Fixing up a pine unit from Vinnies

[pythonmum]

The glue holding in my plants has dried and I've got my hollow log ready, so here is the woma decor for the 'upstairs'. She won't move in for a while, but I'm pleased with the end result. A few cheap plastic grass plants in a rock from the yard, plus a log from a recent firewood delivery make great cage decorations.

 

[AllThingsReptile]

that is just amazing, i'll to give something like this a go now

 

[melluvssnakes]

I'm loving this. All we've ever found at our local vinnies are the cheap chip board type, and I'm not game to use one of them. Question though, how does your beautiful albino get up into the basking shelf? Where is the access hole?

Never mind, I found it

 

[Renenet]

Wow, that is so cool. Op shops are such a great resource. I hope I find an entertainment unit like that one day.

 

[JordanG]

i am hopefully converting my old entertainement unit into a rep enclosure soon
btw pythonmum great work u have inspired me to stop being lazy and start converting mine lol

 

[malachi51]

found some fantastic tv units on gumtree after I first saw your posts!! So there are plenty out there to be found! so don't look just at op shops!
I love it PM, you've done a fantastic job! I keep showing my hubby the pics in the hope that he will let me do something similar for Charlie once he's big enough

 

[pythonmum]

Thanks for all of the kind comments, folks. I put Ra in today now that I'm happy with the temps. I also added the 'love nest' hide box (blue dish pan) so that his girlfriend can visit when he sheds. He's not looking his best, but will be more gorgeous than ever by the weekend. Hopefully he will get frisky then, too!

 

[Renenet]

Lucky Ra! Like his name, too.

found some fantastic tv units on gumtree after I first saw your posts!! So there are plenty out there to be found! so don't look just at op shops!

Good idea. And there should be a lot out there now as more people upgrade the size of their TV.

 

[Inspiration]

Wow, you are so clever! How lucky is Ra Well done and thanks for sharing.

 

[Trouble]

wow, Ra is gorgeous, pythonmum He definitely makes that enclosure look bloody awesome now!! It was great before-hand, and then he just sets them off!
Hope he gets 'frisky' after he sheds
Great work, it looks fab!!

 

[Jackrabbit]

That's really excellent, pythonmum I'm gunna try and do something similar, just gotta convince my brother to let me use his garage, because I can't do it here

Ask twice, then just start moving equipment in. That's how I did it at my Dad's place. He put up some resistance but I knew he didn't really have a problem if he wasn't expected to do anything.

 

[kawasakirider]

Ask twice, then just start moving equipment in. That's how I did it at my Dad's place. He put up some resistance but I knew he didn't really have a problem if he wasn't expected to do anything.

My brother is a huge hard ***. I can get away with stuff because he's my brother, but if it was anyone else they'd be in a world of hurt. I'd have to put argue with him a bit if I did that, but I'm sure he'd let me.

 

[Londos1990]

That's very impressive, and creative, got time to build me one , so $45 for the unit, what did it end up costing in total?

Kyle

 

[pythonmum]

I try not to think about the total Here's my best guess: lighting $80, heat cord $30, glass $70, sealant/stains/gap filler/adhesives/silicone about $100, aquarium backgrounds $35, timber and hardware bits maybe $80, plants about $20. Water bowls, plastic hides, vine, thermostats and heater for the 'upstairs' are all from old/other enclosures. Wood and rocks are from the yard. Vinyl flooring for the 'upstairs' was a scrap left over from our entryway. In total, it adds right up, but for what I got in the end, it's a bargain.

 

[kawasakirider]

Just curious regarding the heat cord...

I have 3 jungles and I'm thinking about getting a verticle enclosure knocked up with 2 dividers, making 3 columns so they can live seperately. Would there be a heat cord long enough to sufficiently head the whole 3 bays? I'm guessing it will be probably about 1.5 meters wide, so 50cm wide columns for each snake. The reason I ask is I'm wondering how to cut down the power consumption.

Cheers.

 

[pythonmum]

Heat cord comes in a variety of lengths and wattages. If you want to make your own heat panel, you could probably make something to go across the top of the whole enclosure, but you'd want to put a reflective surface to minimise heat loss out of the top. Maybe an 80W cord would be a good idea ($35). Those bays sound very narrow. If also very tall, you will have a very cold bottom layer during winter and the snakes will effectively live in a very small area. Although arboreal species use the vertical space, they rest horizontally and like a good shelf for this. My Darwins all have a shelf or a log and they usually prefer the shelf. Your jungles are still babies, so 50cm is not too bad now. In a couple of years, it will be way too cramped.

 

[kawasakirider]

Rightio, I was thinking of having a branch that they could wrap around and take up less space. The only reason I picked 1.5m is I thought that might be the maximum that one heat cord could service. I'd prefer bigger anyway.

Out of curiousity, how much are they to run? I still want one enclosure with 3 compartments, but if it's bigger I'm going to need 3 heat cords, I guess.

Thanks for your help

 

[pythonmum]

Running cost depends on the wattage of your heat cord, the season and the gradient between your enclosure and the room. If you are keeping them in a room that's usually pretty warm, it won't cost as much as if they are in a cold spot. Heat cords are a lot more efficient than 100 - 150W globes.

 

[AirCooled]

Hi Pythonmum,I bought nearly the same enclosure except from Salvos,your DIY has given me alot of ideas,Thanks

 

[t.Man]

Hey Pythonmum, just wondering what kind of temp readings do you get underneath the heat cord?