Fully loaded, top of the line, custom-built... - Page 4

red ink · 12-31-11, 12:19 AM

The only enclosures I have ever bought are glass aquariums.... they have all since now left my house. I now build all my enclosures to suit the space I have and tailored to each species I keep. This way i can maximise the space and yet provide adequate housing for my reptiles. I have never been a fan of the kit one size fits all..... but hey that's not saying it does'nt work.

Most people down under build their own enclosures and there are more than a few that do it as a business. I have also built some for friends and the one thing I can tell you as a venture to seperate you from the rest is build to the specific species and the specific size limitations of the customer. I say limitations as if you show them how to maximise space. Which means more reptiles for them as well as showing an understanding of their reptiles husbandry needs then mate they'd be lining up for your services. Who does'nt want to fit three enclosures in a space where they thought only one enclosure would fit

Build a couple of "show" peices and the rest build to order this will minimise your capital and save you time.

Strutter769 · 12-31-11, 12:20 AM

Uhhhh.... is that negotiable?

presspirate · 12-31-11, 12:22 AM

Of course! And refer to redink above as well. You may want to give him 10 percent. Best of luck to you.

Strutter769 · 12-31-11, 12:36 AM

*red ink* Build to the species - Maximize space.. got it. Now my philosophy has been to give the animal as much space as you can. To maximize space, I have to somewhat balance the two, yes? Give the animal all it needs, in the space available.

Lets talk about efficiency a bit more. When building a "multi-unit" piece, what is the best way to most efficiently heat/light? Are there ways to have maybe two end-to-end to share a hotspots maybe, or if you have a species that needs UVA;B lights, they could both benefit from one bulb, or one UTH, etc?

red ink · 12-31-11, 01:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strutter769

*red ink* Build to the species - Maximize space.. got it. Now my philosophy has been to give the animal as much space as you can. To maximize space, I have to somewhat balance the two, yes? Yes you have to balance the two, but it should not be give the animal as much space as you can. Rather it should be as much space as it would utilise, again this is where specific species husbandry and behaviour understanding comes in to factor. You have to get out of the mind set of a "set sized box" a semi arboreal snake for example a mid sized carpet python does well in a 4x2x2 (standard size) but it will equally do well in a 3x2x3 which means as most houses have limited space on the floor you build up to provide for the species.Give the animal all it needs, in the space available. Give the animal all the space it will utilise in a maximised house floor space.

Lets talk about efficiency a bit more. When building a "multi-unit" piece, what is the best way to most efficiently heat/light? Halogen lights (as I've said previously in another thread) and low wattage CFL bulbs even LED lighting systems. In fact there's a thread on here on power bills (general discussion forum) which explains more what I do. Are there ways to have maybe two end-to-end to share a hotspots maybe, or if you have a species that needs UVA;B lights, they could both benefit from one bulb, or one UTH, etc? There would be but only if the species in questions do not have dominance issues again this would come down to the understanding of specific species behaviour. Here's a tip for you say you put a diurnal lizard at the bottom of a 4 enclosure stack you would heat this with a basking light. Guess what happens to the enclosure above? The area where the basking light is mounted on the roof of the bottom enclosure heats up the floor area of the enclosure directly above, effectively a UTH with only one heat source. So you would only need to provide a supplementary heat source like a CHE to the enclosure above controlled by a thermostat. You could effectively then house a species that primarily uses UTH as a heat source on the second stack. You could be clever and repeat this process on the whole stack. Heat rises take advantage of it.

Hope that helps mate, If you have any more specific Qs just ask away.
Ohhh another thing mate, all enclosures that are freestanding must have wheels. Your clients would appreciate pushing rather than lifting a heavy enclosure.

Strutter769 · 12-31-11, 01:31 AM

Nicely done, mate. Thanks for elaborating on those points. Yes, I want to read more about your recommendations of L.E.D. lighting. I think it looks top-noch and had no idea it would be practical for that use!

I see what you mean about using a single heat source for multiple enclosures.

At this point, I feel I have modest hopes and expectations for this venture. As you can see, I am still very much in the brainstorming phase now. I have an uncle who is an architect, and I meet with him tomorrow to float around design ideas. I'd like for him to be able to create models, maybe 1:6 scale, of ideas we have. These models are what we will bring to shows and events to show what we can do. Much easier than lugging around full-scale cages that weigh who knows how much!

Lets keep these brains stormin'! All great tips so far! Thanks so much.

red ink · 12-31-11, 02:04 AM

examples

My enclosures that take advantage of thermal transfer...

enclosures that I have purposely put a thermal buffer in (air gap) to prevent transfer

Free standing enclosures

*this one was a tricky one housing arboreal geckos, I wanted to make it out of wood to retain/maximise heat but how do I heat up/create a basking wall for them. Solution, a glass wall within the enclosure that has a heat cord behind it. They get a heat wall while not being in direct contact of a heat source.

another free standing enclosure

A rack maximising heat retention

They are not the prettiest of enclosures but they sure are effective.

ZARADOZIA · 12-31-11, 06:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gungirl

I live in Vermont and I found Vermont Natural Coatings ? Professional Wood Finish Made Green I LOVE it!

Thank you for posting this. I found a distrubitor for the eastcoast that costs (for me) 72.72 which includes shipping. It's 59.40 for a gallon of it.

The Amicus Green Building Center : Vermont Naturals

KORBIN5895 · 12-31-11, 07:18 AM

I honestly wouldn't pay big bucks for a viv as I am really too cheap. But I do have a business suggestion! If you are going to do expos invest in make 3 or 4 really nice tricked out vivs. I mean really nice. Show them what you can do! People want to see what they can get. Another thing you need to invest in is a computer program that people can get hands on and truly design it not just tell you. Again visual is supper important. I would also have a few vivs that are cheaper and easier to sale. You should make most of your business made to order. That way you don't have to invest in a bunch of material that may not move.

@Kyle
the main reason vivs go up in price after a certain size (usually 4') is because most materials are sold in 4'x8' sheets. Anything bigger than four feet goes from using say one and a half sheets to using 3 sheets with c scraps left over that may never be used. I just mad an aquarium stand that was 4'x2'x13" and it used a whole sheet of ¾ oak that cost me 50 bucks. That was without putting a top on the box.

There is my $25 ( I charge 100 bucks an hour for advice.)

knox · 12-31-11, 07:24 AM

Excellent thread!

I only keep Colubrids, so my needs are very basic. 4 ft maximum width. No worries about humidity. So really, just an escape proof cage with heat.

the two most important factors to me are quality and price. I want something light, durable, well-built, and will last 25 years. XPVC or something along those lines.

Here's where some of us get spoiled, though. I have a $400 Rack that houses 6 snakes. So, would I spend $200 - $300 for an enclosure that only houses 1? Probably not. I can get a 40 Gallon Breeder Zilla tank for around $100.

There's a market for everything, though. I am simply one in millions of keepers out there.

Gungirl · 12-31-11, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZARADOZIA

Thank you for posting this. I found a distrubitor for the eastcoast that costs (for me) 72.72 which includes shipping. It's 59.40 for a gallon of it.

The Amicus Green Building Center : Vermont Naturals

You will love this stuff! I have a few gallons sitting in my basement waiting for a project to be done. It has almost no smell at all. We did our entire house and could still sit and chat without being bothered by they smell at all.

Strutter769 · 12-31-11, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by knox

Excellent thread! I want something light, durable, well-built, and will last 25 years. XPVC or something along those lines.

Here's where some of us get spoiled, though. I have a $400 Rack that houses 6 snakes. So, would I spend $200 - $300 for an enclosure that only houses 1? Probably not. I can get a 40 Gallon Breeder Zilla tank for around $100.

There's a market for everything, though. I am simply one in millions of keepers out there.

Light and durable. Well, I know we can make them durable... It's really difficult getting something as big as some of us need, and keep it lightweight. Something good to keep in mind though for sure!