Securing the Terrarium to a Surface?

[RandomGemini]

So... I'm getting a puppy. I have a 12x12 Exo terra terrarium and it slides around on top of the cabinet I have placed it on. This cabinet is in the family room, where my dogs and family spend most of their time.

The new puppy is going to be rambunctious and full of puppy bounce and sparkle, which means he or she will run into furniture and I'm concerned about my terrarium toppling over.

I read about this stuff called museum gel. It's supposed to adhere items to a surface so that it can't be easily knocked over, but is still removable. Has anyone tried it? Is it really removable? Does it actually work to keep things in place?

If not, are there any other possibilities for securing my terrarium in its current location? I can always move it, but I am not looking forward to doing that and would like to leave it where it is and just teach the puppy to leave it alone, but I want to be sure it won't accidentally get dumped over. I've put a lot of effort and planning into this little setup!

Thanks so much!

[RandomGemini]

This is a pic of the way I have things set up currently.

[No-Pro-mwa]

I have never heard of it. How about putting some cork under the bottom of it. Don't know if that would work or not.

Congrats on the puppy, we will of course need to see pictures.

[FroggyKnight]

I'm not very familiar with museum gel, but I do not think it will be necessary anyways. I have many exo terra tanks (I breed dart frogs) and they will stay put, unless the stand itself falls over.

Good luck with the pup!

[RandomGemini]

Puppy is still a maybe. It's looking like he or she may be coming home in March or possibly early April. So I've got tons of time to plan. I will definitely post pics when the ankle biter arrives though!

I could definitely try some cork and in fact, I have some just sitting in my closet taking up space! Good idea!

Froggy: I think the design of this tank might be an issue. It's the mini tall, so the center of gravity isn't nice and low. I've bumped into this stand and had it slide a little, which is why I'm worried. Puppy is a Lab, so he or she is going to be 50 pounds by the time the youngster is 5 months old. I had a young dog this age knock the wiring harness in my dishwasher loose... which the guy that came out to repair it told me should have been impossible. LOL!

[AnonYMouse]

I don't know about the gel (I'll have to look into it) but I'm familiar with museum putty. It's basically silly putty. It stays somewhat pliable, can get gooey under some circumstances (warm temp or grease). Don't use on unfinished or porous surfaces.

I've also used silicone pads, those work well on slick flat surfaces.

Couple of other non-skid materials are the foamy shelf liner and foamy rug liner. They are the same stuff.

Success depends on stickiness to surface area ratio.

[Paul]

Personally, I'd suggest you simply by a pack of rubber "bumpers". Couple of links just to show you what I'm referring to:
http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/1...pg_220x220.jpg
https://cdn.sparkfun.com//assets/par...0/10594-02.jpg
They're cheap, common at any BBS, and very easy to apply. They typically come in clear, black/grey, or white. As such they are quite unobtrusive.

[RandomGemini]

I've looked into the gel a bit more, it's a clear version of the putty that anonymouse mentioned. My concern is that it might not adhere as well as I would like and then my puppy will swallow the stuff.... Lab puppies swallow whatever fits in their mouths... so I'm thinking rubber feet or bumpers might not be a good fit here either, just because of the "what happens if they fall off?" factor. In my experience with Lab puppies, if something can go wrong... it WILL go wrong until they're about a year old. They're constantly into trouble.

The cork sheet I have still slides around, so I think I will try the foamy shelf liner and see if that works. If that doesn't work, I will have to relocate the terrarium to my office, which is just going to be off limits to puppy until I teach the ankle biter not to chew on books or plants.

And speaking of that... is it safe to spray bitter apple (it's an alcohol based spray with bitrex in it) or tabasco sauce on orchid leaves? I'm concerned about the youngster pruning my oncidiums.

[Paul]

The bumpers, IME, won't fall off. Unless you have a portion of the terr sitting over the edge of the cabinet and the bumpers stuck on there, there would be no way for them to fall off. (And I can't see you wasting the bumpers where they wouldn't be in contact with both the terr and the cab.)

Also, you pup would be more far likely to choke on a piece of dog chow or chew toy considering how small the bumpers are.

Can't help with regard to the bitter apple. Best bet would be to experiment on one "sacrificial" plant.

[RandomGemini]

It's not choking I'm worried about Paul. It's bowel obstructions. I've had two dogs swallow things whole that could not come out the other end. Surgery for that is expensive. If they are fairly small, it might work out, I was picturing a one inch square item.