How To Set Up A Reptile Terrarium

We discuss how to set up a reptile enclosure, including what items to put into a reptile tank, what to put on the bottom of a reptile enclosure, how to choose the correct reptile enclosure size and more!
Damian Mckay is a long-time reptile keeper out of Australia and the owner of Copperhead Customs, which is an enclosure design company that specializes in custom-built backgrounds and decor that not only look amazing but are functional and specific to the animal they are made for. In this episode, we cover the fundamentals of building reptile habitats, including enclosure size, basking and heat, hydration, security, and sanitation. We discuss how to design habitats with function in mind, rather than aesthetics. Damian also walks us through the step-by-step process he uses to build backgrounds and much more!
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0:00 Coming Up
2:19 Welcome Damian & Background
20:48 What is Copperhead Customs?
23:07 Habitat Design Essentials
24:06 Understanding Enclosure Size
27:18 Basking & Heat
28:50 Hydration
34:54 Security and Hides
38:59 CRH & Pateron Ad Read
39:50 Sanitation & Ventilation
44:52 Using Natural History to Create a Functional Habitat
1:04:54 Natural Looking but Inappropriate? Using Thermostats
1:16:04 Process for Building Custom Backgrounds
1:37:54 Minimum Enclosure Size
1:53:07 Help New Keepers Start Properly
2:08:13 Bullying within our Community
2:20:07 Damian's KZbin Channel Idea
2:29:57 Closing Thoughts
2:31:10 Outro
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ABOUT DILLON:
Welcome to my channel, Animals at Home! Here you will find the reptile videos I have made as well as video versions of The Animals at Home Podcast! The podcast mainly focuses on the pet reptile industry. My mission with Animals at Home is simple: To inspire others to push the limits of their reptile husbandry by promoting the importance of high-level, creative husbandry individualized for each reptile.
• Exotics Keeper Magazin...

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

*Thank you for watching teh Episode! For more photos of Damian's work check out his IG Page:* instagram.com/copperhead_customs_/

[@triplefreeerror]

XPS is more flammable than Expanding foam. Expanding foam is used as FireBlocking in the states. it’s not really flammable once cured.

[@triplefreeerror]

this is so great. the difference between a 75 gallon and a 120 is basically the height yet i see so many people with no height utilization in their 120 gallons

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

So true!

[@southpaw1215]

It is very comforting to hear other keepers talk about how sparingly they feed their snakes. I always have a hard time trying not to stress that my Python hasn't eaten for a few months (especially at colder times of the year). I feel this topic isn't highlighted enough in the community, and I cringe knowing I used to feed my snake every 1-2 weeks

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Yes, I totally agree. Definitely a topic that should be covered more often!

[@CopperheadCustoms]

Glad I could offer some comfort on the topic, thanks for watching.

[@MattHeet12]

This episode really speaks to how circumstantial reptile keeping is.. Our individual choices in regards to enclosure size and design influence the behaviors of our animals for better or worse.. Understanding the ecology and captive husbandry of the species you’re keeping will give you the proper insights to offer and or experiment with multiple functional enclosure components. This will allow you to observe the response of your individual animal and make adjustments accordingly to encourage desirable/natural behaviors which provide for optimal enrichment in captivity.. Appreciate your continued efforts to encourage ethical approaches to herpetoculture rather than what seems to be accepted justifications for minimal industry standards..

[@CopperheadCustoms]

Totally agree mate, thanks for watching.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Very well said, thank you very much for watching!

[@Charliesreptiles597]

Trust me Damien I am 12 yrs old and the idEa of great big beautiful enclosures came to me straight away after watching the snake discovery zoo build and I has not put me off because building enclosures is a Realy fun project ❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Incredible 🙏🏻

[@Charliesreptiles597]

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast ty

[@CopperheadCustoms]

Glad to hear you are seeing it as a fun challenge. Have fun with it, and don't be afraid to change and adapt it to suit your animal.

[@AndresRodriguez-nt7gm]

I loved this guy. I know it's only been 2 weeks since you uploaded this. But I need more of him on here. 😅

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

I really enjoyed chatting with Damien as well. We will definitely have him back on at some point! Hopefully he starts his own channel as well.

[@VENVM666]

This is HANDS DOWN one of the best episodes. Also thanks Damien for all of that extra knowledge. What an actual top bloke!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thanks for watching 🙏🏻

[@lorrainekay13]

Yes, yes and yes. Thank you for this so much. Damian makes so much sense. I just went through a 3 month ordeal saving the life of my little Stimpson's Python. Racking my brain trying to figure out what I did wrong that he got SO sick. Listening to Damian the light bulb finally went off. I had done everything I could to create the gradients we always talk about....but Bart wouldn't USE them because he didn't feel safe. Thankfully he seems to be ok now and I just redid his enclosure so he can actually use what he needs.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

That’s amazing, I’m glad you were able to pull something of value from this episode. Thank you so much for watching, as always!

[@vids595]

Recommending minimum sizes leads to people providing minimum sizes. So the minimum recommended size needs to be closer to ideal size. Its almost never a matter of people being made to feel bad, they are just extremely sensitive and take even the kindest delivery of information as an offense.

[@Ripper2524]

I just got my first carpet Python back on Wednesday. He’s 6 months old and I have him in a 3x2x2 with lots of cork tubes filled with dry spagnum moss and lots of branches and vines for climbing that literally go up into the corners of the enclosure. He cruised around the entire cage for the first two nights and on the second day he was perched up in the corner. I offered him a fuzzy mouse and he ate with no hesitation. I definitely feel like he’s liking the enclosure but I haven’t posted anything on social media bc even the breeder said my cage was too big for little carpet.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

That’s awesome! I put my carpet in a 3x2x2 when he was really little and he did just fine 😁

[@CopperheadCustoms]

As long as you give him time to get used to the habitat and settle in and don't rush into handling to soon. And just monitor the behaviours.

[@Ripper2524]

@@CopperheadCustoms yes he has plenty of ground hides which he only used on the first day, as soon as lights went out he exploded the enclosure and found his way to the top and has stayed perched there. Like I said he did eat on day 2 and the temps are around 85-88F. I am a little worried that he hasn’t come down for water but assumed it’s bc he has a full belly. Also bc it’s a new environment so I’ll continue to check on him each night before I go to bed to see if he’s out exploring. I’m also gonna get more fake foliage that hangs from the top of the enclosure to create more concealment while he’s perched up on the branches.

[@Ripper2524]

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast yeah I literally was so dumb founded when I was watching KZbin video of almost everyone saying that adult carpets can be housed in 3x2x2 or 4x2x2. I used to own common boas and Burmese pythons before I joined the US Army back in 2015 and I’m finally able to get back into reptiles now that I’m getting out. I honestly didn’t realize just how small my carpet was till I finally got him shipped to me but coming across your videos, especially this one has helped me a lot!

[@elizaann2]

I very much enjoyed this episode. I loved hearing Damien’s thoughts on the community and animal care. ❤❤❤

[@Ratsnake71]

Damian has a good point about facebook groups and bullying. I’m a member of Reptile Lighting, Advancing Herpetological Husbandry and the bio active group. I’ve gained some knowledge, but I’m done with them. I barely read any posts. I have a western hognose that was a terrible feeder and was too skinny. He just didn’t want mice… what a surprise that an amphibian feeder won’t take rodents. I tried frog and quail Reptilinks and he ate them eagerly and gained weight. Not only that , his disposition changed from being defensive to being pretty chill. If I was hungry, I would be pretty cranky too. Of course I posted about it since I was excited to share my experience and I was immediately chastised. The argument was that we don’t know the nutritional content. The fact that we trick hogs into taking food they don’t eat in the wild and the links are closer to the natural diet was ignored. I ended up deleting the post and washed my hands of them. I’d much rather listen to the podcast for good info.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thanks for watching the podcast! Yep… Definitely not the first person to tell me a similar story. At the end of the day our species is not great at communicating via text posts 😂

[@Chopingporky]

48:20 I am cleaning while listening to this episode and right when I start cleaning my carpet I heard you saying "my carpets, I never see them on the ground,..., maybe at night time when he's cruising but other than that he's up in the trees" I was distracted and zoned out on what was said before so I was very confused about what you said I did eventually realise it wasn't the same type of carpet 😅

[@CopperheadCustoms]

Hahaha , come home from work and your ceiling is now carpeted

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

😂😂 yes, definitely a different type of carpet! 😂

[@67neeley]

I do agree with so much of this episode, and the fact that researching the animal, its habitat the behaviors and the biggest thing i couldn't agree with more is paying attention to how your animal reacts and how it's actions are in your set ups. I do a lot of rescue where I live and it's always bigger snakes, monitors, and iguanas, or leopard geckos or bearded dragons that are in horrid health that have been kept in the store bought kits. my 11 and 12 year old watched this episode with me, and I had them watch it because the information is truly great! ( they have watched more then this one but this one had so many great points) I have been keeping reptiles and amphibians for more then 20 years, and the hobby changes and grows so much that it is helpful like he said to watch different channels and I do the same thing I watch the fish channels and read about different aquarium set ups as well, when I got my first mata mata there was no information really about them so I watched the fish channels that had the fish from the same waters of the mata mata, I read older papers about them contacted zoos that had them before I had mine so I could understand more about them. I use most of what I have as educational animals, and I definitely will be putting this channel as a list of my resources. one other channel I find that has good information is Dāv Kaufman's Reptile Adventures when he does are we keeping them correctly, well done for sure on this episode!

[@MrJoJoH95]

This is a guy that has put a lot of thought into his care. I love learning from people like him

[@avaogara]

I was given a 2nd hand enclosure, I am now setting up ...a exo terra. grateful to receive it ..will make it all natural .I ❤ your set ups

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Awesome, good luck!

[@CopperheadCustoms]

Thanks heaps , have fun with it.

[@relic3592]

Can I just say its really good to see another australian talk about the bullying and misinformation on social media with the reptile community. I think the idea to answer questions on youtube from the Facebook groups here in australia is a really good idea. The groups here are almost completely pointless to use for information. I started out with my research there before I got my first snake and it made me quite disappointed in the community here. Ended up getting books about keeping them and the natural history. Facebook is useless to me now. Other then enclosure projects. Im looking into converting a wardrobe next possibly. Just need to find a nice BIG one haha

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Haha yeah FB can be a real downer! I really hope he goes ahead and makes the KZbin channel as well! Good luck with finding a wardrobe 😎

[@mikeyben6144]

This episode was so awesome. From the enclosure composition to the health of the reptile community. Inspiration is the strongest element we have to build this community. 🙏

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Couldn’t agree more, Mikey! Thanks for watching!

[@Inverts4Introverts]

My children's python loves eating in his climbing bush. If she is on the ground of her enclosure, she takes food very gental slowly. No striking, but if she's up in her bush, she will strike super fast and really wraps it up. Also, she loves the deep heat projector. If any light is on she is gone. But when the leds go off she's out on her stone under the dhp.

[@bille.badass684]

When he was talking about the baby python that lived in a tub and it was put into an enclosure, he mentioned that it freaked out because of the lights overhead, etc. etc. But was the animal giving proper time to acclimate? Was the tub placed inside the enclosure so that the snake could retreat back into a place that it’s comfortable and then leave at it’s leisure? Also, dude mentions that an 8’x2’ enclosure is too large for an adult carpet python, but the then at about 1:40 he’s talking about how offering larger space for animals that nobody would really dispute, so why would an 8’ viv be considered on the large end for a 6-7’ python when they’re used to traversing hundreds if not thousands of feet in the trees? It would have to be well furnished and fully functional, but that animals going to use every inch of space available. A lot of great points here, good show. 👍

[@GangstarComputerGod]

Just an FYI, there is expanding foam that is designed to be flame retardant. Although I would make sure it has several days to cure and air out before sealing it. I prefer the pond foam but I also layer drylock, grout and sealer over any foam because I err on the side of overdoing safety measures.

[@DraganthasDragons]

Great Episode!

[@CopperheadCustoms]

Thankyou

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you!

[@rustyolgun]

Much love Mate! Needed the subtitles for this one tho

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thanks for watching! Did you try turning on the closed captions? They are extremely accurate for the most part

[@snakemannn1744]

Well done ,,,, what another hit of education ,,, much appreciated '

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

🙏🏻👊🏼

[@turtlejeepjen314]

VERY great interview!!! SO many things to think about later, & ideas about creating backgrounds/decor….🤔🙂💚 (I’m not proud of it, but I’ve left my enclosures open…. I’ve had my Bearded Dragon leave, & then mysteriously reappear back in his enclosure like nothing happened… (after I spent 2 full days tearing up the house looking for him!!)

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you so much for watching, glad you enjoyed the episode! Glad he made his way back to his enclosure!!

[@avaogara]

great podcast, Damian true reptile lover keeper.so interesting , I love the natural look , recreate the species natural environment ..good job !!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thanks for watching, Ava 😁

[@CopperheadCustoms]

Thankyou.

[@yoshinowa1]

Loved this episode! He has a great way of thinking and explaining things, info that most people that want to keep reptiles should watch. Loved the part on thermostats too, good info many people don't know!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thanks for watching, Anke! 😁

[@CopperheadCustoms]

Thankyou, glad what we talked about was helpful

[@dantan1249]

“How many animals are gonna stay in their enclosure?” My peach throats spend hours outside their enclosure when given the option. They go back in to bask for ten minutes and then right back out and continue to be active for literal hours without getting sluggish. They sprint back and forth and explore my room all day. And they have large enclosures.

[@brewkeepyr4647]

DHP's are absolutely adequate for basking (not sure about the bearded dragon bit though, never heard of that). To my understanding, DHP's emit infrared A and B (but a higher percentage of B) than say CHE's which only emit IRC. So it makes sense because IRA and IRB are wavelengths that penetrate whereas IRC does not. My GTP's, spotted python and boa all bask. I use DHP's with halogens set up with UVB and LED's and they all like to be right in the middle of the halogens and DHP's (but close to same observation closer to the DHP). The only set up without a DHP is my bamboo ratsnake. But I use them for all of my other snakes and they love them. Just catching the show guys, thank you both so much! Yet another great episode!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Yep, the DHP’s admit both A and B, but a much higher percentage of B. Thank you for watching the episode, glad you enjoyed it!

[@brewkeepyr4647]

​@@AnimalsatHomePodcastSorry Dillion, didn't mean to post a basic comment or repetitive information. I thought I had heard Damien say he wasn't sure why his animal was snuggling up closer to the DHP. I was just responding kinda to that effect in case others didn't know the technology behind the product. I don't comment often lol. Loved the podcast with you and Paul. Chances are I had a hand in building at least one of your enclosures 😊. I love them and you did an amazing job decking them out. In my time working for Paul I would always be curious to see how someone would build out their enclosure and it's always a treat to see the final result! Well done!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

@@brewkeepyr4647 oh, no worries at all, every comment is appreciated! 😁 nothing wrong with a comment with some basic info, like you said, someone could be reading over them who isn’t sure how the DHP‘s work. Glad you enjoyed the episode with Paul! Thank YOU for helping produce such awesome enclosures! That must be a fun job 😀

[@bradsbioactivebuilds]

Great episode boyz! I couldnt agree more with the statement *INSPIRE" others to do better. Staying out of bs drama and focus on positive change. Also, adapting and building features around the animal while maximizing the surfave area of an enclosure instead of an empty box. Damian does some amazing hardscapes and designs.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Well said, Brad! Thanks for watching man 😎

[@CopperheadCustoms]

Thanks brother.

[@Ron-snakesinthegarage]

Interesting topic and perspective. 👍 Since getting back into snake keeping, enclosure size and setup has been one of my biggest concerns. The internet has lots of info on the subject, but of course, there is lots of contradicting opinions and advice. I appreciate you bringing on guests like this to hear about what they learned during their keeper journey. Intelligent, informative, and insightful conversation, leaving me with lots of things to consider in my quest of making the best enclosure I possible can for each of my pets. Great content. Great job! 💪 and Merry Christmas and happy new year to you and family Dillon. 🎄 Any merry Christmas to all the folks here as well.😁🍻🎉

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you very much for watching, Ron! Merry Christmas, and happy new year to you as well!

[@learningformyreptiles1195]

54:29 deep heat projectors not suitable for bearded dragons because of the lining around their intestines is a dark metallic

[@scottgilbert-barrow4639]

Sounds like the thermostats in Australia aren't quite as advanced. The newer ones are set to fail off rather than on. And there is very good dimmer ones. Where they can control the temps better. Amazing backgrounds and great ideas other than that.

[@vids595]

Its true that enclosure size does not automatically equate to suitable design, but it is not a matter of "pushing" one or the other.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Absolutely!

[@CopperheadCustoms]

Yeah I can see that, maybe "pushing" isn't the right word , perhaps encouraging people to research what kind of space is most appropriate for the animal more than what the keeper wants to dedicate as far as space goes.

[@citizenoftheninthdivision]

Nah fam, the Australian brushtail possum averages around five pounds, while the North American opossum averages 8.8 to 13.2 pounds. Awesome episode btw.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thanks for watching! 😁

[@CopperheadCustoms]

To be fair I have never seen an American Opossom but from the Americans that I have talked to they seem to think our brushtails are huge.