Cabinet conversion

[Sdaji]

If this cabinet has sentimental value to you, keep in mind that reptile enclosures have a finite lifespan, and you're probably going to end up throwing it away a lot sooner if you turn it into a snake cage, unless you really go nuts making it waterproof etc (very generous on the sealant). Your vinyl is a guaranteed way to destroy it nice and quickly.

You seem determined to avoid doing anything quick, easy, cheap and practical and using overthinking to find ways to make life difficult and dysfunctional. If you want to use this cabinet as a snake unit and not destroy it, just deck it out with the extra panels required, seal it with several coats of sealant (be very generous with the sealant or your cabinet will get soaked and rot - water or worse still urine/faeces is a great option for destroying wooden furniture) and add your desired electrical fittings.

 

[Ella C]

I've found bio-active enclosures to be fantastic, I've made a couple and had great success. However, they were jungle species - frogs. I'm not sure about snakes, though.
However, I fail to see how isopods could negatively affect the snakes? May somebody please explain? Thanks!

 

[Sdaji]

I've found bio-active enclosures to be fantastic, I've made a couple and had great success. However, they were jungle species - frogs. I'm not sure about snakes, though.
However, I fail to see how isopods could negatively affect the snakes? May somebody please explain? Thanks!

How many months ago did you make them? Come back in a few years and tell us how they're going It does work much better for frogs than snakes though.

If you're lucky the isopods may not directly bother the snakes any more than hassling them by crawling around, but if you're keeping a vivarium with ideal conditions for a Ball Python, isopods will not survive. If you're keeping conditions nice for isopods, you're being mean to your Ball Python. Frogs like it more humid so their ideal conditions are more similar to the conditions these crustaceans like.

 

[Ella C]

How many months ago did you make them? Come back in a few years and tell us how they're going It does work much better for frogs than snakes though.

If you're lucky the isopods may not directly bother the snakes any more than hassling them by crawling around, but if you're keeping a vivarium with ideal conditions for a Ball Python, isopods will not survive. If you're keeping conditions nice for isopods, you're being mean to your Ball Python. Frogs like it more humid so their ideal conditions are more similar to the conditions these crustaceans like.

2 years. They're doing great. Anyway.. thanks.

 

[Sdaji]

2 years. They're doing great. Anyway.. thanks.

Hey, well done on keeping them going for 2 years That's a lot longer than the majority of people get before they have to make major changes and acknowledge significant maintenance and reworking is required Please post pictures, I'd love to see them and I'm sure others would too

 

[Ella C]

Hey, well done on keeping them going for 2 years That's a lot longer than the majority of people get before they have to make major changes and acknowledge significant maintenance and reworking is required Please post pictures, I'd love to see them and I'm sure others would too

Sure thing! Here's my most recent photo of my 45x45x60cm vertical build. It has a spray foam background (first one I've ever made, currently editing my 90x45x60cm build to incorporate another one. Will post thread when done) and multiple plants. Its drainage layer is made of gravel with a bio-active soil mix of coco fibre, sphagnum moss and isopods/springtails. Houses two juvenile GTF.

 

[Sdaji]

Sure thing! Here's my most recent photo of my 45x45x60cm vertical build. It has a spray foam background (first one I've ever made, currently editing my 90x45x60cm build to incorporate another one. Will post thread when done) and multiple plants. Its drainage layer is made of gravel with a bio-active soil mix of coco fibre, sphagnum moss and isopods/springtails. Houses two juvenile GTF.
View attachment 326613

Looks fantastic! Comical to claim that it's zero maintenance, that's going to be many, many, many times more work and expense than what I'd use, but it's certainly far, far more beautiful. It'll also become more of a hassle to maintain when your frogs are adults, and these setups basically need to be kept very low density (or extremely headache-inducing to maintain). Basically, they're high maintenance terraria which happen to have a couple of critters living in them. Super cool setup though!