1. Acceptance of these terms
This site is operated by DAK Habitats ("we", "us", "our"). By browsing the site, contacting us through it, or placing an order, you agree to these Terms & Conditions. If you do not agree, please do not use the site or order from us.
These terms apply to every order unless we have agreed something different with you in writing.
2. Who may order
You must be at least 18 years old, or have the consent and supervision of a parent or legal guardian who accepts these terms on your behalf, to order live animals from us.
You must give a complete and accurate name, delivery address, phone number and email address. We are not responsible for delays, losses or deaths caused by an address or contact detail entered incorrectly.
3. Products, listings and photographs
- Enclosures are made from cast or extruded acrylic. Minor variation in seam appearance, edge polish and panel thickness is normal and is not a defect.
- Listed dimensions are external and stated in inches as width × depth × height, with a manufacturing tolerance of about 1/8". Usable internal space is smaller by the panel thickness.
- Photographs show a representative unit of that model and size, not the specific unit you receive. Acrylic is optically clear; colour cast in a photograph comes from lighting, not the material.
- Sizes of the same model are listed as separate options. Stock is tracked per size, so one size selling out does not affect the others.
- We work to keep availability, descriptions and prices accurate, and we reserve the right to correct errors and to cancel and refund an order placed against an obvious pricing or availability mistake.
- Enclosures are sold empty. Substrate, heating, lighting, water dishes and décor are not included unless a listing says otherwise.
4. Prices, discounts and payment
Prices are in U.S. dollars and exclude shipping and any applicable sales tax, which are calculated at checkout. Prices may change at any time before you place an order.
Sale prices and promotional codes apply only while the promotion runs and only to the products it names. A promotion cannot be applied to an order placed before it started or after it ended, and we may end a promotion early. Where a free-shipping threshold is advertised, it is assessed on the order subtotal before tax and shipping.
Payment is taken at checkout through our third-party payment processor. Card details are entered on the processor's own secure pages — we never receive or store your full card number. Your order is not confirmed until payment is authorized.
5. Orders and cancellation
Starting checkout places a short, temporary hold on the items in your cart so that two people cannot buy the last unit at once. The hold expires on its own if you do not complete checkout, and the stock returns to general availability.
Your order is an offer to buy. We accept it when we confirm it by email. We may decline or cancel an order — before or after payment — if an item is out of stock, if we cannot ship to your location, if the listing contained an error, or if we suspect fraud. If we cancel, we refund you in full.
You may cancel for a full refund any time before your order ships, except for made-to-order and custom work, which is covered separately. Once an order has been handed to the carrier it can no longer be cancelled; use the returns process instead.
6. Shipping
We ship within the areas listed at checkout. Shipping is quoted from your destination ZIP code and the size of the largest item in your cart. The quote shown in the cart is an estimate; the amount charged is calculated at checkout from the address you provide.
If the address you enter at checkout is materially farther than the ZIP code you quoted against, we may contact you for the difference before shipping, or cancel and refund the order. We will not ship a materially underpaid order without contacting you first.
Delivery estimates are the carrier's, not a guarantee. Once a package is handed to the carrier, transit time is outside our control. Title and risk of loss pass to you on delivery.
7. Damage in transit
Acrylic is far more impact resistant than glass, but it can still be damaged by rough handling. If your order arrives damaged, tell us within {{DOA_WINDOW}} of delivery and we will replace or refund the damaged items.
To make a claim we need, in the same message:
- Your order number.
- Photographs of the outer shipping box on all sides, including any crush or puncture damage.
- Photographs of the packing material as you found it, before unpacking further.
- Photographs of the damage to the item itself.
Photographs of the box and packing matter as much as photographs of the item — they are what the carrier requires to settle a claim, and they cannot be recreated once the packaging is thrown away. Keep all packaging until the claim is resolved.
This covers damage in transit. It does not cover scratches, scuffs or crazing that appear after use, damage from cleaning products, drops, over-tightening, heat sources placed in contact with the acrylic, or modifications you make.
8. Returns and refunds
Unused stock items in original condition and packaging may be returned within {{MERCH_RETURN_DAYS}} days of delivery for a refund of the purchase price. Return shipping is yours unless the item was damaged, defective or sent in error.
“Unused” means it has not housed an animal and has not had substrate, adhesive, silicone or heating equipment applied. An enclosure that has been in service cannot be resold and is not returnable.
Email us before sending anything back — returns received without prior contact may not be refundable. Refunds are issued to the original payment method once we have received and inspected the item, and typically appear within a few business days of being issued.
Made-to-order and custom items are not returnable unless they are defective or do not match the specification you approved. See section 9.
9. Made-to-order and custom work
Some items are made to order, and some are made to a specification you supply. For custom work:
- We will confirm dimensions, vent placement and door style in writing before starting. That written confirmation is the specification the order is measured against.
- Because a custom item cannot be resold, custom orders cannot be cancelled once production has begun and are not returnable for change of mind.
- If the finished item does not match the approved specification, or arrives defective, we will replace it or refund it — your choice.
- Lead times quoted for made-to-order work are estimates. We will tell you if an order is running materially late, and you may cancel for a full refund if production has not yet begun.
- You are responsible for the suitability of a specification you supply. We supply what was approved; we do not warrant that your chosen dimensions suit a particular animal.
10. Safe use and care of your enclosure
Acrylic is a plastic, and it has failure modes glass does not. Read this before first use:
- Never use ammonia- or alcohol-based cleaners (including most glass cleaners). They cause crazing — a network of fine cracks that permanently clouds the panel. Use warm water, a drop of mild dish soap and a soft microfiber cloth. Never use paper towels or abrasive pads.
- Keep heat sources off the acrylic. Heat mats, heat tape, bulbs and ceramic emitters must not sit in direct contact with a panel. Acrylic softens and deforms at far lower temperatures than glass. Use a thermostat, and mount heating outside the enclosure with an air gap.
- Do not over-tighten screws, latches or clamps. Acrylic is rigid, and point loads crack it.
- Solvents, adhesives and silicones can attack acrylic or fail to bond. Test any product on an inconspicuous area first.
- Check closures, vents and seams periodically, especially after moving an enclosure. Fasteners loosen with handling.
You are responsible for the animals you keep. Choosing an enclosure appropriate to the species, size and habit of your animal, providing correct ventilation, temperature and humidity, and confirming the enclosure is secure before use are your responsibility, not ours. Any sizing guidance on this site is general information, not husbandry advice for your particular animal.
You are also responsible for complying with any law that applies to the animals you keep. Nothing we sell authorizes possession of any animal.
11. Use of this website
You agree not to use this site to break the law, to interfere with its operation or security, to scrape or bulk-copy its content, to submit false order or contact information, or to attempt access to any administrative area you are not authorized to use. We may suspend or refuse service to anyone who does.
12. Intellectual property
All content on this site — photographs, text, layout, logos and design — belongs to DAK Habitats or its licensors and is protected by copyright and trademark law. You may not reproduce, republish or use it commercially without our written permission. Our animal photographs in particular are our own work and are not free stock; please ask before using one.
13. Third-party services
We rely on third parties for payment processing, hosting, shipping and email. Their own terms and privacy policies govern what they do, and we are not responsible for their acts or omissions. Links from this site to other sites are offered for convenience and are not an endorsement.
14. Privacy
We collect only what we need to fulfil your order and answer your questions: your name, contact details, delivery address, order history and any message you send us. We do not sell your information or share it for advertising. We share it with our payment processor, our carrier and our hosting provider strictly so they can do their part of the job.
Our Privacy Policy sets all of this out in full — what we collect, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and how to ask for a copy or a deletion. It forms part of these terms.
15. Disclaimer of warranties
Except for the damage-in-transit commitment above and any warranty that cannot legally be excluded, this site and everything sold through it are provided "as is", without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the site will be uninterrupted or error-free, or that any animal will live for any particular length of time after delivery.
16. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent the law allows, DAK Habitats and its owners, employees and agents are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for lost profits, arising out of your use of this site or any product bought through it.
Our total liability for any claim relating to an order is limited to the amount you actually paid for that order.
Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so parts of this section may not apply to you.
17. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold DAK Habitats harmless from any claim, loss or expense — including reasonable legal fees — arising from your breach of these terms, your violation of any law, or your keeping or handling of an animal after delivery.
18. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms at any time. The version posted here when you place an order is the version that governs that order, so please check the effective date above before you buy.
19. Governing law and disputes
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of {{GOVERNING_STATE}}, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute will be brought in the state or federal courts located in {{GOVERNING_STATE}}, and you and we consent to that venue.
Please contact us first. Nearly every problem is faster to fix by email than by anything else.
If any provision of these terms is found unenforceable, the rest stays in force.
20. How to reach us
Questions about these terms, a damage claim, or an order:
DAK Habitats
{{BUSINESS_ADDRESS}}
{{OWNER_EMAIL}}
You can also use our contact form. For a damage claim, email is faster and lets you attach photographs.