Re: common booboos for building enclosures...which is which?

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Posted by Mr. D on August 05, 2002 at 17:24:36:

In Reply to: common booboos for building enclosures...which is which? posted by Tenor Goddess on August 05, 2002 at 16:50:24:

:1. when building a wood frame enclosure...what about wood stains (ie...cherry wood stain, walnut stain color) and sealants? Toxic? Ok? Certain types to use???

Raw,exposed "aromatic" woods are a no-no. HOWEVER, if stained and then sealed completely,generally speaking, there should be no problems with using them. "Standard" rule of thumb is to use a minimum of 4 coats of polyurethane to seal the wood. Personally, I'm going to look into marine polys to see if they are more UV resistant than standard polys as I am already watching an enclosure's seal break down.....
:2. Plexi glas or wire? Wire holds in less heat so I would assume plexi would be better at holding in heat and making the top wire for holding lights and ventilation?

I personally like solid ceilings and plexi windows as opposed to hardware cloth but budget will always dictate certain things. If you can use solid and plexi walls I would. I would also install a small "muffin" fan (computer fan, etc) somewhere high and made inaccessable to facilitate air exchange. Control the fan with something like a temperature controller. Part of the key to avoiding mold and mildew buildup in an enclosure is air exchange. Small vent holes cut low on one side of the enclosure and the fan mounted high on the opposite wall will help promote good cross ventilation.

:3. type of wood to use, not to use?
Pine (sealed of course) may still sctatch and gouge due to claws. Maple has worked well for me but it IS more expensive.

:4. in building ponds or streams...what filters work best in filtering out iguana poopoo? protein filters?

Unfortunately, with 23 igs, half a dozen snakes, and assorted geckos and other scaly things around here I haven't had the time/space to be able to even CONSIDER looking into a setup even remotely as technical as a pond filter suggests...LOL

The #1 thing I can say about building custom enclosures - spend your money WISELY. Cheap now could very well cost you MORE money down the road. Since we started using them several years ago, the 3 best recommendations I can make for electronics are MErc vapor bulbs for UV & basking heat. Radiant heat panels for ambient heat controlled by temp controllers. And an ultrasonic humidifier by either Sunbeam or Vicks. The bulb produces more UV than fluo tubes, is usually guaranteed for 1 year, and SHOULD end up costing less than 2 fluo tubes over the course of a year. By combining UV and basking heat you're also cutting down on power consumption.

Enerjoy's RHP's come with 10 year warranties. We've been running an 18"x24" panel in one of our enclosures for more than 2 years non-stop controlled by an ESU temp controller with absolutely zero problems so far.

Vick's ultrasonic humidifier's can be mounted outside an enclosure for easy access and "poop proofing" and actually be plumbed with PVC pipe to direct humidity anywhere you like.

Cost for all of this should be somewhere in the vicinity of $200 but you shouldn't have to spend ANY more money on electronics for at least a year when the bulb and humidifier may need replacing.... Try looking at HerpSupplies.com for the bulbs and RHP's. John's a great guy there and we do all of our business with him exclusively. Tell him we sent you....LOL

Hope this all helps in some way....

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