So this may be a bit premature thinking about adult enclosures while all of my Ts are slings (except for a 3.5" G. pulchripes female) but my curious mind can't help it.
I have thought about and looked at the following enclosures:
Shoe boxes/tupperware
2.5, 5, and 10 gallon aquariums
Exo-Terra Terrariums
Custom acrylic cages (like those from tarantulacages.com)
After looking at these possibilities I considered how much it would cost to house my collection in each, and how much space would it take. I found that getting all tarantulacages.com would be much too expensive for me. Exo-Terra is also quite pricey. The aquarium options are surprisingly expensive, unless you find a deal on them, but are the best option so far. And finally the shoe box is the cheapest but not the best in terms of aesthetic.
Now that I have that out of the way, I can tell you I have come up with my own that I would like advice on. Essentially it is a cheaper replica of the Exo-Terra 12" cube but made with all acrylic. I can make these for about $30 a piece. They also aren't as large and sticking all of my collection in 10 gallon aquariums. Another down side to the aquariums is that only the lid can have ventilation considering the other sides are glass.
Here is my reasoning behind it. The arboreal get the same height as a 2.5 gallon- 12" (many keepers have Avics in 2.5 gallons just fine.) BUT at the same time they can be used for terrestrial and they get 144 sq. in. of floor space. That is a bit more than a 5 gallon on it's side. With my custom enclosure I can also have better passive (or cross) ventilation while still controlling humidity. Notice the vents in the door and the top. Essentially is a Ex0-Terra without too much ventilation at half of the cost. These give the Ts plenty of room, while not requiring a whole room to keep them in.
Here is a photo of it by itself.
And here it is next to a 10 gallon in both forms.
Is this a horrible design? Will it work? Any limitations?
I have thought about and looked at the following enclosures:
Shoe boxes/tupperware
2.5, 5, and 10 gallon aquariums
Exo-Terra Terrariums
Custom acrylic cages (like those from tarantulacages.com)
After looking at these possibilities I considered how much it would cost to house my collection in each, and how much space would it take. I found that getting all tarantulacages.com would be much too expensive for me. Exo-Terra is also quite pricey. The aquarium options are surprisingly expensive, unless you find a deal on them, but are the best option so far. And finally the shoe box is the cheapest but not the best in terms of aesthetic.
Now that I have that out of the way, I can tell you I have come up with my own that I would like advice on. Essentially it is a cheaper replica of the Exo-Terra 12" cube but made with all acrylic. I can make these for about $30 a piece. They also aren't as large and sticking all of my collection in 10 gallon aquariums. Another down side to the aquariums is that only the lid can have ventilation considering the other sides are glass.
Here is my reasoning behind it. The arboreal get the same height as a 2.5 gallon- 12" (many keepers have Avics in 2.5 gallons just fine.) BUT at the same time they can be used for terrestrial and they get 144 sq. in. of floor space. That is a bit more than a 5 gallon on it's side. With my custom enclosure I can also have better passive (or cross) ventilation while still controlling humidity. Notice the vents in the door and the top. Essentially is a Ex0-Terra without too much ventilation at half of the cost. These give the Ts plenty of room, while not requiring a whole room to keep them in.
Here is a photo of it by itself.
And here it is next to a 10 gallon in both forms.
Is this a horrible design? Will it work? Any limitations?