Design an enclosure

[metalcopper]

I am going to be building three new enclosures, all will be 36 in long X 20 inches deep X 20 inches tall, at least that's the plan. I plan on putting in a light fixture on the ceiling, and laminate the floors.

My questions are, in your guys' opinions, should I use a porcelain light fixture, or will plastic work as well?

Should I put anything on the walls, or is the plywood OK?

I plan on making the front door open to the left, rather than a draw-bridge style so they are all the same and the one on the bottom will be easier to clean without the door laying on the ground in front of me while it is open. I've used glass in the past, but is Plexiglas better?

How about heat tape? I've never used it, I don't want to spend too much money on all this, thermostats are not cheap, and how would I install heat tape on these enclosures that likely will be stacked on top each other?

Any other recommendations and advice would be awesome!

[formica]

whats it for? that will determine how you go about designing it, and what advice should be offered

[metalcopper]

One is for a Ball python, one is for a baby BCI, the other is for my hatchling Sulcata. I know the BCI and Sulcata will outgrow these enclosures, but they will be used for other reptiles after that.

[Mikoh4792]

For the snakes I would use heat tape and radiant heat panels instead of light fixtures. They are cheaper. Rhp's cost more initially but save you money in the long run

[Lankyrob]

If you do go with lights definitely use a ceramic fitting, better safe than sorry!

[formica]

One is for a Ball python, one is for a baby BCI, the other is for my hatchling Sulcata. I know the BCI and Sulcata will outgrow these enclosures, but they will be used for other reptiles after that.

as said above, heat tape/mat's are better for the ball and BCI, plywood would work, if well sealed to keep in the humidity, LED strips can provide efficient lighting

the Sulcata, I dont have experience with this species, but from what I have read they do require more humidity than most species, I'd find out some more info on these from experienced keepers before building a closed enclosure for it (use the specific forum here to ask about it)


RE the door opening left - do you really want a 3ft door panning out into your room? I doubt you do really! you will also need some seriously heavy duty hinges, and plywood, a door that size will have significant weight which is much better distributed from the bottom rather than the side - a better option if you really dont want the door to open down, would be to have 2 doors, opening left and right, but it will still put more stress on the hinges, and u'll need 4 hinges rather than 2, and lastly 2 doors = 2 more bits of the enclosure which can go wrong and allow escapees

[Mikoh4792]

RE the door opening left - do you really want a 3ft door panning out into your room? I doubt you do really! you will also need some seriously heavy duty hinges, and plywood, a door that size will have significant weight which is much better distributed from the bottom rather than the side - a better option if you really dont want the door to open down, would be to have 2 doors, opening left and right, but it will still put more stress on the hinges, and u'll need 4 hinges rather than 2, and lastly 2 doors = 2 more bits of the enclosure which can go wrong and allow escapees

Basically this, or you could always go the sliding door route, which makes things easier in my opinion.

[MDT]

Personally (and my opinion only)...I would use HDPE over plywood (or melanime). HDPE is easier to keep clean and will not be affected by standing water. I found a plastics shop to cut to my specs (laser cut) and they routed grooves for sliding doors. I use two pieces of glass over plexi (tends to warp and scratch). These can be lifted out of their tracks when cleaning. I the past I have used ceramic fixtures for lighting and heat source, but I am refitting my enclosures with LED light strips and RHPs. Lights on timers and heat source on a thermostat (I have both Herpstat and Vivarium Electronics and they both work very well).

[metalcopper]

RE the door opening left - do you really want a 3ft door panning out into your room? I doubt you do really! you will also need some seriously heavy duty hinges, and plywood, a door that size will have significant weight which is much better distributed from the bottom rather than the side

I agree, thanks for the insight.

How do I install heat tape? Does it go between the laminate and the plywood floor, or does it go underneath the plywood? I'm not sure how hot this stuff gets.

Thanks for your opinions guys! I built a decent enclosure for my Burm about 20 years ago, but things have changed through the years, and guys with experience may have some great ideas for me to keep up with the times now. Please keep the ideas coming, I want to do it right the first time.

[Mikoh4792]

How do I install heat tape? Does it go between the laminate and the plywood floor, or does it go underneath the plywood? I'm not sure how hot this stuff gets.

You shouldn't worry about how hot it gets if you are using a thermostat, since it will get as hot as you set it anyways.

As for installing it, I just tape it to the bottom of my enclosures which have 1/2" walls. Not sure how easy it is to heat through plywood, I only have experience with plastic.

[mmarchl23]

You really cannot heat through plywood very well. My bp's cage has basically a double floor with about an inch gap between a plywood floor and a tile floor. I used scrap wood to raise the tile and cut a slit in the back wall to allow access to install or change the heat pad. Works pretty well the ceramic tile helps distribute the heat.