# Shed to Reptile "House" conversion help please :)



## sharky (Mar 5, 2013)

Hello good people of APS (Again)

Okay, as my reptile collection is continually expanding I need a larger space for my herps and their enclosures. Mum doesn't like them in the house so she said I can put them all in the shed once she sorts through all the junk in there. The shed is pretty big, has electricity, lights, etc.
I have a few questions though, it would be great if you could help me out! 

1) We have a lot of wild rats and mice where we live and most build colonies in the shed. When it is all cleaned out I shouldn't have this problem but I am nearly 100% sure they will still be visiting and living in there. What is the best solution? Should I put rat poison around the shed or is there another way I can get rid of them?

2) Ants. Where do I start? So many ants in the shed, they get in the cupboards, the fridges and anything else in there! I have heard of ants eating geckos alive and other species of lizards. How can I prevent the ants from getting in? I know ant spray is the go but I will have to keep applying it so they don't get in. But I don't want to hurt the reptiles in there with the fumes....is there a 'safe' way to get rid of them?

I'll have more questions as I go but for now that's all! Thanks


----------



## intoxicated88 (Mar 5, 2013)

dont take my word for this but maybe a rodent bomb you place it in the room and it gases the room out, but also rat traps and poisoned honey


----------



## junglepython2 (Mar 5, 2013)

Is the shed insulated?


----------



## sharky (Mar 5, 2013)

intoxicated88 said:


> dont take my word for this but maybe a rodent bomb you place it in the room and it gases the room out, but also rat traps and poisoned honey


Never tried rodent bombs....are they like the termite ones :?



junglepython2 said:


> Is the shed insulated?



Yes


----------



## Xeaal (Mar 5, 2013)

Quite a few well-placed, small bowls of Ant-Rid should make a good head start on that problem for you as they carry it back to the nest and it wipes out the entire colony. As for the rats... um.. buy a really big freezer.... lol


----------



## sharky (Mar 5, 2013)

Great idea Xeaal! (the ants anyway  lol) Should I still leave a supply in when I set up all the reps?


----------



## -Peter (Mar 5, 2013)

If rats can get in then snakes can get out. Insulate and line the shed. You'll really appreciate it oneday.


----------



## Melzey (Mar 5, 2013)

Build a moat .. Im kiding.. we have ants here too, they are such a pain! I get the ant rid things that have a sticker on the back and you can stick them to the wall etc. they are great because you can find the path the ants use and stick it on there.


----------



## Pythoninfinite (Mar 5, 2013)

My biggest concern, and it's been touched on by other members, would be temperature control, especially in summer. If the shed is shaded you should be OK, but in the sun in summer you could lose all your animals in one hit during heatwaves. There have been many losses even in houses this past summer, and sheds just become ovens on hot days. Insulation will help to some extent, but you'll need some means of cooling for emergencies, perhaps a small aircon unit.

On the other hand, if it gets extremely cold during winter, your heating/energy costs will soar.

Ants and rodents are the easy part...

Jamie


----------



## TrevorJ (Mar 5, 2013)

I read of a cure for rodents that is non toxic but have never tried it myself. You need a saucer and a large amount of cayenne pepper. You form the cayenne into a pile on the saucer and them light the top, leave and seal the shed. Leave it for about two days. Apparently when you re-enter it smells initially like someones very old socks but this quickly dissipates. However the smell permeates all the materials in the shed and rodents find it extremely repulsive. Apparently it will stay working for a couple of years. Won't cost more than a couple of dollars to try it. As for ants, the ant powders seem to work pretty well around here especially if you can lay it on their trackways.


----------



## Snowman (Mar 5, 2013)

Pythoninfinite said:


> My biggest concern, and it's been touched on by other members, would be temperature control, especially in summer. If the shed is shaded you should be OK, but in the sun in summer you could lose all your animals in one hit during heatwaves. There have been many losses even in houses this past summer, and sheds just become ovens on hot days. Insulation will help to some extent, but you'll need some means of cooling for emergencies, perhaps a small aircon unit.
> 
> On the other hand, if it gets extremely cold during winter, your heating/energy costs will soar.
> 
> ...



As stated above your biggest concern is summer heat. If you don't have an aircon out there then forget about it. If you are wondering how they survive in the wild with heat the answer is they find stable cooler temps underground etc. Heat will kill your reptiles quicker than the cold.


----------



## montysrainbow (Mar 5, 2013)

hmm....u could get a pet anteater lol and have a wild coastal that can roam free to control the ants :lol: OR on a more serious note take the others advice. I have an ant problem in my inside enclosure.....super annoying as they have made a home in one of gorgoos logs :evil: ants suc mind u they seem to keep to themselves or his water bowl . 

Have u thought about setting rat traps? Oh and great idea too by the way putting them in the shed.


----------



## Xeaal (Mar 5, 2013)

sharkyy1o5 said:


> Great idea Xeaal! (the ants anyway  lol) Should I still leave a supply in when I set up all the reps?



yes you can.. you can even leave it outside around the shed so they go to that supply first


----------



## reptalica (Mar 5, 2013)

montysrainbow said:


> hmm....u could get a pet anteater lol and have a wild coastal that can roam free to control the ants :lol: OR on a more serious note take the others advice. I have an ant problem in my inside enclosure.....super annoying as they have made a home in one of gorgoos logs :evil: ants suc mind u they seem to keep to themselves or his water bowl .
> 
> Have u thought about setting rat traps? Oh and great idea too by the way putting them in the shed.



Yeah import an aardvark illegally......it's only an exotic.........:shock:


----------



## Burnerism (Mar 5, 2013)

I think you mist the "on the more serious note" bit following the anteater advice :/


----------



## sharky (Mar 5, 2013)

Personally, I'd love to keep them inside! I was going to turn my room into a reptile room but mum didn't want that because apparently the enclosures take up too much space  And mum doesn't like looking at them so the poor scaley creatures are condemmened to the shed *sigh* It makes it a whole lot harder as well.

We have about 4 old airconditioners in the shed which I will use in summer. They are the old ones that you poor icy cold water into and they blow it out into the air  They work really well, they are just to bulky for inside :/ As for heating I am using 100 watt bulbs in the enclosures and if it is still too cold we have an old kerosine (spelling) heater we can use to keep it warm and toasty.

The shed is insulated it is just the door, it has a small gap under it and small holes in the corner. I can easily fix that though, I'll (Well, dad will) just attatch wood to the bottom to seal the gaps. Any other holes we will find we will seal as well, hopefully that will stop the rodent problem?

The only concern I have about the ant strips is _incase_ a gecko manges to get out and gets stuck....I don't want that to happen  I think I will stick with the Ant-Rid in a bowl idea but thank you anyway 

I might try the cayenne pepper idea, it sounds great! Hopefully that will keep the rodents away from the shed 

lol, I'm totally going to get an ant eater  :lol:


----------



## Damiieen (Mar 5, 2013)

I can't wait to see this completed!


----------



## Damiieen (Mar 5, 2013)

Goodluck with getting rid of the ants and rats


----------



## sharky (Mar 5, 2013)

Thanks Damiieen! Hopefully it turns out just as good as I plan it to be! It's going to look really cool....hopefully


----------



## Damiieen (Mar 5, 2013)

I wish I had a reptile room -.-


----------



## Tinky (Mar 5, 2013)

Rather than traditional rat traps that kill one rat and need to be reset, look at aome of the rural type traps. 

One I saw was a longneck beer bottle over a half filled 44 gal drum. 

Place something tasty in the end of the longneck. Put the longneck on a downward angle over the 44. Rats trying to get the bait lose their grip and fall off the longneck and into the 44. A bit of water in the bottom of the 44 to finalise the rat, and you will have room for a thousand rodents.

I am sure that there are many other such traps.


----------



## montysrainbow (Mar 5, 2013)

lol was so joking about the anteater :lol:


----------



## slide (Mar 5, 2013)

sharkyy1o5 said:


> Personally, I'd love to keep them inside! I was going to turn my room into a reptile room but mum didn't want that because apparently the enclosures take up too much space  And mum doesn't like looking at them so the poor scaley creatures are condemmened to the shed *sigh* It makes it a whole lot harder as well.
> 
> We have about 4 old airconditioners in the shed which I will use in summer. They are the old ones that you poor icy cold water into and they blow it out into the air  They work really well, they are just to bulky for inside
> ... if it is still too cold we have an old kerosine heater we can use to keep it warm and toasty.



Do the air con units blow out moist air??? If so, think about the increased humidity and the possibility of RI

Also doesn't kerosine produce carbon dioxide when burned? High levels of co2 can be fatal. 

Just a couple of things to think about in a confined space.


----------



## sharky (Mar 6, 2013)

slide said:


> Do the air con units blow out moist air??? If so, think about the increased humidity and the possibility of RI
> 
> Also doesn't kerosine produce carbon dioxide when burned? High levels of co2 can be fatal.
> 
> Just a couple of things to think about in a confined space.



I don't think they do...I rember as a kid I would just stand infront of them I don't think the air was ever 'wet'. I'll have to test them, I see what you mean. Thank you for the input


----------



## ronhalling (Mar 7, 2013)

"DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT," ETC ETC ETC use a kerosine heater in an enclosed area if you want your reps to last more than 1 night, although they might emitt a nice toasty wave of heat they also emitt CO2 (carbon dioxide) and CO (carbon monoxide) see this wiki exerpt especially the last part if you were to spend time in your herp shed with your reps in winter (In closed environments, the concentration of carbon monoxide can easily rise to lethal levels. On average, 170 people in the United States die every year from carbon monoxide produced by non-automotive consumer products.[42] However, according to the Florida Department of Health, "every year more than 500 Americans die from accidental exposure to carbon monoxide and thousands more across the U.S. require emergency medical care for non-fatal carbon monoxide poisoning"[43] These products include malfunctioning fuel-burning appliances such as furnaces, ranges, water heaters, and gas and kerosene room heaters) You are the future of Herping in Australia, please don't make it a short future..............................................Ron


----------



## reb01 (Mar 7, 2013)

sharkyy1o5 said:


> Personally, I'd love to keep them inside! I was going to turn my room into a reptile room but mum didn't want that because apparently the enclosures take up too much space  And mum doesn't like looking at them so the poor scaley creatures are condemmened to the shed *sigh* It makes it a whole lot harder as well.
> :lol:



It will be ALOT cheaper for your mum to move out..lol..Or maybe she can go in the shed and the reptiles can stay inside..Problem fixed...


----------



## Pythoninfinite (Mar 7, 2013)

Kero or unflued gas heaters are a no-no in a closed environment for the reasons already stated - the by-products of combustion are very toxic without ventilation, and ventilation will counteract your heating attempts. For cooling, you will need something you can rely on when you are not there - there may be extreme heat days when you just can't be around - if you put something with iced water in in the morning, it will be useless by the time the hottest part of the day comes around - mid to late afternoon, unless someone is there to watch constantly.

Jamie


----------



## Snowman (Mar 11, 2013)

slide said:


> Do the air con units blow out moist air??? If so, think about the increased humidity and the possibility of RI
> 
> .



No.... refrigerated air con does the opposite. It takes the moisture out of the air.


----------



## bigjoediver (Mar 11, 2013)

The units you pour water into are evaporative units and they will increase the humidity. They work well in SA because we have hot dry summers but you need to have cross ventilation to make them work well. In a ducted version they draw air from outside and pump it into the room and you need to open a window to allow the air to escape. They are near useless in a humid climate.


----------



## sharky (Mar 11, 2013)

Thanks guys! Kerosine heater is a BIG NO NO then! Thank you so much for the input  I think I might just get one of those air conditioners/heaters that mount on the wall. I think we have a spare one somewhere.



reb01 said:


> It will be ALOT cheaper for your mum to move out..lol..Or maybe she can go in the shed and the reptiles can stay inside..Problem fixed...



LOL! I wish :lol:


----------



## BIGBANG (Mar 11, 2013)

Tinky said:


> Rather than traditional rat traps that kill one rat and need to be reset, look at aome of the rural type traps.
> 
> One I saw was a longneck beer bottle over a half filled 44 gal drum.
> 
> ...



only forgot one thing, gotta smear the neck of the bottle in cooking oil, otherwise they will just pinch ya bait, peanut butter smeared on the inside of the neck works the best


----------



## blackforest (Mar 12, 2013)

Once you have your snakes in there you shouldnt have that much of a problem with rodents as they generally done like the smell of snake droppings. I wouldnt use rat poison. if one of your reptiles gets out you might find it dead.
With regards to the heat insulate the room and pait the outside of the roof White or a similar colour to reflect the heat.


----------



## mad_at_arms (Mar 12, 2013)

I would be getting a max/min thermometer in there and be getting readings of the temps in the structure as it is, before making any decisions.


----------



## Tesla (Mar 12, 2013)

What type of shed are we talking about here? The colorbond/galvanized type or the fibro "mini house" type? I think that will make a huge difference in your heating/cooling requirements.


----------



## Wally (Mar 12, 2013)

It will certainly make a difference. But don't think those fibro/cladding sheds/bungallows don't get hot either. Far from it.


----------



## Cypher69 (Mar 12, 2013)

blackforest said:


> Once you have your snakes in there you shouldnt have that much of a problem with rodents as they generally done like the smell of snake droppings.



Yeah I recently had a problem with rats nesting in our false ceiling. Bloody Pest Control was useless...they laid down rat poison which only resulted in the rats dying in the ceiling & rotting & stinking up the place...not to mention, maggots. It was a nightmare few weeks.
The solution was to deter them, not kill them.

Depending on the size of the shed, collect probably 6 plastic take-away containers & then pierce holes in the lids.
Fill the containers with either, USED cat litter, snake droppings or moth balls.Then place then in the corners of your shed or obvious areas where the rats have gathered.
The smell of predator droppings (especially ammonia) will keep the rodents away.

I read somewhere that sprinkling cracked pepper will deter ants but I don't remember the reason why.


----------

