Blueprint of Enclosure, Thoughts Needed

[joelysmoley]

I just drew up a blueprint of a 3 storey enclosures i am hoping to build. Please give me your thoughts to whether it will work or not.
Should i raise it off the ground?
Do i need that much height for these animals?
One enclosure will hold a woma python and the other maybe 2 pygmy bearded dragons.
Is the wire storage and storage cupboard a good idea or should i can it?
If the measurements are hard to see due to bad photography then:
Height 1 enclosure: 60cm
Length: 60cm
Width: 60cm
Storage is the same as the enclosures and the Wire storage is 10cm on top of each enclosure.
Thanks Joel.

 

[joelysmoley]

BTW It is going to be built out of melamine, and clear acrylic as sliding doors.

 

[andynic07]

I don't think acrylic is the best material to use for doors, firstly it is flexible which can give your snake somewhere to push out of and worst case if the door is large enough it can flex enough to fall out of the tracks and it also goes cloudy over time.

 

[aussie_lad]

I personally have never used acrylic but I have heard that over time the lizards tend to scratch it up where as this would not happen with glass... However, I can understand that if its on the ground and you have kids/dogs running around it may be safer...

 

[joelysmoley]

Thanks for the replies, i will switch to glass then. How thick should the glass be, does 3-4mm sound fine.

 

[RedFox]

If it is going to be on the ground maybe consider toughened or laminated glass for the two top ones 5mm float glass sounds fine. Glass is a lot more expensive initially but definitely worth it.

Your plan lots good but an enclosure 2m high made out of melamine is going to be pretty heavy to move. Have you considered building three 4x2x2 ft enclosures then stacking them up. They are a lot stronger and easier to move if you do it that way. Otherwise you might have to build it in situ or invite some strong mates over to help you move it.

What are you thinking of storing in the wire storage bit? Does it sort of act like a false ceiling?

 

[joelysmoley]

I was thinking of storing the thermometers, timers, and stuff like that. BTW thanks for the reply, i will change to class, and now that u mentioned building three enclosures and stacking them, i will do that, sounds alot easier. Thanks RedFox

 

[joelysmoley]

Would 60cm be two high for these two species?

 

[pharskie]

i would personaly make the bottom section the cupboard for storage as i hate having to get down on the floor to clean enclosures. if you made the top two the enclosures with a small box section(wire storage) of 18-20mm you can then run flush mount led lights and save a fortune in lighting costs. ALso make sure the back of these box sections is open at the back to vent heat and provide piece of mind you arnt going to burn down your house. Also by using say, 2x 3watt flush mounts in each enclosure you use 12 watts total for lighting, then you could use a single 25watt cord in each enclosure to provide heat. 62watts in total is a nice chunk off anyones electricity bill.Make sure you go with something like 4.5mm glass as its better to be a bit think and be strong rather than save a couple dollars and crack them one day while sliding them open. As far as tracks go for the glass i use the aluminium 6mm tracks you get from bunnings in the window and door section. You can buy it in 1.8m lengths i think then cut it to size. Alot of people shy away from aluminium tracks but if you get your glass once its cut to size, get a sanding block and wrap it in aluminium foil(wrap it alot, like 10 or 15 layers) then just rub down the side of the glass that will be on the bottom for about 10 minuts and you will be amazed how smooth the glass will slide.
if it was me id go with the woma enclosre at 800mm high and the pygmy dragons at 600-800 high, and both at 1500 wide. This way they both have enclosures for life.

 

[joelysmoley]

Thanks for the reply pharskie

 

[RedFox]

I built my woma enclosure 60cm high. If I was to built another one I wouldn't make it as high. He climbs up to the roof and falls backwards as he gets bigger and heavier I am worried he might hurt himself. 45-50cm sounds a bit better. Womas are solely terrestrial pythons and as aren't very good climbers. A 120cm L x 60cm W x 45cm H will house an adult woma quite comfortably as they aren't big pythons. That being said the next ones I'm going to build is a 150 or 180cm L stack. Floor area is a lot more important than height.

 

[Hamalicious]

Definitely use glass for the sliding doors and i would have the storage on the bottom so the enclosures are higher for better veiwing.

Another option though would be to have the bottom as half enclosure and half storage, it seems like a lot of storage space that could be used better. Something small could be kept in a 60 x 60 x 60 enclosure. Just my thoughts. good luck with projects and post pics of the build.

Hamish

 

[joelysmoley]

Thanks, i was thinking like storage for crickets and cleaning products and holding tubs, if i dont like the idea i will build another enclosure with it. Thanks for the replies and RedFox thanks for the advice on measurements.