Building new enclosure for my RV

[Texasbarc]

I am currently in the process of building an enclosure for my red tail boa. He is starting to outgrow his aquarium. I'm building a 5'x2'x3' enclosure out of 2x4s and plywood and a sliding plexiglass front. I am using contact paper to waterproof the wood on the inside. I have never had an enclosure of this type. What is the best way to heat from the inside? I am wanting to keep the top clear so I can stack stuff on top. Best way to provide heat on the bottom? I think I have everything else covered. I've been using jungle substrate, is there a more cost effective substrate to use in this large of an enclosure? Also was thinking about adding mirror tint to the plexiglass (any thoughts on that?) Figured I'd use a florescent uv light on the top with a clear plastic cover.

Any thoughts or tips would be greatly appreciated! Thank yall!!!

[Skipper7]

I'm not sure about heating that from the bottom. However, I can link you to directions for a 4x2x2 enclosure that is very popular among beardie owners. If you wanted, you could mount a heat bulb and UVB the way the same way. Be sure to double check proper UVB levels for a red tail as too much UVB can be detrimental.

Enclosure: https://beardies.dreamwidth.org/2145.html

UVB Database: http://www.uvguide.co.uk/files/BIAZA-UVTool-VERSION-010-19Oct2015.xls

If red tails aren't in the UVB source, try searching a snake that lives in the same region.

[Texasbarc]

Thanks for the info!