DIY: Two unit display viv for $100

[Blue Apple Herps]

Thread: http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44019

Link to Downloadable plans: http://www.blueappleherps.com/page13/page5/page5.html

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r133/blueapplepaste/P1010046.jpg

[Jadie.Glitch]

Wow, thanks!! ^_^

[tom e]

I can vouch for the simplicity and beauty of this viv! If I can build it anyone can... I think I'll be making two more before long in fact.

Here's mine just after it was built.

[Remi]

dumb question, but I am not DIY savy, how does it open?

[kpsammy]

Oh wow-- I just found this by accident. My husband's going to kill me..... just one honey, I only want one, then I'll stop....

All lies! Can't have just one corn.

[tom e]

The little white things turn up, then the plexiglass opens down. It's easier to see on his picture since he has metal hinges, mine are plexiglass.

[Blue Apple Herps]

dumb question, but I am not DIY savy, how does it open?

As was already said, the entire front is a piece of acrylic that is hinged. It simply opens down and has little latches to keep it closed.

[Jimmysan00]

Hey Tom e I like the viv setup, what's up with all the hides? I just might copy you if you don't mind, looks like a lego built house hides.

[tom e]

Hey Tom e I like the viv setup, what's up with all the hides? I just might copy you if you don't mind, looks like a lego built house hides.

Haha! That lasted about 1 day actually. The snake loved it, but he was banging boxes around all night and I couldn't sleep. I thought it would be a great idea because heat rises and those make for a bunch of different gradients and a sort of jungle gym (that was my thinking anyway).. If I did it again I would use something a bit heavier so he can't so easily tip them over.

[Em Wright]

Oh wow-- I just found this by accident. My husband's going to kill me..... just one honey, I only want one, then I'll stop....

All lies! Can't have just one corn.


Oh yes. I stumbled on the plans for this on blueapplepaste's website and was like, "honey, can you make this?!!?" :devil01:

One snake.... I really do think it is impossible. I recently thought I could live withone snake, but now that addiction is kicking in again and... well I'm sure many if not all of you know what I mean. :cool:

EDIT::

I just thought of a good question... how would you heat the top and bottom areas both? What would be the best way to do that, which isn't permanent?

[tricksterpup]

Matt,
I just wanted to say I like your Rack System setup and I think I am going to give that a try. :D

[Chip]

Hmm, I may have to try a modification of that. I've gotten away from using melamine because of the weight, but perhaps all pine and pegboard would work for a little more scratch. Roughly how heavy is that cage shown?

[Em Wright]

I'll go ahead and reiterate my question, as it may have been lost on the previous page. :)

How would you go about properly heating this unit? Is there an area for an UTH to be slipped in, do you use heating strips or something of the like, etc?

[tom e]

With the flex watt heat tape.. I use about a foot of 12 inch flex watt in each one. I had to shave down the clear portion at one of the side edges to make fit perfectly, (I think the measure of the viv is 11 3/4" or so) then I just taped it with that aluminum tape. I need to take it apart every now and then to clean it, but it really doesn't get that bad with a thick bed of aspen over it. That piece covers roughly a third of the unit, and I keep the water bowl on the opposite side.

[Blue Apple Herps]

With the flex watt heat tape.. I use about a foot of 12 inch flex watt in each one. I had to shave down the clear portion at one of the side edges to make fit perfectly, (I think the measure of the viv is 11 3/4" or so) then I just taped it with that aluminum tape. I need to take it apart every now and then to clean it, but it really doesn't get that bad with a thick bed of aspen over it. That piece covers roughly a third of the unit, and I keep the water bowl on the opposite side.

I'll also add, that when I made mine, I insulated the connections with silicone so that they were water proof, just in case of a spilled water bowl.

One could also use radiant heat panels, though those would add some cost.

[Blue Apple Herps]

Hmm, I may have to try a modification of that. I've gotten away from using melamine because of the weight, but perhaps all pine and pegboard would work for a little more scratch. Roughly how heavy is that cage shown?

It's not that heavy. Two people can easily lift it. And one can easily slide it around to move it. Pine would work, you would just need to seal it or cover it in contact paper to protect the wood.

[tom e]

Right! It's about as heavy as a quality peice of furniture in it's size. It don't feel Ikea by any means, but I'm able to move it on my own dragging and sliding it..

[TrpnBils]

The only issue I would have with this is that there is no substrate dam in the front that I can see... when you open the doors, the substrate that got pushed towards the front would all fall out. Same with water spillage. To fix this, all you'd have to do is get a 2" tall strip of wood and silicone it in. The wood would keep the substrate from falling out, and the silicone would keep any water from running down the front of the viv. You'd also have an issue with water running out the back if they spilled it, so you could seal the bottom couple of inches there too.

[Susielea]

The only issue I would have with this is that there is no substrate dam in the front that I can see... when you open the doors, the substrate that got pushed towards the front would all fall out. Same with water spillage. To fix this, all you'd have to do is get a 2" tall strip of wood and silicone it in. The wood would keep the substrate from falling out, and the silicone would keep any water from running down the front of the viv. You'd also have an issue with water running out the back if they spilled it, so you could seal the bottom couple of inches there too.

If you read the full plans in the linked thread in post #1, you can see there is a substrate dam, Matthew also says to use sealant on the joints, to prevent leakages and rotting wood etc. ;)

[tom e]

Yep there's a very high substrate dam on both units. You'd have to pile it about 3 inches deep to go past it...

[Mr. Maya]

Supper Design, Really simple and still attractive. :cool:
Do you live in a warm Climate. I have a heck of a time keeping temp in my Glass Viv.

[Blue Apple Herps]

Supper Design, Really simple and still attractive. :cool:
Do you live in a warm Climate. I have a heck of a time keeping temp in my Glass Viv.


Yup, live in Dallas. Temps are mega easy to keep.

[JohnR]

I just found this thread so I'm building one right now. I am a bit confused by this part:

Next take the floor pieces and drill 7 holes along one long side that are 3/8" from the edge that are 3" in from the sides

The part in bold is what I want to address. Your photo doesn't look like they are 3 inches in and besides, 3 inches takes a lot of space! I'm going with 1 inch, but wanted to point that out.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r133/blueapplepaste/P1010007.jpg

Thanks for the plan btw! Can't wait to finish it.

[Blue Apple Herps]

Sorry for any confusion. What I mean is that on the left and right side (the shorter side) you want the holes ~3" from the edge. When you attach the wooden support along the back of the shelf, the screws go through the wood fairly deep. Then when you attach shelf to the frame, when you drill screws into the wooden support you have to make sure the screws along the shelf are far enough in so that they won't hit.

[JohnR]

Here is my completed cage. Still trying to decide how to heat it:

http://louisvilleky.smugmug.com/photos/407046414_vjF5V-L.jpg

Went with the screws pointed out because your pictures were a little confusing.

[tricksterpup]

Hey Matt, I just wanted to say, I loved your instructions for the rack. I modified it a bit for the tubs but it came out great, except the top one had a bit larger gap and needs to use a lid. I replaced the Sintra for hard pressed board due to not having access to the plastic.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j82/iguanajim/rack-3.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j82/iguanajim/rack1.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j82/iguanajim/rack2.jpg

the inside look.
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j82/iguanajim/rack5.jpg

[Blue Apple Herps]

Here is my completed cage. Still trying to decide how to heat it:

http://louisvilleky.smugmug.com/photos/407046414_vjF5V-L.jpg

Went with the screws pointed out because your pictures were a little confusing.

Looks GREAT!! I went with flexwatt under a piece of plexiglass and sealed with silicone. Working great so far.

Also, looks like you have bare wood? I would definitely seal it up or cover it in contac paper, or it won't last long (though maybe it is and the pic is playing tricks on me)

[Blue Apple Herps]

Hey Matt, I just wanted to say, I loved your instructions for the rack. I modified it a bit for the tubs but it came out great, except the top one had a bit larger gap and needs to use a lid. I replaced the Sintra for hard pressed board due to not having access to the plastic.


Awesome! How is the hardboard holding up? I would have thought it might sag a little, but maybe not. It would be a great alternative! Sintra has gotten very expensive for some reason, for $50 more I can but an AP economy rack and save myself a weekend of work.

But if the hardboard holds up, would make making non-melamine racks affordable again.

[tricksterpup]

Awesome! How is the hardboard holding up? I would have thought it might sag a little, but maybe not. It would be a great alternative! Sintra has gotten very expensive for some reason, for $50 more I can but an AP economy rack and save myself a weekend of work.

But if the hardboard holds up, would make making non-melamine racks affordable again.

There is some bowing in the rack but its not bad. I think its holding up pretty good, The bowing is coming from being to tight and comes from my craftsmanship. Its my first one. But in all actuality it took 4 hours to make with right tools. All i had to do was cut the hard board in half and I only had to buy5 hard boards, and I had one half left over but will be used on the next rack. Basically it cost me about $70 for all of the wood. The most expensive part were the wheels.
I could have made this deeper and place the tubs in long wise but I went with the width instead of depth. This way I can use it for either 1 32 qt long tub or 1 smaller 15 qt tubs.

You gave a pretty good design and I recommend others to use it. Its light enough for one person to move around and carry. My SO carried it up a flight of stairs by herself while i was out of the house. I am not sure how its going to hold up in the next 10 years or how long its going to last but right now its been doing pretty good for the first month.

But for those who want to build a rack, this a way to go. Its very similar to a AP rack, after all I own one. I like them and will again order another one from them. But for now, I am going the Cheaper route and building my own. My next attempt will be a 10 shelf rack system.

[JohnR]

Looks GREAT!! I went with flexwatt under a piece of plexiglass and sealed with silicone. Working great so far.

Also, looks like you have bare wood? I would definitely seal it up or cover it in contac paper, or it won't last long (though maybe it is and the pic is playing tricks on me)



I was wondering if I put one of those under tank heaters under some plexiglass if that would be ok. So, sounds like the way to go!

Yeah, bare wood. Why wouldn't it last long?

[Blue Apple Herps]

I was wondering if I put one of those under tank heaters under some plexiglass if that would be ok. So, sounds like the way to go!

I think that would work as well. Might want to get some more opinions though. I think they need airflow to work properly, but maybe not.

Yeah, bare wood. Why wouldn't it last long?

Urates, poop, spilled water, etc will eventually take their toll.

[tom e]

Hey Matthew! (And anyone else with suggestions..) I'm thinking of making one of these in a single unit, but quite a bit bigger that will be for Grendel to live in when he grows up. I'll be making it 30"H x 72"W x 30"D. I'm trying to think out what things that were done here will need to be adapted for an Eastern Indigo..
Here's what I've thought of so far, please add anything that might occur to you that I haven't thought of.

1. The plexiglass may have to be a bit thicker? I have noticed that as the pieces get bigger, they become more flexible. I have noticed with the one double unit I built for the corns that they can push (flex) out the corners with their noses if the screen hardware isn't close enough to the edge. There's also the idea of framing the plexi with wood, but that will change so many other measurements and might fatally complicate the project at my skill level, lol.
2. The screen hardware itself, do you think it will be strong enough for an Indigo or should I look at another type of closure?
3. The thin nail gun nails and peg board.. I am concerned that with constant pushing, he could probably push the back right off. I'm thinking making the back out of the melamine board, and either installing vents or drilling holes into it to make it look like peg board.
4. And finally with the bigger and wetter messes that come with Indigos, I'm not comfortable heating with an exposed piece of flex watt. Not just for risk that it would get wet, but even with the double unit corn snake enclosure I built, cleaning the flex watt is the most time consuming part of the setup.. I'd like to think of a way to set it in to the melamine, cover it and seal it. Or maybe I'll need to look at other heating options? Maybe heat cable would be easier to set into grooves and cover..

Anyway, any suggestions would be appreciated!

[Blue Apple Herps]

That's quite big!! You would want some sort of support in the middle of the front to support the weight of the top piece, or else you'll have sagging. So doing that, I would then recommend having two doors. Making the back out of melamine would be fine.

As for heating, you might want to look at radiant heat panels.

[tom e]

That's quite big!! You would want some sort of support in the middle of the front to support the weight of the top piece, or else you'll have sagging. So doing that, I would then recommend having two doors. Making the back out of melamine would be fine.

As for heating, you might want to look at radiant heat panels.

Great points, thanks, I hadn't thought about sagging, but that makes sense.. I think the double doors are a great idea too, that's going to let me use the regular thickness of plexiglass as well I would imagine.

Good thing I asked before I started! I think I'll go ahead and make it, I've got quite a bit of time before he's big enough to use it, I'll figure out heating later.

[Capt O]

Urates, poop, spilled water, etc will eventually take their toll.[/QUOTE]

Hi Matthew,

Great design ! I will build one myself.

If using bare wood a thick layer of laquer would do the trick. What do you think ? Or perhaps some water resistant paint ?

Cheers /Olaf

[Blue Apple Herps]

Urates, poop, spilled water, etc will eventually take their toll.

Hi Matthew,

Great design ! I will build one myself.

If using bare wood a thick layer of laquer would do the trick. What do you think ? Or perhaps some water resistant paint ?

Cheers /Olaf[/QUOTE]

It would probably be OK. The biggest thing is you'd want to make sure that it is fully cured, and that once fully cured there's nothing toxic to the snake. When I used to make bare wood display vivs, I'd just a water based sealant with good success.

You could also cover the entire thing with Contac Paper. I've done this and it worked well, too. Just make sure you cover it before you assemble it so you can have the paper go past the edge just a big so you don't risk it peeling up.

[mtolypetsupply]

There is some bowing in the rack but its not bad. I think its holding up pretty good, The bowing is coming from being to tight and comes from my craftsmanship. Its my first one. But in all actuality it took 4 hours to make with right tools. All i had to do was cut the hard board in half and I only had to buy5 hard boards, and I had one half left over but will be used on the next rack. Basically it cost me about $70 for all of the wood. The most expensive part were the wheels.
I could have made this deeper and place the tubs in long wise but I went with the width instead of depth. This way I can use it for either 1 32 qt long tub or 1 smaller 15 qt tubs.

You gave a pretty good design and I recommend others to use it. Its light enough for one person to move around and carry. My SO carried it up a flight of stairs by herself while i was out of the house. I am not sure how its going to hold up in the next 10 years or how long its going to last but right now its been doing pretty good for the first month.

But for those who want to build a rack, this a way to go. Its very similar to a AP rack, after all I own one. I like them and will again order another one from them. But for now, I am going the Cheaper route and building my own. My next attempt will be a 10 shelf rack system.

The rack looks great! Sorry to hear about the bowing, but here's something that might help with both the bowing and longevity. Flip the rack over. Reason being, from how it looks in the pics, the hardboard is mounted to the underside of the supports. Therefore, only the fasteners are holding it there, and the whole shelf is being held up by only the heads of the screws or nails, not much surface area for support. With the hardboard on top of the wood rail supports, you now have your whole rail length and width supporting the hardboard. If need be, you can put a cross member between the two rails for extra support.

I may not know diddly about corns yet, but I've done a little construction in my day.