The 5th enclosure creation B. vagans

[TalonAWD]

Well I'm back with another enclosure. I know that in my thread for the 4th enclosure I said it would be my last but it couldn't be. I love making these things.
So for this one I took the existing 4th enclosure and transformed it. I sold my P. regalis finding that I am much more interested in terrestrial tarantulas. I then bought a Female B. vagan and went to the drawing board.
Heres the link to the 4th so you can see the difference/changes I made. (also you can see links to my previous creations (1-4))http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=147843

I did not spend too much money on this one as I just too the same furniture and modified it to my creation idea for the B. vagan. I ripped out the tree stump, center piece and large log but left the side log in place. Than I rearranged it all and used Great stuff foam to lock them in place as well form the new landscape with the caves. I created a deep cave (left) and another "half" cave (right). I did this also with my #3 B. boehmei enclosure and she likes to use the partial cave rather than the full cave. I figured this will do good for this species (B. vagan) as well.
The idea was maximum floor space so the second floor wraps around the enclosure to make it double the area space. The center piece was cut and reshaped to fit towards the rear top floor. To make the curved/bowed floor I used a piece of styrofoam and slowly bent it to my desired shape. Than locked it in with the GS Foam. I filled in the space for the exising side log to make it like a platform. Added some foilage (fake) and covered it all with Black silicone and than while still wet put dry spagham peat moss on top to created the dirt landscape look.

In a couple of weeks I will add substrate (S. peat moss) and my B. vagan. I'm sure she will love it.

Here she is...

Here are the enclosure pictures...

Cave setup.

Other partial cave next door

Center piece

Its going to look alot better with the substrate.

 

[Ictinike]

Looks awesome! :clap:

 

[LadyVenom]

I love how you design your cages. I am currently working on one for the P. regalis that you sold me. She is currently in a smaller cage to hold her for now, and loves her little cork bark ring that she hides in. Can't wait to start designing for her!

 

[TalonAWD]

I love how you design your cages. I am currently working on one for the P. regalis that you sold me. She is currently in a smaller cage to hold her for now, and loves her little cork bark ring that she hides in. Can't wait to start designing for her!

Thank you.
I'm glad to hear she (P. regalis) is loving her new owner

When I design my enclosures I think about what their natural environment may be like and a floor design that looks apealing since every tarantula I get is for display purposes. I also think about how it may hide and where the prey items will try to hide and eliminate these possible locations. I don't ever want to know that a cricket died behind something than a mite explosion happens.

Like behind the center piece theres a cutout in the backdrop and a space for the Tarantula to be able to reach. And also I can stick my tweezers behind there.

 

[TalonAWD]

Heres a shot of the cutout behind the center piece. Not visable when looking straight into the enclosure. I wanted this feature to remain hidden for cosmetic purposes. The cutout also is on the right side of the center piece and that is visable from the front but only if you look for it. I would easly see a critter hidding back there at a glance and the T can find a critter behind the center piece because the space is large enough.

 

[bholmes]

wow that is an amazing enclosure

 

[Zebo777]

Ver nice setup

 

[Radamanthys]

VERY nice enclosure, although i'd put some coconut fiber on the bottom

 

[TalonAWD]

VERY nice enclosure, although i'd put some coconut fiber on the bottom

Of course!!! I did state I would later on.

I am currently waiting on all the chemicals to air out. I usually wait three weeks or until sticking my head in the enclosure proves to smell like the Sphagnum peat moss.
Than I add the substrate.

 

[arachna-nono]

Wow. That set-up is TRULY a thing of beauty!

 

[TalonAWD]

Wow. That set-up is TRULY a thing of beauty!

You should check out my other 4. Link is in the first post. Than links to other 3 in that links first post.

 

[arachna-nono]

lol... was doing just that while you were posting! They are VERY nice! Your set-ups almost make me want to have more T's! Alas, for my inverts.... I'm a sterilite tub and deli-cup girl. Seeing your stuff makes me feel BAD about it!

 

[TalonAWD]

I finally am ok with putting substrate in and here are the finished pictures. I really like how this one came out. Its part tropical and the plants look great!She will move in probably tomorrow. I hope she likes her new home. Alot more space than what shes in right now. \/ \/ \/ (Temporary holding cell)

Heres top angle

Angle sides pics

Here are the two caves. The one on the left is the main deeper cave.

And the second floor.

It will be interesting to see how she webs up this enclosure. I didn't know they web everything they touch. Thats something I never read about this species before.

 

[TalonAWD]

Well she moved in today. She is the sweetest girl. Super calm. She did not want to really move so I picked her up and placed her in her new fully furnished home.

HOME!

 

[pearson340]

looks a bit big for it mine has its black carapace already and she is still to small for that size tank but really nice setup and great T love it

 

[TalonAWD]

In my care they grow very fast. She is an agressive eater so finding food is not a problem. She does not even let them land. All the T's that entered these enclosure were around the 3" mark. Its fine for them. She will grow into it and theres less stress overall because she will be there for a very long time, if not for life.

mine has its black carapace already

I also find is a bit strange that at her 3" mark, she still does not have a black carapace.

 

[pearson340]

but looking at the size its the same as mine did here:

but look at her now tho:

and she is one molt away before i put her in a bigger tank she likes it in there anyway.

 

[TalonAWD]

Update:
She really took the setup well. She started to web alot in the enclosure. First she went to the second floor and webbed all over than went to the first to prepare for a molt as she was in premolt.
She looked at both caves (as apparant from her webbing) and chose the one I knew she would....The smaller one on the right (just like the B. boehmei).
She made a wall and dug herself a little downward slope in the right cave and closed it off with webs.
And she molted out today! I have to wait till she emerges to see her new suit and am very excited. I took a peek but she is scrunched up in there.

I'm surprised at all the webbing this girl does. Lets see if it turns out to be a web paradise later on. (Maybe not half as much as my GBB)

Heres some pics. Some of her handy work. Second floor has more of her artwork.

Heres the cave wall she made.

 

[FireGuyX]

How much that setup cost, is that custom made?

 

[Spyder 1.0]

the fake plants diminish the quality of the enclosure a lot. Otherwise your attention to detail astonishes me.