Building a home-made enclosure

[red_tail_ale]

So, my red-tail boa is beginning to grow. Right now she's about 4ft long and lives in a 36"x12"X24" tank.

Unfortunately, she's beginning to grow more. Rather than keep making a new cage, I decided to build a cage to accommodate her up to 12ft.

I have a few ideas. I've been told boas are semi-arboreal, so I want to have the enclosure be tall too. She's an avid climber so I'm sure she'll enjoy this. My current plan is 7'x3'x4' (4 feet tall) bi-layer, with one side containing a basking lamp (on a timer) and the other containing a hide. On the lower level it will be relatively cooler, with a cool hide and a bath. In the center I'm building a three pronged false tree, with a prong running vertical and two lower prongs making a "step ladder" design. Along the bottom I'm planning to put heat wire beneath the padding. This will be at a lower wattage to ensure belly-heat safety and to keep the top of the enclosure warmer. The whole enclosure will have an overhead ceramic heater on at all times.

I plan to have the front covered with plexiglass which I will latch using magnetic strips as well as outer latches. The glass will open out like a normal door. There will be air holes drilled at the base near the cool side as well as a few in the bottom of the back to increase air flow. I'm placing a humidifier either in the enclosure or leading into it. As for the floor, I'm still undecided whether to go with Cyprus Mulch (which I use currently, treated for mites), linoleum tile (I've heard retains heat well) or roll-out padding.

Right now, I have a few questions.

*What is the appropriate kind of wood to use? (I know cedar and pine can't be used)
*Should the wood be treated or sealed?
*Should the heat wire run along the bottom or along the sides, and should it be put on the outside or the inside of the enclosure?

*Any other suggestions or do's/dont's would be greatly appreciated. I just want to ensure she'll be comfortable in this tank from now until the time she's fully grown.

I've included a sketch, since my descriptions aren't very clear.

Thank you!

[millertime89]

appropriate wood: not sure
treated or sealed: yes
bottom or side: IMO bottom
outside or inside: inside with a thin, sealed, protective layer that will keep both the snake and water out.

I would use linoleum with cyprus mulch on top of it.
I see no sketch.

[stephanbakir]

Originally Posted by red_tail_ale

Right now, I have a few questions.

*What is the appropriate kind of wood to use? (I know cedar and pine can't be used)
*Should the wood be treated or sealed?
*Should the heat wire run along the bottom or along the sides, and should it be put on the outside or the inside of the enclosure?

*Any other suggestions or do's/dont's would be greatly appreciated. I just want to ensure she'll be comfortable in this tank from now until the time she's fully grown.

I've included a sketch, since my descriptions aren't very clear.

Thank you!

Kiln dried pine is fine because the oils have been removed.
It should absolutely be sealed.
Heat hoes on the outside, on the bottom.
Getting a thermostat is a MUST

[red_tail_ale]

I'm investing on a thermo-gun. I've found some of the cheap ones aren't too accurate. I bought one and found her burrowing into the substrate to get near the heating pad but it said it was 87 degrees.

As for the heat, I know UTH aren't made for wood enclosures, but would a heat wire on the outside of a wood enclosure actually heat the inside?

For some reason the picture thing isn't working. I'll try again.

[red_tail_ale]

EDIT to the picture

The basking lamp will be off to the side, directly above the platform (caged, of course). I'm also considering changing the gap to 2ft below the light.

The ceramic heat bulb would then be in the center. But as for the false tree, I'm planning to make the top of that even with the platforms so she wouldn't get too close to the bulb.

[millertime89]

nothing will really heat THROUGH wood, as long as you're careful about how its set up you can use a UTH or flexwatt or heat cable in the enclosure (although you have to be VERY careful)
I would use a RHP on top, you'll most likely need some heating element on the bottom as well to make sure it doesn't get too cold, that's a LARGE enclosure.

[millertime89]

you'll want a protective cover of some sort, something like screen mesh between the light bulb/CHE if you go that route. I would advise against that as it dries up the air.

[red_tail_ale]

I've redesigned the plans, as I had some concerns over the structural integrity of the basking spots. Instead, the hides will be bolted to the sides of the enclosure and slightly raised. She'll be able to enter through a hole in the bottom but the fronts can be opened for cleaning purposes.
So now the warm/cool basking spots will be the tops of these hides. Not only will this save space but it should be a safe design.

As for the heating elements, both will be slightly built into the top of the enclosure and sealed tin-foil to prevent heat escaping. On the inside I'll have the business ends of the bulbs secured to prevent her from getting near them. They'll either be covered by chicken wire or mesh.

[Brazen17]

I recently finished my new enclosure for my redtail boa. It measures 60x24x24 and is made out of 3/4" oak plywood. I use a 100 watt basking lamp on the hot side which keeps the temp ~86-88 degrees. The cool side runs ~75-77degrees. I designed the enclose so the snake has access to the middle drawer via a pvc tube so the snake could have privacy if desired. On the bottom of this drawer I used a heat pad adhered to a piece of glass (cut to fit the dimensions of the drawer) which sits on 1/2" spacers to keep it off the wooden drawer bottom.