Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone tried using pvc tubes as perches in large enclosures?
I have something in mind,that's why I'm asking...
Thanks

People do use PVC cuz it's easy to clean, disinfect, it's cheap, and you can do lots with it.

One problem: it's slippery!
You can apply non-slip adhesive and wrap cloth around it so that the animal can move about without slipping off and fall.

What do you have in mind?

-IJ

Thanks a lot on this,
Can you specify about that cloth?What it is,where I can get it from,etc...
Nothing special on my mind,I just have a room sized enclosure that I have to 'furniture',pvc seems the only solution.
I had huge logs that I had to remove cause of mould and I just can't do it again with other logs,too heavy and difficult.
Please give me some details on that cloth,I really need it.
Thanks

Hahaha,
by cloth I meant any cloth.
Buy some cheap towels, preferably green, and with the non-slip adhesive, place them on the PVC "branches".
Then, rip the edges to give it a "vine" look. You know what I mean? Make sure the towels won't slip. If in doubt, you can tie them or wrap them around the PVC. Towels can be easily cleaned, and you can find cheap, green ones just about anywhere.

Logs are a pain when mould and decay takes place.
One trick is to thickly garnish them with lacquer or patio polyurethane. The drawback is it is time-consuming, and you have to wait for the fumes to disappear.

If cloth doesn't sound right, thick ropes used as vines are another alternative. You should post pics when you're done!

-IJ

Listen to this,I have a friend that has a petstore and used to make terrapin tanks with glass perches that he glued with silicone a kind of rug on them,both in and out of water.I tracked down the rug shop and I found it,a very dense and very thin rug with a kind of semi plastic touch on its underside,perfect for silicone.Also you can brush it with a bleach solution occasionally.I also found pvc pipes of 5-6in diameter along with their T way connections.
I guess that this should be the easyest way to furnish room sized enclosures and also make use 100% of the space volume..
GYM GYM GYM GYM GYM GYM GYM GYM GYM GYM GYM GYM

reading this thread it occured to me that part of the advantage of pvc is its ease in cleaning. adding a bunch of cloth or rug kinda defeats the purpose. It sounds like you are more interested in function than looks. If thats the case, think about using pvc coated wire mesh as platforms and landings suppported by pvc frame. really light and easy to clean. I learned this doing exactly what you are and found the 1" mesh great. easy to climb, plenty strong, safe, cant ingest it. I atttached the mesh with "zip-ties", rugs get nasty and hold bacteria. Just an idea that I found works great.

Can you give me some details on this,I'm really interested but did,'t understand really what you mean.I think you might mean raised areas between 2 pvc pipes where the iguana can be suspended in air above a pvc mesh?Is that what you mean?
I think replacing logs with anything else takes you out of the game of looks so we definately think practical..
Do you think I could do a combination of both mesh and rug coated pvc?I wish you could see the rug I found,seems so washable.
Is there a chance of a picture of an enclosure made with the mesh you are talking?
Thanks you've been great help

I use the vinyl coated shelving used for closets that is sold at home improvement stores. It's durable, washable, and can be used for basking shelves and climbing ramps. It comes in varying lengths and widths. Here is a link to an example of the product.
closet shelving

What I descibed,kinda poorly, was building a frame work with pvc that would support a series of shelves that are made of the mesh. Its like building pvc tables that are topped wish the coated mesh. If you are feeling creative build something similar to those carpeted cat 'climbs" you see in stores. I have cyclura now so I dont need to go as high but I had a 5.5' jungle gym. Now I just built a pvc cube of different heights and zip tied the mesh to the top. Jif is right along the same lines. Its all about clean and easy to move. which reminds me if you build up remember to weight the bottom so there is no tipping

After some readings of your posts I definately understood what you ment,brilliand idea,also I believe is the most practical way to cover space efficiently.
I am waiting for some warmer whether to move my iguana to another room for a couple of days until I finish it.Thanks a lot this is what I'll definetely do...

What about indoor/outdoor carpet? I'm moving to my new home in another week, and have to get Tempest's room ready. I'm so excited, he's going to have a 6' x 14' bedroom, 3 big windows, and eventually I'll be building him a sunporch/basking porch outside 2 of the windows. I can't recall if people said indoor/outdoor carpet was good or not for covering shelves with.

I'm so glad I checked the forum, I haven't in a long time, I'd forgotten about the kitchen rack stuff! Brilliant, now I know what to pick up to make his ramps out of

The best part, is Tempest is going to have his own soaking tub, that I can flush from outside when he's feeling tough. His lights can all be operated from outside too! Jungle scenes on the walls are being painted this weekend. Not bad for an ig that was left in a parking lot to freeze and die, I can't believe its going on 6 years I've had him.