How To Build a Reptile Terrarium

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

If you are looking for the *RED PILL* of the *Reptile Industry* then *START HERE:* kzbin.info/www/bejne/fGK0iaKJj8Zod9k *PREPARE FOR A PERSPECTIVE SHIFT*

[@TwoWitchyMoons]

The second I heard you say pro-cess instead of pronouncing it praw-cess my mind went "Heyyyy! He's Canadian!" and I smiled super big. I'm planning a trip to visit a friend jut outside of Toronto in a couple of months, I can't wait!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Haha yep, definitely Canadian! I didn’t even realize “pro-cess” was a Canadian thing.... but now that you say it you’re right, it is! Haha

[@TwoWitchyMoons]

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast I didn't either until I made a few friends up there and started watching a couple of other Canadian youtubers and now I can catch the accent from just a few words that are pronounced different lol. I think the only other time I've heard it pronounced "pro-cess" is once in a while from someone in Wisconsin or Maine, but those are on the CAN border so not really surprising. Just watched the video where you move your boa into the enclosure, it came out really amazing in the end. Fantastic job! I'm doing a beardie enclosure and doing an old, refinished window for the dropdown door (which is what brought me to your video in the first place. Thanks for the inspiration and ideas for a future video!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Haha yep we definitely say a few things differently 😂 thanks for watching, glad it gave you a few ideas to work with!

[@gzusrlz10]

Instead of drilling the acrylic, you could use a soldering iron to melt through.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Good tip!

[@jasonjones4036]

Amazing attention to detail

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thanks, Jason!

[@mattwall518]

Good job. just curious how you ventilated the enclosure and how did you get all your wires in there? Did you drill holes in the glass?

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thanks! I cover ventilation and heating in the next video: Brazilian Rainbow Boa Enclosure kzbin.info/www/bejne/qai7apSiaNGVo7M

[@robr471]

Well done, looks fantastic!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you , Rob!

[@otherallies]

Good work!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you!

[@alanrobisonPD1960]

It looks great, thanks for sharing the build. My only suggestion is with the hinges, you can use rubber washers that helps absorb the force in the acrylic when you crank and tighten down the nuts and bolts. Hope this helps you some, I really did enjoy them post, looking forward to seeing the rainbow boa. Greetings from Riverside in Southern California.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thanks for the tip, Alan! Glad you enjoyed the video. I have moved the rainbow boa to a slightly larger enclosure now, the enclosure in this video is now occupied by a jungle carpet python. You can find those videos on the channel as well. Cheers!

[@harryme472]

That is a very good effort , especially if you have not done this ( with these materials ) before. Good job.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you! It has since been repurposed: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ioWqYWuPbtd1q7c

[@kameronterrell771]

I probably should have watched this video before asking questions haha. I never thought to drill and use bolds to attach the hardware! super helpful video great stuff man. Keep the videos coming!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Perfect! I am glad this helped! 👍🏼

[@matthewsbertoli570]

Very nice! You put a lot of work into that and it looks great!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you, Matthew! Is enclosure has since been re-purposed and is now a arboreal/vertical enclosure for my carpet python. You can find that video on my channel as well

[@actualark]

"I have no professional skills" that's a lie, you're so talented at making these things

[@mattburns4859]

actual ARK It's not rocket science it's ingenuity and this guys got a lot of it. His videos are awesome

[@turbomasterful]

That'd make a wicked awesome coffee table

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Haha ya totally!

[@fernandoaries9817]

🌟FANTASTIC🌟🦎

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you, happy you enjoyed it!

[@Agenda18]

Black vinyl works well, too! Nice work!!!!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Interesting... do you mean black vinyl for the flooring or the structure itself?

[@Agenda18]

HEY...no black vinyl wrap...like cars. We use to do it for aquariums...years ago. Instead of paint... ;)

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Oh that makes more sense! Cool... that may have been quicker. So many coats of paint haha

[@Agenda18]

Give it a shot next time. Also, you are so good at making these, you may want to try solvent welding acrylic. As long as your edges are flush it is easy. One more thing...check out European Vivariums, you would be great at making them. AND if you have a scrap piece of wood, it's easier to drill the acrylic with the wood directly underneath the acrylic...just drill a bit into the wood. Watch, it makes it easier. ANYWAY...you're awesome!!!!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

I’ve seen aquarium people using acrylic, definitely looks like something I would try! And I’ll give the wood trick a try next time as well. Thanks for the tips and the support, I appreciate it! One day I’ll try a European viv too, I’d love to make one of those!

[@KarnatakaAquarium]

Nice tank

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you!

[@dougalwhi8888]

Top tip for tall Viv's, shower doors! I've done my Chinese water dragon with it on a wardrobe.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Nice idea!! That would work great!

[@robbevanthillo2966]

you make very nice content! keep up with the good stuff, I am very surprised you only have so few views !

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you! I appreciate that! Hopefully the view count will grow over time :)

[@twinboosted0318]

I’m building a snake cage for a BRB out of melamine. The dimensions will be 4‘ x 2‘ x 18“ high if I place heat tape in the melamine area and also put plexiglass to cover it so it doesn’t get condensation or any moisture in it on the hot side do you think that the ambient air temp on the hot side will reach 85° along with that do you think the cold side would reach 75° I will be using 1/3 of the cage with heat tape.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

I would just put the heat tape directly underneath the melamine, many people don’t think that heat tape can heat through melamine/wood but it does. This would be safer than having it inside the enclosure (even if you cover it with plexiglass, it’s safer to have the heat mat out of the enclosure). Likely the heat tape alone will not allow you to achieve proper ambience on both the warm and cold side. I would look into adding a halogen bulb for daytime temperatures. If you’re interested in learning about heating/reptiles I would check out episode number 29, 50 and 55 of my podcast as we go into it in detail

[@LuisPonceB]

Dude, great project. I’m figuring it out what can I do for my next ball python. Your video was helpful. Thanks.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Awesome, glad I could help!

[@luisbustamante7994]

Impressive!

[@reptile5612]

Awesome video!!!! Beautiful cage!!!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you!!

[@kylewashington3106]

Nice work dude.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thanks a lot! Happy with it myself!

[@esme6299]

this was so awesome i might try this

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thanks for watching!

[@xc1971pp]

Nice job! But I still can't believe you, actually, painted the whole carpet in black acrylic!... 😄

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

😂😂 okay... maybe that was a lie!

[@xc1971pp]

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast 😆😆😆😆😆 Shame on you for making us believe in you!

[@zyncarla]

Is there air flow? And is it tempered glass? Not sure about rainbows but I’ve seen red tails break non tempered class. Looks great through

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you! Yes, I did drill holes for vents but no longer use it for the rainbow. It houses a small carpet python now. I also added a screen top for more ventilation. If you search "animals at home arboreal enclosure", you should be able to find the video

[@rangovanlife]

👋🏽 May I ask, is this a terrarium for the boa to live in or just for other purposes? In my country the law ask us to have a tank the same length as the snake is, 75% body lengh for the height and 50% deep.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

This was a sub adult enclosure for this animal. Over her life, she was upgraded twice, and now is in a larger enclosure. If you take a look at some of the most recent videos on my channel, you can see them.

[@rangovanlife]

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast So the law is the same as ours for the enclosure? We have the Veterinarian office who comes every 2 years for a control. I have to upgrade some too.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

No, we don’t have any laws in my country. I am in Canada. However, I just like to have my animals in large enclosures.

[@yardenohanona5417]

Amazing:)) can't wait for the next video

[@6strings735]

Well done! I did a similar thing on a small scale with a 10 gal tank. I flipped it on its side. I used 1/4 inch closed-cell PVC to make a door frame with hinged door and used silicon to adhere it to the plastic rim of the aquarium. The baby snake outgrew it too soon, but still fun.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Awesome! Yeah half the fun is getting to building closure!

[@lane8932]

Great job man

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you, appreciate it!

[@baja1980s]

Great video, great job man on the enclosure... just an advice, the piece of 3/4 wood that the door hinges are fastened to I would cut and glue a piece of foam on the edge of the wood on the inside all along the edge due to it can be a sharp edge and your boa, snakes like to rub there nose against stuff so the foam will serve as a form of protection

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thanks for watching, Henry! And thanks for the suggestion, that’s a great idea!

[@Skylrrider]

Wow skills!!!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you!

[@johnnieyarn3740]

Wonder if you could use acrylic walls instead of glass

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Good question... I assume you could. Would probably be much lighter and easier to drill ventilation

[@hi_tech_reptiles]

An easier way to black out the sides would be black glass cling or even spray enamel. 5 coats each side is... A lot lol. Looks great tho! I'm a melamine MDF enclosure advocate for cost and humidity reasons (the melamine, especially when sealed with silicone, keeps in heat and humidity depending on design/thickness)

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

😂😂 yeah five coats was about four coats too many

[@andywatkins4991]

nicely done!!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thanks a lot!

[@twinboosted0318]

What kind of wood did you use

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

I used oak!

[@bluedeval03]

I spray paint mine black. Many light coats let it tack in between spraying. First I use blue painters tape to keep overspray to a minimum on the sides, and I use saran wrap to keep the paint from getting inside

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

That’s a great tip, spray definitely would have been easier!

[@KarnatakaAquarium]

Super

[@WxkR]

Superb! I’d pay you for a smaller version (with more vents) for a leopard gecko.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thanks! Ya vents are definitely a challenge with an all glass enclosure like this one

[@WxkR]

Definitely. What I’ve seen in some glass terrariums is the top made with two separate pieces of glass and stripe of mesh covering the gap.

[@Trellemania]

Thats pretty epic

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you!

[@silencingmachine2671]

Why didnt you use black silicone when you planed on ruing the glass by painting it?

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

I’m not certain I was even aware of black silicone when I did this build. However, the silicone is not visible anyway due to the paint, as you pointed out.

[@KurNorock]

Just curious how you are going to get any heat and UV in there.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

This enclosure has changed slightly but here is a video of me adding heat: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqCpfnhoa55ghpo As of yet, no UV which I regret! Going to try and problem solve that soon!

[@itseasybeezy]

You can use black foam board instead of paint. It will also insulate. What I didn’t like when I blacked out my tank was the reflection it causes inside the tank. I felt it would cause stress so I removed it

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Hmm yes very good point, I really don’t like the reflection either! Good idea 👌🏼

[@itseasybeezy]

Animals at Home enjoyed watching the process! Reminds me of all my projects. So it’s good to see other ideas and processes floating around. My boa is getting a melamine/acrylic enclosure next up.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Awesome! Ya if you like working with your hands... building enclosures is a great time!

[@POWDERNPELLTS]

I wonder I’d a vinyl wrap would work on your next build since it’s used on vehicles and seems to resist wear and tear on road would it not have heat resistance and possibly keep humidity very well

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

That was actually suggested below in the comments as well, I think you guys are right, it would work just as well and be WAY easier to apply!

[@thedevilsreject23]

It wouldn’t be heat resistant as they use heat to apply it in the first place 🤔

[@Blackmetalwerewolf626]

Nice bro can i hire you to make my boa one

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Haha thanks man 😄. You can make one I bet! It’s easier than it looks

[@omegaturtlerock]

Very nice but what about ventilation?

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qai7apSiaNGVo7M I add ventilation here!

[@miyukiwynter885]

As an art major, whenever I see people going to paint their tanks black and they hold up Liquitex Basics paint (which is a lot of people so far) I cry a little bit because it's such a translucent paint with not a lot of pigment I can imagine it being a nightmare to get it to cover on a glass surface!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Haha YES! It was horrible. Can you recommend a better product? I would love to know!!

[@miyukiwynter885]

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast I haven't painted glass with it but Golden Acrylics are more pigmented and heavier so they offer better coverage. Again I don't know about on glass but they're really nice paints.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Very good to know, thank you!

[@leomadleomad8957]

Lol this is exactly what I want to do for my HSC 😂 Thank you ❤️❤️ Only difference is that I'm going to use wood (I have a gecko ) 😂👍

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Happy to help! 😊

[@chantellesiequien161]

How do I drill into the plastic without cracking it?

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Start with a small bit and work your way up to the size you need.

[@chantellesiequien161]

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast Okay because I've already cracked two pieces 😂

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Ah damn lol! Yeah you need to start with a really small bit, or use a step bit. Feel free to DM me on Instagram if you need some advice, sometimes KZbin comments get lost!

[@2078smith]

How thick is each glass piece.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Good question! 5mm

[@caldoesstuff7290]

Thought that was a microwave in the thumbnail 😂😂

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

🤣😂 not quite!

[@jayvee5886]

Flat Black vinyl would have been easier and better and the outside.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

You are not wrong there haha!

[@jayvee5886]

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast HA! Still, came out real nice!

[@brunomina51]

how do you going do do the wiring? its all glass?!!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

I will be posting a video of the set up in the next few weeks so you'll be able to see! But the heat is going underneath the enclosure, so no need to have any wiring on the inside

[@saddan0227]

What about a thermostat?

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

I never put the thermostat probe directly into any enclosure... too many variables (can get wet, snake can move it, etc.). The probe will go between the heat tape and the bottom of the enclosure. If you watch my Brazilian Rainbow Boa Cage Setup you can see how I do it!

[@saddan0227]

Also when you made the enclosure intead of buying the acrylic you could have used another glass panel. But instead of screwing on the hinges you would silicone them on. Just a tip for a future build. Also your boa looks very healthy.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Interesting! I hadn't thought of that, thanks for the tip! Ya she is going great so far

[@WhoTheHellIsHarvy]

I'm guessing 8 Exoterra employees working on commission disliked haha

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

😂😂 you might be right...

[@Rhacadactolus]

200th!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you! 😃

[@tatipopo9651]

HELLO you say that your terrarium is made with old windows, but in fact you use plexiglass

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Nope, the front panel (I.e the door) is acrylic. But the walls, floor and ceiling are all old, glass windows. Just curious- What makes you think I used plexiglass?

[@salafismyway2012]

lol rip ventilation

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

For a rainbow boa you need to ‘rip’ ventilation, especially in my climate. Plus the door is far from air tight and I add vent holes in the next video before I add the animal.

[@JJ-mz9hl]

Why TF do you use glass if you just paint over it???

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Brazilian rainbow boas like it dark!

[@blackholereptiles4007]

supposed to use tempered glass 1 of my reticulated python bursted one of my cages out with regular Windows quarter inch unless the glass is tempered people do not do this and also how you going to get a heat panel in there and a thermostat probe and there's no ventilation I give this one double thumbs down please tell me you did not put a snake in there I am a snake breeder it is creative but you know nothing about snakes that is not suitable for it

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Good feedback. I have a juvenile carpet python in it (less than 150g), not concerned about it breaking the glass. I do use tempered for the sliding doors on my boa enclosure though, I agree, shattered glass is a real danger with large snakes. I cover heating/ventilation of this particular in other videos. If you’re a reptile breeder, I recommend checking out The Animals at Home Podcast, I think you’d enjoy it 👍🏼

[@blackholereptiles4007]

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast Respect that's awesome you have a lot more going on than I thought. When I seen your glass cage mine was just a glass front gave me flashbacks my snake ended up with stitches because of it it broke and then just shattered down on top of the snake you live and learn that was years a go when I first started I was so eager to put it in anyting