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DIY Viv project w/ pictures

Drizzt80 said:
PS. Don't forget the 1" to 1 1/2 " dam along the front bottom edge. Trust me, you'll be glad you put it in! :)
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I'm thinking on a removable dam, fixed in place with dowels. Having it movable would make the cleanup job easier, right? What waterproof material should I use as dam?
 
jpccusa said:
I'm thinking on a removable dam, fixed in place with dowels. Having it movable would make the cleanup job easier, right? What waterproof material should I use as dam?
Click to expand...
Typically, you'd go with a piece of melamine cut to fit the spot. You could probably buy the narrowest 48" shelf for less than $10 and then cut two strips for it. You'd also want to seal any of the open "wood" ends/sides. Being removable would make it easier to push the bedding out for cleaning, that's a good idea! I've re-thought the size as well. You'd probably be better off going with 2" high which would allow for a deeper bed of aspen in the cage.

D80
 
Drizzt80 said:
Typically, you'd go with a piece of melamine cut to fit the spot. You could probably buy the narrowest 48" shelf for less than $10 and then cut two strips for it. You'd also want to seal any of the open "wood" ends/sides. Being removable would make it easier to push the bedding out for cleaning, that's a good idea! I've re-thought the size as well. You'd probably be better off going with 2" high which would allow for a deeper bed of aspen in the cage.

D80
Click to expand...

Perfect! The old bookshelf came with 1 lonely shelf which will be chopped up (If I can get my neighbor to cut it for me ;)).
How would you seal the exposed wood? Yatch varnish? Silicone?
 
Wow. This is an amazing idea! I have gotten some "build it yourself" reptile cage plans, but this is so much more simple, and I think I could do it myself even! It's posts like this that keep me coming back here ^_^. Keep us posted, please!
 
:dancer:
I cant wait to see the finished project pics!
Click to expand...

It might take a while, but stay tunned. :cheers:

Wow. This is an amazing idea! I have gotten some "build it yourself" reptile cage plans, but this is so much more simple, and I think I could do it myself even! It's posts like this that keep me coming back here ^_^. Keep us posted, please!
Click to expand...

What makes the idea simple is the fact you already have the body of the viv already made... It can also be cheaper this way. I bought the booksheld for $8 on Craigslist. :dancer:
 
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Silicone instead of caulk... Thanks D80.

IMG_1795.jpg
This is a Well Nut, and the plan is to insert this into the viv wood (more below)

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This is Nylon spacer and this will be inserted in the bottom of the dam (more below)

IMG_1797.jpg
With the black part on the viv and the nylon part on the dam, I'll be able to have a removable dam.
 

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Forgot to explain this picture on the previous post... A closeup of the door with hinges installed. The space between the body and the door is almost half of the girth of a mechanical pencil. Anyone foresees problems with this?

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Door attached to body. A third hinge will be installed in the middle.
 
For an adult snake I don't see a problem with that gap. I've always prefered to recess my cage doors so that the hinges are on the outside, but once you have that third hinge installed, try flexing the door and see if you can get the gap to go much bigger in the middle of a span or at the corners. if you can flex it enough to enlarge the gap to where the pencil falls through you may have a problem on your hands. in that case you might want to consider a continuous piano hinge like this one: http://www.toolstation.com/images/library/stock/webbig/19042.jpg
 
sbourget said:
For an adult snake I don't see a problem with that gap. I've always prefered to recess my cage doors so that the hinges are on the outside, but once you have that third hinge installed, try flexing the door and see if you can get the gap to go much bigger in the middle of a span or at the corners. if you can flex it enough to enlarge the gap to where the pencil falls through you may have a problem on your hands. in that case you might want to consider a continuous piano hinge like this one: http://www.toolstation.com/images/library/stock/webbig/19042.jpg
Click to expand...

Great idea. I will try to make the substitution later on today. It's hard to ask for hardware when you don't know how it's called. :)

It's time to create ventilation on the viv... Suggestions anyone?
 
I personally cut a circular hole in each end and installed vents that are backed with a fine mesh. You could also try the 'drill a thousand holes' method.
 
sbourget said:
I personally cut a circular hole in each end and installed vents that are backed with a fine mesh. You could also try the 'drill a thousand holes' method.
Click to expand...

I thought about a vent, but found the space between the bars a little too big. Also, I did not see anything circular, only rectangular vents (I don't own a saw, so to cut a rectangule will be tough).

What about lighting? I cannot think of a way to isolate the electrical part and bulb from the snake's access... :headbang:
 
We used this. We purchased it from a local hardware store though, and it was only like $15. You can find some pretty decent prices if you shop around. We drilled a small hole in the top of our wooden cage (just big enough for the width of the cord to fit through, not the plug), and then we cut the cord, ran it through, fastened the light to the cage, and then soldered/electric taped the cords back together. If you aren't trusting of your soldering skills (my fiance does things like this for a living which is why we decided to go this route. We just figured it would be easier) you can drill a hole big enough for the plug to go through, run it through, tack it down so it can't be moved from either side, and then fill in the rest of the hold with your silicone (not sure if this is fail safe because I haven't tried/tested it yet. Suggestions on this option would be appreciated).

This type of hooded light has a REALLY snug fitting cover on it that your snake won't be able to move and get burnt. Also, we plug our cords into a dimmer switch that turns the lights in all of our vivs on and off at certain times, which is really nice ^_^.
 
Jadie.Glitch said:
Also, we plug our cords into a dimmer switch that turns the lights in all of our vivs on and off at certain times, which is really nice ^_^.
Click to expand...

I guess you meant timer and not dimmer on the last paragraph, right? ;)

I have some of those fixtures at home that I used on top of aquariums!!! GREAT... :D
 
So I was busy building the stand for the viv, not much work accomplished on it.
I installed the piano hinges as suggested by sbourget and it's an amazing difference. The door now closes flush to the body. It costs a little more though.

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Picture of the piano hinges.

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Viv on stand with door open. (I apologize for the mess inside the viv :))
 
Glad to see my suggestion worked. As for the vents I chose ones that have a fine mesh backing so there's no chance of the snake slipping out. Attached is a picture of the back of one of the vents. Sorry it's not all that clear but you can see that there's a mesh in there.
 

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sbourget said:
Glad to see my suggestion worked. As for the vents I chose ones that have a fine mesh backing so there's no chance of the snake slipping out. Attached is a picture of the back of one of the vents. Sorry it's not all that clear but you can see that there's a mesh in there.
Click to expand...

What kind of vent is that (or what department at Lowe's to find it)? Does it come like that you did you modified it to fit your purposes?
 
:-offtopic

I'm thinking about separating the bottom floor with a dam, so I could have a "living space" and a "dining space" - no aspen, hides, or decorations.

What do you think of the idea? Does anyone foresee any problem in having a feeding bare bottom area in conjunction with the living space?

Did you ever have a snake take a meal to a different area while swallowing it? Or they all pretty much stop to swallow, then keep moving? This question relates to the fact that I don't want to have to worry about living a f/t in the "dining area" then find out that the snake moved it to the "living area" to swallow it, swallowing bedding in the process as well.
 
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