Enclosure - What to put in it

[jbourke]

Hey guys, i have recently build a enclosure out of black melamine that is 1800H x 595D x 900L, as you can see this is quite large. It basically has a complete glass front with a large door on the side to make cleaning and accessibility easy. It has a 12mm ply backing which will be getting the "fake rock" treatment very shortly. As for flooring i have brought some fake grass ( this can be changed if you have a better idea).

This enclosure will pretty much be the center piece of my bedroom so i am wanting this to look as professional and as good as possible. What Ideas do you guys have? I have some spare melamine for shelves etc, i was also going to buy one of those waterfalls as i think it will look good and help me control the humidity of the tank.

Any other ideas you guys can think of?

P.S - the enclosure will be housing a Jungle.

[trouser_snake6]

Some nice branche's. A fake wall will look good but don't build it all the way up, maybe 5 inches off the top, then you can paint a sky scene with birds clouds ect. Some fake vines, fake plants, a water full would look good but the humidity may get to high. Keep us updated

[jbourke]

Originally Posted by trouser_snake6

Some nice branche's. A fake wall will look good but don't build it all the way up, maybe 5 inches off the top, then you can paint a sky scene with birds clouds ect. Some fake vines, fake plants, a water full would look good but the humidity may get to high. Keep us updated

Great idea with sky scene, thanks mate, i will be doing that one! The water fall will be at the bottom of the tank a fair way from the heat lamp so i don't think the humidity should be to much of a problem.

As for branches, should i sand them back then put them in (maybe even varnish them) or just keep the natural look and spray it with F10 to kill any nasties that might be living in it?

Also where is the best plase to get fake plants? They seem quite expensive.

[Chris1]

u can get awesome vines from $2 shops,...(but theyre more like $6,..still cheap for a 2m length,...)

wouldnt bother varnishing the branches,...i generally just soak them in hot water in the bath tub.

[jbourke]

Originally Posted by Chris1

u can get awesome vines from $2 shops,...(but theyre more like $6,..still cheap for a 2m length,...)

wouldnt bother varnishing the branches,...i generally just soak them in hot water in the bath tub.

Thanks for the tip, i will have to have a shop around for vines.

I was thinking the varnished branches would look great in a wooden enclosure, but seems as though i have the black melamine i might stick to the natural look as you suggested.

Also i want a great looking enclosure, but also one that the little fella will be comfortable in so any toys, hides, branches, or anything else you think he might appreciate will be good as well.

[trouser_snake6]

You can sand them down. in my opinion, keep them rough so the snake can use it to help him/her shed. You can get some cheap ones(under $ 8 from cheapo stores, for example, Crazy clarks, the warehouse and your local cheap shop. The waterful should be right unless it is know where near the heat lamp(as you said). With the fake rock wall, include some hides built onto it and maybe a perch(es).
Heres a link
http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/falserock/
it looks good, and very helpful.

[trouser_snake6]

Also, since his young, try having more Hides, say 4? So them he know's he can get there if he feels threatened.

[jbourke]

Originally Posted by trouser_snake6

You can sand them down. in my opinion, keep them rough so the snake can use it to help him/her shed. You can get some cheap ones(under $ from cheapo stores, for example, Crazy clarks, the warehouse and your local cheap shop. The waterful should be right unless it is know where near the heat lamp(as you said). With the fake rock wall, include some hides built onto it and maybe a perch(es).
Heres a link
http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/falserock/
it looks good, and very helpful.

I will probably include some hides and stairs at the bottom of the wall as im not sure weather the polystyrene will support the snakes weight . I was thinking of maybe putting a couple of ledges around using the spare melamine around 3/4s of the way up the tank then covering that with the fake rock so that the little fella can sit near the heat lamp if he wants to.

[Vicmorrow]

Sounds like a top enclosure.
I built a slightly smaller one and secured a nice thick piece of bamboo from end to end about 6ins off the ground. I sealed and varnished it, which I reckon is safer to keep the crawlies out and imo it looks better. My big bredli stretches out on it at night.
For substrate I use fake grass, with newspaper underneath, which looks great and is easy to clean.
For high hides I reckon a bird breeding box is good. You should have no trouble attaching it and my smaller bredli love hiding in them.
Good luck

[jbourke]

Originally Posted by Vicmorrow

Sounds like a top enclosure.
I built a slightly smaller one and secured a nice thick piece of bamboo from end to end about 6ins off the ground. I sealed and varnished it, which I reckon is safer to keep the crawlies out and imo it looks better. My big bredli stretches out on it at night.
For substrate I use fake grass, with newspaper underneath, which looks great and is easy to clean.
For high hides I reckon a bird breeding box is good. You should have no trouble attaching it and my smaller bredli love hiding in them.
Good luck

Sounds like a great idea, i was just going to use a plain piece of wood but the bamboo would look a lot nicer. Do you have any pics?