Help needed for enclosure building (w/ focus on glassing)

[thefridge71]

Hey Guys,

Looking at beginning to build a larger enclosure for my bredli for when he gets a bit bigger. Figure if I strart now I won't be in a rush. He is a year old and has a quite large enclosure now, but I am aware in the future it will be too small for him.

Have been looking around and have seen some great looking DIY Tv units, bookcases etc. that would be perfect for the job. One of which I will post here.

For something like this, how would I go putting in glass on the front. I would knock out the shelving in the middle and create a rockwall etc. with some nice ledges and plenty of wood for him to climb on. There is plenty of information that I have found on this, however I don't seem to be able to find the specific information on glass that I am after. With that size enclosure, would it be large enough for an adult bredli? Would I need to take out the cabinet at the botom to give it extra height? I read somehwere the height of the enclosure should be equal to the length of the snake? Is this correct for an arboreal? How about the widths and depths?

Also what are the options someone has for putting glass on the front of an enclosure (Sliding Doors, Opening Doors etc.), with particular focus on a higher enclosure rather than wide one. I have found plenty of enclosures designed for ground dwelling species, but what about arboreals that would prefer more height in their enclosures? Also, with the options, how much expense is involved etc. I need to know what sort of price I would be looking at before going ahead with it

I am happy to spend a little more than you would on a professional enclosure due to the appreciation I get when making something myself, and there is plenty of information on how to do it here from some great Do-It-Yourselfers. I have had a great time reading through it all, and I feel inspired!!

Anticipating and appreciating your fantastic responses!!!!

Cheers,

Tom

 

[saximus]

That looks like an ok size but may be a bit small if it turns into a big boy/girl as an adult. You wouldn't need to remove the cabinet section completely. You could just cut a hole in the floor so it could crawl in there. Then you'd just need to either make the doors lockable or replace them with glass.
Sliding doors are ok but as you said in high enclosures they get a bit annoying because they restrict the amount of room you have to reach in to do whatever you need to do. If you really have to though it's easy to remove the doors entirely if they're just in tracks.
Anyway hope that answers some of your questions. You should have a go at doing at least one yourself. You get great satisfaction from it.
Also Bredlis are semi-arboreal no arboreal, just a little nit picky thing but you might as well know for the future

 

[solar 17]

Hey Tom l have had Bredli for many years with my adults approaching 2.5 meters and 10 kg's now l think that tv unit is an excellent start but all l would do is remove the two shelves and drill a 90-100mm hole through to the bottom (into the enclosed section) and just put a lock on the doors and leave them as is and then put some branches in (50-70mm thick)screwed in across the top section which will also add to the stability of your enclosure a Habistat heat panel screwed to the roof with a 4mm gap, 3 branches put 150-175mm under the panel for basking perches.......now the front...grab some tubelok and four corner pieces cut it to suite the front ....get some glass cut to suite the tubelok (and use the rebated tubelok) silicone the glass into the tubelok, put on hinges and a catch/latch...done
cheers solar 17 (Baden)...ps mine spend 99% of the time on their branches

 

[1woma]

wow great info SOLAR 17 i have hachie bredli's and i am doing there adult enclosure soon you answered some questions i had like how big i needed to make the access whole, how think the branches needed to be for adults ect thanks. but what the hell is tublok?

 

[thefridge71]

Fantastic information from both of you. I think the consensus is definitely to make the bottom cabinet into a hidey hole for the snake. I really like that idea and have seen a couple of other posts that go for that exactly. Will pull out the shelving in it and put some melamine in the bottom if I end up getting the unit.

With the bottom, should a heat source be provided halfway up the enclosure or only at the top. I live in Melbourne so am a little worried about the heat of the enclosure for the snake. When you are talking about the Habistat heat panel do you mean to put it in the roof of the cabinet below so it radiated heat down into the cabinet and up into the bottom of the main enclosure? Or do you meant to create a shelf near the roof of the main enclosure and screw the Heat panel into it in order to provide heat above and below? Is this the sort of thing you are talking about?

http://www.reptilesgreece.com/pdfs/CATALOGUES%20AND%20MANUALS/Habistat/Habistat%20Manuals/HabistatReptileRadiator.pdf

On that topic, before putting in fake rockwall is it possible to line the inside of the wood with some silver insulation? This would keep the heat in a little better in the cooler part of Australia.

Where do you source your wood Baden? Do you go find branches outside and put them in after drying them out or do you get them from a supplier?

Also, what is Tubelok? I had a quick look for it and can;t work out what it is. Do you get it made up by a certain company? From what I can see the company is Tubelok?

Thanks a lot for the advice on arboreal/semi-arboreal saximus. What is the difference? I just figured they were arboreal because they are usually found in trees in their native environment around Alice Springs. Is an arboreal only found in trees?

I would love to see some photos of peoples Bredli enclosures!! If you two could provide me with some enclosure porn I would be very appreciative. Thanks a lot for the great advice!

Regards,

Tom

wow great info SOLAR 17 i have hachie bredli's and i am doing there adult enclosure soon you answered some questions i had like how big i needed to make the access whole, how think the branches needed to be for adults ect thanks. but what the hell is tublok?

Haha beat me on the Tubelok! Would love some photos.

 

[saximus]

I found this with a quick Google search: Welcome To TUBELOK
Not sure if that's what Baden is talking about. All I would do in that case though is make a frame out of timber (either use a router on a solid piece or make a frame from four pieces) then silicone the glass into it. My example of that is here: http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/diy-zone-5392/just-something-whipped-together-153474/
It's not for a Bredli but you can see how I did the doors. I also have sliding doors on another enclosure (no pics sorry) and they both have their merits.
I personally would just provide a heat source (in the form of a globe) at the top for basking and either a low wattage globe or a radiator or a heat mat in the bottom section so it doesn't get too cold. That's just of those personal choices though so you will probably get a different opinion from everyone who answers.
Yes semi-arboreal means they spend some time on the ground and some in trees. The only true arboreal Morelia I know of it a GTP

 

[1woma]

i googled it to Sax but still had no idea what solar17 was talking about, will keep checking out the page though.

solar 17 can i also ask why did you say a radiator not a globe?

 

[thefridge71]

I found this with a quick Google search: Welcome To TUBELOK
Not sure if that's what Baden is talking about. All I would do in that case though is make a frame out of timber (either use a router on a solid piece or make a frame from four pieces) then silicone the glass into it. My example of that is here: http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/diy-zone-5392/just-something-whipped-together-153474/
It's not for a Bredli but you can see how I did the doors. I also have sliding doors on another enclosure (no pics sorry) and they both have their merits.
I personally would just provide a heat source (in the form of a globe) at the top for basking and either a low wattage globe or a radiator or a heat mat in the bottom section so it doesn't get too cold. That's just of those personal choices though so you will probably get a different opinion from everyone who answers.
Yes semi-arboreal means they spend some time on the ground and some in trees. The only true arboreal Morelia I know of it a GTP

Cheers, thanks a lot for that. I googled it and couldn't work out what it was as well haha. Looks like it would be quite expensive unless you dealt with them in large quantities. I think it is the framing they use for outsides of apartment buildings and their glass walls etc that he is talking about. I have a router and all the necessary woodworking equipment so it should be easy enough to make up some frames for it.

Really appreciate all the advice Saximus. Thanks for your time.

Tom

 

[saximus]

It just looks like specially made frames for holding glass so it looks more pro than my crappy routing job up in that thread I linked. When Baden gets back he can probably confirm that though.
Radiators are the "in thing" at the moment. They apparently last for heaps longer than any globes and they have the advantage of converting all the energy to heat rather than also producing light so they are more efficient

Really appreciate all the advice Saximus. Thanks for your time.

That's cool. I love helping...if I know the answers

 

[solar 17]

i googled it to Sax but still had no idea what solar17 was talking about, will keep checking out the page though.

solar 17 can i also ask why did you say a radiator not a globe?

reliability 100% over globes of any sort....l may have got the name wrong although l love the stuff....what l meant was the 25mm square aluminium tube, it might even be, no l am not sure now....damm it
Baden

 

[thefridge71]

Had a look around and it looks like Qubelok is the stuff we are after perhaps!

http://www.spacepac.com.au/Brochures/Shelving/Qubelok/Aluminium_Tube_and_Nylon_Joints_3pg_np.pdf

Is this the stuff Baden. I would be surprised if it isn't

Thanks a lot for that.

It looks like fantastic and easy stuff to use for the glass door at the front. Just attach hinges, put in some 6mm glass and off you go.

 

[solar 17]

Had a look around and it looks like Qubelok is the stuff we are after perhaps!

http://www.spacepac.com.au/Brochures/Shelving/Qubelok/Aluminium_Tube_and_Nylon_Joints_3pg_np.pdf

Is this the stuff Baden. I would be surprised if it isn't

Thanks a lot for that.

It looks like fantastic and easy stuff to use for the glass door at the front. Just attach hinges, put in some 6mm glass and off you go.

Yep thats it....cheers Baden

Yep thats it....cheers Baden

just an after thought a couple of years ago l did a post on this stuff and making an enclosure out of a plastic tub if you are interested (for hatchies & juvies). Baden

 

[saximus]

Baden is there any specific reason you suggest this stuff? Is it just for aesthetics?

 

[thefridge71]

It seems ridiculously easy to use. Just cut the lengths out of the piping, knock it in and glue it to the corner pieces so you have the square frame set up to the right width and height. Insert the glass and silicone it to the inside of the glass door. Put on hinges and attach it all onto the front of the enclosure.

I am interested in what it looks like finished Baden. Is it thick enough or would it look a little weird on a large enclosure. It is kind of like a shower door tubing correct?

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/general-reptile-discussion-42/cheap-enclosures-78063/

I found the post you made a while back, thanks for that Baden. What a fantastic looking cheap enclosure for a juvenile python.

 

[saximus]

Wow that is really nice. They had really similar setups at the Hawkesbury expo for the competition animals but, once again, using timber frames. Very cool Baden

 

[thefridge71]

Got some pricing on the Qubelok from a company. The brochure is here for anyone who is interested. Looks like it would work out to be around 80 bucks for one large door for my enclosure. Reasonable. From what I have read in your enclosure walkthrough a couple of years ago you got yours from Bunnings however Baden? Is this correct? Do they sell it?

Regards,

Tom

 

[Jackrabbit]

grab some tubelok and four corner pieces cut it to suite the front ....get some glass cut to suite the tubelok (and use the rebated tubelok) silicone the glass into the tubelok, put on hinges and a catch/latch...done
cheers solar 17 (Baden)...ps mine spend 99% of the time on their branches

Baden.. where do you get the Tubelok from? I am getting quotes for glass doors myself now and am concerned that with traditional wood frames you not only have the frame down the centre you also lose some of the viewing area. I have asked the glass place about frameless doors if I can get the hinges which I haven't seen in Bunnings.

 

[thefridge71]

If you are interested Jackrabbit I have just posted a PDF. I contacted them today to get a quote. For 6m of Qubelok it would cost about 80 bucks for stuff you can insert glass into. You may need more or less than 6m. But they come in 6m increments.

 

[solar 17]

If you are interested Jackrabbit I have just posted a PDF. I contacted them today to get a quote. For 6m of Qubelok it would cost about 80 bucks for stuff you can insert glass into. You may need more or less than 6m. But they come in 6m increments.

bunnings sell it a lot cheaper than that and l think they are called capral also sell it as thats where l get mine from....baden

 

[dangles]

my local bunnings has it up with the colorbond fence posts, checker plate etc. about 20 for a 2m length i think