Could this work??

MrAndersonGCC · 08-05-14, 12:21 AM

Hello all, this is my first post. I've come across an interesting opportunity. I work at a sunglass retailer and, long story short, I might be able to get my hands on one of these bad boys for free:

Now the measurements are as follows: 48" tall (this is just the glass portion. The entire thing is about 6'3 or so), 28" wide, and 20" deep (front-to-back). And yes, it has glass everywhere it needs to. No gaps, though it might appear that way in the pics. Obviously, the current contents of this case or would-be snake enclosure will be gone, including the glass levels. I am interested in acquiring an arboreal snake in the coming months, and I think this case could potentially work as an excellent enclosure. I have a couple questions:

1. Will a high humidity setup ruin the wood or cause mold? And if so, is there a way around this?

2. What species would work best in this setup? I am aware that ATB's (and I think GTP's as well) prefer horizontal climbing space as opposed to vertical climbing space, but would the additional vertical space pose a problem? The case has pegs every couple inches on all of the wooden support beams in order to place the glass levels for display use. I figure I can makeshift some sort of mesh/wire in the right shape and set it on some pegs in order to create a lower ceiling, if necessary. Either that or I can place an additional water source halfway up the cage for the snake to easily access.

I really appreciate the feedback. -Anderson

Cmwells90 · 08-05-14, 05:48 PM

I would say yes, this would work. The problem you'll face is sealing the wood with water proof sealent. Also because there are so many windows in, you may want to block a few to provide security. I'm not sure about the wood though, I know some kinds of woods are very bad because of the oil they give off, but I don't see why this wouldn't work if enough care is put into fixing it!

franks · 08-05-14, 06:36 PM

The wood is fine- it's already stained so it does not matter what type of wood it is. What you have to check is to see if any of the enclosure is made of mdf. If so you will not be able to utilize an enclosure with humidity. This could work great for you. It will be easy to place a light and heat source in there. A GTP may work in there. I have never kept one but I'm pretty sure that the dimensions you gave us exceed what most people keep them in. I think the length is too small for a carpet python or rat snake. Pretty much you should be looking at tree boas and pythons.

MrAndersonGCC · 08-05-14, 10:27 PM

I don't think it's MDF. It's pretty heavy and certainly high-quality. But is there a way to tell for sure besides cutting into it? And since the wood is stained already, are you saying I don't need to worry about mold?

Cmwells90- I will definitely have it up against a wall, and will most likely put up a background of some sort for the rear left and right hexagonal walls.

franks · 08-06-14, 04:32 AM

You always need to worry about mold. Mold will grow on anything that is perpetually damp and not ventilated. The wood you have is already finished, so it is sealed. Depending on the finish you may be able to polycrylic over it if you gently sand the wood.
The back of the piece and the base are the most likely places where mdf would be used.

David VB · 08-06-14, 05:11 AM

The 'biggest problem' i see is how you would do the ventilation. Since it's all glass, you can only make it in the top, which will cause a lot of warmth loss. So you might need to cut glass and put some ventilation strips in it.

eminart · 08-06-14, 06:20 AM

I would just about guarantee that that is made of MDF or some other kind of particle board. You should be able to tell by looking at the back or underneath. Somewhere it's probably not finished. If not, scratch it in one of those places. Even if it is, you still might be able to use it if you get creative with some sort of rubberized coating and silicone for the seams.

pdomensis · 08-06-14, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David VB

The 'biggest problem' i see is how you would do the ventilation. Since it's all glass, you can only make it in the top, which will cause a lot of warmth loss. So you might need to cut glass and put some ventilation strips in it.

I'd replace the rear glass panel with some wood. Then you can get all the ventilation you need and the snake will feel less exposed.

franks · 08-06-14, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdomensis

I'd replace the rear glass panel with some wood. Then you can get all the ventilation you need and the snake will feel less exposed.

Excellent idea. I just saw that the back is actually all glass

MrAndersonGCC · 08-06-14, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by franks

Excellent idea. I just saw that the back is actually all glass

I agree. Great idea. And that should be pretty easy as well. Now as far as the MDF is concerned, I just need to make sure that no part of the snake's actual enclosure is made of MDF, right? So if part of the base is MDF, that's ok?

Also, I'm now wondering about how to provide floor heat with a heat pad. Sticking it under the wooden "floor" won't work. I was thinking that I could put some sort of cover over the wooden floor, then stick the heat pad on that, and then put glass over the heat pad. Does this sound ridiculous or is there a better way? With arboreals do you really need a heat pad if you provide night lighting?

polito · 08-06-14, 12:14 PM

You could heat it with a Radiant heat panel

franks · 08-06-14, 01:21 PM

You could cut a section of the floor out, install larger slate tile over the cutout and put the UTH on the slate.

David VB · 08-06-14, 01:32 PM

Arboreal snakes do better with heat from above, so heat panel would be great. If they want to be cooler, they can go down. I do it that way too with no problems (unless the ambient temp in your room is very/too low)

Great idea about back wall

Didn't even notice that was glass too. I suggest placing the ventilation not at te very top of the back then, so you can keep more heat and moist up there