# help building jungle enclosure



## Rattler (Mar 17, 2011)

I want to build a couple of enclosures for my yearling jungles to grow out in. I am going to use melamine. What i am wondering is how to do the glass or perspex door in a vertical enclosure. Also, do you have any dimension suggestions?
thanks..


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## saximus (Mar 17, 2011)

I'd suggest making your dimensions fit the standard sheet sizes for melamine. It cuts down on the amount of timber you need to cur yourself. For vertical ones (I assume you mean tall thin) you're probably better off with a single swinging door. You can then cut a hole with rebates to put the glass/perspex in


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## dangles (Mar 17, 2011)

for an adult jungle 4ft high 4ft wide 2 ft deep as they are arboreal and like to climb. However some people also keep them in 4ft x 2ftx2ft. depending on size of enclosure u go maybe building with a common wall which will help save on materials. As for the glass you could have the glass permanently fixed, and have doors in the side for access.


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## Rattler (Mar 17, 2011)

saximus said:


> ...you're probably better off with a single swinging door. You can then cut a hole with rebates to put the glass/perspex in


 Yes -better than sliding in tracks which i didnt see how would work in this case. how does the door lock and fit up against the enclosure with this idea. do you suggest any particular type of hinge? and yeah good idea about not cutting , thanks.


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## saximus (Mar 17, 2011)

You can get pretty long hinges (which you'll need with the weight of the glass). I just use latches as locks and the door butts up flush with the front


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## Wookie (Mar 17, 2011)

On this topic how do you think sheets of glass would go in sliders? They'd be 1.5m high, 0.6m wide. And they'd be 6mm for strength


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## saximus (Mar 17, 2011)

I have sliders on one that are about 1.5x1.2 (I think) and the strength is fine. The only issue with one that thin is you wouldn't have much room to get in with half of the opening blocked by the other slider


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## Wookie (Mar 17, 2011)

saximus said:


> I have sliders on one that are about 1.5x1.2 (I think) and the strength is fine. The only issue with one that thin is you wouldn't have much room to get in with half of the opening blocked by the other slider


 
Ah ok thanks mate.


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## Rattler (Mar 17, 2011)

all i have atm for my *jungles* is a large click-clack each with a heat mat underneath. Now i am building enclosures for them, i am wondering what sort of *lighting/heating/thermostat's* to rig up.


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## Virides (Mar 17, 2011)

Could I suggest a handle 

Virides - Stylish Enclosure Enhancements


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## dangles (Mar 17, 2011)

lighting- i just have some compact fluoro globes for daylight hours, 
heating i am currently using 60w ceramics but thinking about going to radiators.
thermostat- up to you personally how much u want to spend, dimming/pulse proportional stats will keep the temp more consistent than on/off style. depending on which heatsource you decide to use can influence which stat to use


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## 1woma (Mar 18, 2011)

Virides said:


> Could I suggest a handle
> 
> Virides - Stylish Enclosure Enhancements



I love them, they'll look great on the final display enclosure i will et around to making one day lol


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## Rattler (Mar 18, 2011)

dangles said:


> lighting- i just have some compact fluoro globes for daylight hours,
> heating i am currently using 60w ceramics but thinking about going to radiators.
> thermostat- up to you personally how much u want to spend, dimming/pulse proportional stats will keep the temp more consistent than on/off style. depending on which heatsource you decide to use can influence which stat to use


so jungles dont need uv -do they? will putting uv help at all?


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## saximus (Mar 18, 2011)

There's no proof uv does anything for snakes. Some people still like to do it to be on the safe side


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## Rattler (Mar 20, 2011)

Here is an update. I have made this out of melamine but am wondering what hinges to use in swinging a glass or perspex door. Also what latch do you suggest? Cheers


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## saximus (Mar 20, 2011)

If you decide on glass it will be quite heavy so you will need some sturdy hinges. Just go to a hardware store and look around to find something that is strong enough to hold the weight. I think you can get long ones that you could cut to the length of the entire door or just use multiple ones.
for the latch I took a photo cause I didn't know how to describe them. These are really cheap and work perfectly well. You might need one at the top and one at the bottom though to make sure you can't push the bottom corner open even when it's locked


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## Rattler (Mar 20, 2011)

thanks saximus, but i dont see how to mount these latches to perspex or glass, you know what i mean?


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## saximus (Mar 20, 2011)

Ah sorry are you planning on a fully glass/perspex door rather than rebating a sheet of timber? You'd probably need a glazier to put all that stuff on for you with glass but with perspex you can just drill and everything to it with screws and nuts


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## Rattler (Mar 20, 2011)

oh cool. can you rebate with melamine?


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## saximus (Mar 20, 2011)

Yeah I did it: http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/diy-zone-5392/just-something-whipped-together-153474/


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## Rattler (Mar 20, 2011)

nice what did u use for :
the feet
the thermostat
to cover the bare edges like inside the cutout for the doors

what went in them?


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## saximus (Mar 20, 2011)

The feet are those things you put on the bottom of doors so they don't slam into the wall, the thermos are habistat 600W dimming thermostats and for the edges you can get iron on melamine stripping for that specific thing.
It's for my pair of maccies


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## Rattler (Mar 20, 2011)

oh yeah i got the iron on stuff but you did well to iron it around them corners in the doors..
thanks saximus


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## saximus (Mar 20, 2011)

Yeah a little iron and a lot of patience is the secret. Glad to help out. Yours is coming along nicely make sure you post more as it gets closer to being done


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## Rattler (Mar 21, 2011)

what is the best to put in this for heat- one of those *red bulbs* or *ceramic*?
and if i go ceramic, how do i know what wattage to get?


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## saximus (Mar 21, 2011)

It really comes down to personal opinion between globes or heat emitters. I personally don't like the emitters any more and I will be replacing all of mine with globes as they blow. They are too expensive and don't last long enough to be worth it, especially if you use an on/off thermo. I also read somewhere that someone made the point emitters don't give you a basking spot, they sort of just heat up the whole general area. So if you want/need an actual basking spot you will need globes. 
Wattage also depends on your enclosure design (ventilation, size etc). You might need to experiment with different sizes to get the right temps if you don't get a response from someone who knows what they're talking about


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## dangles (Mar 21, 2011)

any new enclosure i build now will be getting radiators installed

Heating for the initial outlay they are sorta expensive but not replacing globes/ceramics for 10 years = win

from research snakes dont require a basking spot just a hot end to get their body temps up


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## Rattler (Mar 21, 2011)

thanks!
any other opinions on ceramic v's infra red globes?


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## Rattler (Mar 26, 2011)

Got a 6mm acrylic door made up with acrylic hinges and two locks. Fitted it tonight and it looks really good!
Also got some wheels happening which are able to lock once the enclosure is in position.
Now to wire this thing up and get a vent put in. I am thinking ceramic with a compact fluorescent and a habistat pulse thermostat.


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## edstar (Mar 26, 2011)

looks good


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## kawasakirider (Mar 26, 2011)

Looks great, would you mind listing your methods and materials used? Also, where did you get the acrylic door from?


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## Rattler (Mar 26, 2011)

*materials so far*



kawasakirider said:


> Looks great, would you mind listing your methods and materials used? Also, where did you get the acrylic door from?


 sure...
i got the 16mm melamine in five sheets:
1200x595 for the back (no cutting needed)
two 1200x445mm pieces for the sides (no cutting needed)
another 1200x445 for the piece below door (cut the 445 in half and 595 wide, gives me another piece for my second enclosure)
1800x445 for the top and bottom cut at bunnings (595+[16x2])x2
$70

iron on edging for the bare edges
countersunk chipboard screws
white melamine stickers that cover the screws
wheels
no more gaps inside joins (but i think white silicon would be better)

i went to a perspex place and gave them the dimensions and asked for 6mm.
they laser cut the door and the holes for the locks and even glued the hinges on for me. $130


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## kawasakirider (Mar 26, 2011)

So the whole thing cost you $200? That's great! I already have lights and things, but apparently my snakes will outgrow their enclosures soon enough!

I don't have any tools here, though. They are all back home, I've moved out to rent closer to uni... Where did you get all the supplies from?


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## Rattler (Mar 27, 2011)

kawasakirider said:


> Where did you get all the supplies from?


 PM sent


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