Grrr, Exoterra sucks sometimes.

[Sarra]

I use Exoterra stuff, since they seem to be decent quality and available around here.

I have some of the glass Exoterra terrariums, with the front doors. They're excellent, and being able to access them from the front or the top is very helpful. However, the top was designed poorly. Crickets can escape, no matter how I have the little cord plugs open or closed. The only way to keep crickets from escaping is to plug the things up with cotton. Even then, they still manage to escape, or fall down the back behind the background and die.

I also just got a water dish, and Exoterra felt the need to put a sticker in the dish itself. You know, where the water goes. Instead of doing what other brands do, and use a MILD adhesive on the stickers, they used Uber adhesive. I soaked the dish in HOT water for almost half an hour, and scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed some more! I've been fighting this ****ing water dish for 4 hours now while I set up fish tanks and relocated my frogs, and I frankly can't wait anymore for it, I need to put it in for my little crestie! The little thing is sick, and I need to isolate it from it's cage-mate, but I only had 1 water dish.

Why can't someone at Exoterra take 1/2 a second to think? I don't want my animals, especially my frogs, sucking up chemicals that were used in the ****ing glue to hold a sticker on, much less the crap I'm having to use to get it off!

Too bad there aren't any other decent brands available around here. This dish WAS originally intended for my frogs, but this has come up.

[fossillady]

Hi!

The best way to plug those cord holes on top is this:  go buy some cheap expandable foam tyoe ear plugs at walgreens or walmart or wherever.  Just squish one into a tight thin roll and stick it in the hole and POOF! instant hole filler!  It works great.

[Geckogal]

Also, you might want to try plugging up the hole w/ duct tape.

[ForensicCrested]

James,

The port I believe that is being talked about here is in the screen top but its in the rim around it in plastic.
They can be shut but crickets do still escape.  I second the tape notion.  All you have to do is tape one strip across where the ports are.

I also took out the background from my exoterra because if the crickets arent eaten quickly, they will escape to the top of it or behind it.  And then Ive noticed that the crickets will eat the background.  I actually like my tanks better without the background.

[warnersister_2000]

electrical tape works great, fits perfectly, and blends right in so you can't see it.  also, why don't you just put the crickets in a jar or something so they're not free-roaming the cage?

[jhawkk2004]

I have one of these too, and at first I had the cricket problem as well. I just used electrical tape to cover the holes, it works great b/c you can reuse the same piece over and over again. Scotch tape works just as well, but you have to replace the pieces every time you open the top

[Sarra]

I did the goo gone thing, I actually let it soak for 4 hours in a puddle of goo gone, and guess what? There is still residue of adhesive on the bottom of the dish. I'll figure something out, maybe put a really really thin layer of aquarium sealant on the bottom of it, make it slightly more shallow, as well as keeping bad stuff from leeching into the water.

Huh, the crickets eat the background thingy? I haven't noticed that... The frog's setup has enough moss in it to keep a bunch of crickets happy for a good year or two, and the cresteds eat the crickets I feed them within an hour.

My problem with just using electrical tape was that the crickets were doing as flies do with fly paper, and dead rotting crickets isn't something I particularly enjoy. My cresties are still really small, but once they get a little larger, they're going into a 20 gallon setup.

I'm going to do the earplugs thing, and then hold them in place with some electrical tape.

I have a sheet of saran wrap over my frog's home, it keeps the humidity in there around 95% all the time. I want to put in a second water dish because one of my frogs is a fatty and soaks up all of the water.

[marc.b.allard]

the best, and cheapest thing ive found to get stickers of products compleely, glass or anything else, is just plain old toothpaste, put a bit on and scrub for 10 second with a dish scrub and voila, clean. ive totaly notice that my cricks are dissapearing, so iritating, luckily i live on the top floor so they go downstairs away from my ears

[Sarra]

I had a major chirping problem when I had a 37 tall tank. Crickets wouldn't stop chirping. My Crocodile gecko didn't care to eat the chirpers, either.

[honuman]

I had a major chirping problem when I had a 37 tall tank. Crickets wouldn't stop chirping. My Crocodile gecko didn't care to eat the chirpers, either.

LOL.  with all our critters we average 6,000 crickets a month.    Chirping is way of life.

[Sarra]

I had a major chirping problem when I had a 37 tall tank. Crickets wouldn't stop chirping. My Crocodile gecko didn't care to eat the chirpers, either.

LOL.  with all our critters we average 6,000 crickets a month.    Chirping is way of life.

I was only dumping in $10 of crickets a week in there... It seemed like the geckos I had then were ignoring the chirpers. >_<

[Liz]

just becareful with tape i've heard weird storys about stuff getting stuck in tape and it wasn't good.

[Sarra]

just becareful with tape i've heard weird storys about stuff getting stuck in tape and it wasn't good.

My two exoterras are now 'tape free'. I put some saran wrap over the top (screen part) and taped it on, anything escaping now gets stuck between saran wrap and plastic, not stuck to tape. Gotta keep the humidity up for my frogs.

[kmrogers]

To remove adhesive I always use vinegar, and baking soda if its really tough. I will let it sit over night, and it usually comes off the next day with minimal scrubbing.

I have also had problems with small crickets escaping exo terra cages. I hated it, I couldn't figure out how they were getting out.

I at least have my dogs to find stray crickets. Its hilarious watching them attack crickets on the floor.

[Sarra]

Hah, my cat goes for crickets, and eats them. Blah. At least they were purchased as food originally...

[Jenn`GoneWild]

I recommend using peanut butter to get rid of the sticky residue. I usually soak those stickers in hot water and then use peanut butter. It's much easier than using harsh chemicals and pretty much everyone has peanut butter at home. Good luck getting it off!

[Slaskie]

Um..... I just got a new exoterra for Sticky  and I was wondering about the crickets getting through the holes in the top.....
How do the crickets actually get up there? My exoterra is 18 inches high and I'm pretty sure crickets can't climb glass.....
Am I just missing something  or can crickets actually climb glass? I just had no idea.....

[marc.b.allard]

its the fake stone backround that they can climb. also if you have hanging vines, which almost all crested tanks should have, criks can climb that

[Slaskie]

aaah I see. Thanks.

[cfriskney]

Why can't someone at Exoterra take 1/2 a second to think? I don't want my animals, especially my frogs, sucking up chemicals that were used in the ****ing glue to hold a sticker on, much less the crap I'm having to use to get it off!
Too bad there aren't any other decent brands available around here. This dish WAS originally intended for my frogs, but this has come up.

In my entrepreneurship class when you find yourself saying "too bad there aren't any..." that is a business opportunity. Exo Terra needs a guy like you who thinks about the small things man GET AT IT, and if you make it, send me some free stuff, I think that would be common courtesy.