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  1. #1
    BPnet Veteran Snagrio's Avatar
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    I made a massive mistake...

    Bought what I thought was a good enclosure from Craigslist (48x29x29, bigger than a T10) with extras, had only been used for a monitor for a few months, but when I brought it home it's clear it has issues right off the bat.

    The doors are a flimsy plastic and don't even close all the way because of these dumb rubber stoppers, and I have no idea how this lock is supposed to work. The material is plywood. It's silicon sealed but still.

    It came with two huge logs, but only one of them has been baked and the other is way too big to cure in my oven so it's useless. A bunch of lamps and bulbs which who knows what's still good, and finally a giant tout with what I'm told is brand new untouched substrate.

    This put me $275 in the hole and I feel like a total idiot. It was either I buy something like this, wait a year+ for an actual professional setup, retrofit ANOTHER tank and deal with the same problems all over again, or clumsily try to build something myself. No matter what I was screwed. Feeling discouraged from the hobby altogether after this...


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  2. #2
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Yes you did...

    I would bake the substrate IF you decide to keep it (I probably would use it in my garden), & throw away those logs, not worth dealing with versus the risk.

    Look at the bright side, at least it wasn't a car you bought hastily. Never let a seller rush you into buying something before you really look it over.

    You'd have been far better off waiting for a new enclosure to be built, & that's what I thought your plan was?

    Monitors can carry tons of germs, so every inch, inside & out, needs the full disinfectant-treatment. Test the lights & sanitize all of them too- every inch.

    Not sure how to fix the doors, hard to do over the 'net. Glad it's not mine...

    (Was the monitor rehomed or did it die from something?)
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 03-30-2021 at 01:53 PM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  4. #3
    BPnet Veteran Snagrio's Avatar
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    I don't even know what I'm going to do now, I don't have much money left and very little income (and unlike most people I've not gotten a dime out of any of the stimulus bills).

    The best I can think to do is, after cleaning and disinfecting, completely reseal the entire enclosure and try to get glass doors that actually fit properly. Which by the end will probably cost me about as much as just paying the premium for a fully built T10.

    Who am I kidding this is a freaking disaster... I'm completely screwed...

  5. #4
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Re: I made a massive mistake...

    Quote Originally Posted by Snagrio View Post
    ...unlike most people I've not gotten a dime out of any of the stimulus bills...

    I recently read something somewhere that said if you haven't received the "stimulus $" to call the IRS. I'd suggest doing so.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  7. #5
    BPnet Veteran Snagrio's Avatar
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    Oh great, I walk out to the deck where I put it and find my dad spraying weed killer everywhere while the wind's blowing around. Even after telling him to stop he blew me off and kept going so I had to hastily throw a tarp over the whole thing and hope it doesn't get even worse.

    I'm, I'm just done with everything.

  8. #6
    BPnet Veteran Gocntry's Avatar
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    Re: I made a massive mistake...

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    I recently read something somewhere that said if you haven't received the "stimulus $" to call the IRS. I'd suggest doing so.

    This might help with the stimulus issue:

    https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment

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    Bogertophis (03-30-2021)

  10. #7
    BPnet Veteran Snagrio's Avatar
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    Have taken a moment to calm down and collect myself...

    I'm going to see what I can do to work with what I have. I have a mother who's handy in DIY and willing to help with the door issue and I'll pitch the logs and substrate.

    So now, what is suggested for sanitation? And what paints are safe to use for reptiles so I can recoat the whole thing afterwards to make it look nice?

    EDIT: Or is it really THAT bad that I shouldn't even try, attempt to resell, and start from scratch?
    Last edited by Snagrio; 03-30-2021 at 02:26 PM.

  11. #8
    BPnet Veteran Spicey's Avatar
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    Re: I made a massive mistake...

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    I recently read something somewhere that said if you haven't received the "stimulus $" to call the IRS. I'd suggest doing so.

    As a former tax examiner with said organization, I second and third this suggestion.
    "Something Clever"

    1.0 Paradox Albino KSB - Spotticus
    0.1 Dutch Rabbit - Wendy

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  13. #9
    BPnet Lifer dakski's Avatar
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    Re: I made a massive mistake...

    Snagrio,

    You might not want to hear this, but I am going to give you some tough love.

    1. Run away form this enclosure unless you are confident you can clean it thoroughly and make it escape proof. Don't try to make it work with those doors and then end up with a lost snake. Don't compound the problem.

    2. Own your mistake. Part of being an adult is admitting when we make a mistake.

    3. Learn from it. Next time, don't commit until you've seen the enclosures first hand and examined them, etc. Ask more questions, take your time. Do not be impulsive.

    4. Do not beat yourself up. It doesn't help. It only makes you feel worse while getting away from #'s 2 and 3.

    5. Put into perspective. This may have been a mistake, but no one got hurt, you will recover, etc.

    There are options out there for cages that ship in 6 weeks or less (Boaphile, Reptile Basics, some AP stuff, etc.) and are good quality cages. Additionally, height benefits keepers when cleaning time comes, but makes it harder to heat and our BP's could care less.

    Take a deep breath, realize we are here to help, and that life will go on. Also realize that as you grow you will have more and more responsibility and times when consequences of your mistakes can be much more dramatic. This is the time to learn to be calm and collected and learn from small mistakes so you do not make big ones, or at least as many big ones.

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  15. #10
    BPnet Veteran Snagrio's Avatar
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    Re: I made a massive mistake...

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    Yes you did...

    I would bake the substrate if you decide to keep it, & probably throw away those logs, not worth dealing with vs. the risk.

    Look at the bright side, at least it wasn't a car you bought hastily. Never let a seller rush you into buying something before you really look it over.

    You'd have been far better off waiting for a new enclosure to be built, & that's what I thought your plan was?

    And monitors can carry tons of germs, so every inch, inside & out, needs the full disinfectant-treatment. Test the lights & sanitize all of them too- every inch.

    Glad it's not mine...
    Everywhere I looked the wait times were going to be months, and I did not feel comfortable, with what little money I had, paying up to half a grand for an item I wasn't going to see for such a long time that I'd have to make a second temporary enclosure due to the main one taking so long. But clearly I made the stupid choice anyway.

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