4x8x5 in the making...

[RickyNo]

I have to say this is the most amount of money I have ever spent on an enclosure but I think my chacoan/blue hybrid is very much worth it! Here is a small video of what I have done this past week after work so far. Hoping to have it inside the house and ready to be pertied up by monday. Lucky me my gf is going to more so take over on the custom backwall while im at work, im thinking 16 ft of wall to customize is going to take a lot of freakin timeeee. I really want to go with a rainforest type theme on the back wall but finding how to's on realistic themes is pretty difficult. Ive come up pretty empty handed on it but maybe my gf can take some cork tile and make it into something spectacular...

http://s246.photobucket.com/user/Ric...808d5.mp4.html

 

[RickyNo]

tonight i got the inside substrate wall in and sealed, tomorrow I will start the framing on the top half of the enclosure which would be his actual living space. I cant wait till he is able to run around his home he is going to be so happy to be out of that 20 gallon! You know 3 weeks of waiting in a 20 gallon I had laying around, to go into something like this I think he wont mind lol

 

[SnakeCharmr728]

Looks great! Are you planning on having deep substrate?

 

[RickyNo]

What you see in the picture is all for substrate

 

[Roadkill]

Lol, looks a lot like some of the stuff I've made over the years - while the 2X4s are strong, they are also excessively heavy. Is everything straight cuts or did you dado some of that? Glad to see you went with structurally sound as opposed to cheap OSB/MDF.

 

[RickyNo]

me and my buddy used a normal saw to cut everything but it is zeroed out. I plan on putting some wheels on the back of the enclosure so when they are moved in 2 pieces I can roll the *****! Here's what I accomplished last night. The top half was a ***** to zero out but we're good! My only concern is what to coat the inside of the enclosure with to keep the wood safe from humidity. I was looking at marine paint but that would cost me a good $200 to coat the inside with and I'm not willing to spend that lol. I want something I don't have to recoat every year or two.

 

[SnakeCharmr728]

Expensive but worth it, line the areas holding substrate with FRP (fiber reinforced plastic) similar to what they make shower stalls with. Then polyurethane the top portion with about 3-5coats and you'll be set.

 

[RickyNo]

Outer shell pretty much complete, just have some little things to finish up before completely closing it in. im going to fiberglass the substrate level and using a badass black outside high gloss latex paint for the upper half of the enclosure. The only part of the paint that will actually be exposed is the ceiling of the cage. The side and backwalls are going to have a half inch thick styrofoam sheet on the walls as a mounting point for the custom rainforest backround I still have to figure out how im going to do...

 

[RickyNo]

 

[RickyNo]

 

[RickyNo]

Im going to have to have a window show custom order me some windows because thick plexi seems to be just as expensive as glass and im not a fan of the crap it scratches too easily. Pics do this no justice, its freakin huge!!!!!! and holy hell heavy!!

 

[RickyNo]

all is going well, working on it little by little each night after work. Tomorrow I will finish the skin of the enclosure and then start fiberglassing the substrate level and painting the top half to seal it off.

 

[RickyNo]

this thing is insanely heavy. Think once I have 20 bags cypress mulch this thing should weigh well over a ton lol

 

[SnakeCharmr728]

Have you thought of using top soil or peat moss x sand instead of cypress. With the ability to hold so much substrate it might be best to use something that can hold burrows better than cypress. You could even try top soil or peat mixed in with cypress.

 

[RickyNo]

do you have any links to people who have shown that have done that? Also do you tegus like to soak in water inside their cage much? I had plans of a pond area but if he isn't going to use it it's just going to be a glorified drinking water area

 

[RickyNo]

Substrate level has been fiberglassed, living space with 5 coats of outside high gloss paint. Inside wood now safe from humidity! Wiring for the heat emitter and 2 4ft uvb bulbs in! Just need to get the outside surface mounted up and painted, order windows and thermostat. Lastly build custom 3d wall background and im done!

 

[Chris23039]

Good job looks great

 

[Midwestmonster]

Wow, very nice!

 

[RickyNo]

This has been such a long process and so much money! Im sure I could have built something more simple but I would have always lived in regret by cheapin out... I cant wait till this is over and I can get back to the gym!

 

[RickyNo]

how big and what should i use for a vent hole? I bought 2 trailer ac floor vents but im thinking two would let too much humidity out. What has everyone else been using for vents on a 4x8? I dont really like the idea of using these vents to begin with... need to know soooon!