Simple hack for Zilla Micro Enclosures

[gorybmovie]

When I was shopping around for enclosures, I had some trouble deciding which to get. I really like the treehouse enclosures by Tarantula cribs but, for now, they are too expensive for my budget so I settled on a small Zilla Micro Habitat Enclosure for my P. Audax. It's only $19 on Amazon and had the features I was looking for (arboreal, front opening door, etc.). It's popular on many of the spider channels I watch on YouTube but many of the reviews warned that smaller spiders and feeders can escape through the holes by the door. The door is front opening, which is great for jumping spiders. To open, you lift up and pull the door forward. This leaves rather large holes by the base of the door. Some suggested plugging the holes with toothpicks but that pulls the door forward and creates another opening underneath. The enclosure is acrylic and held together by rubber bands so I worry that toothpicks could also eventually warp the enclosure. I ended up covering the holes with post-it notes when the door was closed as a temporary solution. Since, then I've used putty. The putty I use is just a small amount of sensory putty that I already had. Any putty should work though. It has successfully plugged the holes and is easy to remove and replace when I open the door. My spider is active and healthy so it does not appear to have any ill effects. If you keep jumpers and are looking for a way to make these inexpensive enclosures work for your jumper, this should work. I've attached a photo of my enclosure so you can see how it looks. I use less putty than what is shown in the photo. It is usually barely noticeable. I used more for this photo so that you can see where I placed it. Hope that helps and if you have any suggestions on anything else I can do to improve my spider's enclosure, please let me know.

 

[Nicole C G]

Note this only works for larger jumpers. For smaller jumpers and juveniles there are other holes around the enclosure that it can escape through.

 

[gorybmovie]

The only other holes in the enclosure are the ventilation holes, two very small holes at the top of the door, and a small hole that is used for the door latch. These holes are not large enough for any adult or sub adult jumper to squeeze through.

As with any enclosure, you would have to make accommodations for spiderlings and juveniles. I would make sure to latch the door, put mesh over the ventilation holes, and add putty to the top of the door as well.

 

[Nicole C G]

The only other holes in the enclosure are the ventilation holes, two very small holes at the top of the door, and a small hole that is used for the door latch. These holes are not large enough for any adult or sub adult jumper to squeeze through.

As with any enclosure, you would have to make accommodations for spiderlings and juveniles. I would make sure to latch the door, put mesh over the ventilation holes, and add putty to the top of the door as well.

Maybe mine was defective?

 

[gorybmovie]

Possibly. Did you see how your spider got out? It might have slipped through those holes at the base of the door. Plug them up with putty and you'll be okay. Are you seeing holes anywhere else? If so, what size is your enclosure? I haven't used the large enclosure but it does look like it has more holes around the door