Help making a lid

[Sean C]

Hello all,

Zilla - Where Reptiles Rule » Critter Cage | Products This is the tank I currently have. Its intended use is for Hermit crabs which require high humidity. It once housed a snake. I understand this website is dedicated to frogs. Given you deal with animals who require a lot of humidity, I figured you would all be a good group to ask help from.

Can anyone give me some ideas on how to modify this lid or build one that would be suitable and safe?

I will admit to a horrible attempt that was already made. I had the BRILLIANT idea of using plexiglass and ....hot gluing it...to the inside of the lid that slides out. This worked GREAT...for 24 hours. And then it fell apart. The glue couldnt withstand the humidity. Probably not a surprise. I should have seen this would be the case. I did cut the screen out so it is essentially just a frame. I wanted to make a glass lid but I dont have any experience with that and dont want to spend a small fortune learning how to make one etc. Id like to get it right...or close to it...on the first try if possible.

I was thinking of a wood frame with glass in it that would fit over the entire thing as it sits with the old lid in it etc. Would it be better to remove the old lid and its frame? Is is possible to break that old lid etc loose without damaging the glass and/or the old frame/lid? How would I protect the wood that might be exposed to the higher humidity it would be exposed to without using a chemical that would be harmful to the inhabitants?

Do I even need to go that route? If I hadnt removed the screen, was there an alternative method I could have used to keep the humidity at 75%- 80%ish with the lid the way it was?

Again, I know this isnt for frogs, but ANY help/ideas is GREATLY appreciated!!!

[Leefrogs]

Gorrila glue holds up in humidity. That's the only tip I got.
Good luck

[PredatorDrago]

i have made a plexiglass lid before and i found aqauruim silcon works really well for holding it together. there should also be some online guides for that to my person favorite is ehow.com

[Sean C]

Alright. That was the only thing I could think of too =p.

So with that approach in mind, do you provide airflow? I would think you have to have some to help reduce mold growth etc.
If so, how do you guys do that?
How would I got about that with a plexiglas lid?
Would it be a good idea to drill a few small holes into the plexiglass or just keep the entire lid cracked a tiny bit?

[PredatorDrago]

for the one i made i put a couple of large holes in it then a couple of small ones with a dremal drill bit and then i covered them with a mesh screen and silconed that into place with tape over the edges to keep the screen from fraying.

i recommend to use zoomeds terrarium mesh its cheap and wont fray like the bulk ones from a hardware store. (edited: I found out about bulk store mesh screens fraying the hard way by almost had my reptile escaping)

if money isnt much of an issuse and you want it to look nice you could get a second piece of plexiglass have vent holes drilled into the same places for both have have the mesh screen between them silconed together.

link to zoomed mesh screen Terrarium Mesh