Yeah I have a friend who’s pine snake escaped from one of their enclosures and they never found it again :( it was a problem with a cover for a hole for wires. the whole enclosures are cheaply made.
@@avatarno1defender they are amazing enclosures for me but they now come with a cover for the hole for the wires! 😊 also kinda a promo haha here’s my yt channel for my animals it’s Ari’s Exotics
I’ve been waiting and *kinda* hoping a video like this would come out. I feel they’re very heavily advertised by many reptile keepers but it seems people often have issues with putting them together and the quality just doesn’t seem worth the hundreds of dollars the company charges. I appreciate your honesty so much ❤️
coming here as someone who is disabled, their video makes it look so easy to put together and they advertise the enclosure as lightweight but it's probably 45-50 lbs. i banged on the parts with a rubber mallet following the instructions and it took me nearly all day to complete the enclosure. and it's very difficult, if near impossible to protect the bottom of the enclosure from water, or seal it for substrate. they offer a bio basin but its just a 30 dollar overprice piece of plastic
For how expensive those enclosures are- the door should stay on & rust should never be a issue at all- and if there’s something that could rust it should easily be able to be replaced. This enclosure is a mess. I know it was free but also it was meant as a promotional thing and it’s not a good quality, long lasting enclosure ya know? Lol I’m sorry what a mess.
This is a bold move. Admirable. It's hard to go against the grain even when you're being honest! Did the door fall while you were in the room? Did they escape?
My exoterra door broke and they send me a new door for free. Didn’t even have to pay for shipping. It was also quick and the customer service was great. I will only use exoterra from now on based on that.
I messaged zenhabitats to ask them what to do about the little nub on the door that fits for the hinges. I broke it while I was putting it together. They sent me a new door no questions asked.
I would've never gotten a Zen personally cause they look cheap, but I like the fact that you did a follow up video with an update on how it held up. Other people who are considering, should be able to make the decision based on flaws they're aware of and how they handled the product they want you to promote. They should have done a recall on the flawed enclosures
Good on you for being honest about the product. I feel like I’ve seen heaps of other youtubers talk up zen habitats so much just because they’re affiliated. We don’t have these in Australia but just on camera I can see how poor quality the materials are. That’s the issue they’re the cheapest materials so they can make a huge profit on enclosures that won’t last 6 months. Our exo terras may cost a bit but I’ve got tanks that are over 10 years old that have zero issues. They’re made to last. When you have an animal that can live upwards of 15 yrs you want an enclosure that will last. Funnily enough I notice the huge issue that they clearly aren’t made for animals with the slightest bit of humidity. They’d be better making enclosures for rodents honestly. I’m rambling now but happy to see this kind of honesty and that you’ve taken the time to make this video.
Honestly I think their enclosures look cheap and very 80’s like. Not the modern feel I like in my rooms. I appreciate the honest review. I was debating trying them for a while and now I know I’ll go with my other choice!
I did extensive research on these habitats. I ultimately decided against ever purchasing one. They don't seem worth the cost (cheaply made), and I prefer pvc with glass. Thank you for sharing your experience.
If you’re going to give someone a free product to promote your business, then find out it was faulty, you should replace the item not tell them to fix it themself. 😒 I am glad I saw this video because I am remodeling my entire animal room and was debating ordering a bunch of their enclosures.
What I would have done, in case of the the door repair, would not only have put the superglue into that holding bracket but also used something like HVAC aluminum tape. That stuff does not come off easily, it is metal (so more reinforcement), and fairly cheap.
To be fair I've not heard a whole lot of good about these enclosures. They seem to be a bit of a fad. I saw a post where the whole thing collapse and someone's pet went missing 😬 They seem so cheap and flimsy, especially for the insane price
Yeah I have a friend who’s pine snake escaped from one of their enclosures and they never found it again :( it was a problem with a cover for a hole for wires. the whole enclosures are cheaply made.
We had a similar experience, and now we won't use them for anything that requires substrate. The added weight of the substrate seems to make the corners start to come apart because it's only pressure holding everything together. Trying to move one of these enclosures while it has substrate in it is extremely difficult, it literally starts to come apart as you're moving it. I also reached out to Zen and was told to try superglue. In addition, substrate gets into the cracks/crevices where the metal meets the bamboo panels and makes it difficult to clean thoroughly. Perhaps my biggest frustration was the substrate barrier, which is held in place with double sided tape. The tape inevitably becomes covered in substrate and looses it's stickiness, but it still a huge pain to scrape off. I will say I also think the people at Zen are great folks. They were able to provide us with a discount and I know they are really supportive of rescues in general. And for beardies, this is a great option - just not for humid species or species requiring particulate substrate, in my opinion.
Just got a bearded dragon a month ago, he's in a small enclosure right now that I had sitting around from years ago but he is growing very fast!! so I am shopping around for a larger one. I almost purchased a Zen Habitat but my wife told me to do a little research on Zen Habitats first. You were the first youtube video that showed up! You actually hit on all the points that were on my mind when hesitating to purchase a Zen Habitat. I was hoping to find something like a quality piece of furniture that will last many many years. I did not know Zen Habitat did affiliated reviews for their product. Unfortunately those are heavily biased as being far too positive because they do not want to lose access to more free stuff! LOL...
I was looking for a 4x2x2 enclosure for my bts and i always heard good things about zen habitats but I've always thought they looked cheap, and tbh just kinda ugly- I just built my own for literally half the price so 🙈
A faulty batch but they didn't keep batch codes to contact the people who got the faulty ones hm 🤔 honestly their business practices have always seemed shady to me glad to see more folks talking about it
The quality of the Zen enclosures doesn't justify the price and I've never understood the hype so thank you for being honest about your experience. I've had a 4×2×1 PVC cage for my BP for nearly a year and its awesome. I bought it from Cornels World and it's super well constructed, secure and won't rust/rot so I highly recommend them. I just ordered another one!
I've never been impressed by Zen's looks. I know that sounds VERY superficial (and it is), but when a person is paying that much for what is often basically a piece of furniture in their home and a safe enclosure for a valuable and beloved pet, the buyer wants the product to look good AND be safe and functional.
I have noticed a lot of under the table paid promotions in the hobby. People will get an affiliate code and then everything they have to say about a product becomes positive and they constantly shill said product without letting people know that they are biased because of kickbacks. Good on you for being willing to say what you think instead of just being positive because of some money.
It shouldn't have rusted and they should have just sent a new door. But the fact that the company and you BOTH settled on superglue being the best repair blows my mind. This is a job for silicone. Measure to make sure it's back in the right spot in the sleeve to open and close and then caulk it in place. Done.
Ok - if THIS is their customer service for a channel that holds almost 100000 subscribers- “yeah just stick some superglue on it’- IMAGINE what they would do for us lol
WOW. You are ABSOLUTELY correct in this situation. Regardless of if you received it free or not, they are SELLING this EXACT product and expecting it to just be "okay?" Unacceptable. Thank you for letting us know about this.
I got two of their 48" x 24" x 16" tall enclosures. Actually I like them for my corn snakes. I will admit that you have to really pay attention to what you're doing and assemble everything in the exact right order or you will have problems. And if you make a mistake it's just about impossible to fix it sometimes without breaking it. I broke a couple of the pieces and I contacted them and they sent them out to me for free. I learned a lot building that first and closure and have much fewer problems with the second one. So now I have two good enclosures. With proper assembly, and for the right species I think they are just fine.
@@crazeecatlady9457 she had used aliases/fake accounts to bully other petubers & talked behind their backs etcetc the things she said were really horrible
Super glue dries plastic out and cracks it. That is the process you are seeing I believe. They make special super glue for plastics but personally I would've used silicone.
I have one for my bearded dragon I recently got, and while it looks fine and gave him some more room, it does feel kind of wobbly and the doors feel not great. I don’t regret the enclosure, but I will look at different brands for the next one.
Almost 100K subs (!) and they WILL notice. Good. Maybe they'll think about their inadequate customer service as well as their QC management. I love this kind of vid! Thank you very much Emma. Be well :)
I, personally, choose to support companies based out of the US. I’ve heard bad things about Zen and found out they’re made in China where they have poor quality control and labor laws. They seem so flimsy to me and I’ve never understood the fascination with Zens. 🤷🏽♀️
Ooof I have seen these everywhere. Good to know they won't have your back if something goes wrong. To make things easier for you I would recommend filing down the super glue blob that's in the corner messing up the way it closes.
I run a 501c3 reptile rescue in Virginia, we've gotten the Zen Habitats donated to us, not by the company but by people also surrendering animals to us, we end up not using them for long if we use them at all. They are way too expensive for what you get, and I haven't been happy with the doors at all. The acrylic scratches so easily and looks awful after a short time, and costs a fortune to replace. I had a tegu push one of the doors out and on to the floor while I was out too, and I can't have animals escaping and running around.
Id assume for bearded dragons should be okay as there dry animals and metal shouldnt rust. They should invest in fixing the problem for animals that require humidity.
I feel bad for saying this but I feel they are sooo over-hyped and everything but seeing people put them together and stuff it doesn’t look good quality at all. The wood back is so flimsy and stuff. I dont know. I watched Goherping review this and Im like omg finally someone that is honest about it and not saying it just to be nice or whatever. I definitely wont spend my money a reptile enclosure like that. Ill buy something else😂
Appreciate an honest update to the initial set up video. I think periodic updates about enclosures, equipment, and techniques are super important to advance our skills, products, and the hobby! Most of the stuff that gets sent to folks- gets videos and reviews up relatively quickly before the person can use it daily and form their own quality-control type opinions. Many people who are 6+ months into living with their spray foam and eco earth backgrounds are finding where that method falls short for some species or how they have to be more intentional with the build steps. (Me included.) My personal opinion is that Zens could be really good in like 2 more years as they get customer feedback or pull true price down as they earn money to scale their business. I’m waiting on trying them bc I do like the aesthetic and think my arid snakes would do well in them when they get larger- but atm there’s still kinks being worked out as they crowdsource feedback. I support update videos, even though strategically they might not perform the best, and appreciate this video from you. Thanks!
The super glue issue you have with the residue try a flat razor and scrape it it might remove it but you may scratch the acrylic...nailpolish remover has acitone which removes glue, but even watered down it may damage the acrylic.... I have a Zen Habitat the 4×2x2 and haven't had issues yet but there are some things id change
I’ve had a similar experience with Dubia roaches and their 4ft enclosure. The sliding door track was bent and was unusable, they told me to use a screw driver to bend it back into place. Why should I have to do that if I ordered it brand new, the same with you and zen. Although mine wasn’t given to me but to me they should have tried harder to fix your door and send a replacement knowing you would be making a video on their product.
Do you have a company who has similar "light-weight" enclosures, that you recommend? I have their 4x4x2 for my boa and I don't mind it but I've always thought it was cheap looking for the cost, too.
Appreciate the honesty, enclosures are very expensive so this will be helpful for many. Personally I've never been interested in zen habitats, I enjoy exo terra and animal plastics enclosures.
Subscribed for your honesty. I’ve had a feeling about Zen not being as good as their affiliates on TH-cam say. This has helped me decide against getting a Zen. I think I’m going to try Kages. Does anyone have any other recommendations for enclosures for Ball pythons, beardies and BTS??
Thank you so much!! I am getting a blue tongue skink soon and planned on getting a huge (and expensive) enclosure for it from Zen Habitats. I couldn’t thank you enough honestly!!
Hi! I currently have my bluey who I recently got in a zen habitat and I absolutely love it! If you get one make sure to watch there TH-cam video on how to build the one you got! 😊
I’m early :) Emma could you help me with something’s First off how to use a dripper or dripper plant Secondly what substrate should I use and do you recommend any uvb light bulbs that’s all
Yes they absolutely need UVB, I would recommend a 24” T5 HO fixture, and either a T5 reptisun 10.0 or an Arcadia 12%. I don’t personally like using drippers with chameleons, I prefer to use a mist king and a fogger
Thank you for being honest! I had a horrible experience with them! First they literally forgot to add 6 of the aluminum parts, so I had to wait for them to send them. (How do you not add 6 whole parts). THEN the aluminum parts were BENT! So it was impossible to put it together with the pieces like that, and now I have to wait AGAIN for them to send me replacement pieces.
If the company knew about the faulty batch, it's the company's responsibility to reach out to its customers about it! It's not the consumer's responsibility to figure out if their product will work or not.... THANK YOU for the honest review! I've been sketched out by their prices for a while regarding the quality of product that you actually get...
Thank you for this. I was considering getting one as an upgrade for my gargoyle gecko. The enclosures are very expensive, and I'm not seeing the quality is worth the cost, nor is the habitat appropriate for animals needing humid environments. Well done!
THANK YOU. I dont understand what people love about them. They seem so cheap and there are way better products out there for much cheaper. I really dislike the one I got for my beardie.
I'd recommend trying aquarium silicone for reattaching the acrylic door to the bracket! It should hold better than super glue, and release less fumes into the reptile's enclosure
A bit late here, but I ordered a lot from them a few enclosures, glass door upgrades, the zen caves, zen mats.... all in all would not do it again. I unpacked one of the enclosures and just sliding the panel into the metal parts like how you're supposed to essentially scratched off pieces of the "pvc".... Some pieces crumbled parts easily... The glass door shattered after sliding it open - I KID YOU NOT. They give so many ways to not help you out... and all in all when you do ask them for help they give you a lot of problems. Supposed to have a 3 year warranty for the enclosure and even basic part replacements was a hassle to get. Had to go through a few of the sales associates. The only one who remotely helped was someone by the name of "Lenny Ho"... the rest like april grieves, and the other girl who I still dont remember her name just kept giving reasons to not help at all... even in basic things. P.s. for all of you wondering what the enclosure is like- the PVC is a composite PVC, the metal parts feel really light but bend easily... The glass somehow breaks easier than it should and they tell you not to remove this "film" from the glass as it's supposed to somehow prevent it from breaking...... Which makes no sense to be fair. The only thing decent was the hide, but how can you fuck up a hide? I managed to assemble one of the cages without it falling apart on me.... (still has the issues with the scraping metal against the cheap PVC) and it rattles every time my animal moves in it, and the pvc panel bends easily... like if you pick it up it kind of shakes like thick paper....
Wish I saw this video 3 months ago before I ordered mine , I'm still waiting for them to deliver it. I'm sure that I could've built one by now. Guess I'll find out for myself soon enough if these enclosures are any good. Thank you for sharing this .
Zen Habitats is not what you think it is. If you were going to DIY design, order parts for, and assemble a press fit aluminum frame and pvc panel based cage, Zen Habitats is just a cost effective and headache free way to get that. You should still be a DIYer and understand the principles of construction to get that cage. It's seriously not that much more expensive then order the parts and shipping what it is composed of. So if you're going to not like this cage option, what product do you recommend that's better from your perspective?
If I wanted to spend $400 on something I have to put together myself and fix with superglue, it almost sounds easier to buy lumber, plexiglass, and a drill.
I can't believe the prices these companies charge for enclosures. I just got an 18x18x24 exo terra for $210, which is a bit too, imo, but compared to others I've seen, that was a steal.
I have the 4×4×2 and i had a little difficulty getting it together and i too cracked the wood when i was doing so. I also dont like that i cant fully open or remove the plexi glass doors because they get filthy and theres no possible way to clean them in the middle where the 2 sliding doors meet its super frustrating also the last issue i had was the plexiglass is scratched up pretty bad from my big guy wanting out cuz hes spoiled lol i know thats not technically zens fault but i wish they used different materials knowing that different lizards would scratch.
I've personally never understood the fad that is Zen. I've always thought they were kinda ugly, and that the materials look really cheap. I'm always shocked by how expensive they are. Not trying to hate, just my honest opinion 😖 I appreciate you being honest too Emma!
Aw, man, it sounds like you just got a bad enclosure. I bought a secondhand zen habitat (4x2x2) and it has been holding up great. I haven’t had any rust or water leaking out of it. My enclosures I have for my bts and beardie have all been great too. I hope you find something that works for you!
I have this same enclosure and my mistking just barely sprays the metal screen top and is now rusting. This confuses me because I thought the metal was made of stainless steel and that it would not rust. Very frustrating and looks very ugly in my opinion
I think these enclosures look sooo cheap for what they actually cost. They're so expensive and still look cheap af. They look like they weigh nothing and the color of them is just 🤢🤮.
For the nuts for door take one off and go to hardware store and get locknuts and that will fix that problem. Good thing it was free tho and for the glue at bottom of door. Run a razor blade along that part and it might help
Yes I agree,there junk.I almost bought one about 8 months ago.And a friend of my had a couple of there products,and yes he said there junk.He was going to give me them.And when I saw them,I said no thanks.He had them about 4 months.Not good.And was building up a lot of rust,and had to rivid parts of door.
I got a 4x2x1.5 aluminum/pvc vivarium including a heating element for about 400$ here in Europe. I just need to look at Zen Habitat to know that it's overpriced and of very poor quality. I have nothing against saving material to make things less heavy or a to establish a cheaper product line for not so rich people, but this shouldn't lead to big quality issues. I got a new rat cage for about 60-70$, this is really cheap. It's not the best looking thing and you can't sit on it BUT nothings cracks or falls off. Yesterday I got a IKEA-like sofa table for about 110-120$. It's well thought out and will withstand a nuclear strike if it doesn't get hit directly. It has real screws too. I want to use it for the vivarium, but I could place a big aquarium on it without bending or breaking. No one needs products like Zen Habitat.
HJonestly, I really think those enclousures look very flimsy for the price... I got a large costum made PVC tank for the same price. Only thing I had to do was to put in the doors.
Well it's not unreasonable to want to have a functional enclosure when you paid so much money for it AND it's for keeping live animals in. What if someone had a venomous species of animal in there and the door just fell off? Or a very tiny gecko that could disappear indefinitely? Or a species which requires really high humidity? Incredibly irresponsible of Zen Habitats and "super glue it" is nowhere close enough to being an acceptable way of dealing with rightfully unhappy customers. It’s disappointing to say the least and odd since so many others have had good experiences with them. I’m not going to say I wouldn’t buy from them since I have heard a lot of good things too and really like that there are companies making bigger enclosures for reptiles but definitely something to be aware of. Hopefully like you said it was a one off thing and they learned from that experience.
Sucks how they responded to you, I wonder if they respond the same way to people that actually purchased their product. Even though you got it for free it’s still wrong as their product compromised the safety of your animals. I do have reptiles and dogs and if I happened to have the zen habitat and the door just falls off, I’ll be livid as the animal is good as dead if one of my dog get a hold of it. If not you can just lose an animal, never to be seen again. Any way thanks for these update and the honest review
I have always found these not only aesthetically ugly, but also cheaply built and poorly primed. Definitely sticking to my exoterras, I much prefer them. Granted exo terras aren't perfect of course, but at least they don't rust, can hold water and the doors don't friggin fall off lmao
Thank you so much for leaving and being honest and not pretending to like there products anymore just for money!
* their *
@@FantaLiteBrav sorry
her and goherping are super honest and I love it!
Yeah I have a friend who’s pine snake escaped from one of their enclosures and they never found it again :( it was a problem with a cover for a hole for wires. the whole enclosures are cheaply made.
@@avatarno1defender they are amazing enclosures for me but they now come with a cover for the hole for the wires! 😊 also kinda a promo haha here’s my yt channel for my animals it’s Ari’s Exotics
If they know they had a faulty batch they should have recalled it and sent out replacements.
Exactly
Came down to comment the same thing. I can't believe they told her to superglue it
I’ve been waiting and *kinda* hoping a video like this would come out. I feel they’re very heavily advertised by many reptile keepers but it seems people often have issues with putting them together and the quality just doesn’t seem worth the hundreds of dollars the company charges. I appreciate your honesty so much ❤️
coming here as someone who is disabled, their video makes it look so easy to put together and they advertise the enclosure as lightweight but it's probably 45-50 lbs. i banged on the parts with a rubber mallet following the instructions and it took me nearly all day to complete the enclosure. and it's very difficult, if near impossible to protect the bottom of the enclosure from water, or seal it for substrate. they offer a bio basin but its just a 30 dollar overprice piece of plastic
The prices of enclosures I've seen are ridiculous
For how expensive those enclosures are- the door should stay on & rust should never be a issue at all- and if there’s something that could rust it should easily be able to be replaced. This enclosure is a mess. I know it was free but also it was meant as a promotional thing and it’s not a good quality, long lasting enclosure ya know? Lol I’m sorry what a mess.
This is a bold move. Admirable. It's hard to go against the grain even when you're being honest!
Did the door fall while you were in the room? Did they escape?
Thankfully it happened while I was there, I went to open it and then it just fell off. Not good, but at least I was there 😅
That makes sense! I was envisioning you coming downstairs and finding it on the floor.
I’ve always thought they looked cheap, from the wood interior to the aluminum.
Everything is made in china and its super flimsy... The PVC turns out is a composite PVC.
My exoterra door broke and they send me a new door for free. Didn’t even have to pay for shipping. It was also quick and the customer service was great. I will only use exoterra from now on based on that.
That’s good to know! I got one for my hatchling BP and it’s super nice, good to know they’ll help if something does happen
I messaged zenhabitats to ask them what to do about the little nub on the door that fits for the hinges. I broke it while I was putting it together. They sent me a new door no questions asked.
yeah i love mine, super easy to clean and i haven’t noticed any problems, i wish they made larger sizes tho
Eco terra have the best cages no cap, but they need to make bigger cages , like half of reptile species outgrow their largest cage
That is the kindest "you've been dumped" video I have ever seen. You are a beautiful soul.
Thank you! :)
I would've never gotten a Zen personally cause they look cheap, but I like the fact that you did a follow up video with an update on how it held up. Other people who are considering, should be able to make the decision based on flaws they're aware of and how they handled the product they want you to promote. They should have done a recall on the flawed enclosures
I watched Tyler Rugge's assembly video of his zen enclosures and was like "NEVER WILL I BUY ONE OF THOSE". You're video is just icing on the cake.
Thanks for making this. I’ve really considered them but they’re a huge investment and I’ve heard mixed things on quality.
Good on you for being honest about the product. I feel like I’ve seen heaps of other youtubers talk up zen habitats so much just because they’re affiliated. We don’t have these in Australia but just on camera I can see how poor quality the materials are. That’s the issue they’re the cheapest materials so they can make a huge profit on enclosures that won’t last 6 months. Our exo terras may cost a bit but I’ve got tanks that are over 10 years old that have zero issues. They’re made to last. When you have an animal that can live upwards of 15 yrs you want an enclosure that will last. Funnily enough I notice the huge issue that they clearly aren’t made for animals with the slightest bit of humidity. They’d be better making enclosures for rodents honestly. I’m rambling now but happy to see this kind of honesty and that you’ve taken the time to make this video.
I always knew something would be wrong with this and habitats they were too expensive and definitely overhyped thank you for being honest about this
Honestly I think their enclosures look cheap and very 80’s like. Not the modern feel I like in my rooms. I appreciate the honest review. I was debating trying them for a while and now I know I’ll go with my other choice!
I did extensive research on these habitats. I ultimately decided against ever purchasing one. They don't seem worth the cost (cheaply made), and I prefer pvc with glass. Thank you for sharing your experience.
If you’re going to give someone a free product to promote your business, then find out it was faulty, you should replace the item not tell them to fix it themself. 😒
I am glad I saw this video because I am remodeling my entire animal room and was debating ordering a bunch of their enclosures.
What I would have done, in case of the the door repair, would not only have put the superglue into that holding bracket but also used something like HVAC aluminum tape. That stuff does not come off easily, it is metal (so more reinforcement), and fairly cheap.
I love how you handled this so professionally and were honest about everything!
Based on your experience, I'll never buy one of their products. Thank you for the heads-up.
It's rusted too. I can't imagine that is suppose to happen.
Hahahah you said it after I commented 🤣
Zen habitat is actually SO EXPANSIVE for no reason. The materials are cheap. They are selling you a design, not an actually good terrarium.
To be fair I've not heard a whole lot of good about these enclosures. They seem to be a bit of a fad. I saw a post where the whole thing collapse and someone's pet went missing 😬 They seem so cheap and flimsy, especially for the insane price
Yeah I have a friend who’s pine snake escaped from one of their enclosures and they never found it again :( it was a problem with a cover for a hole for wires. the whole enclosures are cheaply made.
We had a similar experience, and now we won't use them for anything that requires substrate. The added weight of the substrate seems to make the corners start to come apart because it's only pressure holding everything together. Trying to move one of these enclosures while it has substrate in it is extremely difficult, it literally starts to come apart as you're moving it. I also reached out to Zen and was told to try superglue. In addition, substrate gets into the cracks/crevices where the metal meets the bamboo panels and makes it difficult to clean thoroughly. Perhaps my biggest frustration was the substrate barrier, which is held in place with double sided tape. The tape inevitably becomes covered in substrate and looses it's stickiness, but it still a huge pain to scrape off. I will say I also think the people at Zen are great folks. They were able to provide us with a discount and I know they are really supportive of rescues in general. And for beardies, this is a great option - just not for humid species or species requiring particulate substrate, in my opinion.
I love that you are honest and aren’t going to keep something that might be bad for your animals just because of an affiliation ❤️
Took some guts to make this video! Thank you so much for caring more about your fans and reputation. Keep up the entertaining videos
Just got a bearded dragon a month ago, he's in a small enclosure right now that I had sitting around from years ago but he is growing very fast!! so I am shopping around for a larger one. I almost purchased a Zen Habitat but my wife told me to do a little research on Zen Habitats first. You were the first youtube video that showed up! You actually hit on all the points that were on my mind when hesitating to purchase a Zen Habitat. I was hoping to find something like a quality piece of furniture that will last many many years.
I did not know Zen Habitat did affiliated reviews for their product. Unfortunately those are heavily biased as being far too positive because they do not want to lose access to more free stuff! LOL...
I was looking for a 4x2x2 enclosure for my bts and i always heard good things about zen habitats but I've always thought they looked cheap, and tbh just kinda ugly- I just built my own for literally half the price so 🙈
A faulty batch but they didn't keep batch codes to contact the people who got the faulty ones hm 🤔 honestly their business practices have always seemed shady to me glad to see more folks talking about it
The quality of the Zen enclosures doesn't justify the price and I've never understood the hype so thank you for being honest about your experience. I've had a 4×2×1 PVC cage for my BP for nearly a year and its awesome. I bought it from Cornels World and it's super well constructed, secure and won't rust/rot so I highly recommend them. I just ordered another one!
I've never been impressed by Zen's looks. I know that sounds VERY superficial (and it is), but when a person is paying that much for what is often basically a piece of furniture in their home and a safe enclosure for a valuable and beloved pet, the buyer wants the product to look good AND be safe and functional.
I have noticed a lot of under the table paid promotions in the hobby. People will get an affiliate code and then everything they have to say about a product becomes positive and they constantly shill said product without letting people know that they are biased because of kickbacks. Good on you for being willing to say what you think instead of just being positive because of some money.
It shouldn't have rusted and they should have just sent a new door. But the fact that the company and you BOTH settled on superglue being the best repair blows my mind. This is a job for silicone. Measure to make sure it's back in the right spot in the sleeve to open and close and then caulk it in place. Done.
Ok - if THIS is their customer service for a channel that holds almost 100000 subscribers- “yeah just stick some superglue on it’- IMAGINE what they would do for us lol
WOW. You are ABSOLUTELY correct in this situation. Regardless of if you received it free or not, they are SELLING this EXACT product and expecting it to just be "okay?" Unacceptable. Thank you for letting us know about this.
I got two of their 48" x 24" x 16" tall enclosures. Actually I like them for my corn snakes. I will admit that you have to really pay attention to what you're doing and assemble everything in the exact right order or you will have problems. And if you make a mistake it's just about impossible to fix it sometimes without breaking it. I broke a couple of the pieces and I contacted them and they sent them out to me for free. I learned a lot building that first and closure and have much fewer problems with the second one. So now I have two good enclosures. With proper assembly, and for the right species I think they are just fine.
Emzotic just partnered with them 👁️👄👁️
Many of my friends are partnered with them :) everyone has their own experience, and this is just mine!
Shitty company for a shitty person. Perfect :)
@@zann8649 how is emzotic shitty? Not trying to start shit, just wanna know why you say that. She seems like a good person to me.
@@crazeecatlady9457 she had used aliases/fake accounts to bully other petubers & talked behind their backs etcetc the things she said were really horrible
@@zann8649yeesh, i was not aware of that at all. She comes off as this pure innocent animal loving lady.
Super glue dries plastic out and cracks it. That is the process you are seeing I believe. They make special super glue for plastics but personally I would've used silicone.
I have one for my bearded dragon I recently got, and while it looks fine and gave him some more room, it does feel kind of wobbly and the doors feel not great. I don’t regret the enclosure, but I will look at different brands for the next one.
Almost 100K subs (!) and they WILL notice. Good. Maybe they'll think about their inadequate customer service as well as their QC management. I love this kind of vid! Thank you very much Emma. Be well :)
I, personally, choose to support companies based out of the US. I’ve heard bad things about Zen and found out they’re made in China where they have poor quality control and labor laws. They seem so flimsy to me and I’ve never understood the fascination with Zens. 🤷🏽♀️
Ooof I have seen these everywhere. Good to know they won't have your back if something goes wrong. To make things easier for you I would recommend filing down the super glue blob that's in the corner messing up the way it closes.
I run a 501c3 reptile rescue in Virginia, we've gotten the Zen Habitats donated to us, not by the company but by people also surrendering animals to us, we end up not using them for long if we use them at all. They are way too expensive for what you get, and I haven't been happy with the doors at all. The acrylic scratches so easily and looks awful after a short time, and costs a fortune to replace. I had a tegu push one of the doors out and on to the floor while I was out too, and I can't have animals escaping and running around.
Id assume for bearded dragons should be okay as there dry animals and metal shouldnt rust. They should invest in fixing the problem for animals that require humidity.
I feel bad for saying this but I feel they are sooo over-hyped and everything but seeing people put them together and stuff it doesn’t look good quality at all. The wood back is so flimsy and stuff. I dont know. I watched Goherping review this and Im like omg finally someone that is honest about it and not saying it just to be nice or whatever. I definitely wont spend my money a reptile enclosure like that. Ill buy something else😂
Mine did the SAME thing! I am not a happy camper since it almost caused my gecko to escape. I have cats.
finally someone said it (besides goherping) lol
Appreciate an honest update to the initial set up video. I think periodic updates about enclosures, equipment, and techniques are super important to advance our skills, products, and the hobby!
Most of the stuff that gets sent to folks- gets videos and reviews up relatively quickly before the person can use it daily and form their own quality-control type opinions.
Many people who are 6+ months into living with their spray foam and eco earth backgrounds are finding where that method falls short for some species or how they have to be more intentional with the build steps. (Me included.)
My personal opinion is that Zens could be really good in like 2 more years as they get customer feedback or pull true price down as they earn money to scale their business. I’m waiting on trying them bc I do like the aesthetic and think my arid snakes would do well in them when they get larger- but atm there’s still kinks being worked out as they crowdsource feedback.
I support update videos, even though strategically they might not perform the best, and appreciate this video from you. Thanks!
If they have a bad batch it needs to be recalled and replaced. Animals lives are at risk. I won’t be buying from them, that’s not good business.
The super glue issue you have with the residue try a flat razor and scrape it it might remove it but you may scratch the acrylic...nailpolish remover has acitone which removes glue, but even watered down it may damage the acrylic.... I have a Zen Habitat the 4×2x2 and haven't had issues yet but there are some things id change
I’ve had a similar experience with Dubia roaches and their 4ft enclosure. The sliding door track was bent and was unusable, they told me to use a screw driver to bend it back into place. Why should I have to do that if I ordered it brand new, the same with you and zen. Although mine wasn’t given to me but to me they should have tried harder to fix your door and send a replacement knowing you would be making a video on their product.
Do you have a company who has similar "light-weight" enclosures, that you recommend? I have their 4x4x2 for my boa and I don't mind it but I've always thought it was cheap looking for the cost, too.
Appreciate the honesty, enclosures are very expensive so this will be helpful for many. Personally I've never been interested in zen habitats, I enjoy exo terra and animal plastics enclosures.
I know you don’t like them but I would like to know if they are good for a BTS(northern) or should I get a different brand?
Subscribed for your honesty. I’ve had a feeling about Zen not being as good as their affiliates on TH-cam say. This has helped me decide against getting a Zen. I think I’m going to try Kages.
Does anyone have any other recommendations for enclosures for Ball pythons, beardies and BTS??
Dubia roaches site had enclosures now too
Thank you so much!! I am getting a blue tongue skink soon and planned on getting a huge (and expensive) enclosure for it from Zen Habitats. I couldn’t thank you enough honestly!!
Hi! I currently have my bluey who I recently got in a zen habitat and I absolutely love it! If you get one make sure to watch there TH-cam video on how to build the one you got! 😊
I’m early :) Emma could you help me with something’s
First off how to use a dripper or dripper plant
Secondly what substrate should I use and do you recommend any uvb light bulbs that’s all
What animal is this for?
@@EmmaLynneSampson my veiled chameleon
Yes they absolutely need UVB, I would recommend a 24” T5 HO fixture, and either a T5 reptisun 10.0 or an Arcadia 12%. I don’t personally like using drippers with chameleons, I prefer to use a mist king and a fogger
@@EmmaLynneSampson ok I’ll have a look for the items thank you
Thank you for being honest! I had a horrible experience with them! First they literally forgot to add 6 of the aluminum parts, so I had to wait for them to send them. (How do you not add 6 whole parts). THEN the aluminum parts were BENT! So it was impossible to put it together with the pieces like that, and now I have to wait AGAIN for them to send me replacement pieces.
So then what type of enclosure is best??? I’m wanting a crested gecko.
If the company knew about the faulty batch, it's the company's responsibility to reach out to its customers about it! It's not the consumer's responsibility to figure out if their product will work or not.... THANK YOU for the honest review! I've been sketched out by their prices for a while regarding the quality of product that you actually get...
Thank you for this. I was considering getting one as an upgrade for my gargoyle gecko. The enclosures are very expensive, and I'm not seeing the quality is worth the cost, nor is the habitat appropriate for animals needing humid environments. Well done!
THANK YOU. I dont understand what people love about them. They seem so cheap and there are way better products out there for much cheaper. I really dislike the one I got for my beardie.
just tried to put mine together yesterday and my door does not work either, which is why i searched this video to see if this was common.
I'd recommend trying aquarium silicone for reattaching the acrylic door to the bracket! It should hold better than super glue, and release less fumes into the reptile's enclosure
Unfortunately Acrylic doesn’t bond to silicone very well
@@EmmaLynneSampson
oh interesting! I've used it on plastics/glass before, never imagined acrylic would be any different. Good to know!
A bit late here, but I ordered a lot from them a few enclosures, glass door upgrades, the zen caves, zen mats.... all in all would not do it again.
I unpacked one of the enclosures and just sliding the panel into the metal parts like how you're supposed to essentially scratched off pieces of the "pvc".... Some pieces crumbled parts easily... The glass door shattered after sliding it open - I KID YOU NOT.
They give so many ways to not help you out... and all in all when you do ask them for help they give you a lot of problems.
Supposed to have a 3 year warranty for the enclosure and even basic part replacements was a hassle to get. Had to go through a few of the sales associates. The only one who remotely helped was someone by the name of "Lenny Ho"... the rest like april grieves, and the other girl who I still dont remember her name just kept giving reasons to not help at all... even in basic things.
P.s. for all of you wondering what the enclosure is like- the PVC is a composite PVC, the metal parts feel really light but bend easily... The glass somehow breaks easier than it should and they tell you not to remove this "film" from the glass as it's supposed to somehow prevent it from breaking...... Which makes no sense to be fair.
The only thing decent was the hide, but how can you fuck up a hide?
I managed to assemble one of the cages without it falling apart on me.... (still has the issues with the scraping metal against the cheap PVC) and it rattles every time my animal moves in it, and the pvc panel bends easily... like if you pick it up it kind of shakes like thick paper....
I agree with your post 100%. Just because a system is a "budget" one , they shouldn't fall apart from normal use.
I was about to buy one but something told me not too I have seen soo many videos and they had trouble putting it together
Wish I saw this video 3 months ago before I ordered mine , I'm still waiting for them to deliver it. I'm sure that I could've built one by now. Guess I'll find out for myself soon enough if these enclosures are any good. Thank you for sharing this .
Zen Habitats is not what you think it is. If you were going to DIY design, order parts for, and assemble a press fit aluminum frame and pvc panel based cage, Zen Habitats is just a cost effective and headache free way to get that. You should still be a DIYer and understand the principles of construction to get that cage. It's seriously not that much more expensive then order the parts and shipping what it is composed of. So if you're going to not like this cage option, what product do you recommend that's better from your perspective?
If I wanted to spend $400 on something I have to put together myself and fix with superglue, it almost sounds easier to buy lumber, plexiglass, and a drill.
I love that you're always honest and very respectful! I love your channel💕
Thank you :)
I can't believe the prices these companies charge for enclosures. I just got an 18x18x24 exo terra for $210, which is a bit too, imo, but compared to others I've seen, that was a steal.
What brand would you suggest for habitats?
fun fact superglue in the air will cling to fingerprint making them visible
I have the 4×4×2 and i had a little difficulty getting it together and i too cracked the wood when i was doing so. I also dont like that i cant fully open or remove the plexi glass doors because they get filthy and theres no possible way to clean them in the middle where the 2 sliding doors meet its super frustrating also the last issue i had was the plexiglass is scratched up pretty bad from my big guy wanting out cuz hes spoiled lol i know thats not technically zens fault but i wish they used different materials knowing that different lizards would scratch.
Literally had this in my cart and decided just to do a little more research. Glad I did
I've personally never understood the fad that is Zen. I've always thought they were kinda ugly, and that the materials look really cheap. I'm always shocked by how expensive they are. Not trying to hate, just my honest opinion 😖 I appreciate you being honest too Emma!
Do you guys have any recommendation on where to get a 4x2 enclosure for a good price
Aw, man, it sounds like you just got a bad enclosure. I bought a secondhand zen habitat (4x2x2) and it has been holding up great. I haven’t had any rust or water leaking out of it. My enclosures I have for my bts and beardie have all been great too. I hope you find something that works for you!
I'm so glad you made this video. Thank you Thank you Thank you for your honesty and transparency.
What encloser do you suggest?
I have this same enclosure and my mistking just barely sprays the metal screen top and is now rusting. This confuses me because I thought the metal was made of stainless steel and that it would not rust. Very frustrating and looks very ugly in my opinion
I believe the tops are made from galvanized steel. I would assume they should be rust proof though! Sorry yours is rusting :(
I think these enclosures look sooo cheap for what they actually cost. They're so expensive and still look cheap af. They look like they weigh nothing and the color of them is just 🤢🤮.
You can use nail polish remover to clean off the super glue residue from the door.
What's are better alternatives for 4 foot tanks?
I’m about to cry. My zen habitat is freaking leaking after it’s setup even though I siliconed all the side and such. I don’t know what to do now 🙄
For the nuts for door take one off and go to hardware store and get locknuts and that will fix that problem. Good thing it was free tho and for the glue at bottom of door. Run a razor blade along that part and it might help
ya for some reason super glue tends to frost up plastic or acrylic it comes in contact with.
Yes I agree,there junk.I almost bought one about 8 months ago.And a friend of my had a couple of there products,and yes he said there junk.He was going to give me them.And when I saw them,I said no thanks.He had them about 4 months.Not good.And was building up a lot of rust,and had to rivid parts of door.
I got a 4x2x1.5 aluminum/pvc vivarium including a heating element for about 400$ here in Europe. I just need to look at Zen Habitat to know that it's overpriced and of very poor quality.
I have nothing against saving material to make things less heavy or a to establish a cheaper product line for not so rich people, but this shouldn't lead to big quality issues.
I got a new rat cage for about 60-70$, this is really cheap. It's not the best looking thing and you can't sit on it BUT nothings cracks or falls off. Yesterday I got a IKEA-like sofa table for about 110-120$. It's well thought out and will withstand a nuclear strike if it doesn't get hit directly. It has real screws too. I want to use it for the vivarium, but I could place a big aquarium on it without bending or breaking.
No one needs products like Zen Habitat.
Hi thank u for sharring 😊😊🦎
Thank you for watching :)
I can watch your videos all day! Well done
HJonestly, I really think those enclousures look very flimsy for the price... I got a large costum made PVC tank for the same price. Only thing I had to do was to put in the doors.
Those white marks are where the vapors from the superglue have stuck to lime scale on the door as it was drying.
I would’ve used silicone over super glue, also for the leaf tail geckos, a 36x18x36 exo terra should be a good fit for them
Silicone doesn’t bond to acrylic very well unfortunately
Super glue vapor will stick to your latent fingerprints on the acrylic. Great forensic technic.
First (I think)!! Anyways love your channel Emma!
Thank you!!
😊
Well it's not unreasonable to want to have a functional enclosure when you paid so much money for it AND it's for keeping live animals in. What if someone had a venomous species of animal in there and the door just fell off? Or a very tiny gecko that could disappear indefinitely? Or a species which requires really high humidity? Incredibly irresponsible of Zen Habitats and "super glue it" is nowhere close enough to being an acceptable way of dealing with rightfully unhappy customers. It’s disappointing to say the least and odd since so many others have had good experiences with them. I’m not going to say I wouldn’t buy from them since I have heard a lot of good things too and really like that there are companies making bigger enclosures for reptiles but definitely something to be aware of. Hopefully like you said it was a one off thing and they learned from that experience.
Sucks how they responded to you, I wonder if they respond the same way to people that actually purchased their product. Even though you got it for free it’s still wrong as their product compromised the safety of your animals. I do have reptiles and dogs and if I happened to have the zen habitat and the door just falls off, I’ll be livid as the animal is good as dead if one of my dog get a hold of it. If not you can just lose an animal, never to be seen again. Any way thanks for these update and the honest review
I have always found these not only aesthetically ugly, but also cheaply built and poorly primed. Definitely sticking to my exoterras, I much prefer them. Granted exo terras aren't perfect of course, but at least they don't rust, can hold water and the doors don't friggin fall off lmao
Is an IKEA detolf good for leopard gecko
I think you could definitely make it work!
Thanks for writing back great vids by the way