View Full Version : My Fireplace Terrarium
Alphonzo
09-30-02, 11:52 PM
Some photos of my fireplaceterrarium and its inhabitants.
http://people.zeelandnet.nl/sleijpenfo/nt1.jpg
http://people.zeelandnet.nl/sleijpenfo/nt2.jpg
http://people.zeelandnet.nl/sleijpenfo/nt3.jpg
http://people.zeelandnet.nl/sleijpenfo/nt4.jpg
There are three specimen (1.2) living in it. They are about one year old.
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That really looks INCREDIBLE!!!! I'm very impressed:)
That is awesome Alphonzo, what a fantastic showpiece. (And a nice home for the critters too!)
Very cool setup. Very very very nice.
Very impresive .. By curiosity .. How does it open? Front sliding doors?
SilverTongue
10-01-02, 06:46 AM
WOW THAT IS GREAT!!!
casacrow
10-01-02, 07:14 AM
That is amazing! It is clear that a lot of time was involved.
Tim_Cranwill
10-01-02, 08:24 AM
That is THEEEEEEE best setup I've ever seen! Let me know if you ever decide to sell your house ;)
Isn't keeping 3 kingsnakes together a little risky?
Alphonzo
10-01-02, 09:33 AM
Originally posted by DomsReptiles
Very impresive .. By curiosity .. How does it open? Front sliding doors?
Thanks for the comliments.
Yes, it opens with two sliding glass doors.
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Alphonzo
10-01-02, 09:45 AM
Originally posted by cranwill
That is THEEEEEEE best setup I've ever seen! Let me know if you ever decide to sell your house ;)
Isn't keeping 3 kingsnakes together a little risky?
What price for the house were you thinking of? :)
It has four sleepingrooms, a large livingroom, a large attick (where you can keep lots of snakes). A quiet neighberhood.
But I cannot promise that my family will move out, so they might be included in the deal. :D
Moving to the Netherlands...A good idea :p
Yes, it is a bit risky to keep those three kingsnakes together. I have kept them individually during the first year of their lives.
The first two/three weeks they lived together they were a bit nervous when they ran into eachother, but now they like eachother so much that they lie in the same hiding place.
But during feedingtime it is hell. :(
So I am thinking about giving them all three a seperate terrarium again.
The fireplace terrarium will than be inhabited by a more docile snake like Elaphe g. guttata or jungle corns.
Greetings from the Netherlands
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Big Mike
10-01-02, 10:05 AM
Very, very nice :thumbsup:
I would hate to hear that one of those snakes was eaten...
Tim_Cranwill
10-01-02, 10:22 AM
Well, best of luck anyway. I was looking around my house today for a place to build something like that. Great idea!
SilverTongue
10-01-02, 10:55 AM
What is the background and how did ya do it? Actually if you have thedesign plans can you post them
Alphonzo
10-01-02, 02:18 PM
Originally posted by SilverTongue
What is the background and how did ya do it? Actually if you have thedesign plans can you post them
The background is made of a some layers of Pur-Foam. I don't know if you know that. It is used in house to fill the gaps near windows and so. It expands enormously after been used.
Everytime when I put a layer of foam on it I waited for 24 hours and started to cut out rocks and so with a Stanley-knife.
On a certain moment I was content with it and then I put some layers of a cement-like substance on it.
Between every layer I waited 24 hours.
When it was hard enough I started to paint it with normal paint that is also used in homes. I mixed a greytone that I liked and then I painted the complete rockwall.
When this was dry I put a little bit of black in the grey paint and mixed it.
Now I started to paint ( with a almost dry brush) the borders of the "rocks". This to get a 3D effect.
After this I let the terrarium unused and open for a few weeks to get rid of the scent of the paint.
There was no plan on paper or so. The plan grew in my head.
And I cannot mail you the contents of my brain. (You could get scared if I did :D )
The place I built it was actually a fireplace, but we did not use that anymore.
The Terrarium is more or less triangular shaped and the bottom measures 180 x 100 x 100 cm. It is 50 cm high.
Hope this information is clear.
If not, let me know.
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SilverTongue
10-01-02, 02:55 PM
Thanks you did a great job!
Cornelsworld
10-01-02, 04:24 PM
Nice cage,
Probably hard to clean? I know the full setup ones that I do tend to be hard to clean due to the backgrounds.
Greg
Great looking terrarium! If you're worried about the snakes eating each other you could always divide your terrarium into 3.
How do you heat the terrarium?
AWESOME! Wow thats some great work.
Awesome! That is a stunning showpiece you have created! :D
Alphonzo
10-01-02, 07:27 PM
Originally posted by Cornelsworld
Nice cage,
Probably hard to clean? I know the full setup ones that I do tend to be hard to clean due to the backgrounds.
Greg
Cleaning takes some time, but it is worth it. Most of the s h i t is dropped on the bottom, and thats easy to clean.
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Alphonzo
10-01-02, 07:32 PM
Originally posted by Lisa
Great looking terrarium! If you're worried about the snakes eating each other you could always divide your terrarium into 3.
How do you heat the terrarium?
Dividing it will destroy the establishment. That would be a shame.
I heat the terrarium with a 60 Watt spot and three halogen lamps (12 V). It is very well isolated so this is enough for temps between 35 en 23 degrees C.
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lanalizard
10-01-02, 08:38 PM
OMG THAT IS AWESOME...how much did that cost to make?
Alphonzo
10-02-02, 10:10 AM
Originally posted by lanalizard
OMG THAT IS AWESOME...how much did that cost to make?
I don't know the exact costs, but I think it was between 150,00 and 200,00
Cornelsworld
10-02-02, 10:36 AM
Very nice again.... I wish I had a fireplace of that size that I could do that with. I love enclosures that you can be proud to display for the cage setup and not just the animal inside. Great job.
Greg West
Nice job Alphonso! Gimme one of those in my house anytime!!!
Vanan
thats freakin awsome dude
Nikki Gervais
10-03-02, 08:35 AM
Absolutely amazing, you can just tell how much work you put into that. And by the looks of it your babies appreciate it too! :D
Jungle corns would be just as troublesome as kings, I say go with corns!!
Very nice set up, very obvious you put a lot of work into it!
Alphonzo
10-03-02, 07:43 PM
Originally posted by Katt
Jungle corns would be just as troublesome as kings, I say go with corns!!
Very nice set up, very obvious you put a lot of work into it!
Iīm pretty sure that I am going to keep some guttataīs in it. The jungle corn (I get one female of a friend) gets her own enclosure.
Thanks you all for the compliments.
Not all my terrariums look like this. The ones that are on the attick look less sharp.
But the one that is in our livingroom had to be an eyecatcher.
The snakes donīt give a sh*t how it looks, i think.
Iīve asked them, but they do not answer me!
Pretending to be deaf.
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The snakes donīt give a sh*t how it looks, i think.
Iīve asked them, but they do not answer me!
Pretending to be deaf.
Guess it's not only me they dun like! Man they do it to you to huh, the buggers!
Vanan
Alphonzo
10-03-02, 10:02 PM
And also SHOUTING doesnīt help! :)
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Awesome job Alphonzo. Enclosures that do double duty are a great thing to have... beautiful to look at as well as provide a great home for it's inhabitants.
Do you have any problems with leakage from the chimney? Or did you seal it up?
Jon
Alphonzo
10-04-02, 11:32 AM
Originally posted by sophia
Awesome job Alphonzo. Enclosures that do double duty are a great thing to have... beautiful to look at as well as provide a great home for it's inhabitants.
Do you have any problems with leakage from the chimney? Or did you seal it up?
Jon
No leakages up to now. I think i've sealed it up enough. There is not 1 mm space that is open to the chnimey. Thanks for the compliments.
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HyGhBr|d
10-05-02, 05:52 PM
isnt haveing 1.2 kings a bad thing?? since they eat each other
I believe that kings MAY eat each other in captivity when they're provided with enough food. It's not a sure thing most of the time, but it sure as hell increases the risk of it! I've also read that some milks tend to be more ophiophagus than most kings.
In my experience, I have both extremes. I have a female caliking who bred with a male corn. All that I had to do was put her in with a pair of corns and she was ready to breed. No sign of wanting to eat them. On the other hand, I tried a male caliking with some corns (hoping to get lucky) and at frist sniff he had himself latched onto a corn's neck. Needless to say, producing jungle's is no more gonna be one of my things! lol. Cept for that one female who bred with no problem. Wierd!
Vanan
Alphonzo
10-05-02, 11:05 PM
Originally posted by HyGhBr|d
isnt haveing 1.2 kings a bad thing?? since they eat each other
It goes well up to now...after the winterrest they're gone get seperate terrariums.
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snakedude_03
10-06-02, 12:38 AM
that looks amazing!! and great idea of the background... im VERY impressed...
Waltorian
10-10-02, 10:25 PM
Positively magnificent, I love it
ElapheScott
10-18-02, 06:54 PM
On keeping Kings together, Bob Applegate says as long as they are about the same size and you don't put more than one male together they should be OK. And lets face it, as far as Kingsnakes go, Bob's the Man.
I also have a friend that has been in the Herpin biz for many a year ( He is fact my mentor ) that says always keep more than than 2 together, and he has never had to pull one out of anothers mouth.
That is AMAZING! Truly a work of art :)
lizards_rule
10-19-02, 08:54 PM
very very nice
Alphonzo
10-21-02, 12:51 AM
Thanks.
About the keeping together of kingsnakes a little addition...
When they were housed in separate terrariums, they were very hard to handle. Always biting at me when I wanted to hold tem. Very nervous though.
Since they are together they are as gentle as lambs. Easy to pick up, never biting anymore and they seem to enjoy it when you handle them. They also eat well, but I have to be very carefull during this act. Because they are always hungry after another snake's mouse :)
I am now in doubt if I am going to place them in separate terrariums again or let them stay together.
By the way...It is one male and two females.
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our kings used to pee on us, before they were used to us
I have to agree, that is one awesome looking set-up great job
honduranfreekk
11-28-02, 06:55 PM
WOW im jelouse lol that is the best show piece i have seen in a long time wish it was in my living room lol very sweet
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