Perspecs or glass?

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Ive found Polycarb to be much easier to work with than Perspex, its more forgiving when drilling or cutting, ive found perspex can snap if drills or jigsaw grabs.
Certainly prices up here are much higher than down south 1m x 1m sheet 6mm is $160.
 
Acrylic is fine if used correctly for enclosures.
I have been using 3mm acrylic in all of my python enclosures for over 10 years.No warping,no scratches and no yellowing.Doors are hinged with timber frames and are rebated to to hold the acrylic in place.Same way glass is fitted to timber window frames.
 
I used Perspex for all of mine because I could cut it myself (far cheeper than any quotes for glass I got) and drill handles into it, there's no chance it's going to spontaneously explode and shower everything in sharp shards (it happened to my shower once :/), the kids can't break it, it doesn't make that horrendous screeching if something gets in the tracks and it's much lighter than glass.

Only downside so far (not long enough to see if it discolours or not) is the sliding locks do this where they touch
3umase4u.jpg


There's probably a way to set it up so that doesn't happen but I'm lazy enough to live with the scratches now.
:)
 
How does polycarb handle claws? I know from experience perspex doesn't go so well with beardies.
polycarb will scratch with claws or anything remotely sharp , but its very strong [ breaking by accident or using a drill or jig saw] I have noticed my croc has put a couple of scratches in the doors with his teeth lol , but if I had glass there it would have been broken ages ago .
 
Used correctly as you mentioned ramsayi Perspex works well with snake enclosures. Snakes don't have claws so any scratches that were present would be from your actions. If you have no scratches it means you treated it well. Few people IME can manage this. You can buff scratches out to an extent from Perspex so that is a plus for it.

Most of my experiences using acrylic has been for display enclosures or in aquarium applications and they almost always end up scratched badly.
 
My 2 cents is glass.

I found it very cheap, rang around the local glass suppliers and got quite a large variation in price. I needed a piece 1700mm x 700mm so quite large for my swinging door and ended up getting it for $50 from one of the smaller suppliers because he had an off cut close to what I needed. Shop around for glass and you should be able to find it cheap. Also that was for 6mm laminated glass so even if it does break it doesn't end up in a million sharp pieces everywhere.
 
So I decided on Perspex, but I have a new dilemma, the best way to heat the enclosure I'm building. There will be the enclosures two made out of this desk.
What do the more experienced keepers and successful DIYers think?
jeteneju.jpg



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Whether you use perspex or glass, you can use our finger grips to open you panels easily while keeping your panels clear of finger prints/smudges.

You can see our range at - Shop | Virides

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So months later the enclosure is finished enough to house little Louis and the Perspex doors worked well :)


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Glass.

When perspex is exposed to UV light it clouds up.
It may be cheaper and easier to work with but in 2 years with a UV/heat light, you wont be able to see you animal.
5mm glass will do just about any job, just shop around your local glaziers for the best price.

I would have said the same a about the UV turning the perspex to an MX5 rear plastic window :)

I just bought an ex-demo frog tank that was missing a small glass door.
Took what I had to a glass place and he cut and polished the edges for me for $20.

Glass is fairly inexpensive and should slide easier as it doesn't tend to flex like perspex of the same thickness will.
 
Whether you use perspex or glass, you can use our finger grips to open you panels easily while keeping your panels clear of finger prints/smudges.

You can see our range at - Shop | Virides

We use PayPal to securely process all our debit/credit card payments.

Brilliant. I have to get me some of these.
 
Iv used both and glass stays clear and wont discolour but perspex does help with gradients. It really comes down to personal preference.I can say though that if you are using sliding sheets its hard to lock and has too much give for larger doors. I have had a child push on a door and the lock popped which wasnt great with a 9 foot diamond integrade and a 3 year old child with no fear.You could try second hand shops for pieces of glass and cut yourself.
 
Bunnings sells glass for same price as perspex.. Depending on thickness.but average glass sheet was $30 1200x800mm at maybe 5mm thick..
And $89 for bigger sheet at 10mm thick
 
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