New User - Bring Back Nature

[SanderV]

Hi All,

I live in New York and have been keeping reptiles and amphibians for about 20 years. I just started a new company / website called Bring Back Nature. Our goal is to connect people back with nature by giving great information and products. One of those ways is by offering design vivariums.

If you are interested, take a look at the website and we're doing a Kickstarter right now to get things launched. We'll be adding more unique products soon to expand the website. We're really excited about this and hope to make a difference! My apologies for my shameless self promoting but I thought this would be a great place to let you know about is as co-hobbyists!

If you click the link, you can see pictures of the design vivariums (30 to 90 gallons) - they are finished in wood, waterproofed on the inside and come with tree fern panels & custom waterproof LED lighting. I'm also currently building my own tank (approx 100 gallons) for my house with a custom background - not finished yet but see below!

http://www.bringbacknature.com

 

[distortionz]

Those are some beautiful cages.

 

[carol5208]

Those are super nice! Unfortunately, you cannot advertise your merchandise. Site Rule#6 "Advertising your business for commercial sales or services is strictly prohibited. If you are interested in advertising on this site please see our advertising page". Just thought I would let you know, incase your thread disappears! I am not a moderator on here, but I do know the rules!

 

[SanderV]

Hi and thanks! I didn't mean to advertise, it's not trying to sell them to you Instead, I wanted to share and create some awareness we're trying to get this thing started. However, I fully understand if the moderator determines otherwise.

As long as we all keep having fun with this wonderful hobby!

 

[ChamDE86]

Still amazingly beautiful cages, nontheless!

 

[Mike Fisher]

You might consider becoming a forum sponsor. Your first post here to advertise your new business venture is a bit questionable, but welcome to the forum nonetheless.

 

[ChamMan7]

Ok well if you're posting about this, not as an ad, I will give some feedback. First of all, info on how this product is constructed would really be helpful to potential customers. By this I mean things like how this is water sealed, are your plants grown yourself, do you believe them suitable to keep animals, etc. Second, I think very few people would be willing to pay the amount of money you are asking for this product. Something is worth what someone will pay, but 700 dollars for your smallest product is ridiculous. Third, do you have experience keeping reptiles, or is this a pinterest idea someone is trying to capitalize on? I am not trying to be harsh, but keep in mind that you are sticking a product out there and promoting a website on a forum that people with real experience building naturalistic, REAL vivaria use.

Again, I am not trying to be harsh, but if you do wish to get into something like this as a business, and promote it to people that really are very picky about what they put their animals in, you need to be specific and provide more information.

It is a very good looking setup, but there is not enough info about it to get a real feel for if it is useful to people that are going to want to spend that amount of money on it (on this forum at least).

 

[SanderV]

Hi All,

I'm sorry there's some gray zones. I used to spend a lot of time on forums (mostly dart frog related) and thought it would be good to share the news. Mostly out of excitement!

I've kept reptiles and amphibians for close to 20 years now and have quite a bit of experience. I agree there will have to be more specs but we just finished prototypes and those will come. Again, I pretty much wanted to share out of excitement and releasing it into the world. What I'm trying to do is about a lot more than just vivariums. In my opinion, people on these forums already have the skills to build their own so I never assumed to sell them on here.

As for pricing, I hear you but don't see it as just a vivarium. It's a piece of furniture and home decor. The goal was never to start selling them to you guys, instead to show them to you - my to be marketing will be catered towards other audiences (again for the reason above).

My own tank is coming together and I'm excited to share more pics with you. I'll be moving so won't be finishing it for another few months but in the meantime, I'm fine-tuning and finishing the piece. It's quite big and has storage underneath etc. I'm all for building naturalistic vivariums and my goal is always to give the animals the best natural home possible. I never buy an animal without proper preparations and making sure it'll have a great home.

Thanks again for the feedback, appreciate it!

 

[ChamMan7]

Awesome ! I apologize if I sounded harsh as that definitely was not my intention. I appreciate your calm response, lol.

It really is a gorgeous piece and I wish you lots of luck with it ! After Looking a at it again I definitely see what you mean about it being furniture as well ! Welcome to the forum !

 

[bookumdanom1]

Wow! That's a really nice set up.I really like the finish on the wood.

 

[SanderV]

No worries, I appreciate the feedback. Excited to learn more from you guys and share my own experiences with my new tank on here as well!

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

Hello!

The website is nice looking but I am a little vague on the direction of the venture. Is it an awareness site, wellness, shopping? Is it a lifestyle thing or aimed at pet owners?

The custom wood viv looks nice too but the price is astronomical. In order to be competitive in the market you will need to get your price down into the range of $300-400, and even that will scare people. Members on the forums can make some amazing wooden pieces for much less money and the same hand crafted appearance. And with other products like Dragon strand providing a customized higher end product, it will be difficult. But all the luck to you!

 

[SanderV]

Hi,

The idea is to offer many different products down the road. We want to share information, motivate people and offer a variety of things. We're developing and sourcing different things related to fitness, wellness, home decor etc. I just shared the vivarium on here bc this is the place for it

The units are hardwood with rustic hardware, waterproofed, custom LED lighting and handmade in the US. I understand there are many options on the market but very very few with that type of look. Most enclosures are gorgeous inside but the outside isn't all that nice to look at (glass, mesh, acrylic) - but that's just a personal opinion. I agree many hobbyists are great craftsmen and can make amazing pieces of furniture but also most people can't. It's like Ikea vs Pottery Barn - nothing wrong with either and they're both functional but people have different skill sets and priorities - some may want something sturdy and nicer to look at. I wanted to create something beautiful from the outside and inside with the best materials... but those cost money. We agree it's not for everyone but we think it's nice to offer the option. My wife would kill me if I put glass boxes all throughout her well designed house

 

[Carlton]

I hope you have good luck with your designs and are able to keep them flexible. If they can be modified to accept different types of lighting and ventilation great!

So many "ready made" animal enclosures are simply not designed with the occupant in mind. They are designed with the human observer in mind; what appeals to decor, to convenience, available space on a shelf, and budget. The unfortunate occupant gets to live in the enclosure most if not all its life. Every time I see those little self-contained habitats or kits at stores I just cringe. I have this image of the people who dream those things up...someone who has pictures of cutesy animals on their cubicle walls but has never actually kept anything and never considers that a live animal is more than a moving photo.

Caging for chameleons is such a prime example. Even 10 years ago it was just about impossible to find a commercially produced cage for a chameleon and even now there are still classic problems with most. They were all much too small, couldn't be modified for cables, drippers, foggers, they don't handle water at all, don't suit live plants, cut the cham's feet, humidity is hard to manage, can't contain live feeder insects, are not very durable, have problems with mold, rust, etc.

I also happen to think there's beauty and design in function. A cham cage that works well, with a healthy resident has a sort of style all its own even if there is a cluster of light fixtures, dripper, fogger attachments, etc. all over it. Its an interesting apparatus really if everything is there for a reason. Clustering some live potted plants around a cage to hide the "stuff" helps a lot!

 

[SanderV]

Couldn't agree more and will definitely keep that in mind!

I love giving my animals plenty of space, that's why I'm building the 100 gallon and it'll have minimal occupants to ensure plenty of quality living space. I hate seeing overcrowded terrariums...