Decided To Build A Vivarium Options

[Renster]

Hello,

Just Joined the Site as I am in serious need of guidance here,

I have a dismantled Beech Style Lamine Coated Chipboard Wardrobe laying in bits as I got a new one, I saw the wood last night and thought id build a vivarium, however I dont know what im putting in it yet , due to this ive decided its gonna be watertight so if needed it can house a small pond like feature for w/e may need it. (Looking at Elegant/Tokay Geckos or Some form of Invert prob Hermit Crabs).

If anyone on here has Elegant or Tokay Geckos may you please post me a care sheet including Temps (Night/Day), Ive had Geckos Before he was a Leopard grew to roughly 10.3 Inches Head to Tail (He was the biggest Leopard ive seen yet, as far as I know the captivity avg max size is 8", think he may have been crossbred)

I designed the viv, to every exact millimeter(I know its sad but I had been up for 30 hours and was bored severely).

Its gonna work and cost on average £10 - £15 (Only the Screws, Vent, Sealant and hinges/bolt-snib locks if needed), its dimensions in all formats(Ft,Inch,Cm,Mm) are

2ft 10Inches : 34Inches : 83.3 Cm : 833 Mm Width(Left to Right)

1ft 4Inches : 16Inches : 39.2 Cm : 392 Mm Height(Bottom to Top)

1ft : 12Inches : 29.4 Cm : 294 Mm Depth(Front to Back)

Some research shows a Viv this size would cost £60 - £100 which considering I have enough wood here to build an enclosure on top of this to Securely store Dry-Foods, Supplements and Treats/Utilities and Light/Mister Housing if Present, Plus a Raised Base for it if needed for support, Which in my eyes is Excellent for a 7 year old £20 wardrobe lol!

I noticed my old TV cabinet was wasting away in our so called "Dixons Warehouse" Room as I am a Student PC tech. (Due to dismantling the TV unit ive now got Enough wood to build an Incubator or Isolation Viv)

The unit has an 11 inch High by 34 inch Wide pane of minorly one - way tinted glass on front of it, Which due to my measurements (which were wierdly enough done Before measuring the pane) will fit as a front perfectly if i use two 2.5 inch supports on the top and bottom as to which i will use the already present hinges and magnetic snap locks to use this as a door.

Now i just need to buy Thermos, Lights, Heat Mat, Hygra, Sands/Wood Shavings, Some Artificial Plants, Ill make some Hides/Artificial Rocks, Dechlorinators etc

Here comes the part im literally lost on,

What kinds of sealants are Non-Toxic once set, Remember its Chipboard im Sealing no Glass. Thi is Just incase Whatever the Viv will house was to accidently gets a nibble on it, im not gonna wake up to a dead pet.

I know a Gecko probably would resist it(My Gecko ate a part of my cousins Plasticine when he was out of his tank and wasnt effected) but if i was to get Hermit crabs, Toads/Frogs.

Knowing that Hermits are extremely allergic to tons of stuff that cause swelling and discomfort even death, what would be the best water resistant Non toxic Sealant?

Price would be helpful too

When i get it Built (If i ever get round to it due to my room needing Decorated first GAHHHH!) I will post pics of it here and if its as good as i have in mind i may start producing one or two monthly, either built for others with their materials or built by my own materials to sell on.

Anyway all help is much appreciated,

Thanks in Advance.

*If needed I have decent amounts of experience with Leopard Gecko's so feel free to ask about them*

[Renster]

Sorry forgot to add my concept drawings in Graphix Editor

I know it looks a bit shoddy but GIMP wont let me use pre sized staight lines so i just did a hand drawn with the mouse turned out well

[JohnC]

Aquarium silicone sealant is what you need, it will fulfill all your requirements.
You can buy it from here if you need a small amount or from aquarist shops or the internet if you are going to be using a lot.
It is more expensive than ordinary sealants but most other sealants are toxic or have little strength.
http://www.livefoods.co.uk/product_info.ph...products_id=523

[Renster]

Well thanks bud, wasnt sure as to what i would be looking for, i spotted the stuff think ill get the 75g tube to be sure i have enough... Still dont know what to species to get ><

Im in all reality looking to breed whatever it is that I get due to my local pet shop needing breeders and well me staying literally 10 mins away would be perfect, as far as i know Gecko, Toads, Spiders(I Cant get A Tarantula as my mum would either kill it/me or one of the cats would at some point have a crunchy snack), Praying Manids or Hermits.

Any suggestions on easy co-existors in the same Viv of the above and easy breeders?

[Renster]

Well so far so good, I cut all but 2 Pieces of the wood tonight + Avoided the Dreaded Jigsaw(The chances of me cutting a 3 mm straight lin with one is about the same chance as a Hard drive survivng a 20 minute Nuke in the Microwave) and used my trusty old Hand saw ,

Although 2 of the Cuts are far off around the edges on the last board as I slipped while sawing, this will be sanded till each board Matches, even if this means sacrificing a few Cm's of wood.

All that is left are the sides which are two very basic cuts thankfully, so it wont take too long.

Sealants are on the way, Called a friend who works in a pet shop hes bringing me two tubes tomorrow at no cost just the favor of building him a Viv.

On the otherhand my glass panels dont want to Unhinge....................

I tried for 20 mins and gave up but i atleast got them to loosen, Tried with the Biggest flat headed screwdriver in the house used excessive force only to succumb to failure, i could dismantle the whole unit but all the screws are sealed with wood filler with a 1mm layer of Beech Laminate ironed on.... It would be hell to even get near the screws never mind get them all out!

I reckon with a good hour tomorrow ill get it out. then all i need is my vent a background(Ill prob sketch it or make a collage of trash from Google Images then sealant it into place)

Also sculpted the base form for my Hides and Rock Features from polystyrene blocks just need to mix the plaster,

Hint: Ive noticed adding some Black or Red or even Just plain old Beige sand adds a more realistic texture to the mix, Although Black and Red are cooler looking also cool to add some coco chips (take like 4 or 5 big ones and split them into 4 - 5 pieces each Makes cool little ridges etc).

Got an 2 old Nescafe lids on standy as food/water Dishes (Refuse to pay £6 For 40p worth of Plaster with a 30p Ceramic Coat)

Making a Humidifier for the Sake of it (Can't go wrong)

Already have old Artificial Plants from old fish tank, although gonna buy a real one.

Forum is By far the most Knowledgeable ive seen yet compared to all that ive seen

[Renster]

Ok viv is all finished here a couple pics (Still needs a coat of veneer and the perspex then its really finished)








The way the sun hits it in the above pic makes it look like its all out of place lol the wood did split during screwing it together but only tiny amounts but that will be sanded down and veneered

As for the 2 Screws at the left side they were only 3/4 of the way in just to provide enough pressure to hold the wood in place while the sealant dried.

Still to add Beige wood filler to the front to bulk it up a bit, and fill the exterior joins


Looks pretty good considering i did it all by hand, Yet its wayyyyyyyyyyy to big to house my New Stheno in until i get about 5 - 10 more of them lol

[Debs]

Very good. I'm saying nothing about any 'odd' little bits you pointed out as I couldn't even begin to start to make one so good on you. It's much cheaper to make them yourself especially when it comes to building stacks, hubby does mine for me now. Perspex scratches very easily by the way allthough I doubt little stenos will do much harm to it.

[Renster]

Yeah to build this considering i already had the wood, i only paid roughly £15 which is amazing considering my local pet shop has one almost the exact same (a few inches smaller) for £85, even with the cost of the wood i would be looking at £25 - £35, got a new project up and running, bought an old Shelving Unit, has five 1.5ft high x 3 ft wide x 1.5 - 2ft deep shelves on it already added a Support to the bottom and top of each shelf got runners laying around which ill add on, only need about £30 of perspex and ive got a £70 viv stack lol

I hadnt seen my stheno for a few days hes had a shed, his colours are amazing he went from biege with brown spots, to brown with beige and white spots, He looks amazing!


And i would get glass but knowing me id smash it constantly

This post has been edited by Renster: Jul 29 2009, 03:37 AM