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aarrrrgg......stupid cat

okay, so this morning I woke up to see this:

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my newly made terrarium. My cat jumped on top of it and crushed the lid onto all of my heliamphora.

here art pics of the poor helis

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he crushed a heli minor (not in the pics), H. mini AT form, and a H. heterodoxa Gran saban.


AAARRRRRGGGGGGG!!!
 
Stupid cat! That's why I stick to dogs.. they can't climb whatever they wish!
 
If anything, the lid seems to have missed your little Neps on the side.
 
Gah, hate when cats mess with my plants... Very sorry to see those Devon.
 
Unlucky mate, pets always seem to affect what you do with your plants and have to have their say.
 
Ouch, sorry about that.
Dogs can eat anything they get their mouths on, though =\
 
thanks for the sympathy guys. :(
 
Not the cats fault..
the builder should have designed it to withstand the weight of a cat..
and to make sure the roof cant shift and fall in..

looks like just poor design to me..
you have to build with the cat in mind..
im just sayin'

I have two aquariums..and two cats..
the aquariums, their occupants, and the cats are all perfectly safe from each other..
I dont want a cat falling into an aquarium, or breaking glass and cutting itself,
or the fish getting caught and eaten..

need to build with the safety of everyone in mind..
plants and cats..

if that glass broke, it could have harmed the cat and the plants..
and it would have been your fault alone..the cat isnt to blame at all..
its just a weak design..you were lucky only the plants got hurt..

Scot
 
Not the cats fault..
the builder should have designed it to withstand the weight of a cat..
and to make sure the roof cant shift and fall in..

looks like just poor design to me..
you have to build with the cat in mind..
im just sayin'

Absolutely...

The builder also should have designed a tank with sides able to resist meteorites...heck why not even bomb proof while we're at it? Never know when one of those will hit your grow tank...

My mother always taught me that if I can't say anything nice, I shouldn't say anything at all, what did your mother teach you :nono:? Sheesh look at how old the kid is, give him a break, you live and learn just like the rest of us...

Devon: The plants will recover just fine in a few months, all you have is damaged pitchers my friend, nothing detrimental to the plants health. Keep up the good growing and chalk this one up to experience ;)
 
  • #10
Sorry to say, but the burden of making a good design which is cat proof should have been on Devon. The cat may have been the trigger but it is not at fault. His actions were natural and in character with what cats do.

Devon: It looks like you used plexi for the cover. In time, this plastic would have deformed and collapsed on your plants cat or no cat. Do not use it as lids to cover a terrarium. I say this from personal experience.
 
  • #11
ok, thanks for the info guys... and I didn't really blame the cat, I just called him stupid because I was mad and he jumped on the terrarium. :p

@F R e N c H 3 z: That's good that it's only pitcher damage... but I'm not too sure about that, the H. minor was completely bent over. :/

Does anyone have and idead for a better lid that is still fairly inexpensive?
 
  • #12
ok, thanks for the info guys... and I didn't really blame the cat, I just called him stupid because I was mad and he jumped on the terrarium. :p

@F R e N c H 3 z: That's good that it's only pitcher damage... but I'm not too sure about that, the H. minor was completely bent over. :/

Does anyone have and idead for a better lid that is still fairly inexpensive?

Devon: As Brokken stated, plexi does over time warp and flex. Heat only increases the speed of the warp. I use a plexi cover with a larger heat sink inserted in the middle and this works just fine. Just be careful with it and if possible, switch to glass. Your tank looks like it's outside so be careful as well to not cook your plants.
If this can reassure you, here are some of my pitchers as of last week. A heat wave hit while I was away and did some damage for 10 days before I was able to intervene. Over time all wounds will heal. A bent over pitcher will send out a new growth point in time. This particular plant below has now rebounded and will be just fine. IMO it is less of a problem to have physical damage to your plant than having improper conditions (like I had during my absence) which I believe will have a heavier toll on the health of the plant. You will be surprised at the ability of plants to recover from rather extreme events...

Just water your plant as you normally would and keep an eye on it and the temperature and it will recover in time just like anything else. Good luck :)

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  • #13
My mother always taught me that if I can't say anything nice, I shouldn't say anything at all, what did your mother teach you :nono:? Sheesh look at how old the kid is, give him a break, you live and learn just like the rest of us...

oh please..
I have no idea how old he is..his profile doesnt say..
and its really irrelevant anyway..
if he is old enough to grow CP's and use a computer, he is old enough to get some constructive criticism..I think he can handle it..(and..reading further posts, he handled it just fine..only one person was offended, and it wasnt Devon! ;)

you live and learn just like the rest of us..

very true..
especially if people actually tell you when you are doing something wrong..
thats how you learn, and fix your mistakes, and do it better next time..
but if people just coddle you and dont speak the truth, because they need to be "nice",
you will never learn anything..

Scot

---------- Post added at 04:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:09 PM ----------

Does anyone have and idead for a better lid that is still fairly inexpensive?

I would get a piece of plexiglass, cut it to the exact dimensions so that it sits on the "lip" on the top of the aquarium walls, and cant slide sideways and fall in..then install a handle right in the center, so you can lift it off..maybe have some holes for some ventilation, because you probably dont want it totally air-tight..

(how old *are* you btw? is that something you could build yourself?)

Scot
 
  • #14
Thanks for the help, and I was a very little bit offended at first at what I read but then I kinda though "oh well, it helps" and then again I was mad/sad at the time and wanted sympathy. :p

anyway, I am 13... when my dad gets back from his vacation I'll ask him to resize it for me, or make a new one. Thanks for the help.
 
  • #15
I would use tempered glass. If you must use plexiglass, make sure that it's significantly thick so it won't warp over time. The advantage to plexi is that you don't end up with sharp edges, but plexi tends to slowly cloud over with exposure to sunlight. Glass is a little heavier, more expensive but can withstand temperature extremes a little better. Also it won't deform nearly as quickly as plexi.
 
  • #16
I have no idea how old he is..his profile doesnt say..
Sure it does

(and..reading further posts, he handled it just fine..only one person was offended, and it wasnt Devon! ;)
May want to keep reading ;)

but if people just coddle you and dont speak the truth, because they need to be "nice",
you will never learn anything..
Sure you will, it's absolutely possible to give him constructive criticism and still be, as you say, "nice". Brutal honesty may not phase experienced growers (though I can think of some that act otherwise lol) but I can see how a comment coming from someone more experienced and older may be taken the wrong way and be discouraging even though it was given with good intentions. A 13 year old mind does not always work or think like an adult's.


I would get a piece of plexiglass, cut it to the exact dimensions so that it sits on the "lip" on the top of the aquarium walls, and cant slide sideways and fall in..then install a handle right in the center, so you can lift it off..maybe have some holes for some ventilation, because you probably dont want it totally air-tight..

Devon: What Scot just described would work quite well for your setup. As Scot mentioned, resting the lips on the wall is key and adding a handle would make it easier to place and remove the cover and minimize the chances of it slipping into the tank.
 
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