BRB: No rubbermaid, no aquarium.

[wyz]

Ok !

Last thread about BRB housing "pictures of your setups" made me think alot. I'm not worried about our snakes health, but it's a fact that me and my GF need to spend a certain amount of time in order to give them the humidity they require.

This being said... we might be able to have a nice setup, requiring less maintenance.

Could we go in between ?,,, no rubbermaids, but no aquarium.

I'd like to built a custom enclosure.. melamine sides, back and top with glass or plexi sliding front door. I still want to put some decorations though so that it looks nice.

I'd like to get your ideas, because like I said in the above post, we'll need to move our BRB in a bigger enclosure soon.

We were thinking of 24 inchs deep, 48 inches long and 18 to 24 inches high.

What do you guys use to lock and secure the 2 sliding windows ? Is there a special part that I can purchase at Home Hardware ?

Our biggest question concerns ventilation... it's said that BRBs need ventilation, but what is enough ou too much ventilation ?

In the tanks we have presently they have more than enough if I compare to a rubbermaid with holes. So in a custom enclosure, what type of opening is need ? Because the words "lots of ventilation" don't mean the same thing to different keepers.

anxious to read your replies !

WYZ

[Jeff_Favelle]

I have 22 Rainbows and not a single one is in a Rubbermaid. They are all in 4x2x1 sealed plywood enclosures with sliding glass doors. I don't use any ventilation, as enough air gets in through the sliding track and between the two panes of glass. If you want to, you can drill a few holes on one side of the cage. Not too many, and not very big (size of about 1/2 a dime). Rainbows (snakes actually) don't respire like you or I do. Their oxygen requirements are way lower than any mammal of similar size. Reptiles are conservationists. They are some of the most efficient animals in the world.

Also, Rainbows are from the deepest, dankest depths of the Rainforests in S. America. Air flow is not exactly huge under a rotting log in Brazil. If anyone has told you that Rainbows need "a lot of ventilation", I assume they have never kept the damn things successfully. That is just bad advice.

Sliding glass is locked with $0.99 window locks.

[Piers]

Jeff is right . The cage setup he has is a good stantard size for any snake(tree snakes not included) up to 7,8 feet.
just don't use melamine, its just wood chips held together with a lot of glues and curing agents. it won't last as long as plywood,and if you move once or twice, forget it!
you will have to seal the cage with an oil base paint or a two part opoxy. I stain and urothaine mine, takes a bit of time but I think they look better than plain wood or paint.
Piers

[Jeff_Favelle]

just don't use melamine, its just wood chips held together with a lot of glues and curing agents. it won't last as long as plywood,and if you move once or twice, forget it!

TOTALLY! Not to mention, its like 10x heavier!!! I hate melamine. Plywood and a good enamel/epoxy any day!!

The stains can look extremely NICE! I've seen some cages built like that that were worthy of living room furniture!

Best of luck. Just make sure all paint/stains cure before ANY animals are put it.

[C.m.pyrrhus]

I would not recommend melamine either with a high humidity loving herp.... Sealing the wood you may use would be a good idea (and needed). You could build some nice caging with acrylic, but that is hard to find and work with. Also, building your own cage builds a bit of charater to the whole set-up, and you get what you want from it as well.

[Tim_Cranwill]

Has anyone used Melamine for an enclosure and noticed any warping or bubling due to humidity? I just built a no-lid rack using it and was wondering that... :)

[Invictus]

I have 2 melamine cages that I bought from a buddy of mine who had blood pythons in them for over a year at 100% or more humidity, and the cages are still in perfect shape. If the joints are properly caulked or siliconed, melamine can last forever.

Originally posted by Jeff_Favelle
[B]I don't use any ventilation, as enough air gets in through the sliding track and between the two panes of glass.

Bout time someone agreed with this! LOL.. I've been saying that forever for species like GTPs, Bloods, etc. Ventilation holes are not necessary, and are actually taking away from the creation of a proper environment. The glass tracks should be far enough apart to let air flow in.

Rainbows (snakes actually) don't respire like you or I do. Their oxygen requirements are way lower than any mammal of similar size. Reptiles are conservationists. They are some of the most efficient animals in the world.

I guess this explains why they can hold their breath under water for half an hour or more. :)

[marisa]

I was always under the assumption that GTP's and other aboreal snakes need more ventilation (but also high humidity) than snakes like rainbows and bloods.

Is this not the case?

Marisa

[Invictus]

According to the article I read in Reptiles magazine, the "Uber Pro" breeder interviewed said the same thing - that the space between the tracks provides plenty of ventilation, and they do not require more than that. *shrug*

[JonD]

Originally posted by Jeff_Favelle
I have 22 Rainbows and not a single one is in a Rubbermaid. They are all in 4x2x1 sealed plywood enclosures with sliding glass doors. I don't use any ventilation, as enough air gets in through the sliding track and between the two panes of glass. If you want to, you can drill a few holes on one side of the cage. Not too many, and not very big (size of about 1/2 a dime). Rainbows (snakes actually) don't respire like you or I do. Their oxygen requirements are way lower than any mammal of similar size. Reptiles are conservationists. They are some of the most efficient animals in the world.

Also, Rainbows are from the deepest, dankest depths of the Rainforests in S. America. Air flow is not exactly huge under a rotting log in Brazil. If anyone has told you that Rainbows need "a lot of ventilation", I assume they have never kept the damn things successfully. That is just bad advice.

Sliding glass is locked with $0.99 window locks. If you have a spare moment, could you post a pic of one your BRB inclosures? Thanks!!:)

[wyz]

Originally posted by Jeff_Favelle
Plywood and a good enamel/epoxy any day!!

The stains can look extremely NICE! I've seen some cages built like that that were worthy of living room furniture!

Best of luck. Just make sure all paint/stains cure before ANY animals are put it.

Can you give me a precise brand we should buy ? Stain and enamel/epoxy ? Some are probably toxic ....

We want to get the right one, don't feel like poisoning our snakes with the wrong product :(

And like JonD asked... if you can post a pic or two it would be prety cool, would help alot.

thanks.

WYZ

[Jeff_Favelle]

I use food-grade safe enamel. Any paint shop will have it. The brand I use is Glidden. Its like $29/gallon and 1 can does 6 cages (inside) and then I just use an acrylic for the outside. You have to paint both sides of the cage otherwise the wood will warp. I use a mis-tint acrylic for the outside because they are like $5 for a can at the paint store.

I'll go take a pic right now.

[wyz]

thanks man, I'm waiting anxiously (sp?) :)

WYZ

[Stav.T]

Hi wyz,

I use 4X2X1 cages me too like Jeff, and its the perfect size for many boids.( 6X2X1 for ten feet + boas ) I used to build my cages with high grade melamin but with time they would absorb water when a snake turned his water bowl upsidedown.

So I threw them all in the garbage and built some new ones with 1/2 inch thick "Formica" ( Called Thick Stock ) . Its the same thing as the thin material you have on your countertop but 1/2 inch thick. It is not cheap but it is totaly water proof. You make them once and thats it . No painting or anything. If you want something cheaper you can buy grade 20 or grade 10 ( formica ) and glue it on your plywood sheets before cutting them with Lepage glue. You'll get the same results as the Thick Stock but with plywood . You will never have to paint or do anything on them again.

Here's a pic of finished cages.....

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/634Caging1.jpeg

For racks which dont need to be water proof I use melamin....

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/634Caging2.jpeg

Hope it helps,
Stav

[wyz]

Hum ! thanks guys !

I guess I'll have to go on a long visit at Home Depot and start calculating the costs for the different options :)

WYZ

[jim mcallister]

The vision 332 sounds like what your looking for. 3 ft lx 28'' deep x 18'' high...A nice cage but pricey!!

[Stav.T]

No problemo René ;)

They have Formica in rona if you wish to inquire about it.;)

Stav