Zoo Med Cage Modifications

[axbrown]

So, I'm sure I am not the only one here who uses zoo med's for there favorite spiders Also, I'm sure I'm not the only one who has problems keeping up the humidity for arboreal T's such as pokies and avics :wall: Well I have a good cheap fix for this Only cost me 18 dollars, to fix several zoo meds! I bought Plexiglas from Lowes, and they cut it for me for free to the right specifications (9.5 in. square for the small and medium sizes, not sure for the large:? ) and all i did was take it home, drill some holes, and used a hot glue gun to secure it in place, and wham!! No more humidity problems

Here are some pics of the process and end result

P.S. Messed up on the first one, by snapping off a corner to avoid this, lay the Plexiglas on a piece of wood you don't care about ruining, and drill VERY slowly.. Trust me also make sure the drill bit is rotating clockwise, otherwise when drilling through, right when you make it all the way through almost everytime you will crack it slightly. (Had this happen when I accidentally changed it from clockwise to counterclockwise ) Anyways, thats about it! Cheap, pretty goodlooking and effective fix for all

 

[KoriTamashii]

Pretty cool idea! Thanks for sharing

 

[AmbushArachnids]

Looks nice, but shouldn't there be alot more holes than that?

 

[grayzone]

thats what i do already lol.... GREAT idea though. definitely helps humidity, provides PLENTY of airflow (even with that amount of airholes) and looks alot cleaner than cardboard or aomethin else on top. thumbs up:clap:

 

[axbrown]

Thanks guys And yea that amount of holes is fine for ventilation, not to mention the holes on the front edge of the cage below the door help too

 

[Kathy]

Oh my gosh, GREAT idea...I can't believe I didn't think of this myself! I'm going to Ace Hardware tomorrow to get some plexiglass and get out my soldering iron. Thanks! Sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to think of!

 

[ArachnidSentinl]

Looks good, but I've found that plexiglass warps easily when covering a tank with high humidity (not sure if anyone else has had this problem).

 

[axbrown]

If you buy the acrylic Plexiglas it doesn't warp under humidity or temperature, (unless you have a heat lamp right over it). The guy at lowes said this kind of Plexiglas is a higher percentage of glass than plastic, making it more delicate physically, but it should be fine in this setup.

 

[GartenSpinnen]

Good idea! I need to do this soon with my Exo-Terra setup because my P. rufilata molted out and she is a monster. I am a lil worried she will easily munch through the measily mesh they use to construct these. Very nice

 

[syndicate]

A cheaper less visually appealing fix is to tape up the vents with clear masking tape.I do this to all my screen lids to increase humidity for tropical species.
-Chris

 

[lotusracer]

If you buy the acrylic Plexiglas it doesn't warp under humidity or temperature, (unless you have a heat lamp right over it). The guy at lowes said this kind of Plexiglas is a higher percentage of glass than plastic, making it more delicate physically, but it should be fine in this setup.

The 'glass' content (as in silicate glass content) of 'Plexiglas' is zero. Commonly encountered plastics sold as 'Plexiglas' at stores like Lowes or Home Depot are acrylic and Lexan (brand name for polycabonate...) and any of their relatives or brand names. FWIW, I've been using wood-framed acrylic for housing uromastyx for years with no warpage even adjacent to heaters.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poly(methyl_methacrylate)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexan

 

[axbrown]

Good idea! I need to do this soon with my Exo-Terra setup because my P. rufilata molted out and she is a monster. I am a lil worried she will easily munch through the measily mesh they use to construct these. Very nice

Actually the cage on the left has a P.rufilata in it she's about 7.5in now, and I cant wait till she gets even bigger!

 

[TalonAWD]

I have been doing that to the Exo-Terra's since 2007 (Enclosure Creations series). Only i remove the screen entirely. Heres a vid on it. It works flawlessly.

It is true that humidity will warp the plexi glass. With the Exo terra's theres a center brace to the top that helps with preventing it.

Enclosure Creations #13
[YOUTUBE]JvrJzxvjWYs[/YOUTUBE]

 

[gmrpnk21]

What are you using to make those perfect holes???

 

[baboonfan]

Looks nice, but shouldn't there be alot more holes than that?

Those zoo med cages have plenty of ventilation coming through the space surrounding the door. If they were airtight I would agree but his fix is perfect for those cages.

The only remaining problem with them is that there is a large space along the hinged side of the door when the door is open. The risk for escape can be fixed with plastic wrap attached to that side of the door with tape.