View Full Version : New sav enclosure
Bradyloach
05-13-12, 08:19 PM
Well boys and girls it finally got here. FINALLY. Okay so they didnt put enough room for the full amount of substrate. Only around 8 inches. So i tried a barrier but i hate it. So ive decided to make it 20 inches in the back and 8 in the front. It would give cassie lots of exercise. i already put black top soil in it now i just need a load of sand to mix it in to the soil! Theres lights at the top that are 6500k tube lights. and they produce heat as well. Im going to add two 45 watt flood lights onto a concrete slab for basking. The temp is going to be 140 because cass doesnt like anything above that. Im going to presure wash the drift wood and place it in tomorrow! I really want the idea of soil to stick. I dont want to add a barrier and think she will be fine if her burrow is 20 inches deep. Here is the cage! only a few shots
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/10ae4eed.jpg
AAHHHHHH im trapped.
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/c77814a0.jpg
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/5a8da4bc.jpg
The lighting set up. i LOVE it
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/04cba713.jpg
infernalis
05-13-12, 08:26 PM
I wish you lived closer, I would have built twice that cage for you for half the money...
Can't wait to see it all set up.
Bradyloach
05-13-12, 08:34 PM
i could have built myself one to. But i really like the PVC. i just hate how the doors open. they open down and its tricky to get in :/
Squirtle
05-13-12, 08:41 PM
i like it a lot man but honestly, they shouldn't have made you wait that long for it.
Bradyloach
05-13-12, 08:44 PM
Meh its understandable in northern ontario. It was the first one ever done and the guy was working on it none stop
Gregg M
05-13-12, 08:47 PM
They made you wait all that time and still did not build it to spec. I think you should have built your own but I do think the PVC is sharp looking. I also think you should have them custom make you a proper substrate damn.
PVC is a great cage material. It holds heat and humidity very well. A few of out really small dwarf cages are made or PVC.
Bradyloach
05-13-12, 08:50 PM
gregg: you think i can use the 8 inches in the front and 20 in the back for substrate and still be fine? untill she gets bigger of course.
infernalis
05-13-12, 09:10 PM
There is no reason you cannot build a slope (hillside) for burrowing.
or you could cut a plywood divider for the front... just to keep the dirt from spilling out.
alessia55
05-13-12, 09:18 PM
Looks great. Post pics when it's done with the whole set up and Cassie in it... would love to see it finished. Also, you should video her exploring it for the first time :D
jaleely
05-13-12, 09:20 PM
haha i love the pic of you inside. nice! good perspective! She's going to love it.
I would like pvc for a lot of my stuff too. I'm really hoping we can get a house before i start building huge stuff. Thank goodness all my one day big things are still super small.
jaleely
05-13-12, 09:21 PM
Oh! yeah yeah video!!!
Gregg M
05-13-12, 09:34 PM
gregg: you think i can use the 8 inches in the front and 20 in the back for substrate and still be fine? untill she gets bigger of course.
To be quite honest, I do not know if it will be fine or not. We have small hills in our cages but the shallowest part of the cage is 18 inches deep. That type of substrate set up (8 inches in front and 20 inches in the back) would not be ideal for me. I would either build a damn or have the place that built your cage provide you with one.
Other than that one slight issue, I think you have done an outstanding job providing your savannah a proper cage and a good life.
Bradyloach
05-14-12, 08:02 AM
thanks gregg :D i think im going to try it with the burrow mountin, and if it works well then that will be good. but if i need to add another foot of dirt i deff will. today im putting the basking lamps in and putting the driftwood in
Always great setting up a new enclosure! Especially one that big, and with so much to put in it. I bet youre having a fun day. I like the black, that looks sharp.
I thought they had to 'cut it in two' essentially to get it through the door to your house? How did you end up getting it in?
Bradyloach
05-14-12, 12:10 PM
It was in like 7 pieces. The top the bottom, the sides. It all comes apart. I can move it really fast if I take the dirt out!
Ah, I see. I thought from that other thread you said that they had to adapt it to fit through the door by essentially cutting it in two. Wasnt that the reason for the last delay? Maybe I misunderstood.
Bradyloach
05-14-12, 01:03 PM
Yah they didn't tell me much. But in glad I waited. Just with the dirt in there it's at 92% humitdy. With the flood lights in there it will probably be 80
BarelyBreathing
05-14-12, 01:18 PM
As I said to you elsewhere, she will do a pretty good job of rearranging the substrate. You will find it piling out when you open those doors in no time. You will need that barrier.
Bradyloach
05-14-12, 05:26 PM
So this is what it looks like so far. Sand will be in there tonight to mix with the soil, and a huge log will be in there too! Also a water tub. my question is i shouldnt make it to deep right? will she drown?! any ideas to spice it up a bit?
the cool side:
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/b22c0094.jpg
The basking platform
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/b0e4759e.jpg
infernalis
05-14-12, 05:45 PM
no she will not drown, use a cat litter box with a few inches of water in the bottom.
Bradyloach
05-14-12, 07:26 PM
here is another update! done for today. tomorrow she will hopefully be in it! @ wayne: how do you keep your enclosure hot. how many bulbs? the 2 flood lights in mine dont seem enough. i know i havent used them for more than 5 hours.. but stilll :D
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/090af454.jpg
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/1a37ef93.jpg
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/871fa4d1.jpg
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/88d7db6f.jpg
youngster
05-14-12, 07:40 PM
That's looking super nice Brady. She will be happy in there!
Bradyloach
05-14-12, 07:41 PM
i hope so eli. tomorrow she will be in it! ill take a video. and im going to make it a little nicer tho. The floors in my basemnt are black. mom is a little pissed! haha she loves it tho
BarelyBreathing
05-14-12, 09:37 PM
She needs a lot more substrate than that!
So did you get this built or did you do it yourself? I'd like to know how you did the hinges without leaving any air gaps where bugs can escape from? If you could take a pic of the lip by the hinge while it is open so I can see it that would be great....take a few if you don't mind of the whole opening.
And is the melamine or pvc?
That looks excellent btw and also can you answer this: Is it wise to use stone under the basking since it can get much hotter than the basking temp since it holds the heat....and they don't have heat receptors on their bellies I'm pretty sure. Correct me please if I'm wrong.
Terranaut
05-14-12, 10:23 PM
So how much was it and who built it? I like it a lot.
The problem with using heavy objects if they aren't secured is they can cause bodily damage.
infernalis
05-15-12, 06:29 AM
That looks excellent btw and also can you answer this: Is it wise to use stone under the basking since it can get much hotter than the basking temp since it holds the heat....and they don't have heat receptors on their bellies I'm pretty sure. Correct me please if I'm wrong.
The key is to check the stone with a temp gun and make sure it stays right around 130-150 degrees.
The problem with using heavy objects if they aren't secured is they can cause bodily damage.
A commonly overlooked law of physics.
Heavy object + gravity = squished lizard.
Any stones or other heavy objects must be on the floor of the cage (not on top of substrate) since monitors are burrowing animals, they will very likely dig UNDER said heavy object and undermine the support causing injury.
Very good point Moe.
Bradyloach
05-15-12, 06:42 AM
The stone is ontop of her old Reyes stack with bricks, there's no way it's coming down.
For everyone who likes it, it's PVC and a guy in Sudbury Ontario made it. It costed me 1100$ the top is kind of flimsy because it's so big. I'm going to make it a little sturdier. Very nice product.
I'll take pics of the hinges :)
@ bb all the soil in her old enclosure is going in this one
infernalis
05-15-12, 06:51 AM
@ bb all the soil in her old enclosure is going in this one
Try this experiment..
a bucket of dirt two feet deep.
dump it into the bed of a pickup truck and spread it around.
is it still two feet deep?
Bradyloach
05-15-12, 07:00 AM
nope! i will deff be adding in some more. but i have to wait till i go to work. im so broke. i pretty much used all my savings to set this enclosure up. The burrow will be 25-30 inches deep tho.
Gungirl
05-15-12, 07:02 AM
So you paid $1100 for something that doesn't suit the needs of your monitor? It can't hold enough dirt, top is flimsy, you waited how long to get it? Yes I would recommend this product to everyone..... Facepalm!
Bradyloach
05-15-12, 07:09 AM
well they made a mistake on the substrate! but i can put stuff on top. i just need to put a 2x4 across the top! i would recomened actually building your own first off. but if you cant these are great. a set up monitor enclosure in 20 mins. its always ALWAYS best if you build your own
BarelyBreathing
05-15-12, 08:05 AM
I agree with Kat on this, that enclosure isn't suitable for a monitor.
Bradyloach
05-15-12, 08:21 AM
well it has to do. and its better than my last.
BarelyBreathing
05-15-12, 08:47 AM
But it won't, Brady. It's not deep enough, it doesn't have the lighting you need for it, it's flimsy....
Terranaut
05-15-12, 08:52 AM
Wow $1100 is nuts. Not trying to be mean but I bet a custom cabinet maker could have built you something better for less. Looks like a great snake tank but I too am not so sure it fits your needs and for that much it should. Good luck with it. Hope it will work for you.
BarelyBreathing
05-15-12, 09:03 AM
I agree with Terranaut. I'd put a burm or a boa in there.
Bradyloach
05-15-12, 09:07 AM
Well it has to work. And it will
why do you guys say it is not suitable again other than his complaints? Does the humidity not hold? He can always put something to hold the substrate higher if he needs
Bradyloach
05-15-12, 09:14 AM
The humitdy is close to 90%.
BarelyBreathing
05-15-12, 09:17 AM
why do you guys say it is not suitable again other than his complaints? Does the humidity not hold? He can always put something to hold the substrate higher if he needs
But it won't, Brady. It's not deep enough, it doesn't have the lighting you need for it, it's flimsy....
This is why.
Saw this coming...I am actually surprised it even arrived.
Bradyloach
05-15-12, 09:34 AM
It has the lighting.... It's not even that flimsy. Just the top so I can't put another tank on there. I can put wood across so I can.... It hold heat in so well
Terranaut
05-15-12, 10:04 AM
Considering your age $1100 is a ton of dough so I hope you can make it work.
Bradyloach
05-15-12, 10:10 AM
That's not a lot of money :) I'm an asphalt worker. I get 1500 dollar pay checks. I have my own gmc canyon. But yes I wish Cass could have lived in a fishtank her whole life. But she can't so I will support whatever she needs to live.
If I could go back to that pet store and never get into reptiles? Probably I would. It's a lot of money's but now that I'm here I love reptiles and the reptile community. It's a lot of money but I love seeing an active monitor.
Gungirl
05-15-12, 01:36 PM
I would return the cage.. make them give you your money back and then either build something correctly or get something correctly built.
For that kind of money and hassle you went through, I agree with Kat.
Bradyloach
05-15-12, 02:01 PM
Yah but i like it. I'll make some mods :) I put her in. She loves it. Exploring digging, and eating lots
Bradyloach
05-15-12, 06:37 PM
Well. shes in there. She loves it, shes everywere in it, Her favorite thing is the log. She likes hanging out at the top! cool side temp is 72. Its warming up tho. shes digging and climbing and loving life :D heres a few pics!
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/84755ad6.jpg
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/aed28b5c.jpg
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/3e10bebe.jpg
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/46fa017e.jpg
Let me outa this!!!!
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/8de72d5b.jpg
And lets have a picture of thorn my beardie :D
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/3ff1c328.jpg
Bradyloach
05-16-12, 08:39 AM
i have a couple problems. Humitdy seems to be 99% the glass is sooo fogged up. Should i add a higer wattage bulb? like an 100 watt?
exwizard
05-16-12, 08:56 AM
Yah but i like it. I'll make some mods :) I put her in. She loves it. Exploring digging, and eating lots
Well. shes in there. She loves it, shes everywere in it, Her favorite thing is the log. She likes hanging out at the top! cool side temp is 72. Its warming up tho. shes digging and climbing and loving life :D heres a few pics!
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/84755ad6.jpg
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/aed28b5c.jpg
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/3e10bebe.jpg
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/46fa017e.jpg
And lets have a picture of thorn my beardie :D
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/3ff1c328.jpg
i have a couple problems. Humitdy seems to be 99% the glass is sooo fogged up. Should i add a higer wattage bulb? like an 100 watt?
Another one getting flamed? Ugh! Brady likes it. Cassie loves it. Its Brady's money and his project. Besides, it's better than the last one. Get off his case! Just my .02.
exwizard
05-16-12, 09:23 AM
Frankly I admire him for even doing this at all. There is no way I would keep a Sav simply because of the high maintenance aspect of it all.
MoreliAddict
05-16-12, 11:36 AM
It looks awesome, Brady. Well done, I'm sure you could use a plank of wood to help you keep more substrate it. I only use PVC and it's excellent for heat and humidity.
@ the people flaming him: let's see pics of your monitor enclosures! There's a few people in here who apparently have giant monitor enclosures but I've only seen Wayne's http://www.lilwaynehq.com/forums/images/smilies/roll.gif...
Gungirl
05-16-12, 01:13 PM
Ok.. So I give him hell, I am happy to see that he is trying to do what is right but the fact of the matter is he paid to much for to little. I just call it as I see it. I won't post my thoughts on this thread any more. Sorry not everyone sits back and plays nice. I call crap when I see it or hear it.
Terranaut
05-16-12, 01:19 PM
Yup get a 20" dam across the front. It looks great. I think your humidity will go away within a few days as your soil dries a bit. I put my new substrate mix into my boa vivs after I soak the cypress in it so I get the same thing. After a few days it goes away. Your might be longer due to the volume of dirt.
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt351/bradyloach/46fa017e.jpg
I actually thought that beardie tank was inside the sav cage from this photo! Took me a second to recognize that it was just a reflection.
I think that the fixes for the enclosure are pretty simple really. While its annoying for Brady that they didnt build the dam in front for the substrate, its easy to fix. As for the top, since there is no weight on it, and it was not designed to hold any, it seems non problematic. I think the fact that there is too much humidity is a pretty telling feature of its applicability for what he needs it for though. Either way, since we are all just making judgements from afar, it seems sort of premature to call it one way or the other...
Squirtle
05-19-12, 12:40 PM
Woah she looks so tiny inside of there! I think it'll be the perfect enclosure if you fix up the few problems it has.
Dehlida
05-19-12, 05:15 PM
For the price of that cage, you coulda bought me a plane ticket round trip, paid for my time, and the new cage, and still ended up with more left in your pocket. :(
19193
this is one of my Bluetail Monitors in their inside dimension 10' x 5' x 6' enclosure with 20" substrate.
19194
my cage from a different perspective
infernalis
05-20-12, 12:40 PM
That's a great looking box Moe.
BlueButterfly
05-20-12, 10:27 PM
wowwy!!!Id say thats nice... but what do i know
BlueButterfly
05-21-12, 01:58 AM
brady, if you wanted to put something across the front that wont take away from the beauty of the cage, like an ugly *** peice of plywood would..yuck! why not get two sheets of plexi and put them across the bottom of the front doors to keep the dirt in.. i do agree that you will get substrate kicked against the glass.. lol i know this because it happens to me...lol. also i think making the mountain would be cool for her to.. i think it looks great! very cool. and i think she will be very happy in there. and as long as you like it and feel good about it, thats all that really matters in the end... everything youve mentioned is small really and very fixable things too... i think your doing a great job.i am sure cas thinks so to...
You're cage is as good as it is functional for your monitor,how it makes you feel isn't nearly as important.My cage isn't perfect,but it has elements that allow for change.It retains heat and humidity,limited ventilation,allows for a deep substrate,has plenty of useable space.Like Waynes cage it doesn't take much to heat it-unlike Wayne i underestimated the amount of heat the concrete can suck from my cage.It's insulated from below just not enough.
infernalis
05-21-12, 08:17 AM
unlike Wayne i underestimated the amount of heat the concrete can suck from my cage.It's insulated from below just not enough.
This is a huge factor when I build my 12x20 in the basement.
I will be pouring another floor over the existing floor. I used my temp gun and my slab is 52 degrees, so I will need to pump warm water under the room to keep the dirt warm from below.
Radiant heating will boost up my cost a few hundred extra dollars.
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