3x2x2 Modification for Antaresia

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Originally Posted by Homebody

No patio, no deck, no lawn, no garage, no utility room, no basement, no attic. All the work has to be done in my living/dining room. I might be able to get away with treating the wood in my local park and letting it cure there for a few hours.

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I can understand the aggravation with this. Before I got married I lived in a little one bedroom and the "patio" I had was this tiny slab of concrete that came off a sliding glass door about 6 inches. Couldn't do anything back there, which is why I always had to buy glass enclosures. I'm sure you'll be able to find a spot to take care of this.

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Originally Posted by Hugsplox

I can understand the aggravation with this. Before I got married I lived in a little one bedroom and the "patio" I had was this tiny slab of concrete that came off a sliding glass door about 6 inches. Couldn't do anything back there, which is why I always had to buy glass enclosures. I'm sure you'll be able to find a spot to take care of this.

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Sure, I will. Us DIYers are a resourceful bunch.

Your setup looks good so far, especially after your clarifications about how you intend to handle the LED lights. Be aware that red lights are many, many, many times brighter than natural moonlight so they can be stressful even when just briefly used. If you really need to check on your snake at night it'd probably be lower stress to just flick on the regular blue LED.

The guy from 'Talking Serpents' in the video below makes DIY wood and PVC enclosures. I don't personally have any of them, but folks I know who do have them, have nothing but positive comments. He posted this to answer all of the questions he gets about the best options and methods used to safely and effectively seal and cure wood enclosures.

As an aside, I DO have a couple of his snake hooks, and they are excellent. Not that you'll need a hook for an Antaresia, but just in case others are reading.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3jw...alkingserpents

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Originally Posted by Caitlin

Your setup looks good so far, especially after your clarifications about how you intend to handle the LED lights. Be aware that red lights are many, many, many times brighter than natural moonlight so they can be stressful even when just briefly used. If you really need to check on your snake at night it'd probably be lower stress to just flick on the regular blue LED.

The guy from 'Talking Serpents' in the video below makes DIY wood and PVC enclosures. I don't personally have any of them, but folks I know who do have them, have nothing but positive comments. He posted this to answer all of the questions he gets about the best options and methods used to safely and effectively seal and cure wood enclosures.

As an aside, I DO have a couple of his snake hooks, and they are excellent. Not that you'll need a hook for an Antaresia, but just in case others are reading.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3jw...alkingserpents

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That video was just what I needed to see. Thanks.

Ok. I feel like I have a plan. Thanks to all of you for your input. To be honest, I was a little nervous posting my plan for the community's review, but I'm so glad I did. The cost of the project went up a little bit but I'm more confident that my snake's new home will be one he'll thrive in.

I put two coats of polyurethane on it this weekend. It should have plenty of time to cure before I put a snake in it. I need Santa to bring me the rest of the stuff I need to complete the enclosure.

A word of warning to the unwary: Heed the warning label regarding proper ventilation. I didn't and got a nasty headache.

Santa came early, so I was able to complete my modifications.
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...5/dsc03344.jpg
I had planned to rest the shelf on aluminum angles. Unfortunately, that exposed gaps between the shelf and the sides. It wasn't something a snake could escape through, but I thought he might hurt himself trying. I used aluminum c-channels instead.https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...5/dsc03345.jpg

I also decided to use PVC for the shelf rather than melamine. I hear melamine is heavy and tricky to cut. I also thought the PVC would be more water-resistant. My idea of using vinyl tubing filled with silicone sealant to close the gap at the top of the glass did not work. The tube I bought was curved. When I tried to straighten it, it created wrinkles and gaps through which the wet silicone oozed. What a mess! So, I tried v seal weatherstrip, but that wrinkled as well. I was also worried that I might be too flimsy. I ultimately settled on vinyl door weatherstrip. It's a little tight, but better too tight than too loose.

Overall, I'm satisfied I've created an enclosure that will keep my new snake healthy. The next step is to buy the snake. Once I have a little more money saved, I'll start a new thread seeking your assistance with that. Thanks again to you all.

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Originally Posted by Homebody

...I also decided to use PVC for the shelf rather than melamine. I hear melamine is heavy and tricky to cut...

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Melamine IS heavy & just wretched to cut! :taz: I once tried a long time ago- gave up on that idea, lol.

But just like you're doing- if at first you don't succeed, try another way- there's more than one way to get the results you need. :gj: Just part of the creative process...;)

I've added furnishings:
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...urnishings.jpg
The warm hide is on the left. It's built from a piece of cast iron water pipe sitting on a novelty cast iron frying pan and topped with a piece of slate. The cast iron modulates the temperature fluctuations caused by the on/off thermostat. A pulse proportional thermostat is high on my wish list. The cool hide on the right is just a stone mug with a cracked handle. In the back along the rear wall is a wire tunnel covered in fake foliage. It covers the entrance to the terrarium and will allow my snake to traverse the length of the terrarium under cover. The climbing branch was harvested from my local park, washed, dried and coated with 3 coats of polyurethane. I found the bench on the right in the garbage. I cleaned it and coated it with polyurethane. The fake flowers hold the probe of the thermostat that controls the RHP. The water bowl in the center is plastic. It has a wide flat bottom to keep it from tipping. Golum is a decoration that also gives the snake something to hold onto if he decides to take a bath. The lights are there just to take the picture. They are not a permanent part of the terrarium.
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...urnishings.jpg
The substrate in the tub is 2-3 inches of shredded paper. The water bowl is a stainless steel tray. I've found that if I put more than an ounce of water in the tray, the humidity in the tub reaches 90%. An ounce keeps the humidity around 60%. The porous stone is to aid with shedding. The hide on the left is obviously a milk carton and the one on the right is an overturned fruit bowl. He'll have to burrow to get into the fruit bowl but I'm sure he'll manage it.

Let me know what you think. I plan to pick up the snake on March 5th, so I have time to make corrections. Thanks.

Marvelous job! It appears to me that you covered all the bases. You obviously have skills as a diy. Congrats, the enclosure really is eye catching. I know I couldn’t do this type of building. My reptile room is a group of store bought racks that are stacked. I do have to swap out some old heat tape in a couple of my racks. So I will have a few diy projects soon. Thanks for the continuous explanations as you progressed on this project. Grats. :bow: