Hobby lobby enclosure experiences?

[Hannahs Herps]

Hey all,
So being in Canada, hobby lobby enclosures are unavailable. I see people on YouTube all the time who have them and I love the look of them so much. I was lucky enough to get a friend of a friend to ship me a few sizes and I'm in love with them, I just have one concern.

Has anybody had any experiences with Ts escaping out of these? While the lid feels secure, im not sure how strong a tarantula is and if they could push it open. I'm not so worried about slings in a matchbox car size, but for example I have a 4" A. seemani in a 15.5" x 7" x 6.5" (LWH). I just dont want to risk an escape

 

[lowski13]

I haven't had any issues with juvenile/adult T's escaping from hobby lobby enclosures but I had issues with slings escaping due to the vent holes being too big.

 

[Hannahs Herps]

I haven't had any issues with juvenile/adult T's escaping from hobby lobby enclosures but I had issues with slings escaping due to the vent holes being too big.

What did you use to put vent holes into the enclosures? I was thinking about using a 1/16" drill bit... I only plan to put 1/4-1/2" slings in there so im hoping that's not too large

 

[lowski13]

What did you use to put vent holes into the enclosures? I was thinking about using a 1/16" drill bit... I only plan to put 1/4-1/2" slings in there so im hoping that's not too large

I used a 7/64 with a drill for my first enclosures, now I only use 1/16 for smaller slings on a dremel.

I prefer a dremel simply for the weight and I can control the speed. It sucks drilling 120 holes with a drill and I never want to lose anymore slings at all.

 

[0311usmc]

I am currently using 2 hobby lobby basketball/soccer ball display cases for an adult male P.metallica and a juvenile male P.ornata. No issues whatsoever. Used a milwaukee impact drill and bits to make airholes.

 

[Hannahs Herps]

I used a 7/64 with a drill for my first enclosures, now I only use 1/16 for smaller slings on a dremel.

I prefer a dremel simply for the weight and I can control the speed. It sucks drilling 120 holes with a drill and I never want to lose anymore slings at all.

And you find that 1/16" is okay for slings?

I am currently using 2 hobby lobby basketball/soccer ball display cases for an adult male P.metallica and a juvenile male P.ornata. No issues whatsoever. Used a milwaukee impact drill and bits to make airholes.

Thanks for the input!

 

[lowski13]

And you find that 1/16" is okay for slings?

I would say so, I did 10 enclosures last night with a 1/16 and no escapes.

 

[0311usmc]

Thanks for the input!

Your very welcome

 

[Ratmosphere]

No escapes with these enclosures, worth the buy!

 

[JGarrick]

I used one of those 1/16 cases for my 1/4" Aphonopelma chalcodes with the smallest drill bit I had for vent holes, about the same size pictured above, and while my sling did actually "chew" at the hole at first when I put it in it was unable to get out or move that lid.
I do have problems with pinhead crickets getting out though. They can fit through the holes. I'm just going to temporarily put tape over the holes when I feed it live pinheads.

 

[aphono]

for 1/4 slings I would recommend leaving in condiment or very small deli cups and use thumbtack for ventilation. The main reason would be to encourage faster growth in general using @cold blood method for slings.

I absolutely get wanting nice looking enclosures though- used the matchbox ones for some of my 1/2" slings and they looked awesome on the shelf. No problem with escapes but also no problem with pinheads getting out- not sure what drill bit I used(already had it in toolbox and it's not labeled), it's super thin and almost a thumb tack sized hole.

No escape issues with the larger boxes- the baseball and football display cases. The biggest problem I had were how some of them were sometimes difficult to open. It got easier after they had some wear n tear, so perhaps a light sanding for a particularly stubborn lid? Also helped if the lid wasn't completely pressed down- leave a tiny gap on one corner and use something thin to pry it up if necessary.

 

[FrDoc]

I use a few different types, but the HL containers are by far the majority. I’ve never had a problem with them.