Building terrarium!

[Eyal]

Hi everyone, got any thoughts? It is going very well!!
This is the first half of the terrarium, on the front there's going to be glass, and the side and roof , net. One hibiscus in the middle of the floor and on the fake rock in the corner im going to plant a vine, crawling down the background.
The size of it is 130 cm high and 80 cm long and deep, if you guys know the worlds measurements

 

[Jordan]

I would recommend covering the styrafoam with something like grout or concrete. It doesn't add to much weight and depending on which you go with it doesn't cost to much either. If you did that same spray technique over some concrete it would really look wicked.

Also when you add a flower pot on the wall make sure it is big enough. Otherwise you will have to take it off once a year to prune the roots. In any event you could end up disappointed with the way your ivy looks if it does not have enough room.

I did a build similar to yours before. One thing I wished I had thought of ahead of time was something to anchor some vines off of the walls. I would think some stainless steel bolts through the back wall would work. If you do try something like this make sure they are stainless steel otherwise you will be dealing with rust later one.

I can definately see what you are getting at as far as idea and I like it.

 

[Marc10edora]

Here is a link to a tutorial that I posted in another forum. I made my own custom cage in a similar way and used the grout/concrete method as mentioned above.
http://www.diychatroom.com/showthread.php?t=8381&highlight=reptile

I wrote the steps I took to make it too.

 

[Eyal]

Looks a bit better with the new color..

 

[Eyal]

Thanks for the answers, sorry got no time for doing concrete now, school starts less than a week. But good tips!! Thanks

David

 

[Marc10edora]

Try using regular laytex house paint. It sticks better to the foam and adds a better water proof seal. It is cheap too. It will also not melt the foam like spray paint does.

 

[nicolie85]

Marc10edora, do you have any photos of your cage all setup and ready to go for a chameleon? I love your DIY post. What a wonderful technique and so realistic.

 

[Marc10edora]

I have some pics of the finished cage in this post. https://www.chameleonforums.com/post-your-best-enclosure-9613/index5.html

Also Here is one before I added the cabinet bottom.

 

[Eyal]

Going further and further!

Here's the update on my terrarium!

Second picture is the new background (right) and the door with net.
Third one is the new background (left) and the glass!

Finished soon! Only the roof left!

 

[Eyal]

Hello again, please comment my work ppl .

Alot of viewers! THANKS

Now i got the vine that hangs from the bigger cliff. And the door is fixed, Last thing is substrate and the tree.

What substrade (organic) is good? Cause i want it to look realistic though chams eat the sub and i want the best for her..
And the light, The heating lamp, any recommendations from Exo terra?

 

[addicted]

That pothos looks really great, looks like it's growing right from the wall! The way you have it positioned will make it easy to have branches growing all over the cage.
Can't wait to see it completed

 

[Eyal]

That pothos looks really great, looks like it's growing right from the wall! The way you have it positioned will make it easy to have branches growing all over the cage.
Can't wait to see it completed

Yeah it looks quite realistic! I will update this thread so come back for more candy

 

[sammyskate703]

how much did it cost in all to make this?

 

[Eyal]

IM DONE!!!, Posting pics now!
It cost approx. 1,7 thousand swedish crowns. So that would be..oo..280$..! Its a quite low price here in Sweden for a terrarium! Espacially this big!

 

[Eyal]

Terrarium , done!

Now i finished my terrarium that i built for the last couple of weeks!

It cost approx. 280$ or 1775kr, swedish crowns

This is how it looks like!

Please comment!

I used towels for the subtrate and will asap get organic substrate, any thoughts?

 

[Cheeseball01]

Looks good man!

 

[Eyal]

Looks good man!

Thanks cheese and everyone that replied!

 

[SoCaliSon]

Looks nice... I would think about doing some kind of bare cage bottom, with drainge... Anykind of substrate you put in there is going to become a giant mudpuddle after you start doing your mistings and what not. Chameleon Poops on Ground, Spray forms puddles on the ground, Poop Floats in the puddles, Bacteria starts to spread... can be a huge pain in the butt. It is a lot easier to keep clean if you have a bottom that drains, and can be wiped down and occasionally sanitized.

 

[Eyal]

Looks nice... I would think about doing some kind of bare cage bottom, with drainge... Anykind of substrate you put in there is going to become a giant mudpuddle after you start doing your mistings and what not. Chameleon Poops on Ground, Spray forms puddles on the ground, Poop Floats in the puddles, Bacteria starts to spread... can be a huge pain in the butt. It is a lot easier to keep clean if you have a bottom that drains, and can be wiped down and occasionally sanitized.

Okey thanks , read alot of the bacteria probs.. but drainage is not possible i think. Better to have towels and laundry them? And to clean under.. Its much more simple. Is that a solution?

 

[SoCaliSon]

You would have to be on top of cleaning out the bottom pretty frequently, which could be a real pain. Grainage is pretty simple...Why is it not an option? If you were to raise the enclosure even a foot off the the ground I think it would give you enough space to drill some holes in the bottom and have some kind of Pan, or tray underneathe to catch the water. That sounds a lot easier then having to wash those who know how many times a week. After you first 5 min misting I imagine the towels would be pretty damp already...and bacteria is one thing that reproduces QUICKLY in a warm damp place. With my cages I like to be able to mist 30-45 mins into the cage if I wanted to without having a mess, This allows me to not have to worry about taking them into the bathtub if I want to give them a "Shower"...Instead they get to stay comfy in the cage and I shower them there if needed. Works nice.

I really like the look of your cage though... This would make it a lot easier for you in long run.