Terrestrial DIY Acrylic/plexi glass enclosure

[Braden]

Hi guys, I really want to make my own enclosure made of acrylic, plexi glass or some strong see through plastic material(I want to drill ventilation in the sides and design it myself). The problem is I do not know how or what to use(what is safe for tarantulas. I want to make something like what the dark den makes.

Thanks

 

[viper69]

If you search on here, and on YouTube, you will find guides, just search.

 

[Smotzer]

What are you worried is or isn’t safe? Also if I’m not mistaken I believe that dark den guy uses mostly glass.

 

[NYCreepy Crawler]

acrylic is easier to work with, glass is for pro level. start like that. tarantulas can either climb on acrylic or glass. have fun and don't forget to post pictures of the finished product here. oh yeah and tag me once you do!

 

[Dorifto]

acrylic is easier to work with, glass is for pro level. start like that. tarantulas can either climb on acrylic or glass. have fun and don't forget to post pictures of the finished product here. oh yeah and tag me once you do!

Glass is pro level? you can make any glass terrarium without even having made one. You only have follow some steps nothing more.

Go for glass, glass is forever, and wont scratch so easily.

One of these was made by me and it was the first enclosure I ever made, wich one?



Do not discourage to making glass enclosures

 

[NYCreepy Crawler]

Glass is pro level? you can make any glass terrarium without even having made one. You only have follow some steps nothing more.

Go for glass, glass is forever, and wont scratch so easily.

One of these was made by me and it was the first enclosure I ever made, wich one?

View attachment 356816

Do not discourage to making glass enclosures

Easier hole making in plexiglass, easier to sand down with a rotarty sander if off by 1 centimeter in measurement. Less expensive. Thats why i suggested he start off like that.. i did not discourage him in any way. Good for you that you were able to be lucky enough to IN YOUR OPINION make a good first enclosure. How do you feel now that you showed it off? Better? Well BRAVO! Have fun Braden.

Also if you want me to stoop to your level and criticize, glass isnt forever, glass does scratch. So what you talking about?

 

[MrTwister]

Don’t use plexi glass. It absorbs moisture and will warp.

 

[NYCreepy Crawler]

Don’t use plexi glass. It absorbs moisture and will warp.

Whoa, the conditions for warping would have to be set inside of a heated oven. (STOP YOUR EXAGGERATIONS MR TWISTER) He clearly stated he wants to use acrylic, or a plexiglass or a strong see through plastic. cant anyone read anymore? Sheesh all youz are so into what you got that ya cant even focus on what the OP is asking for from the community.

 

[moricollins]

Whoa, the conditions for warping would have to be set inside of a heated oven. (STOP YOUR EXAGGERATIONS MR TWISTER) He clearly stated he wants to use acrylic, or a plexiglass or a strong see through plastic. cant anyone read anymore? Sheesh all youz are so into what you got that ya cant even focus on what the OP is asking for from the community.

Hello, I have used plexiglas/ acrylic lids for aquariums and terrariums. They warp, every time under what I would consider normal use. Use glass. It's far stronger than acrylic and(in my opinion) easier to drill holes in (I've drilled holes in both, glass is easier but more time consuming to drill).

@NYCreepy Crawler we can all read what the poster is saying. Telling them to do it in a way that's less than optimal doesn't serve the poster the best in the long run. I would NEVER use acrylic to make an enclosure. Glass is easier, stronger, and does not warp. To get the thickness of acrylic you'd need to minimize warping its going to be twice the cost of glass or more.

 

[Dorifto]

I don't need to show anything to feel right thanks, I leave that for other people.

If you take all like we are critizising you that's your own problem. If you can't achieve to build, or you feel that you can't build a glass enclosure that's your own problem too. I only posted an image of a terrarium build my me (right one).The glass is much better and durable than acrylic oned and that they don't need any special skills to build conplicated enclosures.

Can the glass scratch? Of course, if you are scrubging rocks all day, you will. Now, in everyday use, you can barely scratch the enclosure while the acrylic ones are easy scratchable. Both have their benefits and drawbacks

 

[NYCreepy Crawler]

Hello, I have used plexiglas/ acrylic lids for aquariums and terrariums. They warp, every time under what I would consider normal use. Use glass. It's far stronger than acrylic and(in my opinion) easier to drill holes in (I've drilled holes in both, glass is easier but more time consuming to drill).

@NYCreepy Crawler we can all read what the poster is saying. Telling them to do it in a way that's less than optimal doesn't serve the poster the best in the long run. I would NEVER use acrylic to make an enclosure. Glass is easier, stronger, and does not warp. To get the thickness of acrylic you'd need to minimize warping its going to be twice the cost of glass or more.

Why oh why did u feel the need to say "i would NEVER use acrylic to make an enclosure" why make this all about you? are you the god of glass? Did you invent glass? Re-read what you typed and this time remove the "I" sentence! Better right?
Do you know how many millions of acrylic/plexiglass/strong plastic enclosure there are out there? Start with kritter keepers!
Oh how i would love to burst your bubble! Oh and by the way proof of evidence is essential so if you hVe been warped on, show us a picture of your warped enclosureS (and no google pictures) also if it happened once to you ok fine you learned, if it happened to you twice then maybe you wanted to be sure, but more then three then thats just non-sense and you did mention "EVERYTIME" meaning more then 3 times. So do me a favor and keep my name out your mouth and when you see me post from now on leave me alone

 

[Frogdaddy]

Whoa, the conditions for warping would have to be set inside of a heated oven. (STOP YOUR EXAGGERATIONS MR TWISTER) He clearly stated he wants to use acrylic, or a plexiglass or a strong see through plastic. cant anyone read anymore? Sheesh all youz are so into what you got that ya cant even focus on what the OP is asking for from the community.

This is false. Plexi will warp at room temperatures under high humidity conditions. I've seen it on my dart frog vivariums first hand.

 

[NYCreepy Crawler]

This is false. Plexi will warp at room temperatures under high humidity conditions. I've seen it on my dart frog vivariums first hand.

Ya leaving this in direct sunlight? Under a lamp? How? Never happens to me.

 

[Frogdaddy]

Of course not. I use the best practice husbandry for all of my animals. That includes not using a heat lamp or placing a vivarium in direct sunlight.
How? Plexiglass warps with exposure to moisture, it's a simple concept and well known fact.
Yes glass can scratch. So does acrylic. Glass is harder to scratch than acrylic. Because it's a harder material to begin with. Ask any reef keeper how many scratches they have in their acrylic aquarium.

 

[NYCreepy Crawler]

LoL, im not going to start chatting about scratches. Im done here!

 

[Dorifto]

Hi guys, I really want to make my own enclosure made of acrylic, plexi glass or some strong see through plastic material(I want to drill ventilation in the sides and design it myself). The problem is I do not know how or what to use(what is safe for tarantulas. I want to make something like what the dark den makes.

Thanks

That's my terrarium's blueprint. If you have any question regarding how to build it or something similar, feel free to ask!

 

[MrTwister]

Whoa, the conditions for warping would have to be set inside of a heated oven. (STOP YOUR EXAGGERATIONS MR TWISTER) He clearly stated he wants to use acrylic, or a plexiglass or a strong see through plastic. cant anyone read anymore? Sheesh all youz are so into what you got that ya cant even focus on what the OP is asking for from the community.

heat has nothing to do with it. Plexi is prone to warping when one side is moist. Not sure how this is an exaggeration.

 

[moricollins]

Why oh why did u feel the need to say "i would NEVER use acrylic to make an enclosure" why make this all about you? are you the god of glass? Did you invent glass? Re-read what you typed and this time remove the "I" sentence! Better right?
Do you know how many millions of acrylic/plexiglass/strong plastic enclosure there are out there? Start with kritter keepers!
Oh how i would love to burst your bubble! Oh and by the way proof of evidence is essential so if you hVe been warped on, show us a picture of your warped enclosureS (and no google pictures) also if it happened once to you ok fine you learned, if it happened to you twice then maybe you wanted to be sure, but more then three then thats just non-sense and you did mention "EVERYTIME" meaning more then 3 times. So do me a favor and keep my name out your mouth and when you see me post from now on leave me alone

Where did I make it "all about me"? I shared my experience having used acrylic for aquarium lids. I think you're the one that wants to make every thread about you, where as soon as you are disagreed with you freak out and start insulting people


I've tried several different thicknesses of acrylic, to see if there was one that wouldn't warp so easily, but they all did. So after 3 or so attempts I stopped and switched to glass

 

[Braden]

How does it warp? Like bend or difficult to see through

Thanks everyone for your opinions I'm having a hard time choosing between glass and acrylic as you all have interesting points!

 

[TheDarkFinder]

Ok. Just so we can be sure we are getting our facts straight. Acrylic will absorb moisture and it will expand. There is no middle ground on this. Unless you are using very thick pieces you will get warping and cracking over time with a difference in moisture levels.

Polycarb/lexan is another clear plastic. It is way less likely to warp and crack with moisture exposure. It can, but much less then acrylic. It is way more expensive and more likely to scratch, dent, and yellow over time. This is what your baby bottles are made of.

Glass does none of the above. It is harder to work with for untrained people, but cheaper and longer lasting.

edit.

Always us 1/4 inch think glass if you plan on drilling. 1/8 will crack over time.