Feedback on Enclosure Plans - Diagrams and 3D Model Provided!

[Arxilca]

Long time lurker here. First of all, hello! Thanks to everyone for posting an abundance of information that has been extremely helpful so far. I have a deposit down on a Varnyard B&W and I have the hatchling tank ready, but I'm looking ahead to building the adult enclosure. You can never be ready too early, after all.

I've made some plans for an 8' x 3.5' x 3.5' and I would like some feedback:
Pictures
Sketchup Model

• The front window will have a slider that opens on the left side near the basking platform, but I was too lazy to make it
• The side window will be in a hinged panel that folds down to make a ramp (and I will get something to cover it for traction when it's left open for roaming time)
• The substrate (most likely a topsoil mixture) will slope a bit so it isn't against the front window
• I'll pile some substrate on/around each hide and make little tunnels into the "caves"
• I'll need vents, but I haven't figured out where to put them yet (this is going in the corner; the two sides you don't see will be against walls)
• I'm still working on the lighting, so feedback there is welcome too!

Thanks everyone!

 

[m3s4]

That 3d image is what's up! Nicely done...

In my opinion:

A) You don't need substrate. You can substitute it with small throw blankets in the corner near the door and he/she will use them to burrow. My current set-up incorporates this and my tegus don't complain.

B) You don't necessarily need vents and if you opt to go that route - (1) 2" vent near a bottom corner away from lamps (cold-air in) with (1) 2" vent near the lamps (hot-air out) is fine for ventilation but not mandatory.

C) Consider adding a small household humidifier (home depot) to keep humidity levels up without having to mist.

D) Lamps: Zoomed PowerSun 150w are my choice for the best UVB AND heat generating lamps.

Good luck and again, nice 3D model you have there.

 

[Diablo]

I've never though about having stuff on top of the cage...I'm gonna be building mine too this summer and my room is big enough to hold it but I would need to move some stuff out. Does anything know if that would be bad to have electronics on top of their cage? I have a tv, xbox, and computer and I could probably just use the cage as a desk too as long as it wouldnt be detrimental to the tegu.

EDIT:

Sorry I got off topic a little, but that 3D model is great! The only thing I can think of to suggest is maybe use the bigger side to have come down so cleaning would be easier? I mean I imagine it would be hard to reach the very back corner from the other side of the cage, but maybe I'm reading your diagram wrong.

 

[Josh]

Neat way to display your design! I have never seen anyone display their enclosure like that before. Well done!

 

[Arxilca]

Credit where credit's due - I actually got the Sketchup idea from Kebechet's post a little while back. I thought it would be helpful for people to have a visual. It was my first time using the program so I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!

Maybe I'll give it a try before adding the vents and go from there. I'm hoping to let her have regular roaming time so the ramp might be down enough to take care of the air circulation anyway. I've also seen that you can re-route output from a regular humidifier to go into the enclosure, so that's something else to consider.

I figured that since it's going to be a huge box with an 8' x 3.5' surface area on top, I might as well make the most of it and use it as a piece of furniture, haha. I don't think there should be any problem putting electronics on top of it as long as it's nothing ridiculously heavy. I'm planning on at least a TV, DVD player, satellite box, and Wii. It should be at a pretty good height for the TV, I think.

As for the access issue, the main window on the front has a slider (that I was too lazy to include in the model) so that I will have front access on the left and side access on the right. It will be a little tricky sometimes for sure, but I already had the window.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! If you think of anything else (or if anyone else stumbles across this post), I'd love to know your thoughts n_n

 

[Kebechet]

I actually just came back to Tegutalk today to check up on things so thank you for the credit (even though I never did build any of my designs) looks like you've really got the hang of sketchup good simple design that should go a long way!

The only thing that I would mention, is that if you want it to be a piece of furniture to hold your tv and stuff, you might consider putting tile on the top so that you don't get scratches on the top, and it still looks good My current enclosure for Link has this feature, and I use it as an eat-at bar in the kitchen

 

[Diablo]

Is sketchup a free program to use and is it somewhat easy to get the handle of? I've used design programs before and I usually could get the grasp of them, but I haven't used one in a while.

 

[Arxilca]

I hadn't even considered that! I have a place where I can get cheap tile, but it's all leftovers from projects so I would have to luck into finding enough that matches. I'll look into it.

Sketchup is free, you can download it here: http://sketchup.google.com/ It's pretty easy to start working with it, especially if you watch one or two of the tutorial/training videos.

 

[krazyeyez]

Long time lurker here. First of all, hello! Thanks to everyone for posting an abundance of information that has been extremely helpful so far. I have a deposit down on a Varnyard B&W and I have the hatchling tank ready, but I'm looking ahead to building the adult enclosure. You can never be ready too early, after all.

I've made some plans for an 8' x 3.5' x 3.5' and I would like some feedback:
Pictures
Sketchup Model

• The front window will have a slider that opens on the left side near the basking platform, but I was too lazy to make it
• The side window will be in a hinged panel that folds down to make a ramp (and I will get something to cover it for traction when it's left open for roaming time)
• The substrate (most likely a topsoil mixture) will slope a bit so it isn't against the front window
• I'll pile some substrate on/around each hide and make little tunnels into the "caves"
• I'll need vents, but I haven't figured out where to put them yet (this is going in the corner; the two sides you don't see will be against walls)
• I'm still working on the lighting, so feedback there is welcome too!

Thanks everyone!

Good ideas... But how permanent is your living situation...? Most front doors and spiders are only 3' and between the jamb trim measure less than 36". So if you move it won't fit through the door

 

[Kebechet]

I hadn't even considered that! I have a place where I can get cheap tile, but it's all leftovers from projects so I would have to luck into finding enough that matches. I'll look into it.

If you raised the edges of the frame on top a bit you could just pour some grout and use flagstone or something too depends on what look you want. If you want to go cheap, you can get shower tiles instead of floor tiles.

 

[apocalypse910]

I ran into this same problem. I was inspired by op's awesome model. Spent hours building my model in sketch-up. Measured my door last minute and realized it is just over two feet which severely limits my options.

I just designed a cage that breaks down the middle as I didn't feel two feet was enough in any given dimension. Rough image

Just bought the wood so hopefully I didn't screw this one up.

 

[Arxilca]

Yeah, I'm going to have to get a little creative to get it to fit through the door. I'll probably sort of build it in panels and do the final assembly in my living room. Your plans look good, apocalypse910. I know I will have to tweak mine a bit for structural integrity, but I wanted to at least get the basic design down. Can't wait to see pictures once you've got yours built!

 

[apocalypse910]

Yeah, I'm going to have to get a little creative to get it to fit through the door. I'll probably sort of build it in panels and do the final assembly in my living room. Your plans look good, apocalypse910. I know I will have to tweak mine a bit for structural integrity, but I wanted to at least get the basic design down. Can't wait to see pictures once you've got yours built!

Thanks - and likewise, can't wait to see how yours turns out! As for structural integrity I probably overdid it on mine- Going to be putting other cages and my electronics component drawers on top so needed it to be sturdy enough to hold quite a bit of extra weight. Tried to start building today but turned out the lumber was cut incorrectly - looks like the next week is going to be a mad building rush.