Enclosure made of wooden pallets.

[Onael]

Hi everyone.

First of all, this is my first pet snake. He is a California Kingsnake (I actually don't know the sex). I bought him 3 weeks ago today. When I bought him, the shop clerk said he was approximately 2 months old. So, anyway. Right now I have him a 20 gallon tall fish tank and he seems happy. I'm in the middle of building him a larger enclosure. I've already started, but I wanted to run my plans past you guys to see what your thoughts might be.

I'm using used pallets that I'm picking up from my local newspaper plant. LOL, I have no idea what the proper term is, sorry. The planned dimensions are 36" x 18" x 18". The build seems pretty straight forward. Plywood on bottom, screen on top, wood around the sides and back, and sliding plexiglass in front. Heating will be done with CHE unless I can find a way to use his UTH pad he's got now. Lighting will be done with a fluorescent light hood.

Some concerns I have are temperature and humidity control because even though the boards are tightly placed, it is still going to be very well ventilated. Also, since the pallets are made of various woods, I assume that by sealing and varnishing the wood, I can protect him from any cedar or pine that might be mixed in.

Thank you and sorry for the long post. This as far as I've gotten. What are your thoughts?

[gareth.hooper]

Nice size, I would however have solid top,with vented sides. This way temp and humidity control can be managed better.

[Gungirl]

I would never use any cedar regardless of it being sealed or not.

[Onael]

Originally Posted by gareth.hooper

Nice size, I would however have solid top,with vented sides. This way temp and humidity control can be managed better.

So air flow is a good thing? The more the merrier? I figured with too much ventilation the temp and humidity would drop. The boards are pressed tightly together but they're not perfectly squared so there are a lot of gaps. Too small for him to get out of course.

Originally Posted by Gungirl

I would never use any cedar regardless of it being sealed or not.

I wouldn't intentionally use cedar, but I know that there is a chance that I might get some in the pallets. Any idea how I might be able to identify cedar or pine?

Thank you guys.

[jarich]

Seal the gaps with silicone, then seal it all in polyurethane and it will be fine regardless of wood type. I'd make the top solid, and then hang the light from the inside. That way you can control humidity and temperature better. A vent on the side that can be closed will give you control over air flow. Instead of the CHE I'd go with a radiant heat panel, that way there is never an issue of the snake wrapping itself around the fixture. Can again be mounted to the solid top panel. Cool idea by the way. Always good to recycle when possible

[Onael]

Hmm. I'm trying to do this with very minimal spending using the items I have on hand. Not because I'm trying to be thrifty, but because the wifey doesn't want me to, LOL. After all he is doing just fine in the aquarium right now and he will be for a long time, so why spend the money?

I could make the top solid and cut out holes for the heat lamp and fluorescent light fixtures. Any ideas on how I can incorporate his UTH into this build? If I placed it in the bottom with something over it (plexiglass, vinyl floor tile) to keep him from coming in direct contact with it, would that work?

Thank you

[DeesBalls]

Originally Posted by Onael

Hmm. I'm trying to do this with very minimal spending using the items I have on hand. Not because I'm trying to be thrifty, but because the wifey doesn't want me to, LOL. After all he is doing just fine in the aquarium right now and he will be for a long time, so why spend the money?

I could make the top solid and cut out holes for the heat lamp and fluorescent light fixtures. Any ideas on how I can incorporate his UTH into this build? If I placed it in the bottom with something over it (plexiglass, vinyl floor tile) to keep him from coming in direct contact with it, would that work?

Thank you

why have the fluorescent light? snakes don't need them... and yes, you can use your UTH in tank... while ALOT of people will disagree with me, i have UTH, and Flexwatt in tank/cages i made and it works just fine... all i do is:


build a small "frame" around the UTH, and use plexiglass to cover the UTH. I would also use silicone to seal around the OUTSIDE of the little "frame" this way, if water gets in the cage, the electrical will be covered with plexi glass... i use this bulsa wood stuff, ( like $.40 for a 3 foot piece.) its very hard to explain but they way i do it works really really well. with all my tanks, after it is finished i will hook it up, and intentionally put water right on the UTH, or Flexwatt to see what would happen...In the back of the cage, i use a saw and cut a small slit so i can slide the UTH in and out if need replaced.

[Brently]

I would avoid the issue all together and simply line the inside with a different material. I used tile board that you would use in a bathroom. I got it at lowes. Cheap and doesn't look bad. Plus you don't need to seal it, just caulk the corners and your done. Holds heat and humidity well and is easy to clean. The outside can then be made of pine or whatever you want since the snake can't come into contact with it.

[Onael]

@Brently
I do have a small stack of brown ceramic tiles in the basement. But, I don't know the first thing about cutting or gluing them in. I'll look that up tonight.

@DeEuGi
I like your idea. I can make a very small slot in the floor with some of the spare plexiglass and slide the UTH in there.

Thanks!

[Brently]

Well I didn't use actual tile. It is a compression board type material about an 1/8" think. I secured it in place with little brad nails that I put a small amount of clear silicone over. It's pretty cheap and comes in 4x8 foot sheets I believe. But if you did go with ceramic tile it might be a bit overkill but I am sure it would look absolutely amazing. Good luck.

[DeesBalls]

i have very good success with it, it you want pics, let me know.

[gareth.hooper]

Originally Posted by Onael

So air flow is a good thing? The more the merrier? I figured with too much ventilation the temp and humidity would drop. The boards are pressed tightly together but they're not perfectly squared so there are a lot of gaps. Too small for him to get out of course.

Your reference to a screen comes across as being an open top mesh type.
I'm not convinced this works well when temps and humidity are required to be maintained consistently.

Air flow is important but I'm not referring to making gaping holes in the sides or back, wherever ventilation holes will be made, But at least having them is still important. Something like 2-3in round and two on each side, square or triangle if you prefer but the dimension will be based on the plastic ventilation inserts you can buy from a hardware store.

[Onael]

Originally Posted by gareth.hooper

Your reference to a screen comes across as being an open top mesh type.
I'm not convinced this works well when temps and humidity are required to be maintained consistently.

Air flow is important but I'm not referring to making gaping holes in the sides or back, wherever ventilation holes will be made, But at least having them is still important. Something like 2-3in round and two on each side, square or triangle if you prefer but the dimension will be based on the plastic ventilation inserts you can buy from a hardware store.

Yes, I was referring to 1/4" hardware cloth.



As you can see I decided to go with the solid top. For ventilation I'm thinking about removing a board from each end and replacing them with 1/4" hardware cloth. Also, instead of a sliding glass, I'm going to put a swing-down glass front.


Is it safe to have the heat lamp sitting on the wood top?

Thanks for all your input.

[gareth.hooper]

That's looking real good I believe a better choice with a solid top.
As those boards are quite wide, perhaps one for now to check how it retains temp and humidity. As a whole this looks ok to adjust later if needed.

You could leave the board in and only cut out a middle section from a board and use the cloth you mention using the single board as its frame.

I am not familiar with Kings, but do they require overhead heat?

Over all this is looking like it goes to be super awesome when finished, well done.

[jarich]

I would really just drill a 2 or 3" hole on either side. It doesnt take much to ventilate a box that size, and similarly it doesn't take much to lose your heat and humidity.