Hi everyone.

Ive just bought some white crates to hold a colony or two of livefood in, but unfortunately they dont have any airvents in them, so i am looking at my option.

They will likely be used for a variety of feeders through their life, so i need something that i know they cant escape from.

I am playing with the idea of cutting a whole in the lid and using a wiremesh to cut it, but how fine would i need it to be?

Baby crickets and roaches are tiny.

Thanks

Karl

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0.5.0 Leo's - 1 x Normal, 1 x Carrot Tail, 1 x Super Hypo Tangerine Carrot Tail & 2 x Mack Snow.
http://www.anthonydidsbury.co.uk

baby roaches will get through that pretty easily.

the ONLY way to escape proof against roaches is smooth walls. depending on the type of roach you can usually get away with plastic tubs so long as they have vertical walls and they are very smooth. even the slightest roughness is climbable. RUB's just about work, glass fish tanks are better.

then you have to run all of the heating externally, so heat mats underneath along with any thermostat probes too (you cant run ANY wires into the tub, or theyll get climbed up for easy escapes). if the walls are smooth and unclimbable then the lid doesnt matter, for most roaches humidity needs to be high, so using the plastic lid with a few holes in it, or clingfilm will do the job. if roaches are capable of climbing to the lid then youve got no chance of keeping them in. no matter how secure you think a tub is they will find a gap eventually.

if youre keeping roaches then i cant recommend a glass fish tank highly enough. i tried the plastic approach with a mesh roof, clamped down by a RUB lid with foam and card clamping it at the sides (albeit with cables hanging in that were climbable), and have a house potentially fully of loose Turkistans lol. every few weeks we find another one loose in the kitchen. the mesh alone wont stop them, if they can get upto the mesh then theyll find a gap. you have to ensure they cant climb ANYTHING at all. for any areas that are climbable (e.g. silicone joins in a fish tank) parcel tape solves the issue as its too smooth to climb.

Dubias are easier, they are less able climbers. but still require similar precautions.

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0.0.3 Chinese Water Dragons

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Hi guys,

Thanks for the advice.

The box ive got so far is plastic, and about 7-8 inches tall. It will be housing Dubias, and i dont intend to have the cardboard/egg boxes in there more than 2-3 inches high.

It is brand new, so the walls should be smooth as can possibly be. There iwll then be a whole in the middle like on the escape proof housing, so they would need to climb a smooth wall (very very slight angle on it, maybe 5-10 degrees) and then climb upside down across a smooth ceiling to get to the mesh (which will then be small)

What are the chances of these escaping?

My other option is an old fish tank, but not 100% sure that it would be that amazing, as surely old glass starts becoming less smooth?

Karl

glass is so hard that it never loses its smoothness, only if it gets dirty.

the setup you describe should be fine for Dubias.

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0.0.3 Chinese Water Dragons

Baby Chinese Water Dragons for sale - Click here

4' x 1.5' x 1.5' Vivarium for sale - Click here

i keep my dubais in a simular setup to the escape proof housing and have never had a single escapee.

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0.5.0 Leo's - 1 x Normal, 1 x Carrot Tail, 1 x Super Hypo Tangerine Carrot Tail & 2 x Mack Snow.
http://www.anthonydidsbury.co.uk

Hi guys,

Thanks for the help. I'll be going to B+Q tommorrow for the mesh, and get them attached.

I have a friend that is meant to be giving me 2 tanks, so will get them cleaned up and use it.

Karl