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Enclosure Inspiration Thread

Dave Jay

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Dave Jay

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Making a mini Uluru for your Ts, @Dave Jay?
I certainly could!
I should apologise, I had forgotten I posted these pics here, I had to leave quickly and didn't get to explain them.
I recently found a queen ant and came up with this idea then realised they'd be great for burrowing tarantulas too so I'm doing up more.
The material I'm using is coloured grout which is often used by ant keepers to make nests. I'm thinking if it's safe for ants and their eggs and larvae it's probably ok for spiders too. Someone's going to have to be a guinea pig!
I'm making sure I cure it very well, I've been letting each lot cure for about a week before adding more, I don't want to take too many chances but it certainly opens up a lot of possibilities for designing tarantula enclosures.
 

Thistles

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I certainly could!
I should apologise, I had forgotten I posted these pics here, I had to leave quickly and didn't get to explain them.
I recently found a queen ant and came up with this idea then realised they'd be great for burrowing tarantulas too so I'm doing up more.
The material I'm using is coloured grout which is often used by ant keepers to make nests. I'm thinking if it's safe for ants and their eggs and larvae it's probably ok for spiders too. Someone's going to have to be a guinea pig!
I'm making sure I cure it very well, I've been letting each lot cure for about a week before adding more, I don't want to take too many chances but it certainly opens up a lot of possibilities for designing tarantula enclosures.
Oh wow, that's fascinating! That's definitely an interesting idea. I've heard of people using similar methods for naturalistic vivaria. I think the trick here in the states is to get stuff that doesn't have antifungal stuff mixed in.
 

Dave Jay

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Oh wow, that's fascinating! That's definitely an interesting idea. I've heard of people using similar methods for naturalistic vivaria. I think the trick here in the states is to get stuff that doesn't have antifungal stuff mixed in.
I worried about that too. Most of the labels do say "mould resistant" but the ingredients listed are just minerals , I think perhaps anything that is mostly portland cement would be naturally resistant to mould/fungus, perhaps due to the ph ? However I did buy a bag that didn't specifically state that it was mould resistant on the label.
I'm fairly sure that once properly cured it will be safe but unfortunately the only real way to be sure will be to try it and see.
If it's so commonly used in ant keeping, where it is deliberately kept moist and larvae and eggs are in close contact with it in an almost sealed environment without problems my guess is it will be ok for spiders too. I will certainly let people know one way or the other how it pans out.
 

Phil

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I worried about that too. Most of the labels do say "mould resistant" but the ingredients listed are just minerals , I think perhaps anything that is mostly portland cement would be naturally resistant to mould/fungus, perhaps due to the ph ? However I did buy a bag that didn't specifically state that it was mould resistant on the label.
I'm fairly sure that once properly cured it will be safe but unfortunately the only real way to be sure will be to try it and see.
If it's so commonly used in ant keeping, where it is deliberately kept moist and larvae and eggs are in close contact with it in an almost sealed environment without problems my guess is it will be ok for spiders too. I will certainly let people know one way or the other how it pans out.
any updates on this project? :)
 

Dave Jay

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any updates on this project? :)
I haven't put the build pictures together yet but I have experimented since.
Originally I included straws so that water can be syringed down to the bottom of the substrate, the first four were done this way and it works pretty well but because there is not much actual substrate to hold the moisture they can dry out quickly on occasion. So I adapted another idea I saw on the formiculture forum and filled the inner container with wet sand. I put a 1cm mesh covered hole in a bottom corner and another on the top. I made plugs for the top openings using petri dishes so that there wouldn't be evaporation from the top of the inner tub, moisture will have to evaporate from the surface of the substrate and be drawn from the wet sand in the inner tub via the bottom opening. Having removable plugs means I can swap the decor in the enclosure easily and it can be moved for better access during maintenance.
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So far they are working well with ants, I have had my Phlogius crassipes in one for a while without problems but it hasn't burrowed so isn't it very close contact with the grout. When the Selenotopus "sp2" are active again I'll move a couple of those little bulldozers into this style enclosure for a real test.
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And this is Young Geoffrey, my P. crassipes in his enclosure, he's doing much better in this enclosure .
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Whitelightning777

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I haven't put the build pictures together yet but I have experimented since.
Originally I included straws so that water can be syringed down to the bottom of the substrate, the first four were done this way and it works pretty well but because there is not much actual substrate to hold the moisture they can dry out quickly on occasion. So I adapted another idea I saw on the formiculture forum and filled the inner container with wet sand. I put a 1cm mesh covered hole in a bottom corner and another on the top. I made plugs for the top openings using petri dishes so that there wouldn't be evaporation from the top of the inner tub, moisture will have to evaporate from the surface of the substrate and be drawn from the wet sand in the inner tub via the bottom opening. Having removable plugs means I can swap the decor in the enclosure easily and it can be moved for better access during maintenance.
View attachment 32797 So far they are working well with ants, I have had my Phlogius crassipes in one for a while without problems but it hasn't burrowed so isn't it very close contact with the grout. When the Selenotopus "sp2" are active again I'll move a couple of those little bulldozers into this style enclosure for a real test.
View attachment 32798 View attachment 32799
View attachment 32800
And this is Young Geoffrey, my P. crassipes in his enclosure, he's doing much better in this enclosure .View attachment 32801


Those look wonderful, solid and crystal clear.
 

Dave Jay

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Those look wonderful, solid and crystal clear.
Thanks. They are just food storage containers from the supermarket but relatively expensive for supermarket tubs, around $12 each. They are "Ultra Clear" , when you look at the edges or corners there is a black look to the plastic rather than the usual milky look, I like the black trim around the lid too. I've messed around and messed up putting a smaller grout covered container inside them so any burrowing will be against the outside and visible, lots of trial and error then a couple of weeks ago I had a "duh" moment , I could have used a smaller version as the "nest/burrow" part and this size as the surface, sitting it on top joined at the corners by tubes. That way I could trap the inhabitants in the bottom container and clean or change the top enclosure very easily. I'm currently building a few to test out .
 

DustyD

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Okay, I know tarantulas are perfectly happy being kept in plain old rubbermaid buckets of dirt. But for me, part of the fun of the hobby is setting up 'natural' looking enclosures and displaying my Ts. I know some people on here have gone all out on their enclosures, so let's make a picture heavy thread to inspire our members with future rehouses.

I'll start with the enclosure I just set up for my GBB using excavator clay:

DY3oP9U.jpg

i0qVJ8s.jpg

XpJj6Nk.jpg

wGzMscu.jpg
@yeahhtrue Any long term update on the excavator clay enclosure you did for your GBB?
It looks great and I am curious as to how it has held up over time, and how has humidity, if you have it, affects the clay.

I am thinking about using it to set up an enclosure for a G. rosea that I hope would resemble it's natural scrubland environment. Where I have my tarantulas humidity is about 50-60 % so far this summer, but likely less this winter.
 

Vermis

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Excellent thread. Some very nice work here.

I don't think I'll be contributing to this thread, as I am getting to the point that if I want to get more adds, I have to stick with space saving enclosures, though I do prefer sterilite tubs over getting fancy. To top it off I'm not very creative at all.

Ditto. I'd like to arrange some fancy enclosures, but space is at a premium, and no-one else here wants to look at spiders, no matter how nice their tanks look! It'd be a bit of a waste.

Before I came here I did plan to experiment with coir and sepiolite clay, see if I could mix a suitable burrowing substrate. I should get onto that.
 

Anthony York

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Doesn't it drive you crazy too when you think of something after you have either gone to far putting stuff in or completing it
 

Noodlelove

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Okay, I know tarantulas are perfectly happy being kept in plain old rubbermaid buckets of dirt. But for me, part of the fun of the hobby is setting up 'natural' looking enclosures and displaying my Ts. I know some people on here have gone all out on their enclosures, so let's make a picture heavy thread to inspire our members with future rehouses.

I'll start with the enclosure I just set up for my GBB using excavator clay:

DY3oP9U.jpg

i0qVJ8s.jpg

XpJj6Nk.jpg

wGzMscu.jpg
I love what you've done. Just love it
 
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