| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Ratty |
Posted - 09/03/2012 : 00:49:19
Am chewing over building a vivarium....it will be pretty simple to build,very cheap and quite large,and id really appreciate if you can point out any floors in the plan before i start.
Basiclly,the viv will be in a window in the lounge.
The window is 176cm wide,112cm high & has a deep windowsill of 32cm.
My plan would be to buy some second hand secondry double glazing and there we have it....a sealed unit,with glass that slides open easy for cleaning and getting her out,but too heavy for a snake to move,easy to drill holes in the alloy secondry glazing to allow vents and cables.
The window never gets direct sunlight at any time,so wouldnt cook the snake,is double glazed so wouldnt freeze the snake,and knowone ever passes the window and its frosted,so nothing could scare the snake.
The window never got opened anyway so i wouldnt be loosing a function of the house at all,and with all the levels and climbing branches that a viv of that size could hold,the snake could have a very nice life.
What do you think guys? Nuts? Any potential probs?
Cheers  |
| 19 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Ratty |
Posted - 10/03/2012 : 02:33:35
quote:
Originally posted by nickyff
it might be worth checking out yr local charity shops- I've got a non standard viv made out of a glass fronted bookcase- cost ten quid plus a quid for the vent thingies and now houses 2 adult corns, one on each shelf- sounds weird but is fully functional- if you want something a bit more 'unusual' then second hand furniture shops are definitely worth a mooch...
I saw a lovely one recently- a tall cupboardy thing with a glass fronted section at the top- you could have sll yr crockery on one bit and then a snakey above it, guarding the silverware, haha
ssssssss
ps- I do think, as others have said: a window directly connected to outdoors is likely to present more problems than you anticipate, re controlling temps, etc
I hope you manage to come up with yr interesting snake house, by whatever means !!
Thanks mate,thats a good idea actually.
I do like a bit of charity shop browsing lol
Know just what you mean regarding the display case,as used to have one,and yeah,would be perfect for the job. It even had built in lights! |
| nickyff |
Posted - 10/03/2012 : 00:38:39
it might be worth checking out yr local charity shops- I've got a non standard viv made out of a glass fronted bookcase- cost ten quid plus a quid for the vent thingies and now houses 2 adult corns, one on each shelf- sounds weird but is fully functional- if you want something a bit more 'unusual' then second hand furniture shops are definitely worth a mooch...
I saw a lovely one recently- a tall cupboardy thing with a glass fronted section at the top- you could have sll yr crockery on one bit and then a snakey above it, guarding the silverware, haha
ssssssss
ps- I do think, as others have said: a window directly connected to outdoors is likely to present more problems than you anticipate, re controlling temps, etc
I hope you manage to come up with yr interesting snake house, by whatever means !! |
| Ratty |
Posted - 09/03/2012 : 22:39:56
quote:
Originally posted by Katie.Dublin
Personally I probably wouldn't go for it.. You sound like you might be handy enough at DIY so I'd be inclined to transform an old wardrobe or something. At least then you aren't completely writing off a window that you may need (who knows). And you also have the option of moving the wardrobe if you need to!
Well,to be honest Katie,ive got the lounge just how i want it furniture wise,and dont really want to stick a big bit of furniture in it.
Im happy with just upgrading the aquarium to a normal viv you buy if the window idea is a no go.
I just thought of the window idea because,
a) want to give the snake a nice lot of room.
b) It wont take up anymore space.
c) Would look awsome with the right lighting and plants/decor etc
Have been looking at those great value viv's in the surrey pet supplies.
If i do go for one from them,i want to get the right size that will not need enlarging at a later date.
The LX 36 and 48 seem a good size http://www.surreypetsupplies.co.uk/vivexotic-lx-vivarium-range/
My question please,is will an adult corn only need the 36 inch one or would it need (or prefere) the 48 inch one?
Many thanks 
|
| Katie.Dublin |
Posted - 09/03/2012 : 20:31:11
Personally I probably wouldn't go for it.. You sound like you might be handy enough at DIY so I'd be inclined to transform an old wardrobe or something. At least then you aren't completely writing off a window that you may need (who knows). And you also have the option of moving the wardrobe if you need to! |
| Ratty |
Posted - 09/03/2012 : 19:25:22
quote:
Originally posted by eeji
if you have good ventilation and used a ceramic heater instead of a mat then you'd lose the problem of cold air and humidity 
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
You got me thinking again. |
| eeji |
Posted - 09/03/2012 : 18:12:38
if you have good ventilation and used a ceramic heater instead of a mat then you'd lose the problem of cold air and humidity |
| Ratty |
Posted - 09/03/2012 : 17:31:08
quote:
Originally posted by Red123
Sounds as though maybe it would be more suitable for some sort of frog, not that I know anything about frogs lol.
Lol me neither. |
| Red123 |
Posted - 09/03/2012 : 15:20:35
Sounds as though maybe it would be more suitable for some sort of frog, not that I know anything about frogs lol. |
| Ratty |
Posted - 09/03/2012 : 11:34:00
Just taken some temperatures anyway and they are as follows......
Heating been off for 4 hours and temp and position of probe......
Outside: 11.1c
Touching glass: 15.1c
10mm from glass: 16.4c
20mm from glass: 17.2c
50mm from glass: 17.9c
1000mm from glass (room temp): 19.2c
So that coupled with the possible damp issue would appear not to work  |
| Ratty |
Posted - 09/03/2012 : 11:16:54
quote:
Originally posted by a33272
also windows tend to get damp during the winter due to the warm are against the cold window, which could cause problems with humidity in the viv or the wood suffering from the damp.
Thats a very good point.
Ive read on here there prone to the humid conditions. |
| a33272 |
Posted - 09/03/2012 : 10:38:28
also windows tend to get damp during the winter due to the warm are against the cold window, which could cause problems with humidity in the viv or the wood suffering from the damp. |
| Ratty |
Posted - 09/03/2012 : 10:10:18
quote:
Originally posted by smart bunny
I agree with the others, I would think double glazing still gets too cold for a snake to be permanently up against.
You could be right mate.
Darn it,it would have looked awsome.
Im gonna set up a thermometer probe right next to the glass tonight to get a reading....will let you know the result.
|
| Ratty |
Posted - 09/03/2012 : 10:02:34
quote:
Originally posted by Red123
My feeling is that the snake would get cold. We have double glazing but you can still feel a real change in temperature when you put your hand just a few inches from the glass. If you want to make a viv that is unusual look for some piece of old furniture in a second hand shop that you can fiddle around with. Think the snake would appreciate this more than living in a window.
Yes,this might be a prob thinking about it.
On the plus side,it is the warmest part of the room,with a large rad just underneith the window and a large log burner just to the left.
In fact ive taken temperatures at different times of the day,and this side of the room is 4c warmer than the other side where the present viv is.
I thought of sealing all the window joints with sylicone sealer to help also and the possiblity of addition heating if needed.
Trouble is i wouldnt really know until its done wever it works.
For sure at the moment,your right,i too can feel a bit of a cool breeze right next to the window.
|
| smart bunny |
Posted - 09/03/2012 : 10:01:38
I agree with the others, I would think double glazing still gets too cold for a snake to be permanently up against. |
| Ratty |
Posted - 09/03/2012 : 09:57:12
quote:
Originally posted by Katie.Dublin
Pretty nuts! I cant really picture it in my head though.... Are you any good at drawing?? :P
LOL,am ok at drawing,but less good at getting that drawing on this site.
Just imagine the window dimentions and the 32cm depth of the window,and the secondry glazing is put at the inner most part of that depth flush with the wall,so that leaves a 31cm gap between the old window and the new glazing,thus creating the sealed viv. |
| Ratty |
Posted - 09/03/2012 : 09:53:55
quote:
Originally posted by madmartyn
not sure a heat mat would be able to cope in the winter even double glazing gets cold in the winter i may be wrong though, if it,s not used could you not board up the window with a few shapes cut into board at differnt levels to allow light in
Well the window is used to let in light,but not opened.
Also the trouble with boarding up is it would start making the viv too narrow |
| Red123 |
Posted - 09/03/2012 : 09:39:05
My feeling is that the snake would get cold. We have double glazing but you can still feel a real change in temperature when you put your hand just a few inches from the glass. If you want to make a viv that is unusual look for some piece of old furniture in a second hand shop that you can fiddle around with. Think the snake would appreciate this more than living in a window. |
| Katie.Dublin |
Posted - 09/03/2012 : 09:14:32
Pretty nuts! I cant really picture it in my head though.... Are you any good at drawing?? :P |
| madmartyn |
Posted - 09/03/2012 : 06:50:28
not sure a heat mat would be able to cope in the winter even double glazing gets cold in the winter i may be wrong though, if it,s not used could you not board up the window with a few shapes cut into board at differnt levels to allow light in |
