Supplies List

• 3/4″ foam (polystyrene) insulation
• Liquid Nails
• Unsanded grout
• Cement color
• Modge Podge all-purpose clear sealant
• Acrylic paint
• Zoo Med Repti-Sand Natural Red
• Various flora of different types and sizes (Desert themed)
• 2 or 3 mixed size paint brushes
• 1 fine grit sandpaper block
• 1 knife (any old small one will do)
• 1 pen-style soldering gun or polystyrene hot wire cutter
• 1 ShopVac (needed to suck up the itty bitty polystyrene pieces)

STEP 1

Measure the size of the area to be covered by the background/sides/bottom of the structure.  My unit is 24″ wide and 18″ high.  Due to the large size of this background I’ll be constructing it as a left, and a right module.

STEP 2

Cut the polystyrene into appropriate sizes based on the measurements taken in STEP 1.  I cut two 12″x18″ pieces for the background panels and two 6″x18″ pieces for the side panels.

STEP 3

Using Liquid Nails adhere the side panels to the background panels.  The photos below were taken after applying the first layer of grout, however, you can easily see how the side panels are attached to each of the background panels.

STEP 4

While waiting for the liquid nails to set, start shaping the smaller pieces of rock/boulder to create the staggered rock look.  When attempting to simulate the curved and rounded shape of the rock it is much easier to cut out the basic shape using a soldering iron or polystyrene hot wire cutter.

This is a photo of a small piece of polystyrene after cutting, shaping, and sanding.

STEP 5

Now it’s time to adhere the pieces of rock to the background and side pieces starting from the top of the structure down.  Individual pieces are placed level in a horizontal fashion from left to right.  While placing the various pieces I decided to add some larger shelf-like pieces to simulate overhangs and larger rocks which will also serve as a place for my Gecko to rest/bask while exploring the structure.

Here are a few close-ups of the structure including “shelves”, hides, etc.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

STEP 6

While the majority of the structure dries, I begin to work on the hides.  Each hide will reside in the bottom of the corner of each of the two halves of the structure.  The cool hide has a floor panel created from the polystyrene.  The warm hide has no floor as the UTH (Under Tank Heater) will be beneath it.  Each hide is constructed by using small pieces of polystyrene panel shaped and sanded to look like fallen stones/boulders.  Corners of the structure are created by stacking small pieces of stone while sides are done using the same concept but with rectangular pieces.  By stacking one or two of the rectangular pieces followed by 2 of the smaller pieces followed by 1 or 2 more rectangular pieces one can easily create a natural looking window through which you can easily view your reptile.

Here are photos of each hide.  The first is the cool hide, and the second is the warm hide.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

STEP 7

At this point the essentially complete structure is ready to dry before starting to grout.  In an effort to conceal the majority of the “seam” down the middle of the background piece I adhered several pieces of the smaller stones in a way where they slightly overlapped from the left to the right or from the right to the left.

STEP 8

Now that the entire structure has had time to dry, it’s time to apply the first layer of grout.  The first layer contains a half teaspoon or so of cement color and is mixed so that its consistency is that of runny pancake mix.  Using a large brush slop on the grout while wiping the brush against the edges of the rocks allowing the grout to run down in between all the pieces.  When finished applying the first coat of grout, allow the entire structure to dry for a full 24 hours.

STEP 9

After the first layer of grout has dried completely, mix the second coat.  This batch of grout should be a little thicker than the first.  Instead of runny pancake mix I suggest standard pancake mix as the consistency.  Once mixed well, begin slapping it on.  Again, allow the grout to fully dry and harden for at least 24 hours before proceeding.

Here’s a photo of the right-side module after applying grout layer #2.

STEP 10

Now it’s time for the 3rd layer of grout.  As stated previously, this coat should be thicker than the last and should be applied using a slightly smaller brush.  Here are a few pictures taken after the 3rd coat was applied and allowed to dry.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

STEP 11

Now it’s on to painting.  I generally apply 3 coats of acrylic paint.  The first coat consists of darker colors while the 2nd and 3rd coats contain lighter, more vibrant colors.  For this build I used burnt umber as a base and applied terra cotta and canyon red as top coats to bring out the red-rock style I sought.  Once the paint has dried slightly I recommend using a dry brush with a pulling motion to create lines and striations similar to those found in real rock.  The photos below illustrate the final painted surface.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

STEP 12

Once the paint has had time to dry it’s on to the sealer.  The first coat was applied with a spray bottle.  When mixing the sealer I usually keep the ratio around 1 part water, 2 parts sealer.  I prefer mine a little thicker at first and usually end up thinning the mixture a little when applying later coats.  After spraying on the first layer of sealer I use a small sponge-brush to smooth out the leftover pools of sealant.  After the first layer was dry I applied the second coat of sealer.  This time I sprinkled the structure with some of the red sand I’ll be using as substrate.  I especially tried to get some of the sand into the horizontal lines between the pieces of faux rock to help ease the transition from one stone to the next.  Once the 2nd coat dried I applied the 3rd.  I added more sand to this coat and allowed it to dry once more before applying the fourth and final coat of sealer.

At this point you’ll want to allow the structure to air dry for 6 or 7 days.  Collect your flora and any other items you wish to place in your enclosure and ready them.  The photos below illustrate the look of the final structure after being allowed to dry for a week.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

STEP 13

Step 13 essentially consists of putting everything in the tank together.  Attach the UTH to the underside of your enclosure.  Add substrate, water and food bowls, and anything else you desire.  Set your temps as required and allow the enclosure to “cook” for at least 48 hours.  During this time monitor temps and humidity for consistency and adjust as needed.  Once you’re satisfied with state of the environment inside the vivarium, introduce your reptile, sit back, and enjoy your hard work!

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Sources

• Fake Rock Man @ Lizard-Landscapes
• Becky Wheeler @ RFUK
• bwoodfield @ GeckosUnlimited
• fallenangelfyre @ GeckosUnlimited

Building a naturalistic terrarium can be almost as enjoyable as caring for the animal that is to be put inside of it. The construction of these can be as simple or as complex as you choose. However in this article I will give a basic account of how we build the terrariums that house our breeders, babies and also the tanks that we offer for sale here at Tiki Tiki Reptiles. View the full photo gallery for this project on Photo Bucket here.

What will live in the mini environment?

The first step in building a terrarium is to figure out what will be living inside. The environment needed to properly house a Leaf Tail Gecko (Uroplatus) is very different from what will be needed for a Knob Tail Gecko (Nephrurus); as a result it is imperative that you know what you will be housing.

What environment needs to be created?

After you have figured out what you are going to be caring for it is now time to do a little research as to where the animal comes from so you can build a suitable habitat for it. In this article I will be constructing a terrarium for a Mossy Leaf Tail Gecko (Uroplatus sikorae), so I will need an environment that is heavily planted with lots of woody sticks for the geckos to perch on during the day. If I were constructing a terrarium for a different species, say a Lined Leaf Tail, I would use fewer plants and bamboo as they are native to the bamboo forests of Madagascar. Once you do a little research you can begin to gather what you need.

Getting what you need

I will now go over the things that I use to make our terrariums. You can build terrariums several different ways and this is one of many options; I believe that this way is cost effective, quick and affordable. You must start with your tank. You can purchase “terrarium” tanks from many large manufactures at pet shops the world over now, however I do not like the high cost of them or the sizes that they come in. I make my own tanks from scratch or simply convert a fish aquarium. In this DIY I will be doing the latter as they are easy to find, come in a wide variety of sizes and are fairly inexpensive. You are often able to find tanks for $1 per gallon at many of the chain pet supply stores.

Here is a list of things that you will need along with the tank (this is also the break down for this tank):

• 30G deep aquarium $30.00
• Tiki Terrarium Conversion kit (see below for details) $25.00
• Disposable gloves $8.00
• 1 can of Normal Great Stuff expanding foam. No need to get the super expand type. $6.00
• 2 tubes of Colored silicone (I recommend brown) $5.00
• Branches of varying sizes and shapes (variable cost or free)
• Hyrdroton Pebbles (expanded clay balls) $10.00
• Sphagnum moss, I prefer the New Zealand cream colored type. $10.00
• Organic soil $6.00
• Charcoal $4.00
• Coco fiber / bark of varying consistency. $12.00
• Various plants or cuttings around $20.00
• Blue painters’ tape $3.00
• Black spray paint $5.00

Once you have all of your items assembled you can start the construction of the tank.

Starting the build: background

The first step is to give the aquarium a good cleaning to remove any nastiness that may have been picked up prior to its purchase. Once that is done place the tank upright. Begin to place the items that you want to include inside the tank where you want them to be. This can be cork flats, sticks, ghost wood, etc. This is your time to figure out what you want the finished terrarium to look like. Once you have settled on a pattern that you like, take the items and silicone them into place. Do not be afraid to use all dimensions when doing this: adding items to the sides, at angles, from the top etc. all add to the style. If sticks will not stay in place while the silicone is drying then use blue painters’ tape to secure them. Let the silicone dry for a few hours before you move to the next step so you do not dislodge anything.

When the silicone is able to support the items that you have placed through the tank it is time make the seams disappear. Sticks or cork backgrounds suspended in the air just don’t look natural, however sticks coming out of dirt do. To make this illusion we use the Great Stuff expanding foam to add area at the attachment points. When working with great stuff it is important that you wear gloves! It can be easily removed from glass if you mess up, however getting it off your hands and clothes is nearly impossible. Another tip is not to overdo the foam. If you have not worked with it before you will be surprised at the amount that it will grow in 24 hours time. You can always add more, but taking it away is more difficult. Do one side at a time and by this I mean lay one side down, foam it, allow it to harden and then do the same with the back and other side if necessary. If you add the foam to the walls when vertical the foam may slide down and out of place as it cures. Patience is important during this part of the build.   Something you can also do during this stage is add foam to random or empty areas giving your inhabitant more areas to perch itself on and more areas for you to plant vegetation on. Again, remember to wear gloves and don’t over-foam.

After allowing the foam to harden which should take a few hours (24 hours for a full harden) you can now cover the white foam with a blend of fine coco fiber and bark. Some people use only coco fiber and some people only use bark; I prefer to use both. The mixture of the fiber and larger chunks allows for all of the smaller cracks to get coverage and the bark bits give the background some texture. Prepared in a 5 gallon bucket, our mixture is somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 parts coco fiber to 1 part bark chunks. When you have your background media ready you can begin to apply it. This is done by taking GENEROUS amounts of brown silicone and applying them to the foamed areas, then dropping your background mixture onto the wet silicone one handful at a time and tapping it down a little. It is very difficult to go back after adding media onto the silicone so use more than you think you need, the more the better! Also, do one area at a time. If you silicone all of your foam at once you will be hard pressed to cover it all with media before it starts to dry. Another helpful tip for this stage is to wear a rubber glove and use your fingers to even out the silicone, getting it into all the nooks and crannies before you add in the media. Extra silicone will always mask the unnatural looking white foam.

Congratulations! You should have a complete terrarium background.

Covering the back

Since the terrariums are made of glass it is obvious that on the outside you can see the unsightly white foam and silicone that you tried so hard to cover on the inside. I always cover this as it adds greatly to the overall look of the terrarium. This is an easy step that if you wish can be omitted. You can do this two different ways: paint the entire back and sides or simply paint where you have foam and silicone. I prefer the latter as you can still see through the glass. If you want a totally covered background then use blue painters’ tape where you want the tank to be seen through and then spray the rest with black spray paint. Allow it to dry then apply a second and preferably a third coat of paint before removing the tape. The other method is just about the same however you will cover ALL the glass with tape and cut out the foam areas with a razor blade so the paint will only cover a small area.

Install the Conversion

We use Tiki Terrarium conversion kits to transform the aquarium into a terrarium. They feature swinging doors that can easily be removed if needed and upper corner air vents that minimize any visual obstructions. This is a new product that we are still developing, however you can purchase other similar kits from different vendors or simply make your own. If interested in a Tiki kit please feel free to contact us. Installation on these aquarium to terrarium kits is very simple: silicone the top and bottom pieces into place, silicone the door mount and then air vents — it’s as easy as that. Allow silicone to dry a few hours before moving on to the next step.

Adding in the Dirt!

At this point you should have a nearly complete naturalistic terrarium; all you need to do is add in your earth and plants. When you add your substrate it is important to use layers so that extra water will drain down not letting your terrarium to turn into a bog. Start by adding 2-3 inches of hydroton. These are small clay balls that allow water to collect in the bottom keeping it out of your soil. You can also use aquarium rocks for this however they are costly and heavy! Some people separate the different layers with window screen however I prefer to use sphagnum moss as it really adds to the layered look from the outside. Dampen the moss and put an even layer on top of the hydroton. Once complete add a thin layer of carbon to filter the draining water, add another layer of sphagnum moss and then your top layer of soil. Keep in mind that you need enough soil to plant your plants in so try to get at least 5 inches of any organic type dirt on top.

Plants and Decoration

The last stage to completing your terrarium is to add in some plants to make it look alive. This can be done many different ways from planting cuttings, to seeding, ordering plants from online vendors, purchasing terrarium plants from reptile shows, your local home depot store etc.  Try to use mini-plants that look as if they belong in your slice of jungle. Add some moss, dried leaves, vines, etc. This is another part where you can add as much as you want and let your own creativity be your guide!  

Our Final Product! Brand new Reptile Terrarium.

Now sit back and enjoy your complete naturalistic terrarium! Allow everything to dry for a few days before adding anything into the terrarium; this will also give you a chance to make sure you like how everything turned out. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at Chad@TikiTikiReptiles.com

View the full photo gallery for this project on Photo Bucket here.

This article is an example of how an incubator can be simply made by using an inoperable compact refrigerator. It is by no means the only method. I highly recommend using a good quality thermostat as opposed to a rheostat for your temperature controller.

I used the following to make this incubator:

• 1 Compact refrigerator.
• 1 Prewired Helix DBS1000 Proportional Thermostat, Herpstat
• Digital Proportional Thermostat (recommended) or Pre-wired Johnson Controls Thermostat, Ranco ETC-111000
• 1 Foot of 11″ Flex Watt heat tape.
• 1 Six foot cord.
• 1 Pair Flexwatt – Clip Sets for Heat Tape.
• 1 Pair of insulators.
• Electrical tape.
• Foil tape.

I began by removing the clamp holding the power cord on the back on the refrigerator.

Step One

I then cut the wires and discarded the cord as it was no longer needed.

Step Two

I have also removed the excess wiring to the compressor and internal controls to clean things up. I did not remove the compressor from the refrigerator. Cutting the lines and removing the compressor should only be done by a qualified professional who can remove the refrigerant in a safe and legal manner.

After removing the shelving for better access, I ran the wires for the heat source and temperature probe through the drain hole near the back of the refrigerator.

Step Three

Things get a little tight here, so be patient and careful not to break any wires. I put a little petroleum jelly on the wires to help them slide more easily.

I found mounting the temperature probe from the thermostat where the temperature probe from the refrigerator was originally located to be convenient for me.

Step Four

Next I connected the power cord to the flexwatt heat tape using the clips and insulators. I then covered the connections with electrical tape for added safety. The heat tape was then installed on the bottom of the compact refrigerator, beneath the crisper drawer, using foil tape.

Step Five

The wires were then taped  temporarily with electrical tape to keep them in place until I was sure I was satisfied with their routing. I have since re-taped the wires using the foil tape.

Step Six

The shelves were reinstalled at this point to  check for interference with the wires.

Step Seven

The crisper drawer was then filled with a combination of gel packs (photo 13) and water bottles.

Step Eight

By adding a fairly large volume of material directly over the heat source you help to eliminate the severity of temperature fluctuation caused by simply opening the door. It also serves to help maintain temperatures during power outages.

Plug the heat source into the temperature controller, and the controller to a convenient power outlet. Allow a minimum of forty eight hours for the temperatures to stabilize before adding eggs.

Here is a photo of the incubator in use.

Step Nine

Used compact refrigerators can be obtained fairly cheaply by looking in the classifieds of your local paper, craigslist, or freecycle.

Enjoy your new incubator.

Over the past summer I decided that I wanted to design a better enclosure for my leopard gecko, Yoshi.  I’ve always focused on providing the most natural terrarium that I could.  Aside from making the tank more eye appealing, I hope that it lessens the stress on the animal by making it feel more at home.  My main inspiration for the tank was those Exo-terra and Zoo-Med tanks that have the foam backgrounds and look natural and realistic.  I spent a while researching what the natural habitat was for leopard geckos and I decided that I would try to make my habitat resemble the sandstone mountainous region of Pakistan.

Supplies Needed:

• 1” thick pink insulating foam
• Liquid Nails for Projects
• Non-toxic latex paint
• Sandpaper, metal file, power sander
• Jigsaw, or large utility knife
• Sharpie marker
• Tape measure

I picked up all these supplies at Home Depot and had some of the stuff just lying around my house.  The total cost for this project for me was about $25.

Step One – Cutting

Measure the inside of the aquarium or tank that you are going to use.  I used a twenty-gallon aquarium because it allowed me quite a bit of room to work.  The main thing to remember is that you should make 100% sure your measurements are spot-on the first time so that you don’t end up not having enough room in your tank later.  I decided to make a foam background as well as a foam cave that would slide down in front of the background and add a 3rd dimension to my tank.  I decided that layering up the foam like a layer cake would probably be the easiest way to make a hollowed out cave area.  As you can see by the pictures, I drew out each layer that I wanted to make and made sure they would all fit on top of each other nicely.  I cut out the layers with my jigsaw although you could probably use a large utility knife.

Step Two – Gluing

Once I was sure that all the pieces would fit on top of each other and fit down in the tank I glued them together with the Liquid Nails for Projects.  It’s kind of sticky stuff to work with but it holds very tight and doesn’t eat the foam away.  Once all the layers were glued on top of each other I left them overnight with some weights on top to make sure I got a nice hard seal on the foam layers.

Step Three – Shaving and Carving

After the glue is done drying is when the fun part comes!  But a quick word of warning; this creates a huge mess so either do it outside, or have a good vacuum ready!  I had the best luck with a couple different types of metal files and sand paper.  I didn’t want the foam to look like a giant pink cake so I started carving down the layers to make them a bit more natural and weathered looking.  I used larger toothed files for removing large sections of foam and very fine-toothed files and sand paper for making it look smooth and adding that sandstone look to the foam.  This is the part where you really just need to be creative and make it look how you want it to look.  I tried to make all the hard edges a bit more rounded and tried to gouge some deep grooves into the foam to simulate fissures in the rock.

Step Four – Painting

After I cleaned up all the pink foam that had covered most of my house, I was ready to paint.  I chose two different earth tones for paint, just a dark brown and a light brown but depending on what type of habitat you’re doing the color is up to you.  I covered everything in a base coat of the darker brown paint and then let it dry.  The main purpose of the darker paint was to just cover the pink and provide a nice base for the rest of my painting.  After that coat dried I added some of the lighter paint until I was satisfied.  Again, this is a part where it’s really up to you how it looks depending on what your goals for the project are.  Once everything was painted and dried I left it outside for 3 days to dry completely and air out to get all the paint fumes out.

Step Five – Finish!

Once it was completely dry, I fit it into my aquarium, put in my substrate, and added my decorations and some big flat rocks.  I also decided to add some small potted plants of the succulent variety to the top of my cave area, which have since been taken out because they got too big.

I’ve had my leopard gecko in that set up for about 6 months and so far everything has gone perfectly fine.  The only problem with this set up is that it is somewhat hard to pick up the cave to be able to clean underneath, but so far it hasn’t been a real big issue.  My gecko really likes to be able to get to the top of the cave and get closer to my heat lamp.  She also has been occasionally spotted acting like a crested gecko and clinging to the back wall with her claws.

In today’s Do It Yourself post we have some guest authors who are going to show you how to make your own reptile Rock Wall! We have explained in detail the products you need and the steps you should take to create your very own rocky playground for your gecko.

Supplies needed:

• 1″ Styrofoam Board (Sheathing Insulation) (sold at Lowe’s, Home Depot, etc.)
• utility knife
• tape measure
• sharpie marker
• toothpicks
• joint compound (drywall mud)
• liquid nails general purpose
• 2 cans textured/stone style spray paint ( I used Rust-Oleum American Accents Stone Paint purchased at Wal-Mart)
• a can of protective sealer (don’t use a high gloss sealer)

Step #1:

Measure the inside of the aquarium you are putting the wall into. You need to measure the clearance you have at the top of your aquarium to freely place your wall into the aquarium. Give yourself about half an inch to allow for mud application. Example: If you have 9″ wide by 15″ long, then you should be building something like 8 1/2″ by 14 1/2″, leaving you room to add mud. Otherwise you will make your wall and then not be able to get it into your aquarium. Keep these measurements in mind and start building accordingly.

Step #2: Hardest Step.

You need to have a basic idea of how you want your wall to look. Using your measurements, cut out a back wall piece. Cut it to size. Start cutting away with your utility knife. Cutting, trimming, shaving, breaking pieces to suit you, small pieces, large pieces, ledges, etc., the more imperfections the more of a natural look you get. The more you connect to the back the better stability you’ll have. I used toothpicks to make a mock-up of my build so I could move things around until I got what I liked.

Step#3: Gluing a bit messy.

Use the liquid nails to glue all your pieces together. You can use the glue generously; it dries hard as rock. Make sure all the ledges you make are supported well. My long ledge has another small one directly under it for added support. Let all the glue dry over night. Once dry, put it into your aquarium to see if there is anything else you want to add or take away. It is easier to make changes before mud step.

Step #4: Apply Mud, Really Messy: Just start Applying.

There is no wrong way to do it. I used a narrow putty knife, my hands and fingers. I also used a pencil to get to the small crevices. Remember that imperfections are good. You just want to get a good coat on it. It will be thicker in some spots and thinner in others. I just made sure I had a thin layer in all spots. I didn’t put any mud on the back side or the bottom edges. Once you have good thin layer let it dry overnight.

Step #5 : Paint.

I painted the back side (no mud on it) first with regular black spray paint. I used a dark color stone paint to cover all of the rest. I then use a light color stone paint to highlight it in spots. I also used some regular black paint for some shading in spots. You can paint to suit yourself. Let it dry overnight.

Step #6: Sealer. Important.

Apply the sealer of your choice. I put 3 thin coats on, waiting about 2 hours between each coat. Apply it carefully:  the sealer I used was thin and would run easily. Sealer runs do not look good on your wall.

Step #7: Air it out.

I let mine air out about a week before putting it in the aquarium. Let it aqir out  in the sun for part of the time too.

Step #8: ENJOY!

Enjoy your finished product! If you have any tips of your own leave them in the comments below!

Today I am going to post the instructions for creating an enclosure that I made a couple of weeks ago. The basic structure of this cage cost me around $15. With cage furnishings and such, the project’s total cost was about $25. Aside from being inexpensive, the final product is very durable, versatile, and easy to clean.

For this project, my enclosure of choice was a Sterilite 50qt Ultra shelf tote with latching lid. As long as you are housing a gecko and not a snake, the lid latches tight enough that there should be no concerns about security. The only product number I managed to locate was 19378606 which seems to be for a clear container with a gray lid. The one I chose was purchased at Wal-Mart for $7 and has a clear lid. I found a great deal on amazon for a six pack here.

This nice thing about this is that any plastic container you can find with a secure lid can be turned into a home for your animal. You can even turn a long container on its side to create a very tall arboreal enclosure. You are limited only by your imagination!

Supplies Needed

Supplies required for the basic project are:

• Your plastic container of choice
• Standard window/patio screen–enough to cover the holes you make
• One 1/4″ OD quick connect hose connector (optional)

Recommended tools:

• Dremel hand tool with cutting bit and cutting disk OR any drill and a small hand saw
• Any hot glue gun

Step One: Trace to cut

The first step is marking the container for cutting. Remember the old adage–measure twice, cut once. In this case, I chose to cut a square opening in the front of the container as well as in the top. Since the container is not a perfect rectangular solid, I did the best I could to make a perfect square in the front. The best tip I can offer for doing this is to place your container on the floor upside down with the side adjecent to the one you plan to cut up against the wall. Then you can place your ruler or yard stick perpendicular to the wall and up against the cage side that you wish you cut.

Another way to do this would be to use a level to draw the horizontal lines and a carpenter’s square or another object with a hard 90 degree angle to draw the connecting vertical lines.

Step Two: Begin Cutting

Once you have the desired square drawn, begin cutting with your Dremel cutting disk or hand saw. If you are using a Dremel, I would recommend using the lowest possible speed to reduce the heat created. After you are done cutting, there will be some leftover shavings that have melted back to the original surface. These should peel off with no trouble. After peeling them off, sand the remaining surface to get a smooth, clean final product. Your finished product should look like this:

Step Three: Preparing the screen

The third step is fixing the screen. Cut a section of screen so that it extends about one inch over the hole on all sides. I would recommend gluing one of the longer sides first. A single bead of hot glue over the length of the screen should do. I chose to glue the screen on the outside, but in some cases, fixing it to the inside might be more appropriate. After you have the first side glued, glue each adjacent side while stretching the screen down with your other hand. It was impossible for me to glue and take pictures at the same time, so you’re on your own throughout the gluing. I promise it doesn’t get much easier. After you have one bead of glue on each side, run a second bead around the entire thing and then a third. At this point, you should have this (this is several steps later, but you get the idea what the screen should look like):

Step Four: Install Drain

Now that we have the screen affixed, it’s time to install a drain in the bottom. I have marked this optional because some of you may want to keep this on something other than the wire baker’s racks that I use. If that is the case, a drain in the bottom might not work so well. Also, if you don’t plan on having frequent misting or very high humidity, a drain may be entirely unnecessary. If, however, you do have a need for a drain, these are the simple steps to follow. For my drain I chose a 1/4″ outer diameter hose quick disconnect elbow, pictured here:

The first part of this step is to create a hole for the drain to go in. Since I used a Dremel, I can’t provide a drill bit size to use. Basically, just make a small hole and continue increasing its size by a LITTLE bit at a time. Make the hole just big enough to fit the drain while still small enough for the threads to catch. Remember, you can’t make the hole smaller, but you can always make it bigger. Your hole should look like this:

Screw the elbow into the hole so that it sits flush with the plastic on the inside. On the outside, it should look like this:

Then, run a bead of hot glue around the outside of the drain to seal it up:

*Note: a very similar process can be used to install misting heads where desired.

Step Five: Cutting the lid

Now we’ll work on the lid. Step five is cutting the lid. The inside of your lid should look something like this:

As you can see, the lid has a large inner ridge. It is best to preserve this ridge in order to allow the lid to remain strong. For that reason, you should make your cut just inside this ridge. A Dremel with a cutting bit makes this VERY easy, but it can also be done with a hand saw. Once again, this cut will generate some plastic shavings. As in step two, peel those off and sand the freshly cut edge to give you something like this:

Step six: Attach the screen

Attach the screen to this portion in a similar fashion to step three. The cut we made in step five left a nice ridge for us to attach the screen to. In this case, one bead of glue will suffice. Affix it tightly to the top and cut away the excess leaving something like this:

With the overall product looking like this (don’t mind the cat’s butt in the picture, he loves to show the world his good side ):

Now that we have our housing, the last step is simply furnishing the cage. If you have opted for step four and installed a drain, I would recommend filling the bottom with a layer of gravel. This allows the moisture from your substrate to drain through something so that it can collect and exit via the drain. This should give you an idea (more gravel than this is necessary, but you get the point):

After you have your layer of gravel, cover that with a layer of coco fiber and begin inserting some branches. In this case, I used branches collected from outside. It is best to treat these with bleach and then bake them in the oven at 250 degrees F for 20-30 minutes.

I later added a Mistking mist head as pictured here:

And here you can see my male U. Phantasticus sleeping happily in this enclosure:

As stated before, you are limited only by your creativity. I used a very similar procedure to create two enclosures for my juvenile R. Leachianus pair. Now that you see the basic procedure, go out and make your own set of great enclosures!