New enclosure

[Gravelanche]

Hey everyone, have a few questions and google is giving me mixed answers on a few things.

Looking to make an enclosure specifically as a forever home for a brazillian rainbow boa. this will be my first homemade setup and i have a few basic questions.

As for size i was going to go about 4 to 5 feet long, 2 feet wide and 2-3 feet tall. should be more than enough for lots of exorcise.

My first question is materials, for a rainbow boa i know that i need higher humidity so im thinking the easiest way is to have all walls except the front wall solid, and have the front a clear material of some sort. Either the front or top will be hinged to get into the tank,

As for the front what are oppinions on glass vs plexi vs acrylic?

i know for the wood of the frame i should avoid composite expecially with the humidity requirements. so is just basic plywood good enough?

with the wood should i avoid preassure treated?

any other tips for a first timer? or even links to really good guides for this stuff

[KORBIN5895]

I used one side finishes birch plywood for my enclosure. Any laminated plywood is okay (except cedar) as long as it is kiln dried. I actually used a stain on the inside of my enclosure and then a sealer. I also caulked all of my seems with silicone and laid vinyl flooring in my cage bottom. As long as everything is sealed it will have no issue with humidity.

The way I constructed mine required no actual frame and is really just a 4'x2'x4' box with nice finish trim. The devil is in the details though as the trim cost more than the other materials.

For doors I salvaged some aluminum and plastic runners which I used for sliding doors. The perks of sliding doors is they never stick out and in the way. You can also open the door only a few inches. The downside to sliders is if you don't plan right your substrate get caught in the track and you can only access half of the cage at a time.

For the actual door I used glass. Glass is cheap and you can probably salvage it for free which is what I did. You can also cut it yourself. The downside is it breaks and it can't be drilled for ventilation.

Plexiglas is nice but more expensive than glass. It can be cut and drilled at home. The down side is it can yellow if in sunlight and it scratches very easily. Be careful when cutting or drilling as it can spider or crack.

Acrylic is my favorite but is the most expensive. It can also be cut and drilled at home yet spidering and cracking are not an issue. It is very scratch resistant and it doesn't yellow in the sun.

I would avoid pressure treated wood, chip board and mdf. They are filled with chemicals.


My biggest tip would be to get a piece of glass, Plexiglas or acrylic cut to about 6-10 inches and place that the width of the front with a piece of wood as a top frame. This way you can see your snake on the ground but you don't have substrate falling out every time. This would work regardless of the door style.