Converting a Greenhouse into a spider room??

[Traci Barker]

Good morning every one, hope you are enjoying the sun (at last)

I have a theory that I want to test out on you if I may?

When I moved into my house (council tenant) there was nothing on the agreement saying that we could not keep any exotic's, but a couple of year ago they altered the agreement saying that 'NO' exotic's may be kept... But as we already had the T's and nobody really bothered us, we carried on with our wonderful hobby. BUT ... a few months ago we had an inspection (first time in 10 years) and was told that we should expect an inspection every year and if any thing is out of place, every few months. Which is hell, gone has any privacy we ever had. The woman that comes around is a ... well I can't really say here, but she is not a nice lady. Looks for any thing that she doesn't like and tells you with much smugness that she can and will throw you out if any thing is wrong. The street is up in arms about her!!
But the long and short of it, I do not want to come out of a hobby that I have been involved in for the past, going on 5 years just because our face doesn't fit one day but of course I do not want to loose my house either as I have 3 young boys.
Last time she came all the spider's were moved under the bed, into cupboards...
you name it, we hid them in. The warm cabinet that mine live in went in to the shed. But this is just not practical.
SO... I bought a greenhouse back in March as I was thinking of growing some of my own produce, but I was thinking that maybe I could convert the greenhouse (still in box) into a spider room.
I was wondering if anybody had done it?
I'm not so worried about the summer heat as I bought an automatic window opener and I was planning on putting that white wash on so you cannot see inside. I realise the tubs could dry out quickly, and would have to get around keeping the humidity up, but I am more worried about keeping it warm in winter and how to insulate it. We have an oil heater that is on a thermostat and the other half said he would run a sneaky cable out, but again, how would I keep the heat in?

If anybody has done, please could you post pictures and how you did it and how you find it works.
Is it a good solution?

Thanks for reading and for any help in advance.

[Steve McIntyre]

Hi Tracy, yeh, the weather's great up here! Greenhouse is a great idea for the warmer months (or should that be weeks / days in the UK!) but for the winter you'd be better off with a potting shed / cabin. You can even insulate it so you don't lose too much heat and save on power. Plus, certain nosey council jobsworths can't see inside!! I realise that sheds aren't cheap but you can offset the cost by using the greenhouse for your original purpose, ie, growing veg / tomatoes, etc. You could always try and breed stick insects in the greenhouse in spring / summer also and sell these to recoup some of the cost of the shed. It's cheaper to build a shed yourself, if that's possible, than buy a ready made one. Hope this gives you a few ideas!

[Colin D Wilson]

I have heard of people having used green houses before....
a lot of talk about airconditioning units and storage heaters was mentioned
Also i remember they had whitewashed the glass on the inside to reduce overheating further.

the projects starting to get a little pricey now eh?
I think i'd agree with young Mr. McIntyre and maybe offset the price of a small shed by selling produce / insects reared in the greenhouse.

[Peter Lacey]

The fact that glass isn't a good insulator would certainly turn me off this idea. I think you'd find it hard to maintain correct temperatures and costly too. The shed sound like a much better idea.
I think it would be interesting to see what your rights are concerning your hobby, especially as the No Exotics term was added long after you took residence. This seems to be an issue that's been raised a few times recently and I keep thinking its an infringement of your human rights.

[alex smith]

Yeah right Peter-and just think, if you could check out your rights and found they were in the wrong you could sue em!!! and buy a state of the art spider extension/building/cabin etc. We are in a rented council house too and we have had the odd big cheese around just for various niggles we have with the place-they have never mentioned the spiders even though they were left on full veiw.I do remember reading something about no pets but we have a dog too!!and your allowed them for sure.

Good luck -and your right Peter it is an infingement of your freedom of choice! bloody do gooders.

[Nicola Dolby]

Hi Tracy,
Whilst there is the nice possibility of having a spider house, it will be pretty obvious what is going on. Also if the council thought you were keeping tarantulas and wanted to check the first thing they might do is look on the BTS site, especially the public forums. What I'd do it re-check your tenancy agreement, contact a solicitor (they have free solicitors available connected to the Citizens Advice Bureau to do with housing issues) and fight your case that way. Your spids are well looked after, they are not a danger to the public and there has been no damage to the property as a result of you keeping them. Most importantly be aware of your legal rights and standing before this woman tries to bully you. Good luck!

[Andrew Ferguson]

Hi Tracy,

I'd heed Nicola's advice. Seek out any legal help you can through CABx and check your tenancy agreement. Make sure it doesn't say any updated agreements are binding, even without your signature.
As for suing, c'mon, this is the real world, not an American sit-com. And human rights? I cannot see how owning a pet is a human right. I could go on further but that is getting into political and off topic realms.

Bear in mind though, that a landlord/lady can set their own rules providing they are not illegal. If I was a landlord, I wouldn't allow dogs or giunea pigs. I'm just not keen on them. Period. But as it is my property, you live in it by my rules. Fair? Probably not, but then life isn't fair sometimes.

p.s. Tracy. Have you thought about a small lock up or self storage? Maybe worth a look.

[Traci Barker]

Sorry for not getting back sooner, been a little ill so away from the old internet for a few days.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The only trouble with this wonderful woman is she seams to be making the rules up as she comes down the street, one household has been told they can nolong keep a fishpond they have had for three year while another has just built a conservatory. We have glass 'stable' doors which were ok, but then a couple of doors up they were told to replace their door!! It really is silly. If you kick up a fuss she comes down hard, and now a few of my friends have already had three visit's from her just because the husband would not be spoken down to in his own home about wooden flooring (he needed permission for that- but a carpet is ok!!)

I asked her to send a new tennancy agreement but she did not send out a new one and when going to the council and asking in person, they told me they would send one, but it has never arrived.
A friend's father-in-law is a solicitor and he is looking through the agreement for us, but at the moment we have not heard anything.

I told her about my beardie, I love him to bits but was prepaired to gamble with him as he went to my mothers for the week she was due but it is just not practical to keep moving a 4ft glass viv! But I dare not say anything about my spiders, I just do not want to risk loosing them as they are such a passion that I have had since I was a child, and I do not want to give her a hard time as I could not bare her wanting a tour of my home every other month as my other half is ill and I am terrified that she would want to visit on a occasion when he is in hospital... how would I get every thing moved in time?
I know the mature answer would be not to have so many, not to keep any at all, but why should I come out of a hobby just because all of a sudden somebody says that council tennants can not keep exotics?
Mine are all in heated vivs with locking doors, the key is kept up high, nobody has ever been bitten as we have a hands off rule in the house (unless the T's decide otherwise), we do not show off and scare people with them and the only one that ecasped was an A.Seemanni that was found with in the half hour in the livingroom and that was the only one in 4 years! (my other half T at the time kept in a tank on a shelf- all locked up now) They are doing no damage to the house (unlike a pet dog or cat could yet you can keep these) what so ever and are neat ... No, sometimes life is just not fair at all!

Anyway... gone off thread topic so much, will get off my soapbox now lol

Reading about the greenhouse, it does sound as it would be too costly, sadly a shed at the moment with the way things are (council again) would not be worth my breath asking for permission.
I will no doubt have to think of something else... thanks for every bodys comments and advice though.

[Peter Lacey]

I'd have thought that your agreement, as mine did years back, says an inspection is expected within regular intervals at both parties convenience. The regularity of mine suggested a year to multiple years. I stayed there for 9 years and never once had a visit. However, if they had decided to just turn up without prior engagement I would have felt quite within my rights to telll her to come back at a pre-arranged time. The occupant has rights and they are not over-ridden by the desires of the owner. With the present climate as it is I'd have thought she'd take a little more care of her occupants.

[Andrew Ferguson]

Traci, just out of interest (ok, I'm being nosey!), which Lincolnshire council are we referring to?

[Traci Barker]

For anybody whom is in council housing, I just thought that I would post my latest news.

I now have full consent to keep my Tarantula's! *party time* As you can imagine, I am over the moon as this worry has been going on just under a year and the consent threat of loosing my hobby has been, at times heartbraking!!

But after an article in my local council newsletter about the keeping of tropical pets, and that if you did, please ask for permission, I wrote to them and to my great joy I was granted permission ... of course I told them that I was a member of the BTS, BTS forum and many others and kept them all neatly locked away in vivs which I think put me in good standing.

But thrilled with the result, my tarantulas can now stay out from under the bed

[Michael Olsinia]

Great news Traci! Congrats

[Colin D Wilson]

Well congratulations on your success Traci.

Unfortunatly i think the descision may be particular to your council and circumstances as in the loughborough area there was a young lad (very capable hobbyist and breeder) that was given 24 hrs to get rid of his spiders (20 in total). Throughout the next two months he was spot checked (by a council official, RSPCA officer and Police officer together) no less than 18 times just to make sure he had not returned them to the premisis.
He enquired if this could be considered harrassment but was informed that the inspections were all made within the confines of the law and with concerns to the welfare of the local community, most of which were older people who could be highly disturbed by an escapee.

[James Box]

congrats Traci! being a member of a proper society can help...
i know the current banning of the sale of Japanese swords is not affecting people who belong to sword clubs...
if they start getting worse with exotics, there are numerous clubs thankfully to which you can belong, and the law may just circumvent card carrying members
but hopefully it won't come to that...though everyone needs to join the BTS!

[Traci Barker]

I am so glad that I name dropped the BTS and the forums now... things may have been a lot different if I had not.

Yes, I can understand where the councils are coming from as some
irresponsible owners have been known to leave their pets behind when moving out, but to tar all keepers with the same brush is cruel and very narrow minded.

I gave the council the option to come and see where and how I keep my T's and told them there were kept locked up, again something (as said) that went for me I think, I also told them that I do not keep anything on the DWA.

But never-the-less, while I am over joyed at my result, I can understand how countless others maybe feeling at this cloud hanging over their hobby. I would not be in their position again for the world, it has been a hard year!
I think I will frame the piece of paper when it comes and hang it near my collection for all to see!! (Found out by phone call)

The very best of luck to anybody else in what had been my situation!!!

And as James says... Join the BTS, one day it may stand in your favour not to mention the booklet are soooo cool lol !!!