Review of BugTrader's Enclosure

[glock34girl]

Review of BugTrader’s Enclosure:

Let me start by saying I am new to the hobby, however; that might be a benefit to the reader since I am more inclined to scrutinize an enclosure to ensure the safety of mantids either out of naivety or ignorance. Also, spelling, grammar and punctuations… so not my thing.

Here, I will cover the following aspects of the enclosure:

1: Shipping

2: Packaging

3: Customer service

4: Structural design

5: Pros

6: Possible Improvements

1: Shipping

The ‘order’ for this enclosure was placed Feb 18th at 5:44pm. The package was placed in the mail the next day, Feb 19th and included an insurance to cover damage to the item. A tracking number was provided and the package arrived Feb 22nd. This was one day longer than it should have been, however; I want to be clear that this was NOT BugTrader’s fault. Rather, it was the result of my fat thumbs and an iPhone screen. I’d given him the wrong address via typo. BugTrader spent a fair amount of time trying to re-route the package and it eventually arrived on the 22nd. Still, very fast shipping in my opinion especially since it was not express.

2: Packaging

The enclosure arrived in a standard brown corregated cardboard box. The inside of the box was linned with a Styrofoam liner. Not the messy white stuff that gets all over your house either and kills your vaccum. The liner was placed on top, bottom and all four sides. The same material is used as the bottom of the enclosure. One could tell that BugTrader cares and takes pride in his work. There were even arrows on the box to indicate which direction the box should sit. He took every precaution to ensure the item was delivered safely.

3: Customer Service:

BugTrader ain’t no Wal-Mart. He’s fast, friendly and courteous. He responded to all messages in a tmely manner and respected me as a hobbyist without regard to time or experience within the hobby. This was particularly important to me because it encourages the new hobbyist to keep coming back for purchases, knowledge and support. Very well done BugTrader.

4. Structural Design:

What you have actually been waiting for and likely scrolled over the first three sections, right? First, the photos BugTrader posted on www.mantidforum.net did not do this enclosure justice. Perhaps, I personally just didn’t put it all together when I looked at the photos online and the dimensions. It’s so much more impressive in person. The design its self is simple and consists of the following:

• Screen material
• Aluminum framing (this particular enclosure was white)
• Plastic connectors to hold framing together
• Metal screws
• Styrofoam for the removable bottom
• Rubber Material to secure screen material to Aluminum
• Clasp to hold opening closed
• Metal Hinges

Shipping Photos. Very Well done!

Photo 1:

Photo 2:

 

[glock34girl]

Photo 3: The enclosure with removable bottom in the closed position

Photo 4: The enclosure with two 20oz Pepsi bottles (diet if you care) and a medium round container for size reference. Please note that the items used are solely used to indicate size and do NOT speak to superiority/inferiority of EITHER product.

Photo 5: The removable bottom and material.

Photo 6: My favorite thing about the enclosure is that you can use an Expo marker and make notes on the cage without labels, paperwork etc. to keep track of species, molts, feeding, L Stars etc. It wipes off easily. Please note: I wiped the marks off approximately ten minutes after I wrote them. I am not sure what would happen if left on for months at a time. Since there is a coating, one should be able to safely assume that it would wipe off easily. This reduces clutter in the animal room for me. I am new to mantids but keep detailed notes on my other critters and was wondering how the notes for the mantids would work. I like that you can write it on and change as necessary without labels that can be messy.

Photo 7: The exact marker I used. Please note, not all dry erase markers are created the same. There are some that are difficult to remove and that stain the surface with a tint of whatever color used.

 

[Mime454]

Looks nice. Not sure if I'm a big fan of the removable bottom though.

 

[glock34girl]

Photo 8: One of the big advertisements of this enclosure was that it was fruit fly proof. I released exactly 010 D. melanogaster (Flightless Fruit Fly) into the enclosure and observed them to walk the screen with ease. I let them continue for approximately one hour. When I returned there were exactly 010 D. melanogaster still in the enclosure. Not one of those escape artists managed to get out. You can see in the picture the differences in the screens. The white screen is the enclosure screen and the black screen is the fiberglass screen I purchased to create a small feeding enclosure a week ago. The fiberglass screen looks enormous compared to the enclosure screen. The D. melanogaster routinely escapes the fiberglass screen but as I said, not a single one escaped the enclosure.

Photo 9: The screen. At first, I was a little worried about it ripping easily. It felt sort of soft and fragile but I applied a fair amount of pressure to it and it didn’t rip or snag and returned to its shape as soon as the pressure was removed. I would still be careful not to get too carried away with pointed branches. Make sure they are blunted or somehow protected at the edges that come into contact with the screen. Also, I applied pressure with my thumb not a knife or anything sharp. Anything sharp is likely going to cause damage, but common sense handling should allow for long usage of this enclosure.

Photos 10-15: Self Explanatory measurements. When I saw the photos on the forum I personally couldn’t wrap my mind around it, but that is me. So, I’ve inserted the photos for those of you that may need a reference such as I did.

 

[glock34girl]

Photo 14: Lighting. The unit easily supports a light hood. This particular hood was by Zoo Med and holds two lights. The lights did not come into contact with the screen and after a period of 030 minutes did not appear to melt, discolor or disfigure the product. Please note that with any type of heat source common sense should be used regarding placement. Follow all instructions on the fixture to avoid accidents.

Photo 15: Misting. You can mist outside of the enclosure meaning you don’t have to open the door to mist. Droplets form and stay easily on the screen should your mantis enjoy a good droplet of distilled water. Water also made its way into the enclosure as well.

Photo 16: The surface was easily cleanable. Admittedly, there was no substrate, however; many people favor the paper towel method. Cleaning would be a cinch.

The enclosure is sturdy enough that it could be stacked one upon another or side by side. With some ingenuity and species considerations lighting should not be an issue. BugTrader also has other sizes so this would make a neat modular set-up for those of us that also like aesthetics combined with functionality.

Photo 17: Small gap between removable bottom and units frame. I was surprised the D. melonagastar didn’t slip through. This gap is very small and it looked more like an issue with the cut. The floor does not shift and is snug within the unit. I do wonder if a small boxer nymph could slip through something this small. Having never owned that species, I can’t speak to this. This is an easy fix, I think. When I lined the enclosure bottom with the moss it was unnoticeable.

Photo 18: Enclosure clasps. These are what secures the unit in the closed position. There is a very small gap between the clasp and the door. Theoretically I suppose a nymph could get trapped. I added a small piece of adhesive felt to the aluminum and it fixed that gap, holding the door snug against the frame.

5: Pros:

-Aesthetically pleasing. Countless options for modular placement using different sizes etc.

-Removable floor aides in cleaning

-Mesh/screen is able to allow water in and keeps fruit flies from escaping while providing great climbing surface for your mantid or group of mantids

-Mesh/screen is strong

-Packaging was secure. There are six additional panels that could be trimmed down in case you need a new floor.

-You can make notes on the cage itself regarding species, feeding, misting and molt dates

-Customer service is great

-Sturdy design can easily hold a light hood

-Large opening makes setting up the enclosure easy

-Enough surface area to paste a tape thermometer if you like to keep track

-There is enough aluminum surface area to glue furniture in, fake flowers can be pierced through the floor and there is enough area along the metal to glue ooths, if you want to use as roomy hatching enclosure.

7. Possible Improvements:

- With all sides being screen… I am not sure how humidity would fair. I think it would be very easy to use adhesive Velcro rounds thick plastic such as drop plastic for painting etc. if you have a species that requires humidity. You could then remove the plastic, roll it, put it away and use enclosure for Mantid that may not require humidity?

- While the large door makes it easy to set up the enclosure, I wonder if it might be difficult to feed although I think you could successfully just crack the door and use the blow dart method to feed. I wonder if it would be difficult to drill a hole into the aluminum and use it to drop food in and plug with foam? Or if at least one side could be plastic to facilitate a feeding hole? I didn’t want to cut into the screen to see if it was strong enough to maintain a feeding hole that was plugged with foam or if it would need a frame within the frame.

-There is that small crevice between the frame and the removable floor. Though I am not sure it’s really an area of concern. Like I said… my D. melanogaster didn’t get out.

Overall, to be perfectly honest. I will likely be buying some more of these. I really like them. I hope you guys try one.

 

[Danny.]

Looks really nice. What about shipping cost? If you don't mind me asking.

 

[glock34girl]

As I recall, $17.00 USD. This included tracking, material and a $100.00 dollar insurance cover against loss or damage.

 

[Bug Trader]

Looks nice. Not sure if I'm a big fan of the removable bottom though.

Hey Mike, I havent had much time to work on the base issues, I used foam board for these because I wasn't sure yet if shipping plexi or abs bases in the cage would risk cutting the mesh in shipping. This was the irst shipment. I actually cut glass and set it into my cages, it could be siliconed in but Im a fan of easy cleaning. I can also screen the bottoms I just found it to be unneeded at this point.

 

[twolfe]

I'd like to get one. These look very nice. If it would work to leave the bottom open, I'd rather find a tray or something to sit it on. I find cleaning the corners of my terrariums to be a pain. It would be great if you could just pick it up and remove a tray for cleaning??? I suppose you'd need a bottom though if you were to stack them.

 

[azn567]

I shall be receiving three of these cages soon, one large and two small. I shall post my comments here when I receive the cages.

 

[sally]

i will try some for sure!

 

[Digger]

Excellent review GG !

 

[Krissim Klaw]

-Insert great info-

Thank you for taking the time at a nice review. I was curious to learn more about these cages.

Hey Mike, I havent had much time to work on the base issues, I used foam board for these because I wasn't sure yet if shipping plexi or abs bases in the cage would risk cutting the mesh in shipping. This was the irst shipment. I actually cut glass and set it into my cages, it could be siliconed in but Im a fan of easy cleaning. I can also screen the bottoms I just found it to be unneeded at this point.

I must admit I'm also not a fan of the removable base, at least not with the bottom going completely empty. I like the foam idea that can be removed but I would want there to be a solid base beneath that. One question I do have is how hard would it be to replace the screen in one of the panels? One of the bummers about screen cages is the mesh can get stained up from oothecas and other mayhem over time.

Another question I have would be could you place a piece of glass or plexi in the opening door panel of the cages. I for a long time have been wanting to get a massive display cage that had the benefits of glass for viewing but the easy netting on the rest of the panels for comfortable living for the mantises. I'm wondering if you would be able to put together something like that? Also wondering how big you can go?

 

[Bug Trader]

Thank you for taking the time at a nice review. I was curious to learn more about these cages.

I must admit I'm also not a fan of the removable base, at least not with the bottom going completely empty. I like the foam idea that can be removed but I would want there to be a solid base beneath that. One question I do have is how hard would it be to replace the screen in one of the panels? One of the bummers about screen cages is the mesh can get stained up from oothecas and other mayhem over time.

Another question I have would be could you place a piece of glass or plexi in the opening door panel of the cages. I for a long time have been wanting to get a massive display cage that had the benefits of glass for viewing but the easy netting on the rest of the panels for comfortable living for the mantises. I'm wondering if you would be able to put together something like that? Also wondering how big you can go?

The base can be anything, I could screen them, mount anything from sheet metal to plexi, glass, abs, plywood, carboard you name it thats the easy part. I really prefer the removable bottoms for the ease of cleaning but it comes down to what the person with the cage wants. As for the mesh you could spray it off, rub it with a rag but my friends just spray them off then spray them with bleack water mix to sterilize and clean them. I actually make my own cages with the black no see um mesh as it doesnt show wear but most think the white looks better.

I can insert panels to hold humidity, I can also roll plastic sheeting into the spline behind the screen its all in what the person with the cage needs. I keep most of mine in a temp controlled greenhouse so temps and humidity are not an issue but I do mess around with ideas to help others with their needs for a humidity holding cage. I get the screen frame in 12' peices I can go that big, my largest cages are 96''x14''x16'' that hold entire idolo hatches for my to raise up. The problem is shipping a large cage safely though I could make cubes as big as 22'' that would likely ship safe.

 

[Bug Trader]

For those of you who need cages that hold humidity I can show you how to make vert kits of screen that fit those $1 per gallon sales at Petco.

 

[Malakyoma]

I could use those for my 15gal tank.

 

[glock34girl]

is that an aquarium or is that one of the reptile set ups that have the slidding glass window or is it something completley different?

 

[Bug Trader]

Its a 75 gallon aquarium.