How to Build a Reptile Enclosure - Advice from Expert

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

*THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!* Don't forget to check out the Ball Python Deep Dive here: www.gofundme.com/f/ball-python-deep-dive-project

[@lannagermer]

will do thank you

[@bradsbioactivebuilds]

Thanx for having me on your podcast, Dillon. I had a blast talking about some of my DIY builds and even a better time discussing how we can enrich the lives of the animals we care for! 🤘💯🦎🐸🐍🐢🌱

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

My pleasure, Brad! Thank you again for joining me on an episode, I had a blast chatting with you😁

[@MikeTytula]

Fantastic episode Dillon and Brad! Been following Brad for a long time now, wicked he gets the recognition he deserves

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thanks for watching episode, Mike! Glad you enjoyed it. Brad absolutely deserves more recognition 👌🏼

[@bradsbioactivebuilds]

Thanx Mike, much appreciated bro! We should convince Dillon to do a round table with some of us on naturalistic enclosure builds, im sure it could stir up some great conversations. 🤘💯🦎🐸🐍🐢🌱

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

@@bradsbioactivebuilds great idea 😎

[@Akhatchntails]

Man he is so talented I love his builds has me thinking on how to step my game up!

[@allusernamestakenlol]

We really need more channels like Brad's

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Agreed

[@cherylj7460]

Really amazing that all those paints and compounds are safe!

[@cherylj7460]

The seperate, but attached nesting box is genius!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

I know right!?

[@caryelizabeth624]

This podcast episode is so encouraging! I tend to vacillate between feeling super excited or feeling very overwhelmed when it comes to DIY projects. The message to keep working on the project until it fits your vision is so encouraging! This podcast was exactly what I needed to hear! Thank you!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Glad you enjoyed it, Cary! 😁

[@bradsbioactivebuilds]

I'm glad you got what you needed. Have fun with your build! 🤘💯🦎🐸🐍🐢🌱

[@savannahbrewer6161]

Thanks for interviewing somebody who actually DOES something to improve reptiles' lives, we love Brad's work :)

[@rickcroney1286]

Brad does so outstanding builds. His innovative approach is awesome. As a DIY guy I love getting design and build ideas from his projects. Definitely worth subscribing to his channel if you want to build or even just do interior design of your reptiles habitats. I'm pretty sure I know what's going in that enclosure...lol. Great Episode 👍

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

He has some incredible ideas! Makes me want to build stuff just for the sake of trying new things. I think I have a good idea what he's putting in there too... 😉

[@sarahgerkebreitzman7528]

Brads Bioactive Builds enclosures and his geckos are even more amazing to see in person!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Yes, is enclosures are unbelievable!

[@Dante1321]

I just saw his videos over the weekend! Perfect timing for this Episode! He's work is top notch.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Yes, it absolutely is!

[@jonathanyoungblood8676]

Amazing guest to have on , Brad seams like a master in the diy . I have a few enclosures that I need to get up to par and I can’t wait to incorporate some of brads ideas . I only wish I could get that pvc board where I live 🤷‍♂️ . Good video

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thanks for watching, Jonathan! 😁

[@jonathanyoungblood8676]

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast always

[@bradsbioactivebuilds]

Thank you Jonathan, it was a great time joining Dillon on his podcast. Have fun with your build. Turn my ideas into better outcomes to help our hobby grow for the animals! 🤘💯🦎🐸🐍🐢🌱

[@kylelowder1883]

Love your story! I say reptiles saved my life!! When I bought my first one I switched my addiction basically and now I’m clean and full force into learning breeding and caring for these awesome guy!! I called one of my groups breeders anonymous just to kinda keep that theme cause I don’t go to aa or na I focus one stuff like this and these talks!! Love it brother!!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

That is awesome, Kyle! Congratulations on your sobriety

[@bradsbioactivebuilds]

Heck yeah! Sobriety is the most important thing. Finding outlets to have purpose in life goes a long way. I'm glad you found it in reptile keeping! Keep fighting the good fight! 🤘💯🦎🐸🐍🐢🌱

[@caughtafaygo]

Yesss! So excited for another show! And perfect topic for my current boa build! The external hide sounds cool. Im thinking maybe of doing a treehouse style hide using a rigid pipe that comes out of the top of the enclosure to a hide box with detachable top. . Oooooh and ive seen this guy pop up on my feed before! He does incredible work 🤘🐍💚

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Good luck with the building, I’m sure it will go great! Thanks for watching episode!

[@snakemannn1744]

Great show man ,,, I did enjoy ,,,,,

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@brittanylevinson741]

All my supplies are almost here. I’m doing a summer time hognose enclosure. Per Dāv Kaufman’s video on Hognose and are we keeping them correctly, he shows how the hognose leaves the fields in the heat of summer and takes refuge in the floodplains. So I’m doing a floodplains terrarium instead of the usual arid enclosure. I’m going to be controlling the humidity with torrential downpour misting with RO water (had to design that for myself and make that another project) followed by dry out periods. With 4’ to work with, I’m doing an Oak Savanna transitioning to grasslands. Tons of unusual plant species including dwarf species of native plants and some rare succulents. I had A custom vinyl background done but I’m adding a typical cork bark and foam building off the background photo I chose. Anyway, what was supposed to be a $250 build has turned into $2500. Also got some cool species of isopod and red springtails. Automation is taking care of the entire control system. I also went with the Arcadia Zoo fixture and a hood for the enclosure to have finer humidity control. Great video!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

That sounds really awesome! You’ll have to send me photos when it’s all done. My only tip is make sure you have a good drainage system set up for all the water. I actually live on the exact floodplains that hognose are native to, so I’m very familiar with the landscape. 😁

[@brittanylevinson741]

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast I got a stainless bulkhead for the drainage. Doing a coarse filter layer instead of Leca. Directly plumbing into the RO with four redundancies for safety. It’s going to be pretty sweet.

[@lannagermer]

Yeah so my son is so into snakes and his most loved is the rattle snake but two years ago I was not aware that he loved snakes as much as he did and ended up getting his little brother a cornsnake. This year is asked me for a ball python for his birthday. I found out in my research of what all we needed to care for one that I have a way to small tank for our cornsnake. It is a 45 gallon tank but still its too small.. I began to shop for a tank and quickly realized I cannot afford a good one. Then I found Brad. Thank you sir for making my sons dreams come true. I can afford to build my own and already have all the tools to do so. so thank you so much! I also subscribed to your channel to day Brad

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Amazing 🙏🏻

[@lannagermer]

💖@@AnimalsatHomePodcast

[@paulwhite9242]

man, that warms my heart.

[@KaiahAurora]

Dillon, you can't be encouraging me to build my own enclosures like this. There's no more room in my apartment!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

😂😂 I know what you mean!

[@arthurjones9580]

Do it! There is always more room!!!

[@CannaTic]

Best cool mist humidifier is AC Infinity by far. Comes with a long probe and output tubing because it's made for grow tents. I like their fans also, that's their original product.

[@snakeysdw]

That is one awesome custom build, very nice.

[@juniorlemke5484]

Hey Brad, I'm willing to bet the random man's youtube video you saw was Lizard Landscapes. That dude is a wizard.

[@xc1971pp]

Hi, Dilon. How are you? Funny enough, back in 1999, I built a vertical terrarium for my water dragon couple and it was mainly a wooden painted structure with wheels on the bottom and glass and screen on the sides and back and top and it had a water tank on the bottom wtih a drain and a flexible pipe for water changes. That terrarium was a lovely walking hothouse wardrobe sized terrarium .. Hug.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Hey there, I’m doing well! Hope the same for you. That sounds incredible! Thanks for sharing 😊

[@ArcadiaReptile]

i enjoyed this.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Glad you enjoyed it! :)

[@bradsbioactivebuilds]

Your products are #1 when it comes to lighting. Long lasting UVB bulbs and amazing plant growth!

[@cherylj7460]

Air circulation! So important!

[@jakethesnakeaguilar1441]

So I really wish I could remember where I was seeing it; but I saw someone who tackled the issue of dry lock killing plants and it actually seems that the quickrete paint that actually was the culprit. I bought acrylic paint for children on my last build for painting the dry lock and experimented with NOT washing the paint and not a single plant that touches the dry lock, has died in almost a year now! Something to definitely look more into!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Yes! It’s true! It may be one of my videos that you saw 😆 kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJetaKVro7xmoaMsi=frPspe5GAR6-yV0w

[@MN-Unicorn]

I’m currently planning out a drymarchon enclosure. Can’t decide on bioactive or more pragmatic for cleaning their infamous poo.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Yeah, that’s a tough one! Although typically I find the more substrate and soil, you have the easier is to clean for snakes like that. Even if it’s not bioactive.

[@pierrefitch]

What is everything would need for a kimberley rock monitor

[@aliciadishman]

How do you protect the other residents from the fumes when constructing your next habitat?

[@cherylj7460]

Have you guys checked into fogger nozzles in greenhouse supply catalogues?

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

I haven’t, that’s a great idea!

[@editsbyjesh]

here before you are famous.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Ha ha!

[@JordanNixon-vg3jd]

BradsBioactiveBuilds

[@wilsoncaban1580]

I'll be checking out your channel I'm a beginner wich taking notes,looking to put bearded dragon enclosure.what is cleanup crew do what's it's purpose?

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

A cleanup crew is a group of inverts, normally springtails and isopods that occupy the substrate layer. They thrive on detritus and other decomposing compounds, and help manage waste in a vivarium.

[@aliciadishman]

Dry brushing is used in naturalistic ceramic painting and 99% is dark to light as well with an equal amount of paint on the brush. The brush head is mostly flat-end bristles and is made with natural hair. Nylon bristles shed paint too easily and paint will adhere unevenly to the hairs.

[@riccardorotolo]

Are there DryLock alternatives because in Europe we don't have it 😢

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

I think probably any masonry sealant would work

[@cherylj7460]

Ahhh! That was my first pets - a pair of newts. They were extremely anti-social. Especially for a kid.

[@aliciadishman]

I wanted to know how he protects the others species in the room from fumes.

[@kevinalbrecht-e8p]

I'm looking to build a bioactive terrarium for a giant day gecko mimicking the perfect environment of Madagascar including a waterfall in a 24x18x36. Any suggestions on a build! This will be my 1st attempt and am a noob to this. If possible, send me a link

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

I would say spend lots of time watching Brad’s videos (link to his page in the description) as well as Tanner’s videos on SerpaDesign. Will give you plenty of ideas to work with!

[@kevinalbrecht-e8p]

Thank you for the feedback. I have basically no artistic abilities but am great with ideas and engineering. I have looked at several serpa videos and have gotten many ideas. I watched 100s of different channels on these features for building a vivarium but still, I lack the artist side of it. Thanks again for your thoughts and suggestions.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

It all comes down to experience! You will not be perfect your first time. The artistic side is developed through lots of practice!

[@rmconnelly5]

Hearing reptile people talk about water features is always weird coming from an aquarium perspective, no mention of anything but mechanical filtration. Also the huge concern over water changes is kinda funny, how do you think people deal with hundred gallon aquariums?

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

There really is no need for biological filtration. Generally water features in reptile enclosures are subject to 100% water changes on a frequent basis. Especially if the animal defecates in the water, it doesn't matter how much filtration you have the water needs to be completely changed. I think comparing aquariums to reptile water features is largely apples and oranges. Even a fully stock (or over stocked) tank won't get close to producing the amount of waste a large lizard or snake will produce.

[@rmconnelly5]

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast if you're comparing a water monitor pond to anything hobbyist freshwater sure, but a 120 gallon reef tank being fed 2 or 3 times a day is way more waste compared to more reasonable reptiles like water snakes pooping once every week or so. A 10 or 20 gal sump with filter socks or a filter roller and anaerobic zones would reduce water changes to 25% once a month maybe, less if you have plants. Saying biological filtration isn't necessary because of 100% water changes is kind of like saying I don't need a bathroom in my house because there's a 7/11 a few blocks away. Sure both methods bring nitrates and harmful bacteria down, but one is way more effort for a worse result. One of my biggest pet peeves with reptile water features is that they're ugly, due to the fact they get completely emptied if not removed, never leaving time for a proper bacterial cycle or plants to root or copepods to spawn. If you scrub an aquarium sterile it leaves a huge open space for nasty virulent stuff to grow, which is all I've ever seen in reptile enclosures. Comparing apples and oranges is a really bad mindset to have about this kind of thing, and in general imo, just because they aren't the exact same thing dosen't mean there's nothing to take inspiration from. Sorry it took so long to respond, never got a notification.

[@rmconnelly5]

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast wouldn't you rather rinse out a filter sock on a regular basis than lug around however many gallons of water?

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

@@rmconnelly5 oh, trust me, I would MUCH rather have a filtration system that requires less maintenance/lugging tubs of water around. I think for many small species of snakes, that would work just fine. In order to be successful with larger snakes (like the ones I keep) I think it would take an incredible amount of fine-tuning. Typically the water features in reptile enclosures have a very small water volume, and even though the snake might only poop once a month, it can literally be human sized or more. The solids are dense, and tend to sink to the bottom. I can’t see them ending up in the filter. Definitely something worth playing around with though! If there’s someway to promote large amounts of solids, moving into the filtration system, please let me know. I would be interested in trying it out!

[@rmconnelly5]

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast flow is very often ignored in freshwater, but in saltwater it's a lot more important, in SW whole shrimp and fillets of fish aren't uncommon food items. In a reptile enclosure filtration should look something like- 1- animal poops 2- poop is blown towards filter by powerheads 3- small bits that fall off are eaten by aquatic fish, plants, and clean up crew 4-majority of waste is caught and removed by filter sock/roller BEFORE breaking down 5-remaining small particle and dissolved waste is treated with bio bricks 6- whatever carbon, uv filter, peat filter, heater, or whatever the specific animal needs. I think a 30 or 40 gallon sump could tackle large reptiles. Maybe 100 for gigantic ones, but the technology gets more compact every year. Chemically it's a fairly simple system. You're really only worried about nitrogenous waste, not GH, KH, pH, salinity, yada yada like in a reef tank. After a good cycle there shouldn't be much if any fine tuning, just let nature do it's thing. If you're ever able to get in contact with BRStv or someone else in saltwater youtube about filtering large infrequent waste I'm sure they'd have lots of good ideas. One other thing even if you don't learn about filters, look into better water changing systems like Python. I'm paraphrasing, but Aquarium CoOp stated if changing water is hard gross work it won't be done as often as it should, and carrying water by hand is not easy.

[@coffeecave1600]

Might just be me but Brad kinda looks like the tatted-up version of you🤣

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

😂😂 I can see it

[@cherylj7460]

Interesting that there is something, somewhere with the materials, a toxin in which plants don’t grow exists. This is still my fear.