home made terrarium HELP!

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Originally Posted by hut8822

bet that!! I really didn`t want to have to get rid of it.

You said you are building one bigger than mine, So what are you going to do about the heat/humidity?

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I will have fogger hooked up to plumbing that will mist in from both sides an 1 from the ground level. So 3 misting area. Plus I will have a waterfall into a pond that will alo serve as the water bowl. I may actually have too much humidity so I will probably have to set it to a dimmer or just turn it off from time to time. As for heat I will be running a 120w RHP on top and UTH oln the bottom. Id post a pic for you but its not up to date and I'm lazy but as I said before you can check out my terrarium threads.

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Originally Posted by mschmied

I'd wait and see how the animal responds first. If you have hides there shouldn't be an issue. I had hatchlings that came from 6 qt tubs and put them in 32 qt tubs with one hide and all are fine and eating very well. It's not always so cut and dry.

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I agree. I had a juvy in an enclosure just a tad larger than this one. He had plenty of hiding spots and ate just fine. I just went with more 'accepted' advice. It does highly depend on the snake.

@ hut8822 everything sounds good once you get the plywood thing worked out. I wasn't aware of it either, so good to know.

Just a note, I had a 100w Infrared Heat Bulb at one time. It heated up a slightly larger enclosure almost too much. So be sure to put it on a dimmer. Also, it can pull the humidity out of your enclosure like no other. I eventually found a different way to heat my enclosure to keep from battling the humidity at every turn. You may have better luck, but that was my experience with a heat lamp.

Keep it up ! :)

I'd say you're good to use the wood if you seal it (I'd seal it even with plexi over it). I haven't seen you say what type of wood it is, but chances are if its regular plywood then it is pine. Instead of plexiglass over it, you could also do vinyl tiles or something... I suggest that because its much cheaper and easier to cut to size than plexi :D

As far as sealing it goes... Mod Podge is junk and the seal is "meh" at best (personal experience). Its ridiculously over-priced elmer's glue, and if moisture sits on it, it will soak into it and stain. If you're wanting to go cheap then seal with watered down wood glue (watered down for sake of application). Couple coats of this is a much better seal than an equal amount of Mod Podge. If you're looking to go a little higher quality then I'd suggest a water-based Polycrylic or something similar. I know people have also used marine varnish (wood sealant for boats) and such too...

Personally I'd seal the particle board with a high gloss enamel like colors in plastic by varithane. It dries hard and is vary resistant to water (I have used in on many kayaks) just make sure you allow it to dry completely and gas out before you add the snake.

I also feel the height will cause an issue in the future. I have one enclosure (just over 1 year) that is 18 inches and it works fine but it is also the hardest to balance ambient temps (it is not in a heated room) I would be concerned that the heating systems needed for such a tall space to be needlessly costly and complex. A shorter enclosure makes both humidity and ambient temps much easier, I have one that is 14 and that 4 inchs requires one less heater that the taller one needs (t-stat too). They are basically the same design.

Yea that plexi-glass will work perfect, just get it cut perfectly to size and use Aquarium safe silicone and it should'nt be toxic

Heres a good site for custom cut plexi.

https://www.estreetplastics.com/Plex...Clear_s/21.htm

Looks awsome though! I'm sure your ball python will love it.

that looks like the partical boare that they sell at Lowse with a camo print on it?????
hate to say it,, but that stuff will fall apart when it gets wet,,, and it will get wet.
also, is that a screen front? arent there issues with snakes harming themselfs by rubbing their faces on screen????
BTW,, the construction looks very well done.. if it comes to where you need to build something else,, im sure youll do a good job..
spooky

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Originally Posted by mr.spooky

that looks like the partical boare that they sell at Lowse with a camo print on it?????
hate to say it,, but that stuff will fall apart when it gets wet,,, and it will get wet.
also, is that a screen front? arent there issues with snakes harming themselfs by rubbing their faces on screen????
BTW,, the construction looks very well done.. if it comes to where you need to build something else,, im sure youll do a good job..
spooky

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it is the lowest mossy oak.and the front is made of plexi glass.I kinda figured it would soak up some water but figured it would last till I could do one to the specs I really want.It was also really cheap to make.

like you said I took my time to make sure it was secure and safe as possible.Glad I took pics and asked questions.know it will probably last a lot longer.

Thanks to everyone! I am definitely going to seal it.don't know about plexi.I'll probably try n find something more suitable.
once agian thanks!