So my fiancé nearly had a heart attack when he went to check on his curly hair tarantula this morning, Tiffany, and found her hanging from the mesh lid!
He helped her down and she seems fine. It’s a low 15 gallon.
Is there a way to prevent this or a different lid we could get to prevent this?
Pictures of her for tax!
Holy cow I have my curly in the same setup! I don’t know how it can be remedied other than putting it in another type of enclosure….
Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of. I guess we could switch her to an acrylic enclosure?
Sterilite tubs work well
That’s definitely a better idea!
Check all over the internet. One of the great things about being a tarantula keeper is that you can use almost anything to keep them in. I actually have 6 in acrylic shoe boxes I got from Walmart and used acrylic hinges and clasps to keep them secure. Used a Dremel tool to put lots of air holes in them.
@spottedbull reminded me of the acrylic shoeboxes from Walmart! Thank you David! Yes those shoeboxes are great because they’re inexpensive and you can see through them too!
You can find locking clips made specifically for these shoeboxes on Etsy……
This is a known issue for tarantulas with mesh lids. Many people recommend not using mesh lids with tarantulas for this reason. Their little toe claws can get caught in the corners of the holes in the mesh.
I use Tarantula Cribs enclosures. They come in all manner of shapes and sizes, are very secure and high-quality, and they look great. And they also offer a range of lids and ventilation options for their enclosures. Most of the lids are solid acrylic with small holes drilled for ventilation (they do sell mesh lids as well, since mesh is often preferred for inverts like mantids and other stuff that needs to hang upsidedown to molt, but for a tarantula, you’d want to go with an acrylic lid). Really the only downside to Tarantula Cribs is that they’re a bit pricey.
A more budget-friendly option would just be something like a Tupperware or Sterilite bin with some small ventilation holes drilled in it. Absolutely nothing wrong with going that route. I just like having a nice crystal clear enclosure so I can easily observe the animal, but not everyone cares about that. The spider doesn’t care one way or another, so it just comes down to human preference. You can even find nice crystal-clear storage containers at places like Target and Walmart, so long as you don’t mind adding your own ventilation. If you DIY something, just be sure it closes securely. Remember that tarantulas are surprisingly strong and can push up a lid that doesn’t latch securely.
Alright, thank you all so much for your help! I really had no idea that screen tops would be such a problem.
I’m gonna start looking for a new safe enclosure for Tiffany!
I have not had any trouble with mine yet but I suppose it could happen. The Tarantula Crib enclosures and super nice but pricey at the same time. The acrylic shoe boxes from Walmart are imho the next best option, especially for a T of the size of yours. I have not seen these shoe boxes anywhere else, but then again I have not looked anywhere else. They come with a few vent holes but they need a few more for proper air flow. The downside is they don’t provide the floor space that your 15 long does.
The thought did occur to me that if you could line the underside of the screen with some kind of material and add some air flow slits in whatever material you use that might work.
That’s definitely an option. You can also buy a piece of acrylic or PVC cut to size from a home improvement store, drill some holes, and secure it to the top of the tank with clips or something.
Yup! Excellent idea Jennifer!!! 
