A Camoflaged Feeder Cup!

[cyberlocc]

A truly Camoflaged Feeder cup.

So I forget who's idea it was to hide the cup inside a branch instead of making one out of a branch (my idea was the later).

I haven't given up on making one out of the branch, but for today it was not working. I thought I could build a barrier from silicon, well it peeled right off.

So then I though I will just use Flex Seal, well my Flex seal is dried up... .

So I looked over and saw, we had this oddly shiny PVC pipe. Idk what it is, why we have it (it's in a pile of PVC scrap) but it's super duper slick. Slicker than Glass. So I know feeders can't climb it. And I know that Nick barta sells something like this, so I said screw it, I'll make one from that.

And as if that wasn't perfect enough! I had some of these 3inch vents for my old roach bins. So tell me why my luck is so good that the tab area which also has a small lip all the way around fits right into this pipe! Tightly. A little silicon later (just in case, epoxy would have been better though) and we have a fully metal screened bottom.

Full disclosure I started with a hack saw, wasn't impressed by the non straight cuts, so switched to a chop saw. Which worked fine, until my downwards cuts were a little off the 1/3, cut. Back to the chopsaw to take out the difference and almost my hand! Save your hands, by this from Nick Barta. But Nick from the pics I don't think your using this shiny pipe. You should! I'll see if I can get a source for ya.

Anyway, enough ranting. The Camo Cup!


Looks like a innocent branch in the Viv right? Nothing sus about it. It serves no purpose just looks pretty.

And unless your a Chameleon or stick your head inside the Viv, that's all you will ever think. Until!! You are a Cham or stick your head inside....

And installed.

From an angle, extreme almost in the cage angle.

 

[GoodKarma19]

That's awesome, Cyber! Very slick looking.

I was just planning to try something like this to slip onto my Full Throttle feeder runs, but you beat me to it! My thought was to wrap some plastic around my feeder to make a sleeve, cut to size, decorate with bark/sprayfoam/etc, and then have a removable skin.

 

[Daesie11]

Someone has been listening in to our conversations @GoodKarma19

 

[cyberlocc]

That's awesome, Cyber! Very slick looking.

I was just planning to try something like this to slip onto my Full Throttle feeder runs, but you beat me to it! My thought was to wrap some plastic around my feeder to make a sleeve, cut to size, decorate with bark/sprayfoam/etc, and then have a removable skin.

That is a good idea as well. I think I will do similar for future revisions.

I will definitely not be using this method in the future. That's a 30 dollar piece of Cork Bark lol. However I do want to camo them in the future. I was thinking of applying the camo right too them.

I prefer, the wider cut area of mine to Nick's. As it's easier to hide the fact it's a feeder cup. And the smooth PVC so I will likely may more of my own. With the screen lid, it's pretty much the same size as the pipe. So you could (and likely with Nick's) get a 45 degree or a 90 pipe corner permanently mount that in the cage, decorated and then decorate the cup and slide into the base, so like your idea. It would be easier to remove, and I would like smaller cups for my smaller Vivs in the future. This one is huge!

May you were the one that said make a way to hide the cup instead of making a Cup from bark. I don't know I was rambling about it a week or so ago, and someone said do this.

 

[CamoChameleonsHuman]

Shut up and take my money!

 

[cyberlocc]

Shut up and take my money!

Lol, and with this, more changes to the Viv!!

I moved the Neps up into this branch planter. This isn't how they grow in Situ, and thus I don't like it. But the beauty of this, is there is a pot in this branch, so I will let them grow big and strong with the ridiculous amount of light they want, and once they do I will put them somewhere in the floor with high light. Or maybe I won't, because pitchers look gorgeous hanging!

This also keeps them out of Ferts, planting them in my soil with slow release and natural Ferts, is dangerous for them. They are also very Lowland, they like the heat of the upper cage more than the cooler lower.

I put one of the sun dews in there spot, but think I will replant all 3 Sundews together and put them there. Under high light. From the temporary Jungle Dawn. Their are more bottom of the rainforest under the canopy CPs anyway.

Adding another large branch, help filled in the space too! Filling this huge cage is hard.

There is still a second tree coming, however that Draecena Reflexa behind the large driftwood is a tree, and will grow quite large in time.

I'm going to put an epipthitic fern in the corner of the feeding cup, where it hits the wall, to add some greenery right there. Soon. I just don't want to introduce too many plants at once, I keep having to move things and see how they work.

 

[Daesie11]

Your enclosure is so beautiful Cyber. How much would I have to pay you to come to denver and build my enclosure

 

[jamest0o0]

Nice job man! Awesome idea for the feeder cup. I've been thinking of a way to make one look natural in my enclosure that I'm some day getting around to building... might have to steal this idea

 

[cyberlocc]

So that hidden cup didn't work out too well, I am exploring other options now.

I just filled the branch in foam, and am going to carve it out, seal it and use it directly.

The cup I made, and IDK about Nicks, but mine has roaches crawling right out of it . So back to the drawing board.

Instead of making a new thread, I figured Id come back to this one, with that update, and updates on this new cup.

 

[GoodKarma19]

That's a shame!! Looked really nice, too.

I've more or less abandoned my Full Throttle feeder because I put it in a spot that I 100% can't access with a step stool, and that's too much effort. Didnt take the height of the stand in account when I deaigned the enclosure! I've just been using a little deli cup for any bugs that I need to contain and fitting it snugly into the branches. It's only in there for maybe 10-15 minutes a day anyway, since Kismet means business!

 

[cyberlocc]

That's a shame!! Looked really nice, too.

I've more or less abandoned my Full Throttle feeder because I put it in a spot that I 100% can't access with a step stool, and that's too much effort. Didnt take the height of the stand in account when I deaigned the enclosure! I've just been using a little deli cup for any bugs that I need to contain and fitting it snugly into the branches. It's only in there for maybe 10-15 minutes a day anyway, since Kismet means business!

Mine refuses to eat from cups. He wants his food on the branch, and thats it lol. He wants to chase it down, and sneak up. he did take to the feeder cup, where they climb, but like I said they escape!

I am still using this branch, it will be the cup. Just inserting a cup into the branch isnt going to work, I am going to have to make the branch into the cup. So I have to design a way of no crawling out.


The Plan for now, is to silicon the inside smoothly, the sides and lip anyway. Then I am going to cover that in fluon, and see if that slips them from climbing out.

 

[GoodKarma19]

Mine refuses to eat from cups. He wants his food on the branch, and thats it lol. He wants to chase it down, and sneak up. he did take to the feeder cup, where they climb, but like I said they escape!

I am still using this branch, it will be the cup. Just inserting a cup into the branch isnt going to work, I am going to have to make the branch into the cup. So I have to design a way of no sliding.

I'm very interested to see what you come up with! I'm not sure if any feeder run is truly escape proof. Keep us posted!

 

[cyberlocc]

I'm very interested to see what you come up with! I'm not sure if any feeder run is truly escape proof. Keep us posted!

Well my curent thought, and its going to be a few weeks out, before I have a working prototype. Is to use this stuff, https://www.amazon.com/byFormica-Pr...00UJLH12A/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8. On the inside, if it works (the reviews are promising) it should also work for tanks/bins, and also for Nicks Camo Cups. Or any feeder cup.

I will report back, but it will likely be a couple weeks. Takes time to let all the layers of other gunk to dry ect, till I get to that step lol.