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Message: <blockquote data-quote="octanejunkie" data-source="post: 206079" data-attributes="member: 3872">Top opening enclosures for avicsObviously this is the easiest because most containers we can buy open from the top, especially if not hobby-specific, and I know I told you in the first post this was not ideal; but you can make top openers work.People are inherently lazy, especially me, and since I have way too many spiders to make custom enclosures for I started experimenting with top opening enclosures for avics and here is what I found...If you place a diagonal structure like a branch or sliver of cork bark from top to bottom and place "a platform"mid-span, like a leaf or similar, the spider will most likely make that surface it's home base for webbing vs going to the top exclusively.Here are a few examples of top openers I've gotten to work with avicularia, from smallest to largestThe Souffle Cup[ATTACH=full]61863[/ATTACH]Great for hatchlings* and small slings, a 1 oz cup with holes around the sides and 4 in the lid, substrate on the bottom 3rd and an oak leaf on the diagonal. This gives the spider choices of where to hang out and web. I water through the top holes and open a smide to drop a feeder in. I buy these at Smart and Final.The Dram Vial[ATTACH=full]61862[/ATTACH]For slightly larger slings up to an inch or so the vial is great. Substrate at the bottom 5th, some moss and a diagonal oak leaf. Same concept as above but I didn't bother drilling or melting holes in the vial walls, I just perforate the lid and be careful not to saturate with water. Open the lid a smidge or take it off to feed and remove exos.The Snack Cup[ATTACH=full]61864[/ATTACH]Same concept as the souffle cup but 4-5 oz in size. This is not my favorite but is good for slings up to 2" in size. The nice thing about both these snack cups and the smaller souffle cups is that you can stack them.The Deli Cup[ATTACH=full]61858[/ATTACH]Favoring 32 oz size, this is now my GO TO or slings over 2" and they can live here through juvenile and into adulthood. Diagonal structure with diagonal or leaning structure and a mid-span platform, like that leaf. There's moss at the bottom of this one but that's optional as it's a good hiding place for feeders. A 3/4 oz souffle cup can be placed in here as a water dish.You can see the shadow of an M5 male who is just about 3" - he is on the side and made a web tunnel on the other side between the wall and the bark/leaf.Here is a larger M6 female, she webbed the crap out of her setup. She is nearing 5" in size and will be rehoused on her next molt.[ATTACH=full]61860[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]61865[/ATTACH]The lids are super ventilated and I water directly through the lids. I will often see spiders upside down, drinking from the water on the lids.Communal Deli Cup* (asterisk from above)[ATTACH=full]61861[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]61857[/ATTACH]Yup, that's right. Avicularia avicularia, living harmoniously, a dozen at a time in a 32 oz deli cup. Once avic hatchlings hit 2i I move them to a setup like this, but communally, just like they were in the sac. I do this for OBTs too, but in smaller cups since they are smaller slings (species).I put more surfaces in here for them and while they will web right up to the lid, the don't web to it and they don't all try to run when I open it to feed. They are actually very chill.They web eat and thrive in this setup until they start crowding each other and then get moved to their own 32ozSo that's it. That's the update. Try it yourself, or don't. This is what is working for me and while these are not as "display worthy" as an Exo Terra or similar, they are cheap, super functional, reusable/disposable and the spider doesn't give a darn - it's home.</blockquote>

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