Gloria Gets a New Enclosure!

Long time no see! The past few months have been a crazy combination of field work and international travel - BUT now that I'm settled back at home I wanted to share Gloria's much-awaited new enclosure.

http://i.imgur.com/QOgq22gh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/gJNmzrBh.jpg

I opted for an Animal Plastics T10 with a Pro-Heat 80watt RHP regulated by a Herpstat Intro+ thermostat. I installed some 2.5" PVC pipes across the enclosure so Gloria could roam vertically as well as horizontally. So far she seems to enjoy taking advantage of the extra space! I think she likes the new levels as a "alternate route" when cruising around at night.

http://i.imgur.com/UZL6IFSh.jpg

The enclosure is illuminated by an LED aquarium strip that operates in a variety of colors. (Gloria seems to like blue the best)

http://i.imgur.com/uz6U3Cll.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ydUmSOEl.jpg

The T10 was super easy to construct, and I had Animal Plastics pre-install the RHP for me. Waiting 12 weeks for the unit to ship, 5-7 days for the silicone sealant to cure, and another 5-7 days for the entire unit to de-gas was hard. But I didn't want to expose Gloria to tacky substances and stinky, hot-fiberglass odors. Despite the wait, I would highly recommend AP and Pro-Heat products for BP owners. Everything is very nicely constructed and the whole unit looks very professional.

The 95+ outside temps in Oregon have been a little tough to manage without AC, but the enclosure never gets above 85 on the cool side, and usually hovers around 78-82. Hot side is always 88-91. When it isn't ridiculously hot outside, the enclosure is very easy to keep at optimum temperatures. And maintaining 50-60% humidity is a breeze, even with newspaper!

I'm very excited to watch Gloria continue to grow into her new space.

this is ridiculously cool haha. im jealous for my snake :p

Very nice setup!

I really like the perches and lighting too. Thanks for the detailed explanations as well. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thejennabird

Long time no see! The past few months have been a crazy combination of field work and international travel - BUT now that I'm settled back at home I wanted to share Gloria's much-awaited new enclosure.

http://i.imgur.com/QOgq22gh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/gJNmzrBh.jpg

I opted for an Animal Plastics T10 with a Pro-Heat 80watt RHP regulated by a Herpstat Intro+ thermostat. I installed some 2.5" PVC pipes across the enclosure so Gloria could roam vertically as well as horizontally. So far she seems to enjoy taking advantage of the extra space! I think she likes the new levels as a "alternate route" when cruising around at night.

http://i.imgur.com/UZL6IFSh.jpg

The enclosure is illuminated by an LED aquarium strip that operates in a variety of colors. (Gloria seems to like blue the best)

http://i.imgur.com/uz6U3Cll.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ydUmSOEl.jpg

The T10 was super easy to construct, and I had Animal Plastics pre-install the RHP for me. Waiting 12 weeks for the unit to ship, 5-7 days for the silicone sealant to cure, and another 5-7 days for the entire unit to de-gas was hard. But I didn't want to expose Gloria to tacky substances and stinky, hot-fiberglass odors. Despite the wait, I would highly recommend AP and Pro-Heat products for BP owners. Everything is very nicely constructed and the whole unit looks very professional.

The 95+ outside temps in Oregon have been a little tough to manage without AC, but the enclosure never gets above 85 on the cool side, and usually hovers around 78-82. Hot side is always 88-91. When it isn't ridiculously hot outside, the enclosure is very easy to keep at optimum temperatures. And maintaining 50-60% humidity is a breeze, even with newspaper!

I'm very excited to watch Gloria continue to grow into her new space.

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Beautiful!

I really like seeing cages like this, and you did a nice job with the perches. I moved our royal into a new plastic enclosure and kept the perches I had in their for the carpet python. I agree that giving "options" is a nice touch.

I really enjoy the looks of the AP cages.

I like this. Construction question: Are the PVC perches attached with just the brackets? Orrrr... Idk. I was trying to figure out how you did it. :confusd:

Beautiful enclosure!

I wish I could get stuff from Animal Plastics here in the Netherlands!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by anicatgirl

I like this. Construction question: Are the PVC perches attached with just the brackets? Orrrr... Idk. I was trying to figure out how you did it. :confusd:

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Looks like the shower rod holders.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

Thanks for the compliments everyone!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by anicatgirl

I like this. Construction question: Are the PVC perches attached with just the brackets? Orrrr... Idk. I was trying to figure out how you did it. :confusd:

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Tsanford is correct that I used plastic shower rod/closet rod brackets (just like these). Because I didn't have any screws short enough, I just used a healthy dose of hot glue to affix them to the sides of the cage. I know just using hot glue sounds crazy, but they stuck surprisingly well! The bottom (long) pole just rests on the brackets and is removable. It's a very snug fit with no gaps or cracks. The top pole is both resting and glued onto the brackets.

We weight-tested both poles to 12lbs without sagging, breaking, or popping out of their holders. Though personally I hope Gloria never gets THAT big. :O

I can provide some additional detail pictures if that would help.

I'd be interested in seeing up close shots of the enclosure itself.. That way I have a better idea on how to construct one myself. I've been wanting to set up a display case with either a jungle or GTP.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tsanford

Looks like the shower rod holders.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

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Yeah that's what it is! I was more wondering how they were affixed to the enclosure.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thejennabird

Tsanford is correct that I used plastic shower rod/closet rod brackets (just like these). Because I didn't have any screws short enough, I just used a healthy dose of hot glue to affix them to the sides of the cage. I know just using hot glue sounds crazy, but they stuck surprisingly well! The bottom (long) pole just rests on the brackets and is removable. It's a very snug fit with no gaps or cracks. The top pole is both resting and glued onto the brackets.

We weight-tested both poles to 12lbs without sagging, breaking, or popping out of their holders. Though personally I hope Gloria never gets THAT big. :O

I can provide some additional detail pictures if that would help.

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OK yeah, I figured screws would be choice #1 but after that I wasn't sure. Don't let Gloria be too much of a fatty :P 12 lbs would be big!!! I would appreciate a couple shots up close, as I too am interested in how to put this together as seamlessly as possible. :gj: Thanks for the info :D

Hi guys, sorry for the delay (busy week). I uploaded an album with more detail shots of the enclosure. Tsanford, the enclosure comes pre-cut and pre-drilled from Animal Plastics, so all you have to do is put pieces together and screw the enclosed screws into their pre-drilled holes. The PVC panels are all pre-cut to rest inside each other - if that makes any sense! The sliding glass door tracks are also pre-installed onto their respective panels so all you have to do is place the glass into the tracks. The glass also insets into the left and right side panels to create a tighter seal.

http://i.imgur.com/Y1JQQzCh.jpg

Anicat girl, I can't promise the PVC pipes are very "seamless". I used a TON of hot glue just to make sure they were secure. I was wary about drilling too many holes into the enclosure, but IF I had done it differently, I would use really long screws from the outside of the enclosure, through the panels and into the hollow center of each PVC pipe (on both sides) just to add an additional level of security and support. Hope that makes sense!

http://i.imgur.com/KSx5rzQl.jpg

Otherwise I set up my enclosure just like The T-8 Tutorial (but with a light and an RHP instead of Flexwatt).

Happy to provide any additional pictures as needed. Just let me know what you want to see!

How tall is your enclosure? Looks great by the way!