# Suitability of this enclosure



## Rick (Aug 9, 2012)

So I got this years ago. Found it at petsmart on the clearance rack for $6. It went for quite a good amount at full price. But I have never used it for anything. Thinking of changing that and tossing some mantids in there. It is sold as a lizard enclosure.

I was thinking of putting some Idolo's in here but am looking for any other suggestions. It is 30" L 25" H and 12.5" wide. Has two screened doors that open on each side for cross ventilation.


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## sueb4653 (Aug 9, 2012)

I like it , I definitly like enclosures that open from the front vs top much easier to feed in my opinion


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## Crazy4mantis (Aug 9, 2012)

wouldn't the glass sides be unsuitable for idolos?


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## Crazy4mantis (Aug 9, 2012)

sueb4653 said:


> I like it , I definitly like enclosures that open from the front vs top much easier to feed in my opinion


i agree


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## JackTopus (Aug 9, 2012)

i'm super impressed you were able to buy that for 6 dollars on clearance, must be a display item? i would love to see clearance like that in my area.

it looks like a fun custom project. is the top lid glass or screen?


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## rSon (Aug 9, 2012)

Crazy4mantis said:


> wouldn't the glass sides be unsuitable for idolos?


It can be easily customized to hold idolo.


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## Rick (Aug 9, 2012)

I have a screen lid for it. Ok maybe I need to go read that idolo thread, but I thought they were now being kept in glass enclosures? When I first kept them everybody was doing net cages and we had a lot of molting issues. I am usually against using something this large for mantids, but want to try and put it to use.


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## Precarious (Aug 9, 2012)

That's an awesome tank. I'm jealous. Would be good for Idolo. Just read through the first few pages of the thread. You'd have to add vertical branches they can climb and cover the roof with branches as well. Fake vines from a craft store are great for creating a level midway between top and bottom. Just get the vines with cloth leaves and a wire in the stem. You can shape it as an arch. Works great. Put moss in the bottom to break any falls and hold humidity.

Best of luck with Idolos!


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## Rick (Aug 10, 2012)

Precarious said:


> That's an awesome tank. I'm jealous. Would be good for Idolo. Just read through the first few pages of the thread. You'd have to add vertical branches they can climb and cover the roof with branches as well. Fake vines from a craft store are great for creating a level midway between top and bottom. Just get the vines with cloth leaves and a wire in the stem. You can shape it as an arch. Works great. Put moss in the bottom to break any falls and hold humidity.
> 
> Best of luck with Idolos!


Thanks. Yeah I couldn't pass this tank up for six bucks. Even fifty would have been a steal.

I read something about polystyrene being a good choice for them as well. Something about they can grip it well. Not sure how I would go about using it in a humid environment though. I figure the extra height of this thing would work well for them too.


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## hibiscusmile (Aug 10, 2012)

Rick, I use an aquarium for mine too, but, I put the tulle from top to bottom with moss on the bottom so they can't get under it. It works really well as the container has a top hood and light that keeps it around 100F, the inside of the top is all regular fiberglass screen and they all hang from it with a few branches, so u should be ok, ask Orin, he seen it.


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## Rick (Aug 10, 2012)

hibiscusmile said:


> Rick, I use an aquarium for mine too, but, I put the tulle from top to bottom with moss on the bottom so they can't get under it. It works really well as the container has a top hood and light that keeps it around 100F, the inside of the top is all regular fiberglass screen and they all hang from it with a few branches, so u should be ok, ask Orin, he seen it.


So you use fiberglass screen on the lid? What is a tulle?


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## Krissim Klaw (Aug 10, 2012)

Six dollars... six dollars... Make sure you take some photos of when you get it all set up. That is a lovely looking display tank.


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## Precarious (Aug 10, 2012)

Rick said:


> I read something about polystyrene being a good choice for them as well. Something about they can grip it well. Not sure how I would go about using it in a humid environment though. I figure the extra height of this thing would work well for them too.


Not sure about that. Never tried it. I stick with natural materials as much as possible.

What I can say for sure is because they are a heavy species they prefer to wrap their foot around a branch rather than grip with the spikes on the feet like smaller species do. A late instar Idolo forced to do this has a good chance of falling or losing its spikes. If they try to grip with the spikes directly after molt (i.e. if there are not branches to wrap the feet around after stepping off the old skin) the spikes rip off and they drop. This is the reason so many were failing early on. The spikes are completely gone after that and they never recover.


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## hibiscusmile (Aug 10, 2012)

tulle is the stuff wedding veils are usually made of, like tiny net, very cheap at fabric store, buy cheapest they have, prob 1.00 a yard.


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## young1 (Aug 10, 2012)

sweet tank!

the side doors is such a convenience

you don't have to worry about disturbing anyone hanging out because you got two other doors you can open!

$6??

I'm so jealous

I'm going to have to check my petsmart more often now


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## Rick (Aug 11, 2012)

Precarious said:


> Not sure about that. Never tried it. I stick with natural materials as much as possible.
> 
> What I can say for sure is because they are a heavy species they prefer to wrap their foot around a branch rather than grip with the spikes on the feet like smaller species do. A late instar Idolo forced to do this has a good chance of falling or losing its spikes. If they try to grip with the spikes directly after molt (i.e. if there are not branches to wrap the feet around after stepping off the old skin) the spikes rip off and they drop. This is the reason so many were failing early on. The spikes are completely gone after that and they never recover.


First time I kept them I used twigs/sticks and they still fell. But I did house in a net cube.


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## Precarious (Aug 11, 2012)

Rick said:


> First time I kept them I used twigs/sticks and they still fell. But I did house in a net cube.


The problem with that is their feet could have been damaged before molt. Subs get their spikes caught in the tight weave. They can lose the entire foot sometimes. And they tend to molt facing a wall, then grab onto it after molt. I think that's one of the reasons glass is a better choice. That way they have to grab the good materials you put in it. Cover the screen and use lots of twigs and vines and all should be well. I hope you have better success this time.


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## Rick (Aug 11, 2012)

Thanks. Do you attach twigs and other such surfaces to the glass as well?


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## hibiscusmile (Aug 11, 2012)

Me? I use a few twigs, not to many as they climb so much better with the fabric.


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## Rick (Aug 17, 2012)

Would the window screen stuff be a good choice to cover the metal screen top? I went out and found twigs of various sizes and texture. I plan on adding a good layer of moss to the bottom as well as these twigs. Wondering if I should attach twigs to the screen lid and the glass though.


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## ShieldMantid1997 (Aug 17, 2012)

Rick said:


> Would the window screen stuff be a good choice to cover the metal screen top? I went out and found twigs of various sizes and texture. I plan on adding a good layer of moss to the bottom as well as these twigs. Wondering if I should attach twigs to the screen lid and the glass though.


When i kept them i lined the glass with sticks, only on one side though so i could look in. After i did this i saw them using that side to climb a lot. Although if there are enough stick to grab in the enclosure they probably wouldn't need this.


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## Rick (Sep 22, 2012)

Well Idolos will be here Monday. Tank got set up today. I added a lot of sticks to the lid as well as a few on the back. Also got a live plant in there. Humidity looks good but temps are going to need some work. I put an undertank heater on there but I think it's too small. Might need to put a heat lamp on instead. Right now I have a reptisun 5.0 bulb in a fixture up top.


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## aNisip (Sep 22, 2012)

Love the setup! Now all it needs is a nice river and you'll have a perfect Idolo rainforest


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## alan2296 (Sep 22, 2012)

cool setup, i bet the idolos will be great in there


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## MandellaMandy123 (Sep 23, 2012)

Wow - be sure to post pictures of them in the tank when you get it.

$6? That is so not fair. My petsmart needs a sale like that! :shifty:


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## petoly (Sep 23, 2012)

with the mantis's tendency to want to hang upside down from the top, and because you have sphagnum moss in there, the undertank heater isn't going to do much, however if you keep that moss moist, the under tank heater should provide nice relative humidity. Why not just put a reptile dome lamp on top to one side with like a 40W light bulb, connect that to a dimmer, check your temps and adjust accordingly. I should post a DYI on how to make a rheostat out of a light dimmer and an extension chord. super easy.


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## Rick (Sep 23, 2012)

petoly said:


> with the mantis's tendency to want to hang upside down from the top, and because you have sphagnum moss in there, the undertank heater isn't going to do much, however if you keep that moss moist, the under tank heater should provide nice relative humidity. Why not just put a reptile dome lamp on top to one side with like a 40W light bulb, connect that to a dimmer, check your temps and adjust accordingly. I should post a DYI on how to make a rheostat out of a light dimmer and an extension chord. super easy.


Yeah that's what I was thinking.


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## Rick (Sep 23, 2012)

So I added a 50w bulb in a small fixture. Temps up near the top are 88 f and down low they're about ten degrees cooler. Humidity drops with the increase in temps of course, but this morning when I got up it was about 80%.


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## petoly (Sep 23, 2012)

sounds like you are set =) if the basking lamp is put on one side of the enclosure, they don't need to go to the bottom to thermoregulate. They will just walk under the light, then when they get hot they will walk away from the light to the other side without having to lower the height they are perched at.


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## Rick (Sep 24, 2012)

Well today is a bit cooler and I notice the temps are only at 80 in the tank. Think I will add another small fixture. I have a larger 150w powersun, but I think that will be too much being so close to where mantids will likely hang out.


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## petoly (Sep 24, 2012)

dude that's gonna bake them lol. get a 60 watt with a rheostat you can make a rheostat for like 7 bucks that will handle up to 600watts I believe. you will most likely have to adjust it daily so I would keep a permanent digital probe in there. do your ambient temps in the room fluctuate a lot day to day?


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## Rick (Sep 24, 2012)

petoly said:


> dude that's gonna bake them lol. get a 60 watt with a rheostat you can make a rheostat for like 7 bucks that will handle up to 600watts I believe. you will most likely have to adjust it daily so I would keep a permanent digital probe in there. do your ambient temps in the room fluctuate a lot day to day?


I know it would be too much. I brought it up but didnt say I was going to use it.

I added another 60 watt which brought temps to 84. I have the temps monitored.


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## ScienceGirl (Jun 7, 2013)

So... did you ever take some pictures to post?  

It look(ed) really good!


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## Rick (Jun 7, 2013)

ScienceGirl said:


> So... did you ever take some pictures to post?
> 
> It look(ed) really good!


All of the mantids died within a few hours of arrival. They didn't look right when I unpacked them.


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## ScienceGirl (Jun 7, 2013)

How strange... Do you know what might have caused it? Temp. fluctuations during shipping or the length of travel, or diet perhaps?


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## blackwidow89 (Jun 7, 2013)

nice find!


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## Rick (Jun 8, 2013)

ScienceGirl said:


> How strange... Do you know what might have caused it? Temp. fluctuations during shipping or the length of travel, or diet perhaps?


Hard to say. I had the same thing happen this month with another shipment from the same person. Packaging looked top notch so I have no idea.


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## ScienceGirl (Jun 8, 2013)

Rick said:


> Hard to say. I had the same thing happen this month with another shipment from the same person. Packaging looked top notch so I have no idea.


That's really strange. :mellow: Did you get in contact with them? Maybe they'd know.

EDIT: Although it wouldn't look very good for them to admit that there was something wrong before they sent it...


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## Rick (Jun 8, 2013)

ScienceGirl said:


> That's really strange. :mellow: Did you get in contact with them? Maybe they'd know.
> 
> EDIT: Although it wouldn't look very good for them to admit that there was something wrong before they sent it...


They know.


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