question about a diy enclosure

[jwolfe152]

i have had this idea for a while but i have questions. what i want to make is an enclosure, i want a wooden frame, a plastic bottom(for cleaning purposes), and mesh sides. well the sides/mesh are my biggest concern, as in keeping the enclosure warm enough without a dedicated room for the snakes(i keep them in my kitchen right now) thats sealed off from the A/C of the other rooms. the reason i ask is i want something a bit bigger for them than the aquariums im using now, they seem fine with what they have but i want to add more hides and stuff for them to climb because, the aquariums just seem crowded with water bowls, hides, fake plants, and a log with branches. also if anyone else has ideas for a diy enclosure that uses the mesh, or plexi-glass, or something else

[chris-uk]

Ditch the idea of mesh sides, they will make controlling the environment impossible. Anything more than one of the six sides made of mesh is going to make it difficult.
Just use furniture board or plywood in place of the mesh. Using solid materials will also give the viv structural integrity and negate the need for a frame. A couple of months ago I built a 120x60x60cm viv using two table tops for top and bottom, then 16mm furniture board for the back, sides and front plinths. Finished it off with 4mm toughened glass and it's a great place for my bigger girls to live.

[jwolfe152]

yea i kinda figured the mesh sides would make the temp hard to control, the biggest reason for using the mesh was for weight. i might try and get either some kind of thin or light metal or some strong plastic if i make one, or go and repurpose some furniture someone is throwing out or selling cheap. like i said i would like a plastic bottom or something like aluminum to make cleaning any urates or poo from the bottom easier. im thinking a wood bottom could soak up the water from either and start smelling or just take too long to dry if it needed a scrubbing. could the wood be coated with polyurethane or some other type of sealer and still be safe for the snakes? what's your experience been with a wood bottom? also what would be a good starting point, in terms of the dimensions, for say 2 adult females of average length, and not be difficult to maintain temp and humidity? one more thing, for the door what is the best placement (top or front and sliding or hinged) in your opinion, and if you could list your personal pros and cons for the placement that would be awesome. im sorry, as i am almost certain that all of this has been discussed before, but i'd would like to know everyones opinions now, maybe things have changed, maybe not.

[kueluck]

How to build enclosures for reptiles - custom snake cages - arboreal snake cages - snake keeping cage info - homemade reptile cages (http://www.reptile-cage-plans.com/) I used this and LOVE it. I've never really done anything major before, and this made it so easy to do. This is home to 3 snakes.
9615

48"(L) x 24"(H) x 24"(W)

[chris-uk]

If you can wait until the weekend I'll dig up the photos I took building my viv and post a thread with photos over the weekend.

Regarding:
The bottom - Plastic would be easy to clean, I'm not sure about aluminium I think that may actually be more difficult to clean if it gets scratched and I'm not sure about it's thermal properties. The table tops I've used are melamine coated MDF, so the surface is watertight and I've sealed the edges with aquarium sealer.
Sealer - I only use aquarium sealer, it doesn't have any anti-fungals which I've read can leach out and affect reptiles.
Door - I went with sliding glass doors because hinged doors would have opened 60cm and I don't want a glass door that opens that widely, so sliding was a better option for me. I'd always go for a front opening viv, it's so much easier to access. I can't think of any pros for a top-opening viv (although I do have a couple of top-openers, I wouldn't buy another).

[paulh]

Check out bath paneling. It's 1/8th inch thick and has a plastic finish on one side. It needs a frame for strength, though.