Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Here are a few crappy pics of one of my latest ackie set ups.
I'm trying to get a profesional photographer over there but so far he has flaked twice, so excuse my lame pics.
This set up is 4 ft deep x 8 ft long x 44" tall and houses four sub adult red ackies.

I built this using the 2 part epoxy method discussed below to seal the inside , the enclosure holds about 2 yards of dirt at a depth of about 20"
Cheers,
Ben

I would like to hear more about the cage. Materials and construction techniques of the carcass and also material used for the rockwork.

Would really love to see some professional pictures, in particular closeups of the rockwork.
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Currently keeping a small collection of various Gonyosoma. Both G. janseni and G. oxycephala.

Chris wrote-"I would like to hear more about the cage. Materials and construction techniques of the carcass and also material used for the rockwork.

Would really love to see some professional pictures, in particular closeups of the rockwork."

Most of my wood based enclosures are built the same way ( I also build fiberglass and concrete enclosures but that is another thread entirely!)
I use 3/4 birch ply and build the carcass like a cabinet, I glue and nail all joints and throw a few pre-sunk screws in if its a paint grade finish.
The fronts of the enclosures are made like cabinets with a hard wood face frame. I generally use poplar, unless it gets stain then I may use alder or oak.
The bottom of the enclosure gets an extra 3/8 ply skin, glued and screwed on to help distribute the weight of the enclosure evenly.
Drains are added, interior is caulked and primed, then epoxy is applied.
I generally just go 6" or so above the dirt line with the epoxy and then lay in a background ( mural) with latex paint and shoot a mate clear coat over that.
Everything is allowed to off gas for at least a full 7 days ( usually more)
Doors are made the same way as the face frame, pocket screws, then bullnosed and rabbeted to accept glass. Glass is siliconed in.
The doors on my enclosures open up or out depending on usage but never open down. Down opening doors get in the way, get dirt stuck in the tracks and are generally just a pain in the arse. I do use sliding doors for some set ups, usually the large patio doors used in residential construction.

The rockwork in this set up is made with a steel armature, coveed with metal lathe, then concrete.
I use a lightweight concrete mix fot the first few go-rounds, then finish with a mortar type mix for the texture coat.
I also make props out of fiberglass and sculpting epoxy.

Got another apointment with the photog on wed, so more pics soon.

Thats all I've got time for today,I'll try and get more info up later.
Cheers,
Ben

I use 3/4 birch ply and build the carcass like a cabinet, I glue and nail all joints and throw a few pre-sunk screws in if its a paint grade finish.

Just standard edge-joints or do you use rabbets & dados?

Thanks for the information.
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Currently keeping a small collection of various Gonyosoma. Both G. janseni and G. oxycephala.

Great info Ben,

But if you don't mind could you expand on detailing the concrete.

Do you use color additives to the crete for a base and detail it afterwords?

What kind of paint do you use for the rockwork?

Do you seal the rockword after words?

I hope to start some new enclosures this winter and the info would be very helpful in getting started, the work I can do its the supplies I need. Just need to now what. Also any tips are always welcome.

Thanks
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Jeremy

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

0.1 Sunglow "Khal" RTB
0.1 Snow "Khal" RTB
1.0 Double Het "Khal" Sunglow RTB
1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow RTB's
1.1 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.0.13 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.2 Pastel Hypo RTB's
1.0 Double Het Stripe Albino RTB's
0.1 Suriname RTB
0.0.7 Normal Suriname Hybrid's
0.1 Anerthrystic RTB
3.6.14 Red Bearded Dragons
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse
1.0 Child

Nice job... Hope you continue posting around here.
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Currently keeping a small collection of various Gonyosoma. Both G. janseni and G. oxycephala.

I second that. Always nice to see more naturalistic setups to help inspire.
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Randall L Turner Jr.
Boas make the world go round.

I think I just found my interior decorator. I'll furnish materials and pay you $8 per hour.

Whaddya mean, "No!" That's more than minimum wage, dude. Ha! Ha!

Nice job, Ben. I loved the setups you posted below, too. Fantastic. That's quite a talent you've got there. And knowledge, too, of course.

Hope you don't mind my asking; What's the benefit of having the doors lifting up instead of swinging down? Just curious, that's all. Too many details everywhere else for there not to be a purpose for it.

One more question: Do you use more than one layer of the two-part floor epoxy or does it depend on the setup you're working on?

Thanks for sharing your knowledge & work with us, Ben!

Take care!
Mike
(HH)
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

That is one *heck of a cage, nice work man! I hope these roaches that I just got do well enough to make we want a monitor again, or just make some really fat Tokays. Did you post some of these pics a good while ago or was it just one of my mad searches for ideas?
Nate

I hope these roaches that I just got do well enough to make we want a monitor again, or just make some really fat Tokays.

What kind of roaches are you breeding, I myself am having a lot of luck breeding Guyana orange spotted roachs (Blaptica dubia). They are a little slower than some others but man when you start to get a good size colony they really start generating.

Cheers
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Jeremy

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

0.1 Sunglow "Khal" RTB
0.1 Snow "Khal" RTB
1.0 Double Het "Khal" Sunglow RTB
1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow RTB's
1.1 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.0.13 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.2 Pastel Hypo RTB's
1.0 Double Het Stripe Albino RTB's
0.1 Suriname RTB
0.0.7 Normal Suriname Hybrid's
0.1 Anerthrystic RTB
3.6.14 Red Bearded Dragons
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse
1.0 Child

Thats exactly what I'm breeding. I traded a small colony of around 50 or so for a baby Tokay. How long would you wait before starting to feed them?

>>Thats exactly what I'm breeding. I traded a small colony of around 50 or so for a baby Tokay. How long would you wait before starting to feed them?

At the rate my beardies go through crickets I have yet to feed them all but the sickest looking roaches (old bastard on the last leg) I started with about 20 adults and have couple hundred smaller sizes now. They are slow to mature at that rate they eat, I would need to produce 27-30 roaches a day or 850 a month. My colony isn't that big now.

If you need the smaller sizes you don't have to wait long. They are easy to sort and keep and breed.

So you don't need luck just time.

Cheers
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Jeremy

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

0.1 Sunglow "Khal" RTB
0.1 Snow "Khal" RTB
1.0 Double Het "Khal" Sunglow RTB
1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow RTB's
1.1 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.0.13 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.2 Pastel Hypo RTB's
1.0 Double Het Stripe Albino RTB's
0.1 Suriname RTB
0.0.7 Normal Suriname Hybrid's
0.1 Anerthrystic RTB
3.6.14 Red Bearded Dragons
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse
1.0 Child

I am looking into roaches what temp ,etc do you keep them at ?

I had planned to house them in plastic container with tiny holes in lid for air .

Thanks

Thanks for info