# Drilling holes in critter keepers



## PeterF (Nov 5, 2010)

I was considering drilling a hole in the wall of a critter keeper. Normally I hate permanent alterations to zoo property, but I think I will get over it.

However, the weird rigid plastic worries me. I am afraid attempting to drill into it will cause cracks or other issues.

Has anyone done anything like this?

Additionally, I would like a rubber plug (or similar) for a future time when the keeper no longer needs a hole in the side and looks funny with a foam stopper.

Any ideas?


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## PhilinYuma (Nov 6, 2010)

I've used a hole saw, the kind that you attach to a drill bit, on a number of hard plastics with no problem, though Hibiscusmile is the forum expert with this tool. How big a hole do you want to make? You might just stick a patch of plastic, a little larger than the hole, one on the inside, one on the outside to close the hole.. CA glue probably won't work, but epoxy will.


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## sporeworld (Nov 6, 2010)

My handyman said to try putting tape down over the area and cut through both (I guess the tape would hold make fractures less likely?).

I used a soldering iron to melt holes in mine - but they ain't purty! And even with a dust mask, I could tell I prooooobably shouldn't have been breathing that stuff in (smelled like super glue).

Critter Keepers are pretty cheap, though - you could always just replace it, right...? I and I think I wash mine all wrong, because they eventually end up scuffed, and I replace em.


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## Rick (Nov 6, 2010)

Last time I drilled holes was in plexiglass and I just went slowly and put tape on both sides of the drilling area. Since critter keepers are hard plastic the risk of cracking is great. Maybe the melting idea would be best if you had something round you could heat up and press agaisnt it.


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## sporeworld (Nov 6, 2010)

There's probably some science to the temperature as well. Maybe you're supposed to warm the plastic first...?

Another option is to use a dremel (if you have one). Won't be as clean, though.


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## PhilinYuma (Nov 6, 2010)

Sporeworld said:


> There's probably some science to the temperature as well. Maybe you're supposed to warm the plastic first...?
> 
> Another option is to use a dremel (if you have one). Won't be as clean, though.


Yes, you could use a Dremel with a cutting blade and make a square hole instead of a round one. I cut my own vent holes square in deli cups and fill them with square foam bungs that i make myself, though a round bung will also fit a square hole.


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## alephhat (Dec 6, 2010)

Peter J F said:


> I was considering drilling a hole in the wall of a critter keeper. Normally I hate permanent alterations to zoo property, but I think I will get over it.
> 
> However, the weird rigid plastic worries me. I am afraid attempting to drill into it will cause cracks or other issues.
> 
> ...


I actually just did that just recently. Bought some foam from Jo Ann Fabrics and then I used my router to drill into the side of the container and then stoppered it up with the foam. Then I just used, I believe it was creoline cloth, to cover the top of the tank so that the little guys would have a roof to climb on. Works great. I don't know personally about particulars of the aesthetics of rubber stoppers over foam stoppers but if you find it necessary and have a router you could mark the circle to size up properly to the rubber stopper, however, for simplicities sake I would just recommend going with the foam stopper.

As far as a feeding funnel works out I just got a standard funnel for placing oil in a vehicle and then took hose from a camel pak that I had lying around and taped it to it so I could just feed the hose in while maintaining a perfect verticle with the funnel and then I just tap in the melanogaster flies... Of course, using foam, you can always size the hole as necessary and get the matching foam plug to plug it, at which point you could easily drop crickets and etc down one of those cricket tunnels just as easily as well.


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