Bulding my first Vivarium!

CitizenNumber9 · Dec 15, 2013

I'm about to try my hand at building a simple wood/acrylic vivarium. I'll be posting pictures as I build and will be open to suggestions from any other more experienced builders. Thanks!

PhiGamTeacher · Dec 15, 2013

CitizenNumber9 said:
I'm about to try my hand at building a simple wood/acrylic vivarium. I'll be posting pictures as I build and will be open to suggestions from any other more experienced builders. Thanks!

Best of luck! What are your thoughts/ideas so far? I'm assuming it is for a T? If so, what kind?

viper69 · Dec 15, 2013

Just remember, cutting acrylic is not like cutting wood- can't wait to see pics!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

JZC · Dec 15, 2013

I have never cut acrylic, but I have made a viv before (I have poison dart frogs). If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. xTimX also made a viv (much better than mine) for his darts. dendroboard.com is a great resource for vivariums.

CitizenNumber9 · Dec 15, 2013

Luckily Lowe's cut my acrylic for me, but I have a scoring thingy just in case

It's going to be a rather tall setup (2' tall x 1' deep x 1' wide) with 3 wooden sides and a wooden bottom. The front and the top will be made of two plexiglass pieces each that will slide in and out.

I was thinking of keeping my OBT in it when it's big enough (Sass Master is only a sling atm) or maybe a nice Avic.

I was planning on only using Minwax polycrylic spray, because I like the natural wooden look, but the furring strips are such an ugly tinted green that I may get some stain just for them haha

Also I made my first major mistake - I got nails that were too short. I nailed three sides together before they all just fell apart. Now I have to work on getting the nails out of the wood tomorrow. Sigh~

Also, I should probably invest in some sandpaper.

cantthinkofone · Dec 15, 2013

Thats WAAAY to big for both OBT and avic. the only T i would recommend for that big a cage is a Sulawesi Black. any other T is gonna have too much wasted space

CitizenNumber9 · Dec 15, 2013

cantthinkofone said:
Thats WAAAY to big for both OBT and avic. the only T i would recommend for that big a cage is a Sulawesi Black. any other T is gonna have too much wasted space

I just googled it and WOW that is a beautiful T! I definitely wouldn't mind building the vivarium with the intention of housing one of those in it

Either way though, I plan on putting a few live plants and other decor so the space won't be so open, plus I was going to put between 8"-12" of substrate. I was also considering beefing it up from the original build (adding lights, a humidifyer, etc) and maybe housing a juvenile green tree python or something similiar.

cantthinkofone · Dec 15, 2013

If you've never kept snakes then I would tell you against the GTP. Although we all love them they are not a beignet snake for good reasons. My next snake will be one but it will also be my 4th or 5th snake and I feel ready.

CitizenNumber9 · Dec 16, 2013

cantthinkofone said:
If you've never kept snakes then I would tell you against the GTP. Although we all love them they are not a beignet snake for good reasons. My next snake will be one but it will also be my 4th or 5th snake and I feel ready.

I've had snakes before..in short intervals. They were all wild caught and I couldn't get them to eat so I released them. None of them died though!

cantthinkofone · Dec 16, 2013

I wouldn't super suggest a GTP then. I'm into pure breds. For example if a male Agu GTP get bred to a Jayapura GTP then to me it's a mutt. I prefer Jayapura x Jayapura for example. More pure. Actually that's what I'm getting is a Jayapura pure

but anyway start with a cheaper snake. Mess up with a GTP and you loose $300 +

CitizenNumber9 · Dec 16, 2013

cantthinkofone said:
I wouldn't super suggest a GTP then. I'm into pure breds. For example if a male Agu GTP get bred to a Jayapura GTP then to me it's a mutt. I prefer Jayapura x Jayapura for example. More pure. Actually that's what I'm getting is a Jayapura pure but anyway start with a cheaper snake. Mess up with a GTP and you loose $300 +

Well I definitely wouldn't want that!

I'll probably start out with a rattlesnake or something crazy like that. I'll have to one up my OBT one day won't I?

(I am absolutely joking by the way, rattlesnakes are further down my list than any tarantula)

I'll stick with my new tarantula obsession for a while before I decide to get a snake anyways

I'd probably go with some kind of hognose, or maybe a black rat snake like the one I caught once. He was a beauty!

viper69 · Dec 16, 2013

CitizenNumber9 said:
Luckily Lowe's cut my acrylic for me, but I have a scoring thingy just in case

It's going to be a rather tall setup (2' tall x 1' deep x 1' wide) with 3 wooden sides and a wooden bottom. The front and the top will be made of two plexiglass pieces each that will slide in and out.

I was planning on only using Minwax polycrylic spray

Also I made my first major mistake - I got nails that were too short. I nailed three sides together before they all just fell apart...
sandpaper.

That sounds great. I def. want PICS... Curious, what made you choose the spray version? Instead of canned version?

Sandpaper- Don't forget to get variety of grits, esp a very fine grit. You might want one of these for the wood http://www.grainger.com/product/29CK26?cm_sp=HIO-_-HIDP-_-BTM_TPSELL&cm_vc=IDPTSZ12

I'm sure you thought of this, but in case not, on the front side, don't forget to include a dam so your substrate doesn't fall out when you open the door hahahah.

Lighting- You MIGHT want to consider LED lighting.

As for a GTP, that's an advanced species (read "hold your horses and own a beginner species first" haha). You don't want your first intended captive born snake to go the path of your Avic

I would recommend a misting system over a humidifier for high humidity species like a GTP, breeders of this species use them. They are more effective.

I think the size of the tank is great for an Avic. Obviously people have them in much smaller sizes than that and they thrive. But they do live in a jungle, and I highly doubt they live in a volume the size of your design or others have. So I'd build it I think that's a generous size for a single Avic.

So, you are building a House of Cards already...oh those poor Ts moving into Shanty Town South Carolina already

CitizenNumber9 · Dec 16, 2013

viper69 said:
That sounds great. I def. want PICS... Curious, what made you choose the spray version? Instead of canned version?

Sandpaper- Don't forget to get variety of grits, esp a very fine grit. You might want one of these for the wood http://www.grainger.com/product/29CK26?cm_sp=HIO-_-HIDP-_-BTM_TPSELL&cm_vc=IDPTSZ12

I'm sure you thought of this, but in case not, on the front side, don't forget to include a dam so your substrate doesn't fall out when you open the door hahahah.

Lighting- You MIGHT want to consider LED lighting.

As for a GTP, that's an advanced species (read "hold your horses and own a beginner species first" haha). You don't want your first intended captive born snake to go the path of your Avic I would recommend a misting system over a humidifier for high humidity species like a GTP, breeders of this species use them. They are more effective.

I think the size of the tank is great for an Avic. Obviously people have them in much smaller sizes than that and they thrive. But they do live in a jungle, and I highly doubt they live in a volume the size of your design or others have. So I'd build it I think that's a generous size for a single Avic.

So, you are building a House of Cards already...oh those poor Ts moving into Shanty Town South Carolina already

The spray version dries between coats in 30 minutes so I can get all of it done in one day. Also, the application will probably go on a lot smoother and faster.

GTP's are beautiful and would be great to have but if I ever got on I'd get an exo terra for it rather than building my own, now that I think about it. Gotta love those sliding glass doors!

The front will be made of two 1x1 pieces of acrylic that slide in and out. The bottom will hold the substrate back whilst the top can be opened independently. This also will make it easier to change the substrate when needed, as the bottom can just be removed

Haha Shantyville! I just want my T's to be raised humbly that is all...

vespers · Dec 16, 2013

cantthinkofone said:
the only T i would recommend for that big a cage is a Sulawesi Black. any other T is gonna have too much wasted space

Huh? Why just Cyriopagopus sp.? Lampropelma and some Poecilotheria can reach the same sizes. And its all mostly leg span, too.

You can still keep any of those species in an enclosure of that size if you choose. Is it necessary? Certainly not.

I kept an adult pokie an 18x18x24 planted viv for about a year once, though I wouldn't advise attempting that without some experience.

SamuraiSid · Dec 16, 2013

I dont think the setup is too big. Display vivs can absolutely be on the large side because its wall art, not simply a place to house your spider. And once the OP has a mature OBT in there with 12" substrate it will be fine for normal.

viper69 · Dec 17, 2013

CitizenNumber9 said:
The spray version dries between coats in 30 minutes so I can get all of it done in one day. Also, the application will probably go on a lot smoother and faster.

The front will be made of two 1x1 pieces of acrylic that slide in and out. The bottom will hold the substrate back whilst the top can be opened independently. This also will make it easier to change the substrate when needed, as the bottom can just be removed

1. Hm...I know with staining if you use a rag to rub it in, it gets into the wood more thoroughly. Do you know if the spray version will penetrate as well as the can version, that's where I'm coming from

2. 12" dams top and bottom..that's great ! So they will slide out on rollers, like a draw? If not, you'll have to open the door, because if you slide out a piece (not a drawer) then the sub comes out like an avalanche, which wouldn't be good for burrowing species hahah

Maybe some laser cuts??

CitizenNumber9 · Dec 17, 2013

Ok so FINALLY here are some rough blueprints of how the enclosure will be built, along with some pictures of the pieces held together by masking tape.

This is a drawing of the sides constructed by plywood and the wooden stalks used as tracks for the plexi:

The color differences are a little hard to see, but the green pieces are the plexiglass. The arrows represent where they will slide into place:

The dark edge pieces, furring strips, are the other parts of the tracks that hold the plexi in place:

Here are some pictures of the wooden pieces held together with tape:

There is an extra 1/4" lip so I'll be able to carve an indention for the plexi to slide into:

I have a lot of sanding and stuff to do before I put everything together so tell me what you guys think!

Tell me any ideas you have on how I could improve the design

---------- Post added 12-17-2013 at 11:44 PM ----------

viper69 said:
1. Hm...I know with staining if you use a rag to rub it in, it gets into the wood more thoroughly. Do you know if the spray version will penetrate as well as the can version, that's where I'm coming from

2. 12" dams top and bottom..that's great ! So they will slide out on rollers, like a draw? If not, you'll have to open the door, because if you slide out a piece (not a drawer) then the sub comes out like an avalanche, which wouldn't be good for burrowing species hahah

Maybe some laser cuts??

1. Thanks for the advice! I'll remember that should I decide to use any stain

Also, the spray should work just as well as the canned version. It wont be very humid, I just don't want the wood to rot.

2. There will be two plexi sheets on both the top and bottom, that way I can open half of the front without disturbing the substrate

And yes, I know you're all about the laser cuts haha

I just have to decide if I'm going to use vents, or drill holes into the wood. I hope someone can tell me which would seal better.

viper69 · Dec 18, 2013

CitizenNumber9 said:
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1. Thanks for the advice! I'll remember that should I decide to use any stain Also, the spray should work just as well as the canned version. It wont be very humid, I just don't want the wood to rot.

2. There will be two plexi sheets on both the top and bottom, that way I can open half of the front without disturbing the substrate

And yes, I know you're all about the laser cuts haha I just have to decide if I'm going to use vents, or drill holes into the wood. I hope someone can tell me which would seal better.

Interesting...So the front isn't a door? But something that will slide up an out? I'm a little confused haha. I think a door is better than a sliding sheet of plexi, esp with faster animals for a lot of reasons.

The wood looks nice!! I like the size. Wood always makes me nervous when it comes to humidity. You know, you could always put laminate/formica on top of the wood.

If it was me, I'd drill holes. It's a cleaner look. They should seal.

It's Laser Park or Shanty Town

CitizenNumber9 · Dec 18, 2013

viper69 said:
Interesting...So the front isn't a door? But something that will slide up an out? I'm a little confused haha. I think a door is better than a sliding sheet of plexi, esp with faster animals for a lot of reasons.

The wood looks nice!! I like the size. Wood always makes me nervous when it comes to humidity. You know, you could always put laminate/formica on top of the wood.

If it was me, I'd drill holes. It's a cleaner look. They should seal.

It's Laser Park or Shanty Town

Nope no doors! The top will also have the sliding pieces so I will be able to open them as much or as little as I need to

Plus, if the T tries bolting, it will be safer than trying to slam a door shut and possibly smooshing him on instinct.

By laminate you mean like epoxy? Very expensive haha. I don't know if my local Lowe's had any either. Worst case scenario, I will find out how long this stuff lasts and either give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down for my next project.

Then holes it is!

Shanty town is where all of the parties happen though

viper69 · Dec 18, 2013

CitizenNumber9 said:
Nope no doors! The top will also have the sliding pieces so I will be able to open them as much or as little as I need to Plus, if the T tries bolting, it will be safer than trying to slam a door shut and possibly smooshing him on instinct.

By laminate you mean like epoxy? Very expensive haha. I don't know if my local Lowe's had any either. Worst case scenario, I will find out how long this stuff lasts and either give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down for my next project.

Then holes it is!

Shanty town is where all of the parties happen though

Ooo you are up??? No, google Formica...you'll see. You "glue" it down on top of wood. Though I THINK some are self adhesive too.

yeah, that's what I think about a door..slamming shut. I'm just not sure if sliding up/down is better. If you slide up the top panel, but only part way, how will it stay up??

In Shanty Town the walls fell down, and not from parties

hahahhahh

Bulding my first Vivarium!

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