# DIY Ridge tail Monitor Enclosure!!



## sweetangel (May 20, 2008)

Here is my little Ridge tail monitors enclosure. So far we have 1 enclosure.... but no ridgey yet he will be coming in a week!! 

So here we go.

First i started with an old cupboard that had 2 sliding doors on the front.
I flipped it on the side so the doors were on the top, removed the doors and cut a hole on one of the sides






Then it was painted white.





Now we leave the enclosure for a bit and head to the background.
I wanted to make a fake rock background to put in. I got heaps of styro foam from a furniture and homewares shop called Recollections that i used to work for.
I cut up some bits and used some aleady existing ones and glue it onto a wood board.
I also cut off the corners and shaped it a bit.





I then used some expando foam/ foam filler in a can (was fun!!) to fill in some shapes and to add more texture to it. I then completely covered it in tile grout (u can get heaps of colours). But when looking back i wouldnt have bothered with the tile grout.










So the reason i wouldnt use tile grout is because cememt ended up working better. i covered over the tile grout with cement. the cement was a cement/sand mix that had NO lime in it. mixed with water and bondcrete was added to give it extra strength.





then i painted it!! this was fun. i started with a red/brown colour and then added the highlights and shadows. (tip: use an old paint brush as painting on cement will ruin it)





ok background done, back onto the enclosure. so next step was to paint the inside. we didnt paint it all as the background and sand would cover most of it. i used an environmentally friendly acylic paint. and we cut the airvent holes.





then we used the doors and cut them to fit ontop. also cut one in half so it would be easier to access, might do it to the other door aswell...





next step was to put in the vents, paint them and then put the background in. it was scewed on as is pretty heavy.





Then we wired up the lights to the large door panel. and attached the perspex and dowelling. the perspex was attached with bolts to hold it tightly in place.
voila! the enclosure is finished... well besides the sand and rocks and ackie!!
was not to hard. my dad helped out alot with the enclosure, but i made the background myself. 






Enjoy!! and any questions dont hesitate to ask.

ps. might also make some fake rock hids.


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## Ryan93 (May 20, 2008)

that is a pretty sweet enclosure you have there sweetangel. oh and awsome job with the background


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## Kirby (May 20, 2008)

careful of the vents, when you first get him, he will probably squeeze through them, they are escape artists..


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## sweetangel (May 20, 2008)

ah u see they have mesh on the backs of them + another different shape vent on the outside thanks for the tip though


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## Vincent21 (May 20, 2008)

Amazing enclosure!
I want one of them.


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## reptilegirl_jordan (May 21, 2008)

wow u did a great job! well done


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## sweetangel (May 21, 2008)

here is the finished product.











the sand is now in. i used 40kg of sand:shock:
the rocks are stable, just not sure how long it will be until i need to change it as i think it might out grow them.

i'm using a 160 watt Oz bright light.... and its not that hot its sitting at 55 - 56 degrees about 10 cm under the light, also have an infra red light for night and to boost temps if not high enought during the day. 

is 55 degrees hot enought for a basking spot??? ground at hot end is 32 and cool end is about 24.

thanks every one


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## RedEyeGirl (May 21, 2008)

well done would that be a perfect enclosure for a few froggies?


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## Tim.Arm (May 21, 2008)

*Awsome enclouser. Im sure your ackie will love it.*


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## ben1200 (May 21, 2008)

fantastic job


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## misssullivan (May 21, 2008)

thats awesome!!!!! dad and i are planning to build one ourselves! : ) where did you get the vents from???


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## sweetangel (May 21, 2008)

the answer for all ur needs is Bunnings


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## Sianypoos (May 21, 2008)

That looks great, Sweetangel.
I can see that you have wood around the perspex, and the wood has screws in it, but what is the perspex actually attached to? On the inside of the frame, if you get what I mean.


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## sweetangel (May 21, 2008)

its attached to part of the side of the box there is a small lip the same width as the dowling that its attached to


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## Sianypoos (May 21, 2008)

Oh, right.
I'm searching threads at the moment because i have a baby SW carpet in a lunch box, and I want to know how to go about maybe converting a cupboard or something. No good a DIY though. Never done anything remotely like that, and don't own any tools for a start! Ha ha.


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## Aslan (May 22, 2008)

*Sweetangel* - I know those rocks seem stable, but they aren't stable enough - even a hatchling Ackie is capable of shifting large weights...I would secure them together...


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## Luke1 (May 22, 2008)

on that note Aslan, you could glue (silicon) them together


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## hozy6 (May 22, 2008)

awesome job


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## hydro noun15 (May 22, 2008)

wow that looks really good . great job you should be proud!!


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## AlexB (May 22, 2008)

Looks great,

What are the dimentions of the enclosure? 

A


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## sweetangel (May 22, 2008)

its 120 x 60 x60 so i will probly be doing some renovating when they are older


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## Gecko_ProCs (May 22, 2008)

thats a ripper of an enclosure!
awesome job!
make me one and i'll pay you in......cookies? haha


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## sweetangel (May 22, 2008)

Gecko_ProCs said:


> thats a ripper of an enclosure!
> awesome job!
> make me one and i'll pay you in......cookies? haha



i love cookies


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## Herc (May 22, 2008)

well done, great job. oh and your temps are just fine.


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## Vincent21 (May 22, 2008)

When are you getting the ridge tail monitors?


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## Gecko_ProCs (May 22, 2008)

haha!
cookies it is!


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## sweetangel (May 22, 2008)

they are coming next week on tuesday but one is mine and one is going to my bf for his bday present. but i am thinking of getting another one so in any case we might be a boy and girl and they can do what they do best:shock: 

does anyone know if 2 will fit into that size enclosure??

and will there be any problems keeping 2 together in there, fighting with food etc??

these are now my dilemas:cry:

but so excited to get them


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## Aslan (May 23, 2008)

*Sweetangel* - Two Ackies will fit in that enclosure fine - I wouldn't keep them in anything smaller but they will be fine in there....

Young Ackies, raised together, rarely have problems living in a group situation, however, it is possible that they may fight at some stage - unlikely - but possible...keep them fed well and they should be fine...

Try to get the hottest surface temperature around 65 - 75*c - so make sure you have an Infrared Thermometer to check surface temperatures...the cool end should get quite a bit cooler than that (I aim for ambient room temperature)...

...and PLEASE secure those rocks before getting your Ackies...


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## Chris1 (May 23, 2008)

nice jobby!

U must be proud!!


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## krissy78 (May 23, 2008)

looks gr8 sweet angel well done


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## Sianypoos (May 23, 2008)

Sweetangel, before you painted, the inside walls looked like plyboard. Is that right?
I'm asking because I have a chest of drawers made from chip board and plyboard, and I'm sondering whether I have to seal them with something, or just paint like you did. It's for a snake, so lots of humidity.


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## scorps (May 23, 2008)

you should seal everything


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