Carolina Custom Cages Terrarium, Extra-Tall Large 36Lx18Dx36H, Easy Assembly

Backstory-(We use this for gerbils but are looking into purchasing other sizes for our dart frogs and our gecko) We had originally been using a 50 gallon aquarium for our gerbils. Being 5’2 I struggled to interact with the boys and even clean their tank without using a ladder and nearly climbing inside of the tank. So I began my mission to find an easier enclosure for us to use. We have several exo terra tanks with front swinging doors for our other four legged children, but the front ventilation strip is made of plastic which our boys would destroy so we started looking for other alternatives.Review-This enclosure was exactly what we were looking for and arrived in perfect condition! We purchased the 36x18x36 enclosure for the same price as a tank half the height at our local pet shop; so price wise it is well worth the money. I was very impressed with the quality and attention to detail of the tank. Had we discovered these tanks when we were getting our home ready for the arrival of our dart frogs and gecko we definitely would have purchased another size for them, which brings me to one of my biggest “complaints”. These tanks sell our incredibly fast and don’t seem to be in stock often, particularly in the smaller sizes.The base of the tank arrives already put together for you and features a black glass bottom and allows you to put several inches of water, or in our case bedding. One thing I will say about this tank is it is rather heavy, which for me is a major plus since I do have a dog who likes to put her paws up and watch the gerbils running and now I don’t have to worry about her knocking it over. But just keep the weight in mind when you are putting it together and though I put it together myself if possible I would recommend and extra set of hands to make life alittle easier. Once you have the base where you want it is fairly simple to construct. The rods screw into the base, you slide the track for the glass down over the rods, slide the glass in, and then line up the top mesh and screw it in then you are done. (The shelves you see in the final picture we added ourselves to give the boys more space and are not included.) The lock on the front is nice and the key does come attached to a suction cup so you can keep it close by.This tank was made wonderfully and is a great addition to our home. We highly recommend them and our actually keeping our eyes out for other sizes.

Really awesome cage! It is tall enough that we got a branch of drift wood from a bear by lake and stuck it in at an angle so our snake has about 3&1/2 feet of branch to climb on. We bought plants that stick to the glass wall and hang down; those have been his highlight! He’s a ball python close to 4’ long and likes to use the plastic plants to climb from the floor of the cage straight up the side of the glass. He fits completely on the branch when he likes. We also got the rock shaped hide and a large corner water bowl and they have been a hit with Sneaky Snake! The doors open on the front and are only held shut by a small plastic latch at the bottom so if he wanted to force his way out I’m sure he could. But his other cage opened from the top so he still try’s to get out that way. Top is Nic and secure, with plenty of space for heaters and lights. Overall, my snake thinks it’s the greatest thing that’s ever happened and we’re very happy with cage as well

update: I siliconed all corners heavily (inside and outside of the tank) and guess what? it STILL leaks!!! I am so over this thing. I have a $350 paper weightfrom putting this thing together to the final setup it's been a disaster. putting it together was very difficult and impossible to get everything to line up. the doors still don't close correctly and have to be pushed very hard to get them to close. and now after ONE (yes, one) 30 second misting there is water leaking on the back corners. the water went everywhere and destroyed other stuff that was nearby. this is totally unacceptable with a "water proof base"! I understand the description says to add a bead of silicone on the corners IF you are going to fill the base with water or mist heavily. I would not consider 1 single mist session of 30 seconds to be heavy misting. this is so disappointing and I truly wish I had never bought this tank. I don't even know what to do now because I have everything set up inside the tank already and ripping it all out to add a small bit of silicone is going to be a huge undertaking.

I really do love the tank I received. It seems well made with sturdy materials and good construct, but one of the side glass panels was broken during shipping and unfortunately my frogs can't keep waiting while I work out a replacement. They even did a good job of packing it but I guess I should have known that UPS during the holidays isn't the best time to risk buying a heavy and fragile item. The customer service and return process was VERY fast and easy though, and they seem like a great company. I'll definitely be ordering from Carolina Custom Cages next time I need a smaller tank, I've bought a lot of glass cages and theirs are definitely the best price online or in stores.

My plan was to get an Exo Terra cage since I like the glass and it was going to be a display tank. When I set up a special order at my pet store they told me it could take from 2 weeks to a month for it to arrive. Two weeks later when I called they said that there was a shortage of Exos and it could take up to 6 months. The size I wanted wasn't available ANYWHERE. I came across these and the Reptizoo ones on Amazon. The base on the Reptizoo was like 4 inches to the door so since I wanted to do bioactive that was a no go. Then I found this one. I get Carolina Custom Cages light fixtures and cleaning stuff, but shipping panes of really expensive glass across country? I was very hesitant. Especially since it was more money than both the Exo and the Reptizoo tanks were and I still had to build it myself. I contacted Carolina Custom Cages about them asking what to do if if arrived broken. The darn thing weighs like 60 lbs. They told me that I should ship it back and they'd send a new one and that if the weight was a concern UPS could pick up at my house. It was pretty much the answer I was expecting but they got back to me right away and the customer service was great so I took the leap.Everything arrived in one piece and it was packaged very well.This cage was a piece of cake to build. I admit, the directions didn't really make much sense to me. They need to be clearer, but I pulled up a video on YouTube and there isn't much more to it than screwing in the braces, putting the panels in place and screwing the top on.I was expecting a disaster but it turned out amazing. I can't wait to set it up for my green tree skink colony. The only complaint I have is the door. I hate the lock and that suction cup thing with the key on it. There are no knobs so to open it I think you're supposed to suction one of the cups on and pull. I'm not sure who thought this was a good idea but the NatGeo tanks from Petsmart were set up this way too. I plan to put on some sort of fancy knobs and lock setup of my own.Edit: added photos