pet_snake_78
03-23-15, 09:48 PM
I will readily admit I am no craftsman and have only very basic tools. I wanted to build my own enclosures and I can make a box, but the door always stopped me from trying. It always seemed like such a pain. I wanted an enclosure for some smaller skinks and APs 4x2 just has too much of a gap for my comfort in those sliding doors and the swing doors are more money.
I found my solution when I came across diycagekits, it seemed perfect but they charge a pretty penny for the frames. I ended up going with a fairly expensive tub (close to 20$) because I was in a hurry and there was not a good selection of tubs that weren't super flexible with edges I could easily screw into wood, a 4x2 of birch plywood (17$), small can of polyurethane (10$), and a tube of liquid nails construction adhesive (5$), small grooved wooden pieces on sale for a box for 6$, a piece of glass (6$).
Basically I just cut the plywood down to size, cut a rectangle out of it, liquid nails was applied to hold two wooden pieces outside of the glass, and after 48 hours it is all dry and slides quite nicely. The thing I like about it is the glass is held firm against the wood so a little skink cannot sneak out.
My next steps are to treat the wood and screw the plywood onto the box once I've screwed the light fixture to the roof and I'll probably go with a RHP for heat. I have a spare RHP but it's 80 watts so think I am going to need something half that size or smaller for this job (30x20x18).
I won't do the same build again only because I am not sure about the durability over the long haul. Next time I am going to preoder 3/32" j channels online (very cheap) and adhere them to PVC which a local shop will cut to size for a reasonable fee. I did it this way because I just wanted to see how well the concept would work. At least for me, this seems a lot more straightforward than sliding glass tracks although I would still do the tracks and locks if I had something larger that could really put a lot of pressure on the glass and move it or even force it off the j channel possibly somehow. I may silicome the edges of the tub, too. I'd rather not in case I want to remove it for a deep cleaning but I'll have to see how tightly the screws can hold the ply down, it's pretty straight so I think it will be OK without it. Not fancy but for 50$ a box plus the cost of shelving to stack them up, I may go with it once I refine it and make it a little less ugly than this initial test run! I'm planning on shopping for vents for the sides and the light fixture later this week, probably won't have the RHP for a couple of weeks because I don't plan to pickup the skinks until May. I also discovered Lowe's cuts glass but Home Depot does not, so if you're looking for glass you may have to check one or the other in your area. Both had plexiglass but it was expensive and very flexible.
I found my solution when I came across diycagekits, it seemed perfect but they charge a pretty penny for the frames. I ended up going with a fairly expensive tub (close to 20$) because I was in a hurry and there was not a good selection of tubs that weren't super flexible with edges I could easily screw into wood, a 4x2 of birch plywood (17$), small can of polyurethane (10$), and a tube of liquid nails construction adhesive (5$), small grooved wooden pieces on sale for a box for 6$, a piece of glass (6$).
Basically I just cut the plywood down to size, cut a rectangle out of it, liquid nails was applied to hold two wooden pieces outside of the glass, and after 48 hours it is all dry and slides quite nicely. The thing I like about it is the glass is held firm against the wood so a little skink cannot sneak out.
My next steps are to treat the wood and screw the plywood onto the box once I've screwed the light fixture to the roof and I'll probably go with a RHP for heat. I have a spare RHP but it's 80 watts so think I am going to need something half that size or smaller for this job (30x20x18).
I won't do the same build again only because I am not sure about the durability over the long haul. Next time I am going to preoder 3/32" j channels online (very cheap) and adhere them to PVC which a local shop will cut to size for a reasonable fee. I did it this way because I just wanted to see how well the concept would work. At least for me, this seems a lot more straightforward than sliding glass tracks although I would still do the tracks and locks if I had something larger that could really put a lot of pressure on the glass and move it or even force it off the j channel possibly somehow. I may silicome the edges of the tub, too. I'd rather not in case I want to remove it for a deep cleaning but I'll have to see how tightly the screws can hold the ply down, it's pretty straight so I think it will be OK without it. Not fancy but for 50$ a box plus the cost of shelving to stack them up, I may go with it once I refine it and make it a little less ugly than this initial test run! I'm planning on shopping for vents for the sides and the light fixture later this week, probably won't have the RHP for a couple of weeks because I don't plan to pickup the skinks until May. I also discovered Lowe's cuts glass but Home Depot does not, so if you're looking for glass you may have to check one or the other in your area. Both had plexiglass but it was expensive and very flexible.