![]() ![]() So, to see what they’re all about, I requested to review a common size: the classic and versatile 36x18x18 (also known as a “40 gallon,” even though their actual capacity is closer to 50 gallons). But as the 4- and 5-star reviews started stacking up, my curiosity was piqued. When I first saw these enclosures on Amazon, I was highly skeptical. However, if we’re talking specifically about their Easy Folding Reptile Terrariums (NRK Series): ![]() Repti Zoo offers a wide range of front-opening terrariums to accommodate most popular reptiles – in fact, the widest selection of sizes I’ve ever seen offered by a single brand. ![]() And Repti Zoo is one of the brands leading that charge with glass terrariums which are shipped flat-packed rather than all in one piece. However, it seems this limitation is rapidly becoming a thing of the past as distributors innovate to cater to the needs of online shoppers. Because glass is heavy and fragile, glass terrariums generally weren’t available for sale online for a long time. Up until relatively recently, brands like Exo Terra and Zoo Med have been the industry leaders for glass terrariums because those are the terrariums you’ll find sitting on pet store shelves. I’ve been keeping an eye on them for a while (one of those “I really should test drive those products sometime” situations), so when Repti Zoo reached out to me about doing a product review, it was like fate! After looking through their catalog, I settled on three representative products that I was most curious about and felt could be the most beneficial to improving reptile husbandry. ![]() Repti Zoo is one of the leading budget reptile supply distributors on Amazon. In other words, front-opening glass terrariums are a staple of the reptile hobby, and although PVC is popular, I don’t foresee them disappearing anytime in the future. All of this airflow does mean that it’s harder to maintain consistently high humidity (which means you’ll have to mist more frequently and/or use a humidifier), but it also means that your enclosure has a higher oxygen concentration and your pet is less likely to suffer from stagnation-related illnesses such as respiratory infection and scale rot. It’s true that an increasing proportion of PVC enclosures are being built with screen tops, but glass enclosures typically have a higher percentage of mesh on top, plus additional venting in the front. Glass terrariums solve what can otherwise be a huge problem for PVC and wood enclosures. However, this can be difficult when you’re trying to create a temperature gradient in a small enclosure, or when the species you’re housing has very high basking temperature requirements or low ambient temperature requirements. Because reptiles are poikilothermic, having access to areas of warmth and cool is essential to their ability to regulate their body temperature. Glass enclosures facilitate more diverse temperature gradients. Front-opening glass terrariums with hinged doors are actually highly escape-resistant! They’re not perfect, but they’re still more effective than most other options on the market. In fact, if you think that glass enclosures are an escape risk, you’re probably actually thinking of top-opening aquariums repurposed for use with reptiles. Glass enclosures are only less secure when they open from the top. There’s something particularly attractive about a slice of nature encapsulated in a shining all-glass terrarium that PVC or even wood just can’t match. Glass may be heavy and expensive, but it’s also beautiful. In fact, I assert that they are fantastic for holding reptiles: These claims are true (to an extent), but for the most part, I don’t see these attributes as a reason to stop using them. They claim that glass enclosures are too heavy, too expensive, less secure, and struggle to hold heat and humidity. Some say that glass is a terrible material for reptile enclosures. ![]()
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