I would add for some people it’s best to outline the pvc where your screws go when putting it together so you don’t miss. Also pre drill all your holes. If some people are concerned about drilling into plexus glass you can use 3m gorilla tape with the hinges. Also depending on what you plan to keep in it you can add air vents on top or just drill holes. Want to make it stronger you can use glue to connect all the pieces before screwing it. As well as add silicone on the inside to keep any liquid from seeping through. I’m sure there are a few more ideas that can be added. Good video!!!
A quick note: You had the right setup for cutting the inside of the face, you just used the wrong saw. You can make a plunge cut with a circular saw and then continue cutting normally along the track (it's the same idea as a miter saw, if that helps). Start far enough in that you can back-cut slightly to your first line and then go forward to the next line. After you do all four cuts, flip the face piece over and use the jigsaw to finish cutting the corners. This will give you the straightest, cleanest lines. Anyway, good job with it. You should be proud of this build.
Nice job. Others might criticize your work, but if u have the willingness to do it thats all that matters. Buy always look at ways to improve your work. Half the battle is getting over your doubt of even trying . Keeo it up.
hey man good job on the development. i really want to build my own pvc cages instead of using aquariums (basically giving them my own touch). I'm really interested in this but don't have the tools yet to do so, so i'm doing research on it as we speak. i want all my animals to have the similar setup. Thank you again for the video.
Don’t forget about ventilation holes . Also you could glue a handle on the acrylic to make it easier to open. Overall great job though , I don’t have the tools to do that or I would defiantly give it a shot !
Definitely going to do this but with a sliding door I'm making a double stacking tank or 1 tank an two floors but this is exactly what I needed an example of thank you
I made my first enclosures with melamine but they were so heavy I went with the pvc board this time. I love working with this stuff. The only problem I ran into was because mine are 2x4x15 is that the top was to flexible to stack so I am going to try supports to see if that will stop the sagging in the middle. Great video. I did the same door and really like the look.
I'm wanting to make a 6'x2'x18" cage, how would you do your supports? I'm super worried about the sagging since I'm going to be spending to much money on building my boas forever home.
Use tape on the surface before you beat up the sheet from the jigsaw , you are better off dropping in with a circular saw for the door same as you did with the other sheet cuts , set your guide and blade depth and drop in , PVC is very fragile to work with blue painters tape helps protect your surface from bruising or scuffing.... Azec makes 10’by 20’ sheets of up to 1” thick also ... can get pricey
Love your idea and design but I’ll probably go with sliding doors instead. I just rather not see the locks or hinges. Also the front panel will be covering the edge to give a more smooth look
Nice job. Do you have a list of all the part you purchased? I know the 1/2 in. x 48 in. x 8 ft. White PVC Trim but there was a lot of those tool you used for the job. subbed
I don't have a list unfortunately other than when I went through all the parts at the start of the video. As far as tools I just used a circular saw to cut the PVC and a drill to put in the screws. A lot of the screws and bolts are interchangeable, I just used what I could find easily at the hardware store at the time that worked. If you want to see exactly what I used, you should be able to see the labels on them at the start of the video. Thanks for the sub!
MedusaPythons quick question I have a 4x2x2 PVC enclosure what heating source would you recommend for this enclosure to house a boa ? And where would you recommend I get it ?
Great video, but when it came to cutting and drilling into the Plexi, you kept saying to be careful as it would melt if sawed slow, and it would crack if drilled to fast... I work with Plexi everyday at my job and can confirm that it is super durable ... you will not likely "melt it" or crack it by drilling into it.... not to undermine you with this comment, I just wanted to let everyone know if they didn't.
@@nikkidian I just use masking tape. Preferably frog tape though, because I've found that it adheres the best. Definitely keep the blade cool, to keep it from making too bad of marks.
So, I watched the video, and I think it's for 48x24x16. Is there a way to expand this to 48x24x24? Would you have a diagram for that size? Is the PVC sturdy at the thinner thickness, without secondary framing? Is there sagging with the thinner sheets?
Acrylic is usually pretty sensitive to heat. I made a top out of acrylic once and it warped like crazy when I tried setting a heat bulb on it. I imagine it would warp a little with heat tape too although heat tape is not as hot as a heat lamp.
Your other problem would be putting it together. It's not going to be thick enough to hold screws of course so you would have to hold it together with special acrylic bonding cement (which I don't think is cheap). PVC really is the best option as far as I know for building reptile enclosures.
Great build! What are the clips called that you installed to stop the acrylic from folding down? I also like mostlysnakes videos; he uses rotating scrap pieces, but I like yours better.
Dang that sucks. Maybe you can special order it and have it shipped to the home depot near you? Home depot in general definitely stocks it. The one by you just may have run out
Easier way, not much more, but it from Tapp plastics, bonus you can buy the pieces you need! No cutting. This is called "Foamed PVC", thats what most people call it.
Looks great. Trying this very soon. Do you think doing the front in just a 4 inch wide strip at the top and bottom with pocket screws instead of using a whole piece and cutting the hole out of it would work? Looking to do this for my snakes (testing it on the blue tongue skink since he's not as much of a flight risk of popping open the door) and I'm worried my red tail or blood python will get that door open pretty easily.
As long as it is secure I don't see why it wouldn't work. The issue would be finding a way to secure it (I assume with what you're talking about you won't be able to attach latches to the sides but only the top). I also prefer the look of having a cut out door instead of two separate pieces top and bottom but that is just my personal preference. But if you can find a way to secure it it shouldn't be a problem.
Thank you. if I use pocket holes and longer screws I should be able to secure it on three sides. I think that should be good,at east for lizards. still figuring out how to do snakes.
Hey man how exactly did you take the measurements to get the top to fit in perfect? I’m doing a 3x2x2 if I cut them all precisely to those specs will it fit in like that? Any help is greatly appreciated!
I don't believe so... but I think this type of PVC readily accepts paint so it would be a simple matter to spray paint it black. I don't believe this would be harmful to reptiles as long as you air it out for a week or two prior to use.
MedusaPythons hey I have 2 questions. Is this safe for heating for the reptiles such as a mercury vapor bulb or other heating lamps? My biggest worry is one worrying about it melting and 2 worrying about the plastic emitting fumes if it gets hot and it end up killing the reptiles.
I use a heat lamp on my enclosure. I don't have it in the video but I just cut a large enough hole in the top for the entire circumference of the lamp and then reinforced it with acrylic rings screwed into the pvc which also held down 2 layer of aluminum screen over the hole (this is so that the snake can't touch the bulb) In a setup like this the pvc won't melt whatsoever. I also use heat tape underneath which heats up the pvc to around 105-110 degrees on the bottom side with no melting or fuming effects from what I've seen. I'll try and make a video on how I have the heating set up in this enclosure so that you can get a better idea of what I'm talking about.
jodad not sure weight wise but it’s light enough for me to move by myself with nothing in it... it’s an awkward shape to carry though if you make it 4’ long. Definitely much easier carrying it with two people
Thank you for this video, I've been looking for what materials are best for a snake cage, and as a cabinet maker I know how bad melamine and wood is with water and humidity, you can always treat it but I'm not sure if the stuff needed to treat it will be toxic for the animals, I know pvc is the best for reptile enclosures I just don't have experience with it so I wasnt sure if would be able to do it myself, but seeing your video helps alot because I see it's exactly like working wood basically, just different type of glue lol, one thing tho, did you need to seal the edges with silicone or something? Or did the pvc glue seal it to prevent any leaks?
I'm glad it was helpful! No I did not seal it other than than the PVC glue in the joints. I haven't had any problems with leaking in my high humidity enclosure with just that but if you're really worried I suppose you could always add a bead of silicone to the inside seams if you saw it leaking. With that said this isn't really intended to be an aquarium haha so for typical reptile applications the PVC glue is probably more than sufficient.
MedusaPythons ok cool, thanks for replying, and one more thing I plan on building some of these for burmese python, I went and saw this pvc at homedepot and it seemed very soft, have you had any problems with it sagging, specially where your heaters are? I do plan on putting some supports on these on the bottom because I know burmese are gonna be heavy, but I'm concerned with the spot the heater is going to be at.
I haven't noticed any significant warping that is noticeable to the human eye. With that said, my enclosures are only 4x2 so the ones you will build for burms will definitely need supports to keep them from sagging.
True, I built one today, i made a 2x4' one for my 7' male, I noticed the pvc glue is crazy strong, I didn't use screws on mine, just put the glue and clamped it together, and let it dry for a while, before I did that I did a test piece with just the glue, and I couldn't take it apart, I had to clamp the piece down and hit it with a hammer to finnaly take them apart. And it tore a chunk off of the piece it was glued to. Just thought I'd share for your future projects, the screws work but as a cabinet maker it irks me to see screws on finish ends lol, I usually laminate the ends where I screw but I can't do that with pvc. Hope this helps.
Good to know! Glad you had success doing this. Personally, I don't mind seeing the screws and I feel that they give it a bit better support if the pieces don't fit together exactly perfect (I don't have a table saw unfortunately so I tend to get a couple of very small gaps sometimes in the pieces where the glue might not be able to do its job)
I've answered this probably over 10 times now in the comments lol. But less than $150 for the materials. With the light, driftwood, plants, heat set up and what not, total cost was around $200.
Yup. I actually sandwiched the heat tape between the bottom of the enclosure and a scrap piece of PVC board. Without that a majority of the heat was being transferred to the cabinet the enclosure was sitting on rather than inside the enclosure. I also ended up cutting a circle in the top and adding a heat lamp because in my (cold) house the heat tape alone wasn't enough to heat the whole enclosure properly. As far as air holes I did add some to both sides of the enclosure.
If you use any sort of heating device you have to have it outside the cage so the animal cannot burn itself. But if you put it underneath like I did with the heat tape I don't see why not. You will have to try it out and see if it is enough to heat the whole enclosure. I had to add a heat bulb on top as well as the heat tape to heat mine probably since I live in a cold climate.
you can build a platform inside that allows you to put a heat pad under it just make sure there's heat escape and that the animal can't go anywhere near the pad, it's how I have my ball python setup, just made a thin tile platform and it works perfectly for her underbelly heating
Yes I used one sheet and made it approximately 4ft long by 2ft wide by around 18" high. I honestly don't remember the exact measurements because I made it to custom fit a shelf that I had at the time. But one 4x8 sheet of this stuff should definitely be enough to make a cage this size if you plan it out correctly.Just remember when you're making your cuts to take into account the thickness of the board and how they are going to fit together.
Hey man, gonna start breeding boiga and gtps, gonna have them in acrylic cages with rhps for heating, would you suggest making some homemade ones like this or purchasing from animal plastics or boaphile? Hows this one holding up? Thanks!
It's holding up great! Looks exactly like the day I made it. I ended up installing a screened ring in the top so that I could use a heat bulb for extra heating in addition to the heat tape. I would recommend builiding one because it will save you money and its enjoyable to make your own. If you don't like building things though and are willing to spend some extra money, go with the pre-made.
This video is great! I completed my enclosure for my ball back in November. But I just found out that I had an issue with the heating pad. It burned to the bottom of the enclosure rendering it useless. I watched your other video on heating and thought that sticking it under would be the best method. (I guess not). What works well for you?
Shelby Horton honestly the best heating option for these enclosures seems to be a radiant heat panel on the inside or a heat lamp set up as in my carpet python enclosure that you saw in that video. I am surprised though that a heating bad burned its way through the material it must have been way too hot did you have a thermostat set up?
1. Get a piece of glass that's at least two inches larger than the heat mat. 2. Cut a hole in the bottom of the enclosure (where you want the heat) 1.5 inches smaller than the piece of glass, in both directions. 3. Mortise the edge around the top (inside the enclosure) the same size as the glass. 4. Silicone the glass into the mortise. 5. Attach heat mat to the bottom of the glass, along with the sensor for the thermostat (that you obviously forgot the first time, if you melted the enclosure). Voila! You now have a complex way of avoiding something you never should have encountered in the first place.
In the year or two that I've had mine it has not sagged significantly. If you made the cage really large without supports then it may sag, but then any plastic would. I prefer PVC because it's easier to work with and much easier to put together. With ABS, because it's so thin, you cannot screw it together and you need to use a special glue instead, which is very expensive (~$40 a bottle).
www.menards.com/main/building-materials/acrylic-glass-sheeting/clear-colorless-acrylic-sheets/p-1444441878608-c-7551.htm?tid=-1300129012413537677 It may seem a bit expensive but if you cut one sheet in half lengthwise it will be enough to make doors for 2 cages
The plans for making this habitat don't show up when you click the link. Could you post a shopping list and the plans please? Really wanna make a few of these for my ball pythons, im tired of battling humidity issues in their tanks and these just look so much nicer.
Shopping list should basically be at the start of the video where I describe everything you need. Exact size of bolts/screws etc. are pretty much up to you as long as they fit but if you want to use exactly what I did you should be able to spot everything you need at the start of the video.
I don't know how you'd make your long cuts across with a miter saw. Miter saws typically can't cut very wide pieces. A table saw on the other hand would work great for this sort of thing.
The 1/2" PVC is not for the snake... it's so that it is thick enough to be able to screw together. If you used 1/4" I don't think you would be able to use screws, you would have to just use glue which makes it much harder to get a sturdy cage.
Is it possible to follow this step by step but use glass instead of acrylic or would that be harder to do? I hear that acrylic is easier to scratch and damage but would glass be harder to install? Thanks!!!
No, glass is totally different to cut. You need a special set up and saw to cut and drill glass. I agree that glass is more durable but unless you have the right setup and experience cutting glass I wouldn't cut it myself. However, you can check and see if there is a glass shop near you that can cut a piece of glass to your specs and drill the holes for the hinges, if you decide you want to use glass instead of acrylic. I haven't had any problems with scratches, but acrylic is somewhat prone to warp a tiny bit over time.
Not sure what plastic panel is? It all depends on if it's thick enough to screw together, or if you've though of some other way of attaching the panels together. Are you talking about HDPE panels?
+MedusaPythons it's 1/16 thick , 4x8 , plastic panel they sell it at Home Depot. My local Home Depot doesn't have the pvc you used in this video. 1/16 thick isn't thick enough to be screwed together is it ?
No not thick enough to be screwed... If you use it you will have to use exclusively glue. And what glue you will need depends on the material. There are many different types of plastics. If it is High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) then it will be very difficult (and expensive) to glue it together. If it is an ABS type of plastic though I believe you can just use a PVC cement which is much cheaper. Check out HLH Reptiles channel he's done these cages using HDPE and ABS and talks about the differences. 1/16" thick may be too wobbly to build a cage though depending on how big you make it. At least 1/4" would be a better bet I think.
+MedusaPythons that's what I was thinking that it wouldn't be thick enough to be screwed , and I definitely don't want a wobbly cage. Was thinking of making a 3x1x1. For a ball python. I have no problem going to Home Depot and ordering the one you used , was just wondering if it was a possibility .
Yeah better safe than sorry. You may be able to work with it but using exclusively glue to hold something together makes me a little nervous. I think you'll be much better off with the one I used. Very easy to work with.
Can home depoe cut the wood for you and help you with measuring ? What are the measurements for the one you made in this video so I can go and have home depoe help me
I just added the measurements and cuts you would make for a 4'x8' cage in the description since so many people have asked for it. Not sure if home depot will cut it for you - if they do I'm sure they won't cut the hole in the front for you and they definitely won't cut the acrylic. But you can rent a circular saw and saber saw from home depot like I do and make the cuts yourself worst case scenario
Hey, hows the build currently holding up? Im thinking about making my own pvc builds but every forum is old and has that one person saying that its not worth the build and to buy an expensive custom.
Thank you for this, my snake has been running out of space in her enclosure and its just so hard to find any fittingly sized commercial enclosures that aren't either WAY too small, or have so much wasted space it seems pointless, especially if it adds a huge amount to the cost. I was considering using a tub, but there are issues with that too, such as heating and not melting a plastic bottom and such. Plus they do not look appealing at all! This will help me a lot, thanks again! C:
2 questrions... 1 where do you get the PVC sheets cause I have not been able to find them anywhere. Found some places online but they want outrageous prices. 2 How much did it cost to make?
Not flexwatt brand specifically but it is heat tape so it's basically the same thing. It's called THG heat tape. And it's underneath the PVC. You never want to put a heat source where the animals can touch it and potentially get burned. Although I will say that with the 1/2" thick PVC the heat tape doesn't heat the enclosure as effectively as I would want. Which is why I added an overhead heat bulb as a secondary heat source. I don't think you could heat the entire enclosure with heat tape alone
Yes. But the heat tape isn't enough to provide ambient heat to the rest of the enclosure... i.e. you will have a 90 degree hotspot but the other side of the enclosure will probably still be room temp.
Of course this all depends on how warm you house is. Mine is around 65 degrees so I had to use a heat lamp as well. If you keep the room like 75 or 80 then the heat tape will probably be enough to heat the whole enclosure.
nice guide, but for stacking purposes it's better to place side parts on TOP of the cage's floor, not just attach to it fro sides, because of weight distribution issues. but for standalone cage it's perfectly fine, good job.
Thanks, and good point. That is part of the reason why I said that you can change the configuration of how the panels fit together to suit your preferences.
No problem! I got it from Menards I believe. It was around $40 for a 2'x4', 1/4" piece. It's kind of expensive but that much will make doors for two cages.
I have been looking everywhere in my small town, that has a Menards and a Walmart and an Ace Hardware store, for any PVC 4' by 8' sheets everywhere.... For the life of me I cannot find it anywhere.... Where do I order PVC 4'x8' sheets? Where can I get it? I couldn't even find it on Menards website... What am I missing here?
I would add for some people it’s best to outline the pvc where your screws go when putting it together so you don’t miss. Also pre drill all your holes. If some people are concerned about drilling into plexus glass you can use 3m gorilla tape with the hinges. Also depending on what you plan to keep in it you can add air vents on top or just drill holes. Want to make it stronger you can use glue to connect all the pieces before screwing it. As well as add silicone on the inside to keep any liquid from seeping through. I’m sure there are a few more ideas that can be added. Good video!!!
A quick note: You had the right setup for cutting the inside of the face, you just used the wrong saw. You can make a plunge cut with a circular saw and then continue cutting normally along the track (it's the same idea as a miter saw, if that helps). Start far enough in that you can back-cut slightly to your first line and then go forward to the next line. After you do all four cuts, flip the face piece over and use the jigsaw to finish cutting the corners. This will give you the straightest, cleanest lines.
Anyway, good job with it. You should be proud of this build.
I was thinking the same thing watching this.
It's quite refreshing to see a video where they make mistakes and openly admit them.
dude awesome job, you gave me the confidence to try this in the future. excellent video
Thanks man! I appreciate the support
Nice job. Others might criticize your work, but if u have the willingness to do it thats all that matters. Buy always look at ways to improve your work. Half the battle is getting over your doubt of even trying . Keeo it up.
hey man good job on the development. i really want to build my own pvc cages instead of using aquariums (basically giving them my own touch). I'm really interested in this but don't have the tools yet to do so, so i'm doing research on it as we speak. i want all my animals to have the similar setup. Thank you again for the video.
With some help from my pops, I think that I can build my own enclosure. You did a great job.
Don’t forget about ventilation holes . Also you could glue a handle on the acrylic to make it easier to open. Overall great job though , I don’t have the tools to do that or I would defiantly give it a shot !
Definitely going to do this but with a sliding door I'm making a double stacking tank or 1 tank an two floors but this is exactly what I needed an example of thank you
I made my first enclosures with melamine but they were so heavy I went with the pvc board this time. I love working with this stuff. The only problem I ran into was because mine are 2x4x15 is that the top was to flexible to stack so I am going to try supports to see if that will stop the sagging in the middle. Great video. I did the same door and really like the look.
Thanks! Good luck with the supports!
I'm wanting to make a 6'x2'x18" cage, how would you do your supports? I'm super worried about the sagging since I'm going to be spending to much money on building my boas forever home.
Hey how long have u need using this PVC... any trouble?
How much did this cost you to build?
Cassie Blanch would also like to know
Just want to say thanks for this video. I built 2 like this
No problem! Always glad to hear this is helping people!
Thanks for doing this video! I appreciate your time doing this.. Inspired me to use my extra pvc laying around
Was curious as to how you included ventilation.
just drill a few holes along the side and ur all good
No breathing allowed
@@Ace62595 breathing is for the weak
Awesome video dude, best design option I've found so far!
Thanks! Good luck with it!
This is amazing, thank you so much for posting this! I’m definitely going to do something like this!
Great video, just curious how much weight this enclosure will hold ?
What latches are you using? I love this design
Use tape on the surface before you beat up the sheet from the jigsaw , you are better off dropping in with a circular saw for the door same as you did with the other sheet cuts , set your guide and blade depth and drop in , PVC is very fragile to work with blue painters tape helps protect your surface from bruising or scuffing.... Azec makes 10’by 20’ sheets of up to 1” thick also ... can get pricey
This PVC enclosure is dope
Nice job!! I'm going to build this when I get home from work today thanks!!
Would an enclosure like this be stackable?
Yes if its built correctly
That’s is sooooo cool, even I could build one! Thanks for sharing!
Other then sealing the edges do you have to seal the inside like you do with wood? My enclosure needs high humidity
Love your idea and design but I’ll probably go with sliding doors instead. I just rather not see the locks or hinges. Also the front panel will be covering the edge to give a more smooth look
Nice job. Do you have a list of all the part you purchased? I know the 1/2 in. x 48 in. x 8 ft. White PVC Trim but there was a lot of those tool you used for the job.
subbed
I don't have a list unfortunately other than when I went through all the parts at the start of the video. As far as tools I just used a circular saw to cut the PVC and a drill to put in the screws. A lot of the screws and bolts are interchangeable, I just used what I could find easily at the hardware store at the time that worked. If you want to see exactly what I used, you should be able to see the labels on them at the start of the video. Thanks for the sub!
MedusaPythons quick question I have a 4x2x2 PVC enclosure what heating source would you recommend for this enclosure to house a boa ? And where would you recommend I get it ?
c4 tomato hey man, where did u get that setup from ?
How much was the PVC at Home Depot the sheet
Can you give a link for the PVC
Love the latch idea ...
Is it posible to walk on pvc , If you got a realy big enclosure?
This looks very cool but I can't get the link to the plans to open. I'm getting a message that it's been deleted. Any chance you can fix this?
What was your measurements?
Great video, but when it came to cutting and drilling into the Plexi, you kept saying to be careful as it would melt if sawed slow, and it would crack if drilled to fast... I work with Plexi everyday at my job and can confirm that it is super durable ... you will not likely "melt it" or crack it by drilling into it.... not to undermine you with this comment, I just wanted to let everyone know if they didn't.
Pro tip for cutting anything that you don't want to have a jagged finish on, tape the lines before you cut.
Interested in this idea.. what tape? And does it just help you see the line better or actually keep the blade from making jagged marks?
@@nikkidian I just use masking tape. Preferably frog tape though, because I've found that it adheres the best. Definitely keep the blade cool, to keep it from making too bad of marks.
@@STOPH3R01991 thanks so much!
So, I watched the video, and I think it's for 48x24x16. Is there a way to expand this to 48x24x24? Would you have a diagram for that size? Is the PVC sturdy at the thinner thickness, without secondary framing? Is there sagging with the thinner sheets?
What is that white board called ? Thank u
Could you make the tank out of acrylic instead? Like black acrylic or something? Would it hold heat okay, or melt, or anything?
Acrylic is usually pretty sensitive to heat. I made a top out of acrylic once and it warped like crazy when I tried setting a heat bulb on it. I imagine it would warp a little with heat tape too although heat tape is not as hot as a heat lamp.
Your other problem would be putting it together. It's not going to be thick enough to hold screws of course so you would have to hold it together with special acrylic bonding cement (which I don't think is cheap). PVC really is the best option as far as I know for building reptile enclosures.
I’m in SoCal, and I don’t know where to find those PVC board here.
Home Depot
@@melmicsim I've only been able to find super thing pvc sheets at home depot
Great build! What are the clips called that you installed to stop the acrylic from folding down? I also like mostlysnakes videos; he uses rotating scrap pieces, but I like yours better.
no home depot / lowes selling this pvc sheet in my region (southern U.S.) :c
Dang that sucks. Maybe you can special order it and have it shipped to the home depot near you? Home depot in general definitely stocks it. The one by you just may have run out
Model H120AWS6 Internet #205309788 Store SKU #1000052907, $80
1/2 in. x 48 in. x 8 ft. White PVC Trim
Easier way, not much more, but it from Tapp plastics, bonus you can buy the pieces you need! No cutting. This is called "Foamed PVC", thats what most people call it.
Would this hold up if used as a portable case or box?
Do you think a dewalt rotary saw would do the trick?
Looks great. Trying this very soon. Do you think doing the front in just a 4 inch wide strip at the top and bottom with pocket screws instead of using a whole piece and cutting the hole out of it would work? Looking to do this for my snakes (testing it on the blue tongue skink since he's not as much of a flight risk of popping open the door) and I'm worried my red tail or blood python will get that door open pretty easily.
As long as it is secure I don't see why it wouldn't work. The issue would be finding a way to secure it (I assume with what you're talking about you won't be able to attach latches to the sides but only the top). I also prefer the look of having a cut out door instead of two separate pieces top and bottom but that is just my personal preference. But if you can find a way to secure it it shouldn't be a problem.
Thank you. if I use pocket holes and longer screws I should be able to secure it on three sides. I think that should be good,at east for lizards. still figuring out how to do snakes.
Yeah it may take some trial and error. I would say build the first one and see how secure it is... then adjust for snakes.
How do you heat these? I built a rack out of pvc and made a groove for the heat tape so it would be recessed
How much was all of the material?
Can you do a Juvenile pvc one
Hey man how exactly did you take the measurements to get the top to fit in perfect? I’m doing a 3x2x2 if I cut them all precisely to those specs will it fit in like that? Any help is greatly appreciated!
No, you'll have to accommodate the thickness of your material. Depending how you frame it.
What brand latches are those? Please some tell me? Thank you!
Great video! By any chance do u know if Home Depot carry the pvc in black?
I don't believe so... but I think this type of PVC readily accepts paint so it would be a simple matter to spray paint it black. I don't believe this would be harmful to reptiles as long as you air it out for a week or two prior to use.
MedusaPythons hey I have 2 questions. Is this safe for heating for the reptiles such as a mercury vapor bulb or other heating lamps? My biggest worry is one worrying about it melting and 2 worrying about the plastic emitting fumes if it gets hot and it end up killing the reptiles.
I use a heat lamp on my enclosure. I don't have it in the video but I just cut a large enough hole in the top for the entire circumference of the lamp and then reinforced it with acrylic rings screwed into the pvc which also held down 2 layer of aluminum screen over the hole (this is so that the snake can't touch the bulb) In a setup like this the pvc won't melt whatsoever. I also use heat tape underneath which heats up the pvc to around 105-110 degrees on the bottom side with no melting or fuming effects from what I've seen. I'll try and make a video on how I have the heating set up in this enclosure so that you can get a better idea of what I'm talking about.
Cool that would be great to see.
Whats the song again at the beginning Ive heard it before but totally forget who it even is
Awesome!. How heavy would you say the cage comes to?
jodad not sure weight wise but it’s light enough for me to move by myself with nothing in it... it’s an awkward shape to carry though if you make it 4’ long. Definitely much easier carrying it with two people
Thank you for this video, I've been looking for what materials are best for a snake cage, and as a cabinet maker I know how bad melamine and wood is with water and humidity, you can always treat it but I'm not sure if the stuff needed to treat it will be toxic for the animals, I know pvc is the best for reptile enclosures I just don't have experience with it so I wasnt sure if would be able to do it myself, but seeing your video helps alot because I see it's exactly like working wood basically, just different type of glue lol, one thing tho, did you need to seal the edges with silicone or something? Or did the pvc glue seal it to prevent any leaks?
I'm glad it was helpful! No I did not seal it other than than the PVC glue in the joints. I haven't had any problems with leaking in my high humidity enclosure with just that but if you're really worried I suppose you could always add a bead of silicone to the inside seams if you saw it leaking. With that said this isn't really intended to be an aquarium haha so for typical reptile applications the PVC glue is probably more than sufficient.
MedusaPythons ok cool, thanks for replying, and one more thing I plan on building some of these for burmese python, I went and saw this pvc at homedepot and it seemed very soft, have you had any problems with it sagging, specially where your heaters are? I do plan on putting some supports on these on the bottom because I know burmese are gonna be heavy, but I'm concerned with the spot the heater is going to be at.
I haven't noticed any significant warping that is noticeable to the human eye. With that said, my enclosures are only 4x2 so the ones you will build for burms will definitely need supports to keep them from sagging.
True, I built one today, i made a 2x4' one for my 7' male, I noticed the pvc glue is crazy strong, I didn't use screws on mine, just put the glue and clamped it together, and let it dry for a while, before I did that I did a test piece with just the glue, and I couldn't take it apart, I had to clamp the piece down and hit it with a hammer to finnaly take them apart. And it tore a chunk off of the piece it was glued to. Just thought I'd share for your future projects, the screws work but as a cabinet maker it irks me to see screws on finish ends lol, I usually laminate the ends where I screw but I can't do that with pvc. Hope this helps.
Good to know! Glad you had success doing this. Personally, I don't mind seeing the screws and I feel that they give it a bit better support if the pieces don't fit together exactly perfect (I don't have a table saw unfortunately so I tend to get a couple of very small gaps sometimes in the pieces where the glue might not be able to do its job)
This is a 10mm pvc?
Hi, can you talk about the cost approximately of building the entire enclosure. With and without the heating elements you've added in part 2
I've answered this probably over 10 times now in the comments lol. But less than $150 for the materials. With the light, driftwood, plants, heat set up and what not, total cost was around $200.
I'm sorry, I must not have been observant. Thanks for the info!
No problem!
Now I need to figure out if this is best for me or wood as it is now 100 for a sheet of it I want somthing like 4ft by 3ft by 4ft high
Are there holes for the snake to breathe?
Yes. Take a look at part two of this video in the description.
Where did you buy the pvc boards?
do you just put the heat tape under it? no air holes?
Yup. I actually sandwiched the heat tape between the bottom of the enclosure and a scrap piece of PVC board. Without that a majority of the heat was being transferred to the cabinet the enclosure was sitting on rather than inside the enclosure. I also ended up cutting a circle in the top and adding a heat lamp because in my (cold) house the heat tape alone wasn't enough to heat the whole enclosure properly. As far as air holes I did add some to both sides of the enclosure.
Can you just but a heat pad stuck to the floor of the cage? Or do you need heat tape?
If you use any sort of heating device you have to have it outside the cage so the animal cannot burn itself. But if you put it underneath like I did with the heat tape I don't see why not. You will have to try it out and see if it is enough to heat the whole enclosure. I had to add a heat bulb on top as well as the heat tape to heat mine probably since I live in a cold climate.
you can build a platform inside that allows you to put a heat pad under it just make sure there's heat escape and that the animal can't go anywhere near the pad, it's how I have my ball python setup, just made a thin tile platform and it works perfectly for her underbelly heating
I really hope you respond to this, but can these be stacked?
great job!...but you've forgotten the ventilation hole...
Part 2 shows that.
Is the PVC glue safe to use though? Wouldn’t it put off harmful fumes if it got warm??
Its used for humans drinking water
What morph was the second to last ball python
Where do you get the larger PVC panels? I know that they're more in demand in humid areas, but I live in a desert...
What are the dimensions for the cage. I'm looking to build one and yours looks the best. did you use 1 sheet?
Do you know where to buy these boards or boards like them I am having trouble finding some.
+TreePuncher915 lowes
check out some of the other comments i replied to. I think I posted a link but these are from home depot
Yes I used one sheet and made it approximately 4ft long by 2ft wide by around 18" high. I honestly don't remember the exact measurements because I made it to custom fit a shelf that I had at the time. But one 4x8 sheet of this stuff should definitely be enough to make a cage this size if you plan it out correctly.Just remember when you're making your cuts to take into account the thickness of the board and how they are going to fit together.
Nice dude, I might make one of these for my monitor, Where do you get the pvc sheets from? and how much do they normally run?
Jah'an Luik Home depot. It's called Veranda HP trim 1/2". You should be able to find it on their website, it's about $60 for a 4x8 sheet.
Hey man, gonna start breeding boiga and gtps, gonna have them in acrylic cages with rhps for heating, would you suggest making some homemade ones like this or purchasing from animal plastics or boaphile? Hows this one holding up? Thanks!
It's holding up great! Looks exactly like the day I made it. I ended up installing a screened ring in the top so that I could use a heat bulb for extra heating in addition to the heat tape. I would recommend builiding one because it will save you money and its enjoyable to make your own. If you don't like building things though and are willing to spend some extra money, go with the pre-made.
This video is great! I completed my enclosure for my ball back in November. But I just found out that I had an issue with the heating pad. It burned to the bottom of the enclosure rendering it useless. I watched your other video on heating and thought that sticking it under would be the best method. (I guess not). What works well for you?
Shelby Horton honestly the best heating option for these enclosures seems to be a radiant heat panel on the inside or a heat lamp set up as in my carpet python enclosure that you saw in that video. I am surprised though that a heating bad burned its way through the material it must have been way too hot did you have a thermostat set up?
Obviously she did not because there is no way that sheet will ever melt at even 100 degrees. Maybe warp that high but not melt all the way threw.
1. Get a piece of glass that's at least two inches larger than the heat mat.
2. Cut a hole in the bottom of the enclosure (where you want the heat) 1.5 inches smaller than the piece of glass, in both directions.
3. Mortise the edge around the top (inside the enclosure) the same size as the glass.
4. Silicone the glass into the mortise.
5. Attach heat mat to the bottom of the glass, along with the sensor for the thermostat (that you obviously forgot the first time, if you melted the enclosure).
Voila! You now have a complex way of avoiding something you never should have encountered in the first place.
what is better to use pvc or abs i heard after awhile pvc sags down in a year or 2 from the humidity is that true or does it not matter wich one i use
In the year or two that I've had mine it has not sagged significantly. If you made the cage really large without supports then it may sag, but then any plastic would. I prefer PVC because it's easier to work with and much easier to put together. With ABS, because it's so thin, you cannot screw it together and you need to use a special glue instead, which is very expensive (~$40 a bottle).
im a plumber and times arre changing we never use abs any more only pvc and pex
@@grant9182 I thought cast iron was always the best for plumbing.
So do you think a fish tank could be done this way as well 3/4 inch sheeting glue the joints with pvc pipe glue or something? Any thoughts
I’m sure if you did that and then used aquarium grade caulking silicone should be fine
Do you get the acrylic at Home Depot too? Do you have a link ? Thanks
The acrylic I got from Menard's. I'm sure almost any hardware store stocks 1/4" acrylic though. I just bought a 2'x4' sheet and cut it to size.
how much was a 2x4 piece? i cant find it on the site but ill ask when im there
www.menards.com/main/building-materials/acrylic-glass-sheeting/clear-colorless-acrylic-sheets/p-1444441878608-c-7551.htm?tid=-1300129012413537677 It may seem a bit expensive but if you cut one sheet in half lengthwise it will be enough to make doors for 2 cages
finally someone who's smart enough to build things up on a table and not try and do it on the floor of their garage.
The plans for making this habitat don't show up when you click the link. Could you post a shopping list and the plans please? Really wanna make a few of these for my ball pythons, im tired of battling humidity issues in their tanks and these just look so much nicer.
I can't figure out how in the world to post the plans on youtube. If you private message me from my about page with your email I can send them to you.
Shopping list should basically be at the start of the video where I describe everything you need. Exact size of bolts/screws etc. are pretty much up to you as long as they fit but if you want to use exactly what I did you should be able to spot everything you need at the start of the video.
hey! have you test this for high humidity substrate? so it wont lick?
Yup I keep a rainbow boa in one of them so that is as high humidity as it gets
I use this for Green tree pythons. No problems whatsoever.
How much was the total cost to build this?? Aweosme
Thanks! Less than $150 for the materials. With the light, driftwood, plants, heat set up and what not, total cost was under $200.
can you put a heat pad/tape on the bottom of PVC?
Yes, check out my video on heating the cages, Link is in the description of this video.
Can you use a miter saw instead?
I don't know how you'd make your long cuts across with a miter saw. Miter saws typically can't cut very wide pieces. A table saw on the other hand would work great for this sort of thing.
Is it necessary to have a half inch pvc plate ? a quarter inch is not more than enough for any snake ?
The 1/2" PVC is not for the snake... it's so that it is thick enough to be able to screw together. If you used 1/4" I don't think you would be able to use screws, you would have to just use glue which makes it much harder to get a sturdy cage.
I’m late lmfao but I was wondering how could you make this a stack cage? Would that work or should I get a shelf to separate the two?
Is it possible to follow this step by step but use glass instead of acrylic or would that be harder to do? I hear that acrylic is easier to scratch and damage but would glass be harder to install? Thanks!!!
No, glass is totally different to cut. You need a special set up and saw to cut and drill glass. I agree that glass is more durable but unless you have the right setup and experience cutting glass I wouldn't cut it myself. However, you can check and see if there is a glass shop near you that can cut a piece of glass to your specs and drill the holes for the hinges, if you decide you want to use glass instead of acrylic. I haven't had any problems with scratches, but acrylic is somewhat prone to warp a tiny bit over time.
Alright thanks a bunch! out of all the DIY enclosure videos I have looked into this has been my favorite by far.
No problem and glad to hear it!
Home depot can cut that stuff for you I think?
Will plastic panel be just as good ?
Not sure what plastic panel is? It all depends on if it's thick enough to screw together, or if you've though of some other way of attaching the panels together. Are you talking about HDPE panels?
+MedusaPythons it's 1/16 thick , 4x8 , plastic panel they sell it at Home Depot. My local Home Depot doesn't have the pvc you used in this video. 1/16 thick isn't thick enough to be screwed together is it ?
No not thick enough to be screwed... If you use it you will have to use exclusively glue. And what glue you will need depends on the material. There are many different types of plastics. If it is High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) then it will be very difficult (and expensive) to glue it together. If it is an ABS type of plastic though I believe you can just use a PVC cement which is much cheaper. Check out HLH Reptiles channel he's done these cages using HDPE and ABS and talks about the differences. 1/16" thick may be too wobbly to build a cage though depending on how big you make it. At least 1/4" would be a better bet I think.
+MedusaPythons that's what I was thinking that it wouldn't be thick enough to be screwed , and I definitely don't want a wobbly cage. Was thinking of making a 3x1x1. For a ball python. I have no problem going to Home Depot and ordering the one you used , was just wondering if it was a possibility .
Yeah better safe than sorry. You may be able to work with it but using exclusively glue to hold something together makes me a little nervous. I think you'll be much better off with the one I used. Very easy to work with.
Excellent video, thank you for sharing!
Can home depoe cut the wood for you and help you with measuring ? What are the measurements for the one you made in this video so I can go and have home depoe help me
I just added the measurements and cuts you would make for a 4'x8' cage in the description since so many people have asked for it. Not sure if home depot will cut it for you - if they do I'm sure they won't cut the hole in the front for you and they definitely won't cut the acrylic. But you can rent a circular saw and saber saw from home depot like I do and make the cuts yourself worst case scenario
Nice work 👏
Hey, hows the build currently holding up? Im thinking about making my own pvc builds but every forum is old and has that one person saying that its not worth the build and to buy an expensive custom.
Awesome video! I subbed. I'm definitely gonna make an enclosure for my boa now (: thanks
No problem! I'll be doing some update videos on my collection this weekend thanks for subbing!
can you use uth pads on that pvc?
I suppose you could since uth are basically like heat tape. Check out my heating PVC enclosures video it might help you out.
Thank you for this, my snake has been running out of space in her enclosure and its just so hard to find any fittingly sized commercial enclosures that aren't either WAY too small, or have so much wasted space it seems pointless, especially if it adds a huge amount to the cost. I was considering using a tub, but there are issues with that too, such as heating and not melting a plastic bottom and such. Plus they do not look appealing at all! This will help me a lot, thanks again! C:
Shelilla No problem! Glad I could help.
No problem, I agree! That's why I did this in the hope that it would help others out as well. Good luck!
2 questrions... 1 where do you get the PVC sheets cause I have not been able to find them anywhere. Found some places online but they want outrageous prices. 2 How much did it cost to make?
Impressive. Thank You
Do you use flexwatt for under belly heat with this terrarium? If so is it inside or underneath? Thanks
Not flexwatt brand specifically but it is heat tape so it's basically the same thing. It's called THG heat tape. And it's underneath the PVC. You never want to put a heat source where the animals can touch it and potentially get burned. Although I will say that with the 1/2" thick PVC the heat tape doesn't heat the enclosure as effectively as I would want. Which is why I added an overhead heat bulb as a secondary heat source. I don't think you could heat the entire enclosure with heat tape alone
Ok thank you!
Can a 90 degree hot stop be achieved through the 1/2 pvc?
Yes. But the heat tape isn't enough to provide ambient heat to the rest of the enclosure... i.e. you will have a 90 degree hotspot but the other side of the enclosure will probably still be room temp.
Of course this all depends on how warm you house is. Mine is around 65 degrees so I had to use a heat lamp as well. If you keep the room like 75 or 80 then the heat tape will probably be enough to heat the whole enclosure.
How much did it cost you to make
Do you seal the inside seams in these with silicon? Great job!
Asha Mokrosz thanks! I did not as I thought the pvc glue would provide adequate sealing but you certainly could if you wanted to be safe
nice guide, but for stacking purposes it's better to place side parts on TOP of the cage's floor, not just attach to it fro sides, because of weight distribution issues. but for standalone cage it's perfectly fine, good job.
Thanks, and good point. That is part of the reason why I said that you can change the configuration of how the panels fit together to suit your preferences.
Nice job.! Will the glue hold without the screws?
If I may ask, about how much did the project cost overall?
No problem! It was less than $150 for the materials. With the light, driftwood, plants, heat set up and what not, total cost was under $200.
Great, thank you! Also, where did you get your acrylic? I'm struggling to find a place that is selling it for less than $100!
No problem! I got it from Menards I believe. It was around $40 for a 2'x4', 1/4" piece. It's kind of expensive but that much will make doors for two cages.
Thanks!
Tip: use a screen door for ventilation.
I have been looking everywhere in my small town, that has a Menards and a Walmart and an Ace Hardware store, for any PVC 4' by 8' sheets everywhere.... For the life of me I cannot find it anywhere.... Where do I order PVC 4'x8' sheets? Where can I get it? I couldn't even find it on Menards website...
What am I missing here?
I believe they have them at Home Depot.