Help with Enclosure

[Brittneym]

So im supposed to be having my 19" baby tegu shipped early next week. Only problem is i still havent gotten his enclosure finished. Its a 4x2x2 With front opening doors. Im trying to get it painted, sealed, and the light fixtures put in by the time he gets here... I feel like ive run out of time D:

Can anyone suggest paint and sealer that has the least fumes and that will air out in just a couple days? Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[james.w]

Low VOC Drylok. It can be found at Home Depot and Lowes.

 

[Brittneym]

Thats what i was planning on going with after doing a bit more reading into the older threads. Thank you so much for your reply!

I've also sent a message to the breeder i was getting the tegu from to see if he could push back my purchase date another week so i can finish up the tank and air it out enough for the little guy. Hes seemed like a nice guy so far so im pretty sure he will go for it. I really hope so since this is literally the last 2012 male tegu ive been able to find D: and hes a beauty!

Will post pictures of the enclosure When i can :]

 

[james.w]

Enclosure looks pretty good except two things. One there isn't much room for substrate, and two the bulb being towards the middle will make it tough to get a proper heat gradient.

 

[Brittneym]

Posted pictures or the 4x2x2 Enclosure im working with. Ive already sealed off all the cracks,edges, and corners to make sure no liquid can escape. Everything is all taped off and ready for paint as well :]

It already had two wired light socket in the top but upon tacking them apart i realized how horribly...for lack of a better word...janky they were. They looked like wires were cut from a lamp and twisted around a socket :/ Luckily i noticed it and will be installing 3 or 4 reptile lamps i have laying around instead. Two on the left side for UVB and Basking. and another 1/2 on the other side for night heat (black heat bulbs/ heat emitters)

I will be using the suggested Drylock as the base coat but i was hoping to paint the inside a deep brown. What is a goo paint i can use for that? Should the brown have some kind of sealant put over it or will it be alright once it cures and airs out? Thanks so much for any input! And please give me suggestions if you have any!

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*I will be moving the basking bulb more the left hand side of the enclosure :]

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I was also planing on have a thin piece of wood cut at home depot to silicone into the front for a taller lip. Best wood to use for this?

 

[james.w]

What are the ambient temps in your home? What do you plan on using for uvb and basking bulbs?

 

[Brittneym]

My Room does tend to fluxuate a bit. I think the lowest its gotten is low 70's but its usually around 78 and in the summer much warmer. I picked up a 100 watt Zoo Med basking bulb and a 26 watt Repti Glo 5.0 by Exo Terra.

 

[james.w]

You won't need night heat if your temps don't go below 60. I would look into either getting a MVB or tube UVB bulb, the coils tend to.cause eye problems. Also I would recommend at least a 10.0 for UVB.

 

[Brittneym]

what exactly is the difference between the 5.0 and 10.0? I was also going to wait till i got the adult enclosure to install and tube lighting system as I've found them to be rather expensive. I'll also do temperature tests once i get this thing complete to make sure i wont need a night heat. Im not positive on the temperatures so its better to be safe than sorry :]

 

[james.w]

The 10.0 provides more UVB.

 

[SomethingTegu]

as a sealant I use harsh weather grade permanent silicone. I used the typical white "waterproof"(NOT TRUE) caulk on a small area of my melamine enclosure and the humidity actually caused the white caulk to loosen up and fall off. Luckily it was just a test on an unimportant part of the wood. But the silicone is perfect, no problem there.

 

[Brittneym]

James- Thats what i suspected. I will return the bulb i got and go for the 10.0. Thank you very much :]

SomthingTegu- Thank you very much! I was originally going to go with Thompsons water Sealer after something i read on another forum, but it seems like more people use Drylock so i'll be doing that.

Also good news! The breeder said i can have another week to set up my enclosure :] What a nice guy! Now to just return a bunch of stuff so i can afford that Drylock! Haha

 

[Brittneym]

Purchased a gallon of Drylock which i will be applying later tonight. I've also decided to scrap my idea for painting the inside brown as i don't have the time or money to put into it. Plus he will probably grow out of this tank faster than i expect so it will be more worth it to put that effort into his adult enclosure.

I also picked up a basking rock and some little stone accents to prop things up in the enclosure. Should i seal these with clear waterproofer? Or is it allright to just wash them thoroughly and cure them under the heat lamp for a couple days?

 

[james.w]

I don't do anything with rocks other than put them in the enclosure.

 

[Brittneym]

Well they just look like rocks but i believe they are painted or toned cement. The kind used for walkways through gardens? I think they should be okay with a washing though

 

[Brittneym]

So i just put my fourth coat of Drylock on. Im thinking that should be good haha So if im not mistaken its okay to just leave it as is and then fill with bedding and everything? (once its dried and aired out of course) I dont need to put any type of clear coat or other random thing on the Drylock?

 

[james.w]

No clear or anything is needed, let it air out a few days and then fill it up.

 

[Skeetzy]

Re: RE: Help with Enclosure

Purchased a gallon of Drylock which i will be applying later tonight. I've also decided to scrap my idea for painting the inside brown as i don't have the time or money to put into it. Plus he will probably grow out of this tank faster than i expect so it will be more worth it to put that effort into his adult enclosure.

For future reference, you can try and have home depot/Lowes put some color pigment in the drylok. Keyword is try. It's against dryloks warranty to add any color pigments, so most will not do it. But other members have reported that if you explain you're breaking dryloks warranty anyways by using it on wood, or ask for the manager and explain that, they will do it for you.

 

[Brittneym]

Awesome idea Skeetzy thank you so much!

And thanks for letting me know James

 

[Brittneym]

Phew. Stayed up into the wee hours of the morning last night putting 4 coats of Drylock on my enclosure. My back is killing me! But at least the paints even :]

Now if I could just find a drill i could attach my lighting :/ No one i know seems to have one though! Oh well i still have a little over a week to track one down. Im just so anxious to put everything in my tank! I want to see the image in my head come to life!