collection, I'll do some quick, back-of-the-napkin math so you can see my reasoning. I would have to spend ~$2000 plus shipping to get 50 enclosures close to the size of a 5g ($40 ea it seems). Even if I got a quantity discount of 50%, that's still $1k+ shipping for all. Or I could spend ~$400 and get them all in 2 days via Amazon and if I acquire a new specimen, I can go to Walmart, buy one singly, and as long as I have vent inserts (I always do), can make a new enclosure that's the same as all my others, in 10 mins or less for cheap. I wouldn't have that luxury with the 3-4 week shipping option, I'd have to rehouse into a temp enclosure and then rehouse into the final enclosure weeks later, just as the new tarantula is getting settled. That's not ideal IMO.

Creative Habitat Enclosures are all over the place and the lids can be made

IMO and for my collection, they get a strike for lack of cross ventilation and the difficulty/risk to install in glass. Again, not saying anyone's choices are horrible. I'm just saying I'm decisively picky lol.

 

[curtisgiganteus]

I buy Creative Habitat 05RT (14 x 8x 10) or 05BT (14 x 8x 5.25) glass cages and replace the wire mesh lids with Cut and bent Plex.
They are relatively cheap
Sterilites work but I prefer the clarity of glass. I use the 10"deep versions for fossorial species as it gives them room to dig
T. albo in an 05 BT
View attachment 433705

The only issue I have had with glass is heat retention. Living in Washington, we get temperature fluctuations and sometimes power outages so I need something that has good heat retention which glass does not.

 

[Dorifto]

I was thinking about slings and juvies, not for final enclosures, my bad.

For small juvies?

Nomoypet Hot Sale Square High Transparent Plastic Reptile Habitat Cage Breeding Box For Gecko Lizard Chameleon - Buy Reptile Cage,Reptile Habitat,Breeding Box Product on Alibaba.com

Nomoypet Hot Sale Square High Transparent Plastic Reptile Habitat Cage Breeding Box For Gecko Lizard Chameleon - Buy Reptile Cage,Reptile Habitat,Breeding Box Product on Alibaba.com

m.alibaba.com

Something like this?

Reptile Large Plastic Feeding Box Terrarium,Reptile Travel Habitat Box For Gecko Frog Spider Snake Lizard Scorpions - Buy Plastic Terrarium,Plastic Feeding Box,Reptile Feeding Box Product on Alibaba.com

Reptile Large Plastic Feeding Box Terrarium,Reptile Travel Habitat Box For Gecko Frog Spider Snake Lizard Scorpions - Buy Plastic Terrarium,Plastic Feeding Box,Reptile Feeding Box Product on Alibaba.com

m.alibaba.com

More likely that the shipping cost will be more than the protuct itself, lets see the quality too

 

[Matt Man]

The only issue I have had with glass is heat retention. Living in Washington, we get temperature fluctuations and sometimes power outages so I need something that has good heat retention which glass does not.

I live in San Diego and run no environmental. My house is in the 40s on some winter days, my glass does okay with heat supplied. A power outage could be trouble, so I get your point. I don't know if plastics hold better,
I know acrylic will warp under heat / humidity issues

 

[curtisgiganteus]

I live in San Diego and run no environmental. My house is in the 40s on some winter days, my glass does okay with heat supplied. A power outage could be trouble, so I get your point. I don't know if plastics hold better,
I know acrylic will warp under heat / humidity issues

This is the issue I’m facing now. My versi enclosure is warping. Oh well, more ventilation lol.
Plastic is an insulator so it reads is heat really well. My room is at a constant 72 and the only enclosures I have problems with are my glass. I’m actually moving over to 5.5 gallon totes myself.

 

[Matt Man]

This is the issue I’m facing now. My versi enclosure is warping. Oh well, more ventilation lol.
Plastic is an insulator so it reads is heat really well. My room is at a constant 72 and the only enclosures I have problems with are my glass. I’m actually moving over to 5.5 gallon totes myself.

Acrylic is also susceptible to moisture, which it actually absorbs. It also is highly sensitive to differences in temp and/or humidity from one side to the other. So if it is one temp /humidity inside, and something else outside it can cause warping.
I work with this stuff daily for fine art / photography and retail display. It can also bow from resonance with a wall next to it. So although it has a lot of plus, it has some minus that expand as the enclosures get larger