Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Okay, first time owner and builder here. I've been browsing the forums getting all sorts of information that was helpful. I have some specific questions, though, that I could find a clear answer on. For some background, the snake is an Argentinian Rainbow Boa, approx. 4ft long. It belonged to a family member who can no longer care for it. It'll be in my hands in approx. 2 weeks. The plans are for the enclosure to be 5ft wide x 2ft deep x 3ft tall.

1-What is the preferred material for building a cage that will be subject to high humidity? Melamine can't be found in my area, so I'm interested in other materials that are at least somewhat cost effective.

2-It's been recommended that I use a 150W ceramic heat emitter with a 10" dome. Is there any way (false ceiling?) that I can build something around the dome to hide it from sight without causing a fire hazard?

3-Do I need two seperate thermostats to control a heat pad/tape and the ceramic emitter?

4-Should a heating pad/mat be placed inside or under the cage? Same question for heat tape.

5-Should the heating pad/tape be placed on the same end as the ceramic emitter, or have them on opposite ends?

6-If I use a flooring that's 3/4" and need to mount heat under the cage, is it safe to rout (sp?) out a space for it/thin the floor at the location or is it safer to just cut a hole in the floor and place something such as PVCX over the entire floor? OR (yes, there's an or, too)can I cut a hole about the size of the heat mat, rout a groove around the edge for a cut-to-size piece of PVCX to be laid in? (like how there's a groove cut into the back of a door frame for the glass to sit flush against it)

7-What's the recommended type of sealant used for a high humidity enclosure?

That's all I can think of for now. If any of you have any other helpful suggestions, it will be much appreciated!!

Carmen

currently
------------
2 cats
1 horse

soon to be added
-------------------
2 (more) cats (temp - 3 months)
1 arg. rainbow boa
1 bearded dragon (temp - 3 months)

::the snake is an Argentinian Rainbow Boa, approx. 4ft long. It belonged to a family member who can no longer care for it. It'll be in my hands in approx. 2 weeks. The plans are for the enclosure to be 5ft wide x 2ft deep x 3ft tall.

Since you have mentioned cost effectiveness, I'd encourage you to limit the length to 48" (or 49.5" which would account for the 3/4" thickness of the two sides).

I'm by no means tell you to do that, just mentioning that limiting any one dimension to 4' almost alwasy saves money.

To a lesser extent the same holds true for the height. Limiting it to 2' will make for better use of material. It's probably also desirable for a Rainbow Boa - the shorter cage will be easier to heat. But really the height will be a non-issue and a taller cage usually looks nicer.

::1-What is the preferred material for building a cage that will be subject to high humidity? Melamine can't be found in my area,

I do not like melamine for Rainbows anyways. A sealed plywood would probably be your best choice. I like birch plywood due to it's smoothness on both sides, it's strength, and relative straightness when compared to other materials.

::2-It's been recommended that I use a 150W ceramic heat emitter with a 10" dome. Is there any way (false ceiling?) that I can build something around the dome to hide it from sight without causing a fire hazard?

A false ceiling would work but is probably not necessary for a Rainbow Boa (a lot of ventilation). Instead some sort of wire guard around the heat emitter would be better. If you want to use a CHE I'm back to recommending a shorter cage, but you could still get away with the taller one.

::3-Do I need two seperate thermostats to control a heat pad/tape and the ceramic emitter?

There are people better able to answer this one that me. You might start a separate thread.

::4-Should a heating pad/mat be placed inside or under the cage? Same question for heat tape.

I like underneath.

::5-Should the heating pad/tape be placed on the same end as the ceramic emitter, or have them on opposite ends?

Boy that really depends. You probably would not even need both.

::6-If I use a flooring that's 3/4" and need to mount heat under the cage, is it safe to rout (sp?) out a space for it/thin the floor at the location or is it safer to just cut a hole in the floor and place something such as PVCX over the entire floor? OR (yes, there's an or, too)can I cut a hole about the size of the heat mat, rout a groove around the edge for a cut-to-size piece of PVCX to be laid in? (like how there's a groove cut into the back of a door frame for the glass to sit flush against it)

I like the idea of cutting a complete hole and covering at least that area with PVCX. I do recommend the entire floor for a Rainbow but if you'd rather not then I like your idea of recessing it in a groove.

::7-What's the recommended type of sealant used for a high humidity enclosure?

I'd use something oil-based if you don't want to spring for an epoxy.

Thank you VERY much
-----
currently
------------
2 cats
1 horse

soon to be added
-------------------
2 (more) cats (temp - 3 months)
1 arg. rainbow boa
1 bearded dragon (temp - 3 months)

A few more questions...

1-what thickness of PVCX would be best to use?

2-for the "false ceiling" I found a picture that had more of what I was picturing in my mind. It wouldn't be a true false ceiling, just a type of housing around it. Does it look like it could work like this or would the heat be too much?

http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=382572,382576

3-for saving money on the floor, if using a complete PVCX cover, would using MDF (instead of the birch plywood) work?

From your responses to so many other topics, I value your opinion!

Carmen
-----
currently
------------
2 cats
1 horse

soon to be added
-------------------
2 (more) cats (temp - 3 months)
1 arg. rainbow boa
1 bearded dragon (temp - 3 months)

If you just cut out a small area for a UTH or some sort you might be able to get away with 1/8". Personally I'd feel safer with the 1/4". The 1/8" stuff can be pretty brittle.

I love the design of the cage in your link. It would actually help hold heat and humidity compared to my design. If you have seen my pictures I generally build my cages for species that require a lot of ventilation.

However, I truely believe you could get away with under tank heating only. Just leave room for more tape if necessary.

I think you can use MDF. Just make sure you build fairly tall upper and lower lips so the cage does not sag.

What I mean by upper and lower lips are the parts of the cage pictured below where the glass track in attached.

Let me know if you have any further questions. I will be out of town for a while and may not have computer access.