RESTCLOUD Insect and Butterfly Habitat Cage Terrarium Pop-up 24 Inches Tall with 10Pcs 10ML Floral Tubes

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.  I have four Monarch caterpillars in my mesh tent at the moment. One just morphed into a chrysalis. Honestly, this tent is as much for me as it is for them. They might be fine without the tent, but this way, I get to see the whole process of metamorphosis. It’s fascinating.This mesh tent is extremely easy to set up. Directions are provided regarding the basics of caterpillar and butterfly care, including the need to clean up the caterpillar waste regularly. (The cats don’t care where they poop! Happily, the mesh fabric will make this tent easy to clean with a garden hose at end of season.) As you can imagine, a mesh tent isn’t going to be too sturdy. Even with the bottom weighted down, the top moves in the wind. This gave one of my caterpillars trouble when he was trying to find the best place to attach and pupate. If you have the tent outside, you might consider a location that partially protects them from the elements. One side of the tent is plastic sheeting, and while it enables you to see into the tent better, it can also generate a hothouse effect if that side is in direct sun, so I made sure to turn that side away from the direction of the sun.I set this tent up on my patio table and moved caterpillars into it when they were within a day or two of pupation (chrysalis formation). I transferred them by cutting off the sections of my milkweed shrub that they were munching on, and placing each cutting in the floral water tubes that were provided with the tent. The cats adapted to their new home right away and happily chowed down. If you put potted plants in the tent (as opposed to cuttings), you can put the caterpillars in here at any point – even when they’re eggs. The caterpillars are well protected in this tent, and as long as you have fresh munchies for them (milkweed for Monarchs), they’ll be fine in there. I did have the tent on a table out in the open, but once the first chrysalis formed, I moved the tent to a more sheltered area under the overhang of my roof. That’s just in case a strong storm comes through. They’re resilient, but I want to give them a little extra help. You can also set this tent up indoors.The zippered “door” has 2 talons so you can open it from either end. I recommend positioning the talons at the bottom of the tent in case your caterpillars like the top of that side of the tent for their chrysalis. One of mine actually attached himself to the top of the zippered door, so I had to remember to be careful when opening the door to freshen up the milkweed.In a few short days, I have watched my caterpillars eat their fill, crawl around the roof of the tent looking for the perfect spot to pupate, and morphing into a chrysalis. I’m so looking forward to the emergence of the Monarch butterflies!Watching the caterpillars’ metamorphosis is captivating, and I have completed my own metamorphosis into a total caterpillar nerd. I also love knowing that I am helping the Monarch butterfly population, even if only a few at a time.

Vey excited to own my first cage! I put a flowerpot with milkweed branches in water to allow the caterpillars to eat. I have one chrysalis hanging from the top, one on a branch and a caterpillar that is still munching. Easy to check on all three! Have not washed it thoughly yet as I still do have activity , but I do keep the bottom clean. Very much recommend! Purchasing was easy and delivery was quick. Forgot to mention the floral tubes.......great addition as you can place water and single stems in them. Have to find something to keep them upright.

I ordered this just days before I actually saw any live caterpillars on my milkweed just hoping it would happen. I was thrilled to have it available when needed. After one day I did bring it indoors as I was unsure if it would survive the storm coming so I don't know about warmth. It may be easy to clean but I read a hint about putting paper on the floor to clean daily so have no messes so far. The small tubes to hold leaves are wonderful and I saw a hint to stick them in upside down egg carton parts. That works very well.While the plastic 'window' seems like a good idea, it is so wrinkled and blurry that it is useless to me. The entire structure is very fragile and shakes a lot every time it is unzipped for cleaning or adding fresh leaves. I am sad that the one pupae I finally had seems to have been shaken too much and won't survive now. Neither of two cats seemed inclined to climb to the 'ceiling' to attach. I wonder if it was not taut enough to seem secure. I finally had to put some tiny branches stuck in a pot for an attachment site which did seem to work. I hope the second one lives so I can see the whole process to butterfly.So far a good investment to experience this amazing process.

I love how easy it is to access the inside with the large zipper on the side. I also really like that it came with the little vials with the water tight tops so that cuttings can be kept hydrated. I appreciate that the cage has some straps that can be placed around other things to anchor the cage. It is lightweight and if you are only putting cuttings inside for food it could blow off in the breeze. There is still plenty of room to put a couple of 1 gallon plants if you can do so. I have been having trouble finding milkweed plants for my monarch catapillar so am having to use the cuttings method for food. This also came with a very easy instruction pamphlet for newbies to follow. And when all done it pops down to a flat disk.

Raising Monarchs from eggs to butterflies, I like having the extra height of the tall cage. It helps make moving my milkweed cuttings in and out to water and clean daily without disturbing the “cats” on the milkweed cuttings or the chrysalis hanging from the top. There is also extra room around the floor of the cage to set extra cuttings in improvised containers when I get unexpected little “cats” appearing on a leaf that I didn’t happen to see an egg. So far this cage is working nicely for me. Can hardly wait for my first 3 butterflies to emerge in about 10-14 days. I find that when I open the cage door it is helpful to hole the door open fully with a couple of small spring clips,

Love it. My first year raising butterflies. Have found many cats that changed to chrysalis now starting to getting butterflies. I’m thinking about getting a 2nd one next year. I haven’t had to clean it yet except for changing the bottom daily. I use paper towels which is easy to pick up and dispose of the waste.

The 4 stars instead of 5 are simply because this is not meant to be sheer or thick. It's a great cage for raising caterpillars. It's not super easy to clean, but that's okay. You can have the plastic side down, which would make for easier clean-up. Unless you put them somewhere where the mice can chew on them, they last, too!!