# Looking at building some enclosures,backgrounds and hides



## Freakish13 (Jan 10, 2012)

Hi people,I looking at building some enclosures,backgrounds and hides for something to do but was wondering if anyone has blueprint/plans or ideas that could help me out...
Thanks


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## black_headed_mon (Jan 10, 2012)

diy section mate


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## J-A-X (Jan 10, 2012)

> diy section mate



:lol: thats where we already are.... 
just go to the diy forum main page, scroll to the bottom and you'll see a drop down box that allows you to 'show threads from:' make sure you select 'beginning' ---- grab yourself a drink and some popcorn and lose a few hours going through what is here..... 
come back in a few days when you've read them all and let us know what you've picked to do and we'll offer help where we can. there is no blueprint for enclosures, backgrounds or hides in the DIY arena.... we're all unique in what we want our enclosures to be... some are just more unique than others


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## Freakish13 (Jan 10, 2012)

Ive been looking though it and no one has really put different designs or plans up...

Thanx Jax...


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## J-A-X (Jan 10, 2012)

There are nearly 700 threads in the DIY zone and you havent managed to find anything that sparks your interest ???? like i said, there are rarely 'plans' ---- mostly inspiration. 

you sound like one of my kids. 'im bored but i dunno what i wanna do' 'nup dont wanna do that... or that... or that... ' (and no that wasn't intended as an insult, just an observation from your comment)
_"I looking at building some enclosures,backgrounds and hides for something to do"

_what sort of size were you thinking, and what will be living in it ? what is your budget ?


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## Freakish13 (Jan 10, 2012)

No not a kid thats bored...LOL...just want a hobby to play around with...
i was thinkin about a 5 or 6 foot by 4 foot and i want to make 2...1 for 2 beardies and 1 for a darwin carpet...


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## Treg92 (Jan 10, 2012)

grab pencil+paper plus ruler plus tape measure, find a spot in the house were you want it, work out your maximum width, height and depth. write them all down, then write down what you want to keep in this enclosure, then drapht some sketches and finish with a scale drawing (and your done)


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## J-A-X (Jan 10, 2012)

The beardies won't need anything 5ft long or even 4ft high for that matter. The Darwin would love something 5-6ft tall and 4ft wide though. 

Do you have any thoughts on how your going to be heating / lighting it. Do you prefer natural (I would for the beardies their eyesight seems to be better than pythons ) or do you want something 'different' for your Darwin, think about what sort of access you want too- sliding glass, framed front door/s side doors. All these sorts of things should be decided first, and not an after thought

Lol pen, paper and tape measure ... That's a great place to start too


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## Freakish13 (Jan 10, 2012)

I was thinkin ft high for the beardie only because i want to do it with ramps.braches or ledges or something because theses guys love climbing...with the heating and lighting i was thinking a 2 ft uvb fluorescent tube in both and ceramic heat globes...as for the access i prefer sliding glass...


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## Mitchells (Jan 11, 2012)

hey mate i just built my own enclosure last month for a jungle carpet and i am so happy with it, so is the snake 

i did just like Treg said measured up my available space and then designed a concept in my head. its 900w X 1500H x 600D.
i also made a 3D background with expanda foam and groat. I saw heaps of videos with polystyrene sheets but personally i found it very... average to say the least so the $80 i spent at clarke rubber was a waste. but that's how you learn right. If you look on my profile i got a couple of pics of it. if your interested i could give you a run down.


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## AirCooled (Jan 11, 2012)

Washing machine or fridge cardboard boxes with a ton of packing tape make good real size mock-up enclosures.When happy measure up,allow for material thickness and away you go.


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## Freakish13 (Jan 11, 2012)

Mitchel what did you use as a base for your background?


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## Mitchells (Jan 11, 2012)

well i originally used styrofoam but it looked a bit tacky so i then went with expandafoam on top followed by grout. but if i was to it again i'd just go expandafoam. if you want some natural looking ledges i'd screw a screw into where you want it and ram a block of styrofoam over it then apply expanda foam and it creates a natural looking ledge

i used dunlop grout (havana brown, about 5kgs $25 from bunnings) to coat my expandafoam


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## Freakish13 (Jan 11, 2012)

Where can i find some styrofoam?

Just for a base to start with...


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## Mitchells (Jan 11, 2012)

I went to Clarke rubber in richmond, SA, depends on what state your in. If you look up becky wheeler on youtube she is an english woman who designs all sorts of themed backgrounds which i think styrofoam would be ideal for so you can carve shapes, but i found expandafoam better. If the vivarium isnt too large styrofoam might be alright.

Hope this link to becky's page helps... and works
Beckywheeler's Channel - YouTube


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## Freakish13 (Jan 11, 2012)

The tank im starting with is a 4 x 2...did you just use expandafoam for your background or did you use something for a backing then use the expandafoam...


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## J-A-X (Jan 11, 2012)

Freakish13 said:


> Where can i find some styrofoam?
> 
> Just for a base to start with...



head to the local supermarket or fruit and veg shop and ask for their fruit and veg boxes, its a reasonable thickness and dense so its great for flat surfaces, check the local electrical retailer, they often throw out styrene packing from their TVs etc. I have NEVER paid for styrene. 



Mitchells said:


> EDITED: all sorts of themed backgrounds which i think styrofoam would be ideal for so you can carve shapes, but i found expandafoam better. *If the vivarium isnt too large styrofoam might be alright*.



I dont understand why you think styrene is not good for large enclosures, its actually easier to work with than expanda foam, that stuff is fine for filling in gaps or adding 'Vines' 

in case you missed one of my threads last year, this cabinet aint small ! only a small amount of expanda foam was used for the trees & vines. the rest was all packing foam and scraps...... the 2nd to last photo has got a tube of liquid nails in the pic to give an idea of size !! 

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/diy-zone-5392/home-stretch-168147/

my foam goes straight onto the cabinet, only the figure heads and two end hides are removable, 
this one was a small tank for a stimmie, but the foam is just the top and bottom packing from a large LCD TV.... a bit of shaping, a hit with a blow torch and away you go with the render/grout.....


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