New enclosure ordered!

[NorCalAl]

I finally ordered my new Ackie enclosure. 3/4" plywood, lined on the inside with sheet PVC. Stained matte black outside. Double bulb fixture for two 50w basking spots (next to each other). 48" dual T8 fixture.

Oh! And 72" long by 30" high by 30" deep with a 12" litter dam. Sliding tempered glass doors.

Gonna be a long wait.

 

[NorCalAl]

A long wait....

 

[NorCalAl]

Now to get it in the house... or actually out of the truck!!!

 

[m3s4]

Looks nice...should post some pics when you have it inside and furnished for the little monster.

 

[NorCalAl]

We just got it in the house. Had to pull doors off the hinges to get it down the hall. The measurements of the cage and rack have me very concerned because they are so close. I'll find out tomorrow if it fits or if some dremel work is needed - it's that close.

I'm sure the trio is as excited as me - not!

 

[james.w]

Do you mind sharing what you paid for it?

 

[NorCalAl]

Hey James - if you don't mind sharing the cost! LOL

Yeah, this is a custom Critter Condoz. It's the semi-elite series - that's 3/4 inch plywood with a laminated pvc liner. Once assembled, they seal the entire inside. I also had two incandescent fixtures installed about 18" from the left side for basking lights. A four foot T8 double tube fixture runs down the middle. 12" litter dam so the little monitors will have some digging space. (provided I can find enough clean dirt. Finding actual dirt as opposed to soil enhancer has proved much more challenging than I would have ever believed!)

Shipped and all - $700.

 

[james.w]

Man that is pricey. As far as dirt, where do you live?

 

[NorCalAl]

Northern California. Up above the Central Valley in the Sierra Nevada foothills. I'm about two miles from the National Forest border and everything is fir/pine. I'm going to go down to the valley today and pick up a couple large rubbermaid containers of good fill. That should take care of the first one.

I didn't think the price was extreme at all. Considering it was custom sized and it is expected to hold nearly 1000lbs of dirt, that's not too bad. Compare it to what other makers (Boaphile/Vision/ConstrictorsNW/ReptiRacks) would charge - and in most cases, probably all of those listed - the cages would not hold the dirt, it's pretty cheap.

Now, could I buy the same materials and build it myself cheaper? Yes and no. Screwing up the project and buying the materials three times - or having an epic failure and trying to clean up 1000 lbs of dirt and finding missing/dead ackies....kinda evens up the cost. I even talked to a local welder. I was going to have the bottom portion fabricated out of tube steel with aluminum sheeting. The total there was around $300. Then I needed the top.

The other thing is that Eric has experience making cages FOR ackies. That meant a lot. He knew the humidity requirements and (like I keep beating to death) the high weight of the substrate and how to contain that. So, for me, the cost is reasonable. Reasonable enough that I plan for three more. Provided the ackies do their part. :0)

 

[james.w]

Is the inside lined with FRP or is it the same material as used in melamine?

 

[NorCalAl]

Not sure what FRP is, but the plywood is first laminated with a sheet of pvc, then cut and formed. Once altogether, the seams are hot sealed.

 

[james.w]

FRP is fiberglass reinforced plastic. It is used in bathrooms to waterproof the lower half of walls. Is it actual PVC like used in repti-racks, boaphile, etc type cages?

 

[NorCalAl]

Yes, laminated to the plywood.

Filled it today with 15 cubic feet of sandy loam soil. Got the ackies in this afternoon. They seem to love it but who knows. I do know they've been all over it ever since. Those caresheets showing a 3x2x2 is adequate for an Ackie trio might be right from a survival standpoint but they are active monitors and are using every inch of this cage.