# Woma enclosure project.



## Barrett (Feb 16, 2013)

Hey guys and gals, today I decided to start building a new cage for my woma. My mum had some kitchen cupboards she never used and now they are going to get some good use after all. 
Day 1 progress photos:
This is what I started with.










Has a perfect little shelf built in 





Made a roof with a light fixture built in and cut some vent holes. Also built a base lip to stop substrate from getting out and to add a base for the perspex doors (3 doors are being put in).









I also took off the back and made a new one that will be half painted like a desert and the other half will be a 3d wall made from the styrofoam sheets laying I have spare.

While taking a break I heard some rustling from around the shed and came across some cuties.
*****ly gecko (Heteronotia binoei)













Common dtella (Gehyra variegata) The big one had a fair lack of patterning compared to all the others I found.













And lastly a Peron's tree frog (Litoria peroni). Didn't think they were this far west (Broken Hill) I think this was a female as I never heard it call and accidently found it, there was a male calling somewhere else near by. First time I've come across them out here.













Will post more photos as I progress with the enclosure.


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## ssnakeboyy (Feb 16, 2013)

Very nice so far  I'm just starting one using a massive tv cabinet I got for $1


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## Barrett (Feb 16, 2013)

Nice, can't wait to see your final product  I'm about to start a second one while doing this one (I have a lot of free time) which is a tall cupboard about 6"1/2h x 2"1/2w x 2"1/2d. Going to be a double vertical enclosure for my yellow faced whippy and a coastal that I am buying. whippy will get 2"1/2h and coastal will get the other 4"h.


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## Barrett (Feb 20, 2013)

Have now started making the fake rock background. Have rendered it and applied the first coat of paint. Ordered the vents and morelia handle for the left hand side door (double sliding perspex for the right hand side of the enclosure).
The early stages of the background.





Shaped my design.





Headed down to home hardware (no bunnings in Broken Hill) and spent $85 on supplies.





Making sure it fits before I paint it so I could make adjustments to the edges. Snug fit


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## justin91 (Feb 20, 2013)

Wow mate, nice job, definitely gonna look amazing. Coming together fast.


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## Gruni (Feb 20, 2013)

Awesome job Barrett, powering on. 

How you liking the Hill? I was a C grader there in the mid 90's but upgraded to a B grader when I married a local girl. :lol:


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## Barrett (Feb 20, 2013)

justin91 said:


> Wow mate, nice job, definitely gonna look amazing. Coming together fast.



Cheers, hopefully it does 



Gruni said:


> Awesome job Barrett, powering on.
> 
> How you liking the Hill? I was a C grader there in the mid 90's but upgraded to a B grader when I married a local girl. :lol:



Thanks, yeah I don't mind it. Grew up here and moved back a couple months ago. I enjoy the slower pace of life here compared to Sydney. Though will be happy to get back to the big smoke, hopefully the outskirts, prefer a bit of greenery around.


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## Barrett (Feb 21, 2013)

Figured I may as well ask in here as it is part of my built. Do you think a heat emitter above the shelf and a LED strip in the middle (like Gruni used) and a heat mat for bottom shelf will be sufficient for my woma? - shelf less side is cool side. Or should I go with a bulb with a uv rating, LED strip, and heat mat?


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## caleb96 (Feb 21, 2013)

Use a heat cord instead of a heat mat 

Caleb.


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## Barrett (Feb 21, 2013)

caleb96 said:


> Use a heat cord instead of a heat mat
> 
> Caleb.



Would heat cord be fine to hide under kritter crumble, only need about 30-31c for the bottom shelf as the top shelf will have the hot spot at 34c from either emitter or bunnings uv heat light


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## Gruni (Feb 22, 2013)

If you use heat chord you will have to create a frame and tile setup similar to mine. Personally I still don't see what all the fuss is about with the heat mats as I have used one the whole time in my current enclosure and know friends who use them for their fishtanks. We have never had a problem with them.


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## Barrett (Feb 22, 2013)

Gruni said:


> If you use heat chord you will have to create a frame and tile setup similar to mine. Personally I still don't see what all the fuss is about with the heat mats as I have used one the whole time in my current enclosure and know friends who use them for their fishtanks. We have never had a problem with them.



Yeah I am currently using one for my woma and haven't had an issue and my sister uses one for her bredli without issue. Where did you buy your LED strip from, trying to find a 'warm' toned one as well.


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## Gruni (Feb 22, 2013)

I went to Jaycar and they had both types. I just had to solder an adaptor plug onto the lead to connect to the 12v tranny.


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## Dutchy88 (Feb 22, 2013)

Barrett said:


> Yeah I am currently using one for my woma and haven't had an issue and my sister uses one for her bredli without issue. Where did you buy your LED strip from, trying to find a 'warm' toned one as well.



Ebay sells a whole range plus u can buy adapter plug for the transformer so no soldering


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## Barrett (Feb 24, 2013)

Have been working around the clock to get this project done as I have paid for a YFWS that will temporarily go in my current woma enclosure so I thought I should put up some more progress photos.

All painting on the rock wall done, just need to seal with pondtite (few days ago).





Have spent a decent amount of time (working through the nights as I am unemployed) cutting the front wooden beams to sit snug into the frame. have primed and painted them, added glass runners for 2/3 of the length. My vents arrived and are now fitted. Two coats of pondtite have been added to my rock wall aided by 35c low humidity days. Now I just need the glass for the runners and a perspex sheet to fixed into the left side, cage for the light (I have bought it, it's just sitting at my sisters house in Sydney), LED strip and electronics and Im ready to move my baby in 





Was going to start a new thread for my next enclosure but decided to just add it into this one. This is the starting frame for my dual enclosure for my YFWS and a yearling hypo coastal carpet I am getting in the near future. It's about 6 1/2'h x 2 1/2'w x 2 1/2'd.





While waiting for paint to dry for the woma enclosure I started cutting the top doors to the right size. Going to have door with morelia handles and large cut outs with perspex bolted into place for the top enclosure and sliding glass doors for the bottom enclosure 





And for fun heres a couple of my backyard locals getting along


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## Barrett (Mar 2, 2013)

Thought I would put up an update on progress.

Cut out the doors (bolting perspex sheets in them) and added the virides handles, the enclosure backing will either be stained a dark brown or painted like trees for the top enclosure with a jungle theme and making a rock wall for the smaller enclosure underneath.





Also added wheels to the base of the woma enclosure and currently making the hide for the coastal I am buying.

Today I bought all the electronics, heating, lighting, habitat decor and accessories which came out to about $900, so not too bad. On monday I will get quotes for the glass and perspex needed. After that I am pretty much done


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## jacorin (Mar 3, 2013)

very very nice m8.......if i tried anything like these,i'd end up either cutting things wrong or breaking a tool,and throwing it....... my family don't like me using tools lolol i'm told to put them down and wait for someone to come help


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## Barrett (Mar 3, 2013)

Last night I got started on the second background. Here is some pics.
starting shape





Getting the cutting underway.





Design is finished.





First layer of render.


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## Xeaal (Mar 5, 2013)

Wow - you're brilliant. Those enclosures are just wonderful; you've done a fabulous job with them! And I love the photos of the cute locals. I wish we got them around here. Maybe they are surveying all the new housing projects and hoping you'll build one for them too


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## Barrett (Mar 5, 2013)

Thanks Xeaal 

Glass and perspex arrived today, hopefully everything else arrives in the next couple of days.

Have now added two coats of paint to the YFWS's rock wall.





Have painted the back wall for the coastal setup, decided to go with a 'dark forest' style look (have vines and plants arriving soon for it). The hide has been screwed into place and the roof if a snug fit  have my dowel posts put into place, just have to stain the top piece. I have wired the lights and they work perfectly. I bought some 'plush' artificial lawn ( nearly $70 for 1.8mx1m  ) and have cut it to size for the base and for inside the hide. Today I hope to get the perspex into the doors of the coastal enclosure and make sure all the glass sheets fit.

And then there was light!





Lilly checking out my work.





She thinks she is a coastal


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## Barrett (Mar 6, 2013)

Went and checked my pondtite job on the second rock wall and it was a pretty big fail lol. There is a white buildup of pondtite in places. Anyone know a way to remove buildup after it has been drying for 12 hours or so? Also, the glass I ordered wasnt quite the right sizes, though after a few modifications it now fits


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## Gruni (Mar 6, 2013)

Maybe try drying it with a blow drier? The white is just where it's thicker and hasn't dried out.


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## J-A-X (Mar 6, 2013)

Sounds like you put it on way to thick. Several (I use 4) thin layers as per the instructions as never let me down. Allow 24 hours between coats. 
No one said DIY was done overnight and if you do it properly it will take a good three weeks for render, painting, sealing and airing out. Rush jobs always have problems or 'fails'
I'm not inferring its what has happened here, yours sound like it was applied to thick.
You can sand just the section back and thinly coat it back up


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## Barrett (Mar 6, 2013)

JaxRtfm said:


> Sounds like you put it on way to thick. Several (I use 4) thin layers as per the instructions as never let me down. Allow 24 hours between coats.
> No one said DIY was done overnight and if you do it properly it will take a good three weeks for render, painting, sealing and airing out. Rush jobs always have problems or 'fails'
> I'm not inferring its what has happened here, yours sound like it was applied to thick.
> You can sand just the section back and thinly coat it back up



Yeah I applied it too thick, kind of thought it was too thick as I was doing it. The sprayer was just being very selective as to where it wanted to apply the pondtite properly. The first one turned out well and I thought it was about as thick as the first one, must have been wrong lol.


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## J-A-X (Mar 6, 2013)

I brush it on, easier to control that way. Each layer goes on at right angles to the previous layer, that how you get a good seal


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## bohdi13 (Mar 11, 2013)

any updates !? looks like an awesome project.


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## Barrett (Mar 11, 2013)

bohdi13 said:


> any updates !? looks like an awesome project.



Currently in Sydney until Friday, so won't have updates until the weekend. Should have the woma and yellow faced whip snake enclosures done by the end of the weekend


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## bohdi13 (Mar 12, 2013)

Barrett said:


> Currently in Sydney until Friday, so won't have updates until the weekend. Should have the woma and yellow faced whip snake enclosures done by the end of the weekend



have to admit never really heard of yellow faced whip snakes being kept in captivitiy but that's awesome man! have you already got the whip or are you buying it?


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## Barrett (Mar 12, 2013)

bohdi13 said:


> have to admit never really heard of yellow faced whip snakes being kept in captivitiy but that's awesome man! have you already got the whip or are you buying it?



I now have it, paid for it a few weeks ago and just picked it up tonight. So cute, still a juvi.


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## bohdi13 (Mar 13, 2013)

Barrett said:


> I now have it, paid for it a few weeks ago and just picked it up tonight. So cute, still a juvi.



want to share a picture :lol:

one of the cutest snakes...


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## Barrett (Mar 21, 2013)

bohdi13 said:


> want to share a picture :lol:
> 
> one of the cutest snakes...



This is Kiiro


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## Barrett (Mar 21, 2013)

Got back from Sydney on Tuesday to a bunch of packages filled with goodies for my enclosures 





Lilly's enclosure is now complete (glass and perspex have been taken off for the photo as the hide is so big that I have to take the perspex off just to take it out :|)





The electronics side of things.





Happy new occupant 





Lilly checking out my hard work.





If it stops raining I will get back to the double enclosure and try to finish those two as well.


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## Gruni (Mar 21, 2013)

Top job, well done.


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## Barrett (Mar 21, 2013)

Cheers


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## Spidergirl (Mar 21, 2013)

Very, very nice  love the end result!!!


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## R33C3 (Mar 21, 2013)

Ive been waiting so long for this, it looks wicked


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## bohdi13 (Mar 25, 2013)

looks awesome mate, love your whip snake aswell !


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## Oldguy (Mar 25, 2013)

Looks good mate


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## Barrett (Mar 28, 2013)

Have now pretty much finished the top enclosure for either a hypo coastal female or an albino darwin male.
With doors closed.





Doors open so you can see my little jungle a bit better.





I still need to route out the channels, for the heat cord, into a 30cm x 35cm piece of melamine. After that I can add the sand and decorations to finish it off.
The rock wall is now in place.


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## bohdi13 (Mar 30, 2013)

Barrett said:


> Got back from Sydney on Tuesday to a bunch of packages filled with goodies for my enclosures
> 
> 
> 
> ...



May I ask where you aquired all this and how was the price of the decor?


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## Barrett (Apr 3, 2013)

All the gear came from a few different sources through ebay. The majority are from Aussie Reptiles Direct (think they are a sponsor), some from Reptile Essential Supplies, some of the vines were from japan as you can get them cheap as. I bought all the electronics, decor, extra supplies, etc at the same time so I'm not 100% on how much the decor itself set me back.


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## Becca-Marie (May 1, 2013)

Looks awesome. My first attempt looks dodgy as lol

Sent from my LG-P690f using Tapatalk 2


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