Thanks Tom! Your my hero. I love that you truly are here to educate others. We need more like you in the hobby. Had my G. porteri for years but, have found often even if you have done your research and are not new to the T world many online groups can be very hostile. It’s sad when all you want is to share your Ts with others and talk about the hobby. So thank you for being a friendly place to turn to for all things tarantula. Love the Podcast!!! Get to listen all day at work....keep it up please!
Awww...thanks so much, Cassondra! Yeah, part of the the reason I started Tom's Big Spiders was to give folks a safe place to go for questions. I will definitely keep it up with the podcasts. Thanks again!
thanks for responding!! wow I LOVE your podcast. I needed a place to allow me to take my love of T's into my work space. Going to work is hard on Monday but, your podcast helps I love the youtube videos but, podcasts are allowed at my job. Finally considering my first new world tarantula and excited to grow into this hobby. Thanks for everything you do... so thankful you are not "too cool" for newbies and never seem to judge people. I'm the type of person who needs a safe space. pls keep podcast going...having the option to bring my addiction to work was all I really needed in my life :)
The acrylic cages are stunning but ouch, the cost is high. It's no different in the uk and if you shop around you can usually find glass enclosures that are a better price than plastic. Nice set ups though tom. Good job.
Thank you for this video! I have been searching high and low for an enclosure prior to acquiring my first T. Everyone suggested plastic containers from Hobby Lobby or the Container Store; the cost is right but the aesthetic isn't quite there for me. I look forward to receiving my Jamie Tarantula Adult enclosure so I can order my little one! ❤️
Hey, Tink! Just a heads up, but Lorex now does drilled holes as well. I have one of theirs for my M. balfouri communal enclosure. The Jamie's ones are awesome!
Happy valentines day you guys. Interesting comparison. We have our bigger ones in glass terrariums ,works great if you don't have the underground living T that need deep substrate ( which we don't ) they are a bit cheaper than the acrylic ones,and the vents are out of metal with lots of little holes,none of my T have managed to chew anything out of them ( yet?)
+Jane Smith And Happy Valentine's Day to you as well! Glass terrariums look and work great as well! I actually picked up my first acrylic enclosure when I was placing an order from Jamie for some slings because I wanted something "fancy" for my G. porteri. I just like the looks of them. One of the fun aspects of the hobby for me is experimenting with all types of enclosures.
These look like they'd be excellent for a larger centipede. Really been looking for a way to safely keep one of those in a display-like fashion. Will definitely be looking into them!
They can definitely work, depending on the size of the T. Personally, I find them to be a bit heavy, especially once you fill them with enough substrate so that the T won't get injured if climbs and falls. What were you thinking of putting in it?
on a cheaper note, I get model car cases at hobby lobby for 10 bucks and under depending on size. I drill air holes in them. super cheap and completely clear all the way around the enclosure. also very secure.
+Mindy W Whiteley Yup, I know exactly what you're talking about and they make fantastic enclosures. Good looking and quite practical...a great combination!
Great vid man. Have you noticed any warping in Jamie's enclosures? I bought 5 large, like the ones you have in the vid, all arboreal, I've only had them a month now and the doors are warping really bad. the rest of the enclosure is good, just the doors have warped really bad to the point where it's almost unclosable. I'm really disappointed and would like to hear your thoughts on it, thnx.
+sNstRflyEr Wow, that is totally disappointing. Ugh I currently have two set up terrestrially, and I've had no warping on those whatsoever. The arboreal one has just some slight warping on one of the corners, but it is really barely noticeable. It is a little bit more difficult to close than the others, but I wouldn't call it an issue. Have you contacted her about them?
+Tom Moran I haven't emailed her about it, I feel like that would be useless as there's nothing she can really do about it. The warping is very bad, and noticed today that the door has warped inward in the middle so bad that a cricket would be able to slip out..it's that bad, and it's only a month old...it's wondering if she changed the thickness of the acrylic or something...idk. I'm just so discouraged....and hearing that you have had yours for quite a while and don't have any warping is weird.. I searched long and hard to find an enclosure that I loved for all my T's and thought I had found it with this one, but apparently not. I'm playing with the idea of replacing just the door with a piece of glass, as the rest of the enclosure is great...just not sure if that would work, any ideas? opinions?
+sNstRflyEr Personally, I would let her know. She doesn't just make these cages to sell, but uses them for her own collection as well. If new materials were used for the door that proved flimsier and more likely to warp, she might be able to fix this situation on future enclosures. As my older cage hasn't warped, I think that you might be onto something with the change in thickness. If it was me, I would probably replace the original door plexiglass. You can buy it in smaller pre-cut sizes in Home Depot and Lowes. The plexiglass would have a similar look to the rest of the enclosure without the extra weight glass would have. Getting the hinges off might be a bit tricky; looking at mine, their isn't an over abundance of adhesive. Please let me know what you decide to do. I still would definitely contact her and let her know, though. Although all acrylic enclosures eventually experience some warping, what you're describing is unacceptable.
+Tom Moran I did contact her, tho she didn't really have much to say about it. She said she herself uses many of these set up arboreal with hunidity and doesn't have any warping, which I find extraordinary if true, as mine have warped excessively. She did however explain that customer satisfaction is very important to her and would like to make it right..I'm not ignorant and would never try to get something for free or take advantage of her offer, but simply told her some things that would make the enclosure less prone to warping, like double hasps, and she agrees, so hopefully the new ones will be better, other than that nothing to be done about my specific situation. I ordered some thin glass panels from a glass place, same dimensions obviously, very light, and will soon attempt to remove the doors and replace. Thanks for the back and fourth you have had with me, I appreciate it. Love your vids, I'm subbed, and look forward to more.
First off, my apologies for the late reply! I never saw your response. Well, it sounds like you were very classy and reasonable about the whole thing, which is great. And I do hope that she makes some changes to ensure that the next batch doesn't have these issues. Like I said, I use these as well and planned to get more, but I definitely don't need to deal with the warping. I know she tweaks the designs every once in a while, so hopefully the next tweaks will fix this issue. I hope the replacement of the doors goes well; please let me know how it works out! And thanks so much for the kind words! Tom
Me Havi 5 hours ago So now that she's rehoused, how do I get her off the door to her cork? She refuses to go there. I ended up switching it back from vertical to perpendicular yesterday since her old one was too. Placed her on the cork and she went back to the door opening and is not budging...:( She outgrew her old webbed up one. She did a great job of funneling that tube. She hasn't eaten in weeks and molted over the summer. She was not a happy camper in the temporary container doing the remodel yesterday. Legs all drawn in. She is a trooper for putting up with all the fussing. Newbie worries...any input Tom I would be grateful. It's been 3 days. I used the paintbrush to move to try to feed her. She refused and went back to the door opening..
Oh, dear...I hate when they do that! haha. Sometimes, they just chose the most inconvenient places to set up shop. Is there any cover for her around the door? Usually they want to cower behind something. Has she webbed in that area yet?
I'm so glad! Thank you! :) Just so that you're aware, Lorex is now offering some enclosures with drilled holes instead of wire vents. They listened to feedback. :)
An aspect that might speak for the Lorex enclosures is that you get a more or less unobstructed view from the front if you set it up terrestrially. With Jamies you have the ugly holes to look through. I think this is a rather important aspect if you set it up as a display.
Hey toms sorry I'm on so many videos asking so many questions but I promise this will be the last lol so I was wondering my P.rufilata has since molted and is 4 inches her adult enclosure is a Exo terra mini of 12x12x18 do you think it's time for her to move cause I really need that tank for a A.metallica that's coming so your thoughts?
Please, there's no limit on questions. If you ever have one, ask away! If you don't plan on keeping your rufilata in that enclosure through maturity, then I would move her now while she is a much more manageable 4" (they can be a lot of "fun" to move after they hit 7 inches or more!). Once my pokies hit about 4" or so, I put them in their final enclosures. Personally, I think that's a pretty good sized enclosure for one. What size is the A. metallica? I have a 6" female, and she uses basically one corner of an 8 x 8 x 14" enclosure.
+Tom Moran she is 5 inches she's a little devil she webs up her water dish all the time since I glued it up high and it's always a bother so I wanna move her to something bigger for maintenance reasons
Update on Wednesday hanging out on the door. Sunday I paint brushed her off to put a roach in. Later that day I saw she was working on a bulbus back on the door. Today while getting ready for work she left the door and was on the substrate wedged in between 2 small pieces of cork head first. Quick opportunity to clean the poop out of her water bowl and throw in another roach figuring she was looking there since I saw the roach over there on Sunday. Tonight she was back on the door. Found another bulbus. Guess she's making up for not eating from when she was in her outgrown cork. Still no signs of webbing but glad she is finally eating like a little pig! Any other suggestions? Not ideal having a T hanging there all the time when you need to do maintenance cleaning and changing water, etc..
That's awesome that she's eating. As for where she''s chosen to hang out, I'm not sure what else you can do. The light trick worked for me a couple times. Sometimes, they just don't settle where you want them to. My C. versicolor settled on her front door, but I had that cage constructed with ta top door as well. I just use that now. Haha
She started webbing of course on the corners of the door and the hinges. Did maintenance and stretched it out. She just hung there while I cleaned and threw in her Thanksgiving meal. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Versicolor doing great and Grammostola Iheringi still refusing food for 3 weeks so didn't bother today. So far Lorex enclosures doing well. May try Jaime's for versicolor when it's time to rehoused.
So Iheringi molted sometime today. She's in her hide so can't really see much. Hope all went well. Never see her drink like the Versicolor. Versicolor is remodeling her funnel webb. Whole section torn out and pieces of substrate all webbed in. She's a busy T. So question for you. Do T's get depressed? My daughter's T Wednesday hasn't moved in days. She's pulled in her legs in tight along with her pedipads. Her Thanksgiving meal uneaten. Going to take it out maybe tomorrow which won't be easy since Wednesday is still on the door....😕 What do you think? Just being a worried human Mama.
So I ordered a regalis n want to get a big enclosure later on as soon reaches around 3 ish inches to a full adult size cause I don’t wanna deal with so many re housing for this particular ow heard they can grow possibly to 10 inches or 9 dont remember anyway would the Jamie’s enclosure be big enough for a adult size regalis or what other enclosure would u recommend that can be for display as well
Hi, Eric! Again, so sorry for the late reply! They get to be about 7-8" or so. The Jamie's enclosure would probably be good for an adult. You can also check out Lorex plastics, as they make some larger arboreal enclosures.
hi Tom .... again mi, Cecilia, i love that enclosure, i looked at Jamie's web and they dont have any as big as the one you are showing in this video. I will appreciate if you can help me with some info for my communals (balfouris), Right now they are in glass with no cross ventilation, so I want to get something as the one you are showing. i have 20+. thank you
Hello, Cecilia. They don't carry that size anymore? Sorry about that. I got my balfouri enclosure from Lorex plastics. They have made design changes since I made this video, and they now do drilled holes. I have several of their enclosures now. You can find them on eBay.
@@TomsBigSpiders Hey, no problem, as i myself have larger and larger Ts, it's nice to see the pros and cons to where i should decide to spend my hard earned dollars and you do a very good job!
@@N05man I will say that since I made this video, Lorex has started offering the cages with drilled holes for vents instead of the wire screens. That's a huge improvement. Thanks!
I was thinking of getting an acrylic since it keeps the humidity in it better then the kritter keeper, I can tell by looking at it in the images and videos, but now I see that there is a warping issue I think I'll stick to the kk, what really bites I'd there is not really a good T cage anywhere to begin with, there's even the the ones with the glass doors, but the vents are way up top and no air holes on the side and it a bit tall if I filled it with ecoearth then there would be no point in having the front doors, the hobby lobby display cases are way over priced and u have to drill holes and put hinges and latch on it, there's a cage I'm going to get at petco, it's big and round, only $10 good for a full grown T, only issue is the top, it's like a kk, going to have to cover some top holes and drill some side holes, that's the trick, just get a kk, cover some top holes and drill some side holes, cheap and easy, can cover the top with tap, a rag, or plastic wrap, no biggie
I use a lot of X-large Critter Keepers for my adults. I put cross ventilation holes in the sides with a dremel and cover up much of the top venting with window shrink wrap or duct tape. No, most of the exotic tanks and enclosures are built for snake and reptiles, not tarantulas. It's a shame. I DO have several of the acrylic enclosures, and they work well for me. Warping can certainly be an issue, but I've had good luck with mine. Part of the fun of the hobby for me is finding containers that make for good cages. :) Thanks again!
Maybe the guys over at Lorex will see this and take note of the differences. seems to me a couple small braces at the left and right edge would help keep the cages from warping (like the small panels that allow Jamie's cages to be arboreal or terrestrial). Easy to do and would allow more flexibility with his cages as well. He would have to change or modify the ventilation as well though. Drilling several small holes might be a problem with the plastic he uses? Maybe that is why he goes with the larger round vents.
+MakoMarquis He supposedly can make them custom, but I know of one guy who approached them with a custom design and the guy seemed reluctant to do it. I agree that they would be quite simple to fix, but I think that he sells a lot of them to reptile, frog, and other exotic pet keepers, so he might not be interested in tweaking them to be perfect for Ts. I've been told by folks that drilling the holes is much more time intensive than just using a hole saw to put a few holes in for round vents. I know when I spoke to him, he said they basically make the enclosures on their slow season for something to do. Perhaps one of these days I'll approach him with some design tweaks (reinforced corners, drilled vents, etc.) and see if he's game. I just find that, for my purposes, if I'm going to spend the money I can just order Jamie's and not have to worry. haha
Tom have you ever tried using the large plastic cereal containers for arboreal or fossorial tarantulas? Michael jacobi had a whole article about them and the way he uses them for his breeding age pokies!
+TheReticLair I have! I've actually used them before for a couple of fossorial species. This video was just to spotlight some of the "premium" enclosures I use. I've have a ton of other plastic containers I use for the majority of my collection, and I'm always experimenting with different types. Every time I hit Walmart it seems I come home with something new I want to try. LOL
yes, i knew you were speaking about the higher end stuff for the vid. just curious because once some of my pokies need upgraded out of their 1 gal containers i was thinking of trying the cereal container next. What was your opinion when you used them? Im in CT also
I use those! Snapware brand. Awesome stuff. They have small access lids where you'd normally pour the cereal out (good for watering, dropping in a feeder) & also the whole lid removes. Only drawback is they're not clear. Almost...not quite. :-)
+TheReticLair I keep my ultra defensive arboreals in them...several Poecilotheria, H. mac, P. Irminia...& I use 3 sizes. I like that I don't have to open the entire lid! (Cowardly, I know...lol). You'll love using these. :-)
What pretty flowers you got your valentine wife. I like the acrylic cages as you can see thru them so much better. They are great for making feeding videos.
+Joyce Joseph Ha! Thank you! I didn't realize the flowers were still on the table until after I went to edit it. Lol The acrylic enclosures do look darn good; I just wish they were a bit less expensive. Still, I'll likely be getting a couple more for some of my "showcase" spiders.
Tom Moran Women notice flowers Tom. (wry smile) I got pink tulips. Re: acrylic cages, they are sooo much better when you make feeding videos. You can see thru them even with webbing and excrement. The plastic boxes that cheap storage containers are not easy to see thru and you can never tell where you T is hiding. Some feeding vids really turn me off with the food being closer to the cam than the T. Only the keeper knows they got their prey. Ha ha. Mystery feeding vids. Happy V Day. To you and your T keeper lady!
+Joyce Joseph Hahaha. Of course! Pink tulips sound fantastic. :) Yup, they are just so clear...really makes for a great display and makes it easy to see where the T is. I actually just watched a "mystery" feeding vid today. I'm just had to take the keeper's word for it that the tarantula got the roach. Hahaha. Happy V Day to you as well!
Tom Moran No names but I think I know whom you are referring to. Wry smile again. Hey would you mind if I invited you to watch my videos? They have nothing to do with T's or any real animals, I make fractal art. I thought maybe you might like to see one. They have some great sound effects and they are all original digital art that I created using fractal and kaleid programs. I don't want to push. But when I send the invite you need not watch or if you do and hate it, you can just stop. I love to share my art. I don't get anything for it. I started doing this after a stroke to help me rehab my brain. Thanks Tom. JJ:)
I wouldn't mind at all! I actually just found your channel. Your art is gorgeous, and the presentation is quite beautiful and soothing. How long have you been doing it for? Have you found that it helped with the rehab?
I have ordered from Jamie. The first enclosure I got from her was great. The second came busted. I'm sure she didnt ship it broken but it got damaged in transit. Its worth noting that she will offer 4 options if you receive a damaged enclosure and I will probably post a video explaining the whole ordeal. I always appreciate those in the hobby posting reviews and tips and Jamie's Tarantulas is well-respected in the hobby. Only other thing that I would note is that Jamie's enclosures are better for keeping humidity with their side ventilation. If you are looking to house a species that needs a bit more humidity, then I would choose hers. If you want to house an arid species, you may want to go with an enclosure with top ventilation.
Thanks for chiming in, Jason. I plane to pick up a few more of Jamie's enclosures for some of my "showcase" spiders. Very well built and beautiful. That's terrible about one arriving broken...ugh! UPS really messed up that one!
I know this is very old but ive already ordered an enclosure from jaime and currently have my A chalcodes in it. Would this be an issue since its an arid species?
Another great video. I was wondering about the different tarantula kennels and I do not like the idea of vents for the obvious reasons you mentioned. I want a Jamie's large kennel for my Ms. Moses, she is a beautiful and very opinionated Brazilian Black that Kelly Swift sold me for a very generous price. Mosey has started climbing the walls of her kennel in the middle of the night and I am afraid she is going to fall, she has such a big butt it is hard for her to to lug that thing all over the walls of her kennel. I check her during the night to make sure she is behaving. Thanks again for another informative video.
I feel your pain.our Lasiodora Difficilis is about 6 inch legspan with a big booty, and has apparently never read her own species sheet. She has guide webs strung along the ceiling (!!!!) of her enclosure.thinking of her falling on her back when she does that gives me willies.
+Essie Rosenthal Yeah, I had heard that they could chew through the vents years ago, but I took the chance anyway. With the Lorex cages, at least you can just pop the metal vents out and replace them with plastic. With other enclosures on the market, the vents are glued in. That would be a terrible pain in the behind to fix. Your Brazilian Black would look fantastic in one of those enclosures! If you're afraid she's going to fall, try moving anything with a hard edge (water dish, cork bark, etc.) away from the sides of the enclosure. That would eliminate most of the hazards. I really need to add more substrate to my G. porteri's enclosure. It isn't a ridiculous drop if she climbs, but I could definitely make it safer with more dirt.
+WhyAlwaysMe You could probably get away with stacking the Jamie's enclosures, but you wouldn't be able to open the bottom one. This is one of the reasons I don't have more of them, as space is at a premium!
I'm not a fan of the acrylic for for a con that you pointed out.... the screens...... but most importantly the warping causing gapping in the doors. Some of the custom ones however, have thicker panels and edge framing to eliminate this issue, but they're very expensive and may not be worth the money.
I prefer the ones with holes drilled for ventilation myself (like the Jamie's ones). I've never had any issues with the warping with hers, but I know someone who had a bad time with the doors. Warping is definitely a very real issue. For three of the enclosures I had custom made, I had him frame the doors out to prevent the warping. That has worked great (and he did it for only a couple bucks more).
When heating tarantulas, you want to put the heat mat on the side. You'll also want to mount it on a wall or piece of foam that you can position beside the cage (as apposed to sticking it directly on the cage). I believe the heat can warp them if you put it right on the plastic.
+Tom Moran Well I m a die hard blueshirt from Queens but in the late seventies and eighties I loved to see the Whalers when they were in the WHL then NHL...Samuelson, Hull, Francis, HOWE...great team, Heart broken when they got relocated ..ive been keeping T's since 81-82 there like tattoos cant get just one...I watched the Jon3800 for last few years just to see different T's in others collection and he steered me to you..love your passion..i keep only Asian and African Species but ive seen a few of your new worlds I might be interested in...All the best
+Antony Pugliano Yup, it was a sad day when they announced that they would be moving. My uncle played hockey and was a huge fan (he was the one I attended games with), so the entire family was devastated. And the tattoo analogy is a perfect one (as I can attest to, having quite a few tattoos as well!). Which species are current favorites of yours? I love Asians and African species; a large part of my collection is Old World. I've recently gotten into some of the feistier New Worlds genera as well. There are just so many cool species available these days. If you've been in the hobby since the 80s, I'm guessing that you've enjoyed watching some of those Old World species make their way to the states.
+Tom Moran O. Aureotibialis, H. Albostriatum, very bias towards Pokies (still haven't got a Metallica as of yet, too pricy for me)...C. Darlingi , P.Lugardi, P. Chordatus, A. Ezendami ...and yet no I. Mira or M. Balfouri just don't have the Cash...my wife is more into new world, she has 4 of her own....
Ed at Lorex custom built an enclosure for my daughter's Avicularia avicularia. They did a great job and I was able to pick it up to avoid additional shipping since I was in the area. Just re-housed her yesterday. Last night I wanted to feed her but she was too busy on the door doing this..ua-cam.com/users/results?search_query=tarantula+grooming.+eight+legged+kitty
Larger mice can bite and injure a tarantula. All of them make for very messy remains that can quickly rot and attract all sorts of undesirables. I used to feed my G. porteri the occasional thawed pinky mouse back in the 90s, but I haven't done that in years. I prefer insects.
I believe Its healthy to give big T’s some frog or mouse but mouse make a damn mess and smell if u dont clean next day. Sometimes in summer I catch frog, free food and they do long on it.
Thanks Tom! Your my hero. I love that you truly are here to educate others. We need more like you in the hobby. Had my G. porteri for years but, have found often even if you have done your research and are not new to the T world many online groups can be very hostile. It’s sad when all you want is to share your Ts with others and talk about the hobby. So thank you for being a friendly place to turn to for all things tarantula. Love the Podcast!!! Get to listen all day at work....keep it up please!
Awww...thanks so much, Cassondra! Yeah, part of the the reason I started Tom's Big Spiders was to give folks a safe place to go for questions. I will definitely keep it up with the podcasts. Thanks again!
thanks for responding!! wow I LOVE your podcast. I needed a place to allow me to take my love of T's into my work space. Going to work is hard on Monday but, your podcast helps I love the youtube videos but, podcasts are allowed at my job. Finally considering my first new world tarantula and excited to grow into this hobby. Thanks for everything you do... so thankful you are not "too cool" for newbies and never seem to judge people. I'm the type of person who needs a safe space. pls keep podcast going...having the option to bring my addiction to work was all I really needed in my life :)
The acrylic cages are stunning but ouch, the cost is high. It's no different in the uk and if you shop around you can usually find glass enclosures that are a better price than plastic. Nice set ups though tom. Good job.
Yup, they can definitely be pricey. I don't use them for everything, that's for sure. haha
Thank you for this video! I have been searching high and low for an enclosure prior to acquiring my first T. Everyone suggested plastic containers from Hobby Lobby or the Container Store; the cost is right but the aesthetic isn't quite there for me. I look forward to receiving my Jamie Tarantula Adult enclosure so I can order my little one! ❤️
Hey, Tink! Just a heads up, but Lorex now does drilled holes as well. I have one of theirs for my M. balfouri communal enclosure. The Jamie's ones are awesome!
Happy valentines day you guys. Interesting comparison. We have our bigger ones in glass terrariums ,works great if you don't have the underground living T that need deep substrate ( which we don't ) they are a bit cheaper than the acrylic ones,and the vents are out of metal with lots of little holes,none of my T have managed to chew anything out of them ( yet?)
+Jane Smith And Happy Valentine's Day to you as well! Glass terrariums look and work great as well! I actually picked up my first acrylic enclosure when I was placing an order from Jamie for some slings because I wanted something "fancy" for my G. porteri. I just like the looks of them. One of the fun aspects of the hobby for me is experimenting with all types of enclosures.
These look like they'd be excellent for a larger centipede. Really been looking for a way to safely keep one of those in a display-like fashion. Will definitely be looking into them!
Hi, Paul. It's funny, as I was just telling my wife that I might buy a couple for my centipedes. I agree. :)
You’re from Connecticut how cool! So am I! Stationed in Alaska though. Love your videos
Nicolette! First off, so sorry for the delay! I missed a bunch of comments! What part of CT are you from? I'm in Moosup (don't poke fun. haha).
Tom Moran no worries! I grew up in Manchester and moved to Coventry in my teens. How very cool! Thank you for the response!
just bought a jamies adult prior to watching this. glad i did
Good buy, Dan! I love those enclosures. For the record, Lorex has since fixed some of the issues that I pointed out in this video.
I just bought one of Jamie's juvenile enclosures with my first T.
Hi, Roul! That's awesome! I have four of them, and they are great enclosures. :)
what do you think about a fish tank for a T enclosure? I have old one laying around, figured i could use that.
They can definitely work, depending on the size of the T. Personally, I find them to be a bit heavy, especially once you fill them with enough substrate so that the T won't get injured if climbs and falls. What were you thinking of putting in it?
on a cheaper note, I get model car cases at hobby lobby for 10 bucks and under depending on size. I drill air holes in them. super cheap and completely clear all the way around the enclosure. also very secure.
I meant to say 20 bucks..
+Mindy W Whiteley Yup, I know exactly what you're talking about and they make fantastic enclosures. Good looking and quite practical...a great combination!
My one dislike about those is that they can't be locked. I'm a house with kids that is it.
Great vid man. Have you noticed any warping in Jamie's enclosures? I bought 5 large, like the ones you have in the vid, all arboreal, I've only had them a month now and the doors are warping really bad. the rest of the enclosure is good, just the doors have warped really bad to the point where it's almost unclosable.
I'm really disappointed and would like to hear your thoughts on it, thnx.
+sNstRflyEr Wow, that is totally disappointing. Ugh I currently have two set up terrestrially, and I've had no warping on those whatsoever. The arboreal one has just some slight warping on one of the corners, but it is really barely noticeable. It is a little bit more difficult to close than the others, but I wouldn't call it an issue. Have you contacted her about them?
+Tom Moran I haven't emailed her about it, I feel like that would be useless as there's nothing she can really do about it.
The warping is very bad, and noticed today that the door has warped inward in the middle so bad that a cricket would be able to slip out..it's that bad, and it's only a month old...it's wondering if she changed the thickness of the acrylic or something...idk. I'm just so discouraged....and hearing that you have had yours for quite a while and don't have any warping is weird..
I searched long and hard to find an enclosure that I loved for all my T's and thought I had found it with this one, but apparently not.
I'm playing with the idea of replacing just the door with a piece of glass, as the rest of the enclosure is great...just not sure if that would work, any ideas? opinions?
+sNstRflyEr Personally, I would let her know. She doesn't just make these cages to sell, but uses them for her own collection as well. If new materials were used for the door that proved flimsier and more likely to warp, she might be able to fix this situation on future enclosures. As my older cage hasn't warped, I think that you might be onto something with the change in thickness. If it was me, I would probably replace the original door plexiglass. You can buy it in smaller pre-cut sizes in Home Depot and Lowes. The plexiglass would have a similar look to the rest of the enclosure without the extra weight glass would have. Getting the hinges off might be a bit tricky; looking at mine, their isn't an over abundance of adhesive. Please let me know what you decide to do. I still would definitely contact her and let her know, though. Although all acrylic enclosures eventually experience some warping, what you're describing is unacceptable.
+Tom Moran I did contact her, tho she didn't really have much to say about it. She said she herself uses many of these set up arboreal with hunidity and doesn't have any warping, which I find extraordinary if true, as mine have warped excessively. She did however explain that customer satisfaction is very important to her and would like to make it right..I'm not ignorant and would never try to get something for free or take advantage of her offer, but simply told her some things that would make the enclosure less prone to warping, like double hasps, and she agrees, so hopefully the new ones will be better, other than that nothing to be done about my specific situation.
I ordered some thin glass panels from a glass place, same dimensions obviously, very light, and will soon attempt to remove the doors and replace.
Thanks for the back and fourth you have had with me, I appreciate it.
Love your vids, I'm subbed, and look forward to more.
First off, my apologies for the late reply! I never saw your response.
Well, it sounds like you were very classy and reasonable about the whole thing, which is great. And I do hope that she makes some changes to ensure that the next batch doesn't have these issues. Like I said, I use these as well and planned to get more, but I definitely don't need to deal with the warping. I know she tweaks the designs every once in a while, so hopefully the next tweaks will fix this issue.
I hope the replacement of the doors goes well; please let me know how it works out!
And thanks so much for the kind words!
Tom
Me Havi
5 hours ago
So now that she's rehoused, how do I get her off the door to her cork? She refuses to go there. I ended up switching it back from vertical to perpendicular yesterday since her old one was too. Placed her on the cork and she went back to the door opening and is not budging...:( She outgrew her old webbed up one. She did a great job of funneling that tube. She hasn't eaten in weeks and molted over the summer. She was not a happy camper in the temporary container doing the remodel yesterday. Legs all drawn in. She is a trooper for putting up with all the fussing. Newbie worries...any input Tom I would be grateful. It's been 3 days. I used the paintbrush to move to try to feed her. She refused and went back to the door opening..
Oh, dear...I hate when they do that! haha. Sometimes, they just chose the most inconvenient places to set up shop. Is there any cover for her around the door? Usually they want to cower behind something. Has she webbed in that area yet?
No and no. I posted a reply on the tarantula grooming video about how the light worked...:(
This video really helped me. thanks m8!
I'm so glad! Thank you! :) Just so that you're aware, Lorex is now offering some enclosures with drilled holes instead of wire vents. They listened to feedback. :)
An aspect that might speak for the Lorex enclosures is that you get a more or less unobstructed view from the front if you set it up terrestrially. With Jamies you have the ugly holes to look through. I think this is a rather important aspect if you set it up as a display.
Good point!
Agreed. I don’t care for the holes in the front.
Hey toms sorry I'm on so many videos asking so many questions but I promise this will be the last lol so I was wondering my P.rufilata has since molted and is 4 inches her adult enclosure is a Exo terra mini of 12x12x18 do you think it's time for her to move cause I really need that tank for a A.metallica that's coming so your thoughts?
Please, there's no limit on questions. If you ever have one, ask away!
If you don't plan on keeping your rufilata in that enclosure through maturity, then I would move her now while she is a much more manageable 4" (they can be a lot of "fun" to move after they hit 7 inches or more!). Once my pokies hit about 4" or so, I put them in their final enclosures. Personally, I think that's a pretty good sized enclosure for one.
What size is the A. metallica? I have a 6" female, and she uses basically one corner of an 8 x 8 x 14" enclosure.
+Tom Moran she is 5 inches she's a little devil she webs up her water dish all the time since I glued it up high and it's always a bother so I wanna move her to something bigger for maintenance reasons
Update on Wednesday hanging out on the door. Sunday I paint brushed her off to put a roach in. Later that day I saw she was working on a bulbus back on the door. Today while getting ready for work she left the door and was on the substrate wedged in between 2 small pieces of cork head first. Quick opportunity to clean the poop out of her water bowl and throw in another roach figuring she was looking there since I saw the roach over there on Sunday. Tonight she was back on the door. Found another bulbus. Guess she's making up for not eating from when she was in her outgrown cork. Still no signs of webbing but glad she is finally eating like a little pig! Any other suggestions? Not ideal having a T hanging there all the time when you need to do maintenance cleaning and changing water, etc..
That's awesome that she's eating. As for where she''s chosen to hang out, I'm not sure what else you can do. The light trick worked for me a couple times. Sometimes, they just don't settle where you want them to. My C. versicolor settled on her front door, but I had that cage constructed with ta top door as well. I just use that now. Haha
She started webbing of course on the corners of the door and the hinges. Did maintenance and stretched it out. She just hung there while I cleaned and threw in her Thanksgiving meal. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Versicolor doing great and Grammostola Iheringi still refusing food for 3 weeks so didn't bother today. So far Lorex enclosures doing well. May try Jaime's for versicolor when it's time to rehoused.
So Iheringi molted sometime today. She's in her hide so can't really see much. Hope all went well. Never see her drink like the Versicolor. Versicolor is remodeling her funnel webb. Whole section torn out and pieces of substrate all webbed in. She's a busy T.
So question for you. Do T's get depressed? My daughter's T Wednesday hasn't moved in days. She's pulled in her legs in tight along with her pedipads. Her Thanksgiving meal uneaten. Going to take it out maybe tomorrow which won't be easy since Wednesday is still on the door....😕
What do you think? Just being a worried human Mama.
So I ordered a regalis n want to get a big enclosure later on as soon reaches around 3 ish inches to a full adult size cause I don’t wanna deal with so many re housing for this particular ow heard they can grow possibly to 10 inches or 9 dont remember anyway would the Jamie’s enclosure be big enough for a adult size regalis or what other enclosure would u recommend that can be for display as well
Hi, Eric! Again, so sorry for the late reply! They get to be about 7-8" or so. The Jamie's enclosure would probably be good for an adult. You can also check out Lorex plastics, as they make some larger arboreal enclosures.
Tom Moran thank you!! must be getting annoyed seeing my comments often haha :p
hi Tom .... again mi, Cecilia, i love that enclosure, i looked at Jamie's web and they dont have any as big as the one you are showing in this video. I will appreciate if you can help me with some info for my communals (balfouris), Right now they are in glass with no cross ventilation, so I want to get something as the one you are showing. i have 20+. thank you
Hello, Cecilia. They don't carry that size anymore? Sorry about that. I got my balfouri enclosure from Lorex plastics. They have made design changes since I made this video, and they now do drilled holes. I have several of their enclosures now. You can find them on eBay.
Very good video!
Thank you, Meyer!
@@TomsBigSpiders Hey, no problem, as i myself have larger and larger Ts, it's nice to see the pros and cons to where i should decide to spend my hard earned dollars and you do a very good job!
@@N05man I will say that since I made this video, Lorex has started offering the cages with drilled holes for vents instead of the wire screens. That's a huge improvement. Thanks!
I was thinking of getting an acrylic since it keeps the humidity in it better then the kritter keeper, I can tell by looking at it in the images and videos, but now I see that there is a warping issue I think I'll stick to the kk, what really bites I'd there is not really a good T cage anywhere to begin with, there's even the the ones with the glass doors, but the vents are way up top and no air holes on the side and it a bit tall if I filled it with ecoearth then there would be no point in having the front doors, the hobby lobby display cases are way over priced and u have to drill holes and put hinges and latch on it, there's a cage I'm going to get at petco, it's big and round, only $10 good for a full grown T, only issue is the top, it's like a kk, going to have to cover some top holes and drill some side holes, that's the trick, just get a kk, cover some top holes and drill some side holes, cheap and easy, can cover the top with tap, a rag, or plastic wrap, no biggie
I use a lot of X-large Critter Keepers for my adults. I put cross ventilation holes in the sides with a dremel and cover up much of the top venting with window shrink wrap or duct tape. No, most of the exotic tanks and enclosures are built for snake and reptiles, not tarantulas. It's a shame. I DO have several of the acrylic enclosures, and they work well for me. Warping can certainly be an issue, but I've had good luck with mine. Part of the fun of the hobby for me is finding containers that make for good cages. :) Thanks again!
Maybe the guys over at Lorex will see this and take note of the differences. seems to me a couple small braces at the left and right edge would help keep the cages from warping (like the small panels that allow Jamie's cages to be arboreal or terrestrial). Easy to do and would allow more flexibility with his cages as well. He would have to change or modify the ventilation as well though. Drilling several small holes might be a problem with the plastic he uses? Maybe that is why he goes with the larger round vents.
+MakoMarquis He supposedly can make them custom, but I know of one guy who approached them with a custom design and the guy seemed reluctant to do it. I agree that they would be quite simple to fix, but I think that he sells a lot of them to reptile, frog, and other exotic pet keepers, so he might not be interested in tweaking them to be perfect for Ts. I've been told by folks that drilling the holes is much more time intensive than just using a hole saw to put a few holes in for round vents. I know when I spoke to him, he said they basically make the enclosures on their slow season for something to do. Perhaps one of these days I'll approach him with some design tweaks (reinforced corners, drilled vents, etc.) and see if he's game. I just find that, for my purposes, if I'm going to spend the money I can just order Jamie's and not have to worry. haha
+Tom Moran agreed. Jamie's seem to be the way to go
Still, I would love to have something built just for fossorial species that would allow for me to view them in their den. Some day... :)
thank you Tom, will look in ebay
I just tried to get you a link, but I can't remember my eBay password...UGHHHH!!!
@@TomsBigSpiders I will look in eBay (if you happen to find your password, then you can send me the link). lol. thank you again and enjoy your Sunday
What size are the enclosures your using.
One is 8 x 8 x 14 and the other is 8 x 8 x 18
Great vid! Thx, Tom! 😊👍
+Pam Czernel Thanks, Pam!
Tom have you ever tried using the large plastic cereal containers for arboreal or fossorial tarantulas? Michael jacobi had a whole article about them and the way he uses them for his breeding age pokies!
+TheReticLair I have! I've actually used them before for a couple of fossorial species. This video was just to spotlight some of the "premium" enclosures I use. I've have a ton of other plastic containers I use for the majority of my collection, and I'm always experimenting with different types. Every time I hit Walmart it seems I come home with something new I want to try. LOL
yes, i knew you were speaking about the higher end stuff for the vid. just curious because once some of my pokies need upgraded out of their 1 gal containers i was thinking of trying the cereal container next. What was your opinion when you used them? Im in CT also
I use those! Snapware brand. Awesome stuff. They have small access lids where you'd normally pour the cereal out (good for watering, dropping in a feeder) & also the whole lid removes. Only drawback is they're not clear. Almost...not quite. :-)
Thanks pam. I have the walmart mainstay version. Just havent put it to use yet!
+TheReticLair I keep my ultra defensive arboreals in them...several Poecilotheria, H. mac, P. Irminia...& I use 3 sizes. I like that I don't have to open the entire lid! (Cowardly, I know...lol). You'll love using these. :-)
What pretty flowers you got your valentine wife. I like the acrylic cages as you can see thru them so much better. They are great for making feeding videos.
+Joyce Joseph Ha! Thank you! I didn't realize the flowers were still on the table until after I went to edit it. Lol
The acrylic enclosures do look darn good; I just wish they were a bit less expensive. Still, I'll likely be getting a couple more for some of my "showcase" spiders.
Tom Moran
Women notice flowers Tom. (wry smile) I got pink tulips. Re: acrylic cages, they are sooo much better when you make feeding videos. You can see thru them even with webbing and excrement. The plastic boxes that cheap storage containers are not easy to see thru and you can never tell where you T is hiding. Some feeding vids really turn me off with the food being closer to the cam than the T. Only the keeper knows they got their prey. Ha ha. Mystery feeding vids. Happy V Day. To you and your T keeper lady!
+Joyce Joseph Hahaha. Of course! Pink tulips sound fantastic. :) Yup, they are just so clear...really makes for a great display and makes it easy to see where the T is. I actually just watched a "mystery" feeding vid today. I'm just had to take the keeper's word for it that the tarantula got the roach. Hahaha. Happy V Day to you as well!
Tom Moran
No names but I think I know whom you are referring to. Wry smile again. Hey would you mind if I invited you to watch my videos? They have nothing to do with T's or any real animals, I make fractal art. I thought maybe you might like to see one. They have some great sound effects and they are all original digital art that I created using fractal and kaleid programs. I don't want to push. But when I send the invite you need not watch or if you do and hate it, you can just stop. I love to share my art. I don't get anything for it. I started doing this after a stroke to help me rehab my brain. Thanks Tom. JJ:)
I wouldn't mind at all! I actually just found your channel. Your art is gorgeous, and the presentation is quite beautiful and soothing. How long have you been doing it for? Have you found that it helped with the rehab?
I have ordered from Jamie. The first enclosure I got from her was great. The second came busted. I'm sure she didnt ship it broken but it got damaged in transit.
Its worth noting that she will offer 4 options if you receive a damaged enclosure and I will probably post a video explaining the whole ordeal. I always appreciate those in the hobby posting reviews and tips and Jamie's Tarantulas is well-respected in the hobby.
Only other thing that I would note is that Jamie's enclosures are better for keeping humidity with their side ventilation. If you are looking to house a species that needs a bit more humidity, then I would choose hers. If you want to house an arid species, you may want to go with an enclosure with top ventilation.
Thanks for chiming in, Jason. I plane to pick up a few more of Jamie's enclosures for some of my "showcase" spiders. Very well built and beautiful. That's terrible about one arriving broken...ugh! UPS really messed up that one!
I know this is very old but ive already ordered an enclosure from jaime and currently have my A chalcodes in it. Would this be an issue since its an arid species?
Another great video. I was wondering about the different tarantula kennels and I do not like the idea of vents for the obvious reasons you mentioned. I want a Jamie's large kennel for my Ms. Moses, she is a beautiful and very opinionated Brazilian Black that Kelly Swift sold me for a very generous price. Mosey has started climbing the walls of her kennel in the middle of the night and I am afraid she is going to fall, she has such a big butt it is hard for her to to lug that thing all over the walls of her kennel. I check her during the night to make sure she is behaving. Thanks again for another informative video.
I feel your pain.our Lasiodora Difficilis is about 6 inch legspan with a big booty, and has apparently never read her own species sheet. She has guide webs strung along the ceiling (!!!!) of her enclosure.thinking of her falling on her back when she does that gives me willies.
+Essie Rosenthal Yeah, I had heard that they could chew through the vents years ago, but I took the chance anyway. With the Lorex cages, at least you can just pop the metal vents out and replace them with plastic. With other enclosures on the market, the vents are glued in. That would be a terrible pain in the behind to fix. Your Brazilian Black would look fantastic in one of those enclosures! If you're afraid she's going to fall, try moving anything with a hard edge (water dish, cork bark, etc.) away from the sides of the enclosure. That would eliminate most of the hazards. I really need to add more substrate to my G. porteri's enclosure. It isn't a ridiculous drop if she climbs, but I could definitely make it safer with more dirt.
Nice vid. Jamie's link is broken tho so may want to update. Does go to her site but not directly to enclosures.
+Roy Rugani Jr Thanks so much! Not sure what happened there, but I think I just fixed it. Thanks!
+Tom Moran Yes, it is working now :-)
+Roy Rugani Jr Awesome...thanks again!
i am guessing you cant stack them right? (if used for terrestrial tarantula)
+WhyAlwaysMe You could probably get away with stacking the Jamie's enclosures, but you wouldn't be able to open the bottom one. This is one of the reasons I don't have more of them, as space is at a premium!
thank you!
You're very welcome!
I'm not a fan of the acrylic for for a con that you pointed out.... the screens...... but most importantly the warping causing gapping in the doors. Some of the custom ones however, have thicker panels and edge framing to eliminate this issue, but they're very expensive and may not be worth the money.
I prefer the ones with holes drilled for ventilation myself (like the Jamie's ones). I've never had any issues with the warping with hers, but I know someone who had a bad time with the doors. Warping is definitely a very real issue. For three of the enclosures I had custom made, I had him frame the doors out to prevent the warping. That has worked great (and he did it for only a couple bucks more).
it is safe to use heating mat under this cage? I would like to know please and thanks.
When heating tarantulas, you want to put the heat mat on the side. You'll also want to mount it on a wall or piece of foam that you can position beside the cage (as apposed to sticking it directly on the cage). I believe the heat can warp them if you put it right on the plastic.
Love Connecticut, Used to take the train up to see Whalers Games....
+Antony Pugliano Yes! The Hartford Whalers. Man, those were the good old days. :)
+Tom Moran Well I m a die hard blueshirt from Queens but in the late seventies and eighties I loved to see the Whalers when they were in the WHL then NHL...Samuelson, Hull, Francis, HOWE...great team, Heart broken when they got relocated ..ive been keeping T's since 81-82 there like tattoos cant get just one...I watched the Jon3800 for last few years just to see different T's in others collection and he steered me to you..love your passion..i keep only Asian and African Species but ive seen a few of your new worlds I might be interested in...All the best
+Antony Pugliano Yup, it was a sad day when they announced that they would be moving. My uncle played hockey and was a huge fan (he was the one I attended games with), so the entire family was devastated. And the tattoo analogy is a perfect one (as I can attest to, having quite a few tattoos as well!). Which species are current favorites of yours? I love Asians and African species; a large part of my collection is Old World. I've recently gotten into some of the feistier New Worlds genera as well. There are just so many cool species available these days. If you've been in the hobby since the 80s, I'm guessing that you've enjoyed watching some of those Old World species make their way to the states.
+Antony Pugliano Oh! And thanks so much for checking out my channel. Jon sure did me a solid with the shout out.
+Tom Moran O. Aureotibialis, H. Albostriatum, very bias towards Pokies (still haven't got a Metallica as of yet, too pricy for me)...C. Darlingi , P.Lugardi, P. Chordatus, A. Ezendami ...and yet no I. Mira or M. Balfouri just don't have the Cash...my wife is more into new world, she has 4 of her own....
I Know it is an old video, but can someone tell the dimensions these enclosures are?
Not a problem, Ludvig! The Jamie's enclosure is 14" x 8" x 8". The Lorex is 18" x 8" x 8".
Okay, thank you :)
You're most welcome!
Small world, Ellington ct here.
Griswold here! :)
@@TomsBigSpiders cool, I work at millstone not too far from there
Does anyone know where I could get these in the UK? :)
I'll ask around and see what I can find!
Ed at Lorex custom built an enclosure for my daughter's Avicularia avicularia. They did a great job and I was able to pick it up to avoid additional shipping since I was in the area. Just re-housed her yesterday. Last night I wanted to feed her but she was too busy on the door doing this..ua-cam.com/users/results?search_query=tarantula+grooming.+eight+legged+kitty
is there a danger in feeding tarantulas mice
Larger mice can bite and injure a tarantula. All of them make for very messy remains that can quickly rot and attract all sorts of undesirables. I used to feed my G. porteri the occasional thawed pinky mouse back in the 90s, but I haven't done that in years. I prefer insects.
I believe Its healthy to give big T’s some frog or mouse but mouse make a damn mess and smell if u dont clean next day. Sometimes in summer I catch frog, free food and they do long on it.
Manners Fx. Where is the "thx" ?
These Freaks.. 🤣😂 haha
@@skoning2178 it is not.
Ts shouldnt Shit 😂😂😂
Megasexy.
Nice T 😉