What can I use this for?

[Stripe13]

I was gifted a zoo med creature habitat about a year ago and I’m at a loss for what to use it for. Would there be any good new world beginner Ts out there that this enclosure could suit?

 

[testdasi]

I was gifted a zoo med creature habitat about a year ago and I’m at a loss for what to use it for. Would there be any good new world beginner Ts out there that this enclosure could suit?

That is a top-opening tall enclosure so it would work with most (if not all) burrowing / arboreal species.

In terms of beginner T's, Aphonopelma seemani would be the top candidate as a burrowing specie. It's actually quite fun to watch it bulldoze everything and relandscape the tank.

As for arboreals... I would hesitate to house Avicularia / Caribena species in there There is no cross ventilation but then the top is very well-ventilated so it's sort of a wash e.g. as long as you are careful with not over-wetting things, you probably are ok with Avic / Caribena but then it would not be easy to strike a balance.

You can even house terrestrials in there but just have to make sure to add A LOT of substrate so the distance between the top of the substrate to the top of the tank is no larger than 2x the diagonal leg span of the T.

There are actually many species that could be arguably beginner's friendly, depending on the level of beginner-ness (e.g. someone with experience keeping invertibrates / reptiles is a different kind of beginner with T's as compared to someone who has never kept any small animals).

 

[octanejunkie]

I've looked at that enclosure as a potential fossorial tank or it could be a fun GBB tank, the screened lid would need to be swapped out to protect the Ts claws from snagging.

It's also a potentially decent tank for obligate burrowers you may only occasionally see like Haplopelma lividum and Haplopelma albostriatum or for non-avic arboreals like Psalmopeous and Psuedoclamoris, etc but these are not quite beginner Ts.

I was thinking that exact tank might be a fun forever home for my Hapalopus sp. Colombia, or other dwarf sp, though I have not seen mine seriously burrow yet

"So much room for activities" lol

 

[testdasi]

I completely didn't think of the "fun GBB tank" idea but that is so true.
GBB webs a lot, is semi-arboreal, likes it dry and is a beginner T.
That would work really well in the tank.

 

[Phil]

choices, choices, choices!

Not looked at dimensions, and zoo med apperars to be the US version of Exo Terra that are used a lot (unnecessary IMHO) in the UK.

Assuming something like 30cm high by 20cm width/depth, then Avic or Ceribena will e fine in there as long as you follow advice from @octanejunkie. Only other caveat if it is ONLY top opening is that arboreal often web right on the lid and so you will be disturbing every time you open.
May be too small for an adult GBB I think. They can get pretty big, up to 6 inches DLS and when adults most prefer a terrestrial life. It is true many class as semi-arboreal but in my experience that is when younger. I treat all my adults like terrestrial.

A seemani is a good suggestion if not going down the Avic/Ceribena route.

Good luck deciding

 

[octanejunkie]

@Phil I'm flattered lol

ZooMed markets these against Exo Terra. I posted about these a few weeks back comparing the two commercial lines.

Commercial enclosure options for Ts

Exo Terra I've been getting into DIY more lately for my grow-out tanks but for display tanks I'm partial to the Exo Terra Glass Natural Terrarium Nano (8"x8"x8") for terrestrials and Nano Tall (8"x8"x12") for aboreals. I like the option of having both front and top-opening options and have found...

www.tarantulaforum.com

 

[timc]

I have a top opening enclosure for my avicularia jurugensis and I hate it. The web is right under the lid and if she doesn’t eat I can’t ever get the cricket until she’s wandered out and then there’s the process of getting her back in. My vote goes to a borrower.

 

[Stripe13]

I have a top opening enclosure for my avicularia jurugensis and I hate it. The web is right under the lid and if she doesn’t eat I can’t ever get the cricket until she’s wandered out and then there’s the process of getting her back in. My vote goes to a borrower.

Yea that's what I was thinking, most likely I'll use this in the future for some fossorial species.

 

[octanejunkie]

It's a good OBT tank, when you get there lol