RESTCLOUDInsect and Butterfly Habitat Cage Terrarium Pop-up 23.6 Inches Tall

This little mesh terrarium is a butterfly life-saver! When I found 7 tiny caterpillars in my garden the night before a hard freeze, I panicked. I brought them inside but wasn't sure what to do with them (and just to specify, these were monarch caterpillars, the kind that migrate, not overwinter, as cold temperatures will kill them quickly). I put them in an old fish tank and scoured Amazon. I found this terrarium, liked the reviews, so took a chance. It arrived 2 days later much to my delight and surprise! I transferred all of the caterpillars to the new home. It is tall enough that I could even put in potted milkweed instead of having to cut leaves (as I was having to do with the fish tank). The mesh terrarium is small enough to fit on the kitchen table without being in the way while still being large enough to include 6 potted milkweeds and tall enough that the caterpillars can form chrysalis at the top of the mesh without disturbing (or being disturbed by) the milkweed and caterpillars below. It is also very easy to clean out if lined with paper towels at the bottom to catch the frass. The door is easy to open with 2 zippers.As an update on the status of the rescued caterpillars, two are in chrysalis at the top of the mesh, and the others are still munching and growing! This little tent saved the life of 7 caterpillars (which have turned out to be 6 Monarchs and 1 Queen). I've already added another of this same terrarium to my cart because you never know when you just might need two!HIGHLY recommended if you're interested in raising caterpillars/butterflies by choice or by accident. Something else I'd like to add is that once the weather warms, this will be so easy to pick up and carry outside to acclimate them to the temperature without exposing them to predators--there are even carrying handles on this little terrarium!

This did the job. I had 22 butterflies successfully pupate in the cage. The silk button adheres very well to the mesh and caterpillars and butterflies have no difficulty crawling on it.The one thing I didn’t like is that the flap does not zip and unzip smoothly which disturbs the caterpillars. They go back to eating soon enough though. I do recommend against trying to unzip the flap immediately after a butterfly emerges from the chrysalis so that they do not change their position before their wings unfurl.

Original cage was not able to sit straight but since I needed it for my caterpillars I did not return it. I wrote a review stating that, and without my asking the owner sent a replacement as a gift. This one is perfect and I am very impressed with the company. Every item will not be perfect - it is important to have a company that cares about its customer and product quality. I have ordered another smaller cage from this company.I have not been able to change my original feedback though it has been less than a month. ??

Ordered this after I found 2 Monarchs munching on a Milkweed plant I bought from Lowe's. Read up on Monarchs and saw that I needed a habitat for them to keep the predictors away. Brought them inside @ the habitat come in one day. After about a week as chrysalis's they "eclosed" or emiraged as butterflies. Totally amazing. After about 4 hrs I released them outside after their wings were dry. Hate to see them go, but we found another 2 or 3 instar cat munching on our milkweed plant. Looks like we have another cat to raise & release. The Restcloud habitat works great for me, a first time user. Don't know if it will work with 20 cats. The problem is having enough milkweed to feed them all. I just bought another plant at Lowe's. I don't know if it has eggs from the nursery, or whether a Monarch will lan on it & lay eggs. But as soon as I see cats munhing away it will be placed in the habitat & come inside. The habitat is well worth the price & is of very good quality & construction. I am now the Monarch "expert" in my family due to the purchase of one milkweed plant. I'm sure that you, your children, family & neighbors will enjoy raising & releasing Monarch butterflies.

I purchased this as well as a cylinder enclosure. This works SO much better. I put the vinyl side down - so the caterpillar "frass" can be easily wiped up as well as when the butterflies emerge, they usually drop what looks like blood. The caterpillars can easily pupate on the top mesh panel - on the cylinder style enclosure, I had some spin chrysalises on the top panel which opens up - difficult to clean the enclosure without harming the chrysalises.

I had been using a mesh laundry bag to protect my monarch caterpillars then a friend told me that these zipper mesh habitats were a thing!I already had six caterpillars in my laundry bag when this arrived. It is great! One side is clear so you can pretty easily watch the caterpillars. It was a lot taller and wider than I thought it would be. More than enough room for six caterpillars. It would easily fit a pot of milkweed - probably two.The front flap zips tightly so there isn't a gap between the zippers (there are two zippers meet in the middle of the front). This zips on the side and not on the top so you don't disturb the pupas if not all of your "cats" have "gone J" yet.This is sitting outside near the milkweed plants and I had to place a rock in the bottom of it to keep it stable (a fairly common thing as it is lightweight and can fold away during the winter). Cleaning out the bottom can be a little difficult with the rock in there and a couple of pupas hanging from the top. Even with the paper towel liner. But there's really not much you can do when one or two caterpillars are ready to pupate and the others are still feeding.I am so glad I bought this. The caterpillars are "safe" from predators and I can keep an eye on them. I've heard the black mesh makes it easier to see the caterpillars through but with the clear side, I didn't have any trouble at all watching them.If you have any interest at all in raising caterpillars (or have kids) - this is a great thing to have and the price is right!