fuzzylogix
Carpe Diem
- Messages
- 2,115
- Location
- Dallas, TX
ok so this took about 4 days and lots of beer, but here is my new tokay enclosure. lots of pics so follow along...
Hefty tub
hefty tub filled with "Great Stuff" - note, don't do this. waste of time and money
looks great right? well when the foam cures, it actually compresses. leaves a huge gap on the sides and back. trial and error...
3" PVC elbo cut in half - painted and dusted with peat moss - these will be used later
PVC elbows flipped over and covered with expandable foam
PVC painted and dusted with peat moss - only used one for this build. other will go in crestie enclosure
lid of tub cut in half and with "windows" cut out. showing placement of some hinges
hinges attached by screws and sealed with hot glue
back of lid showing placement of hardware cloth - hotglue used to adhere wire to back of lid
wooden dowel
painted wooden dowel
wooden dowels dusted with peat moss while paint still wet
ventilation holes on both sides using soldering iron
larger holes created with soldering iron for wooden dowels. sealed with hot glue after put in place
placement of textured wooden dowels
and this is where it went south. the expandable foam on the back actually compressed when it cured. i filled in the gaps with more foam, with the same results. i didn't want to risk the geckos or feeders getting behind the foam, so i scrapped it and started over. i decided to use the T-rex hermit crab climbing background and used a spray adhesive to affix to the back and bottom. I then used black silicone sealant to fill any gaps and pressed sphagnum moss into it to hide the black. the results were much better and below shows the last few steps and completion.
here is the background and flooring that i affixed to the tub using adhesive...it is naturally woven coco fiber
closeup of the background and moss pressed into silicone
back of tub showing background and where caulk was used
after adding vines, silk plants, driftwood, and PVC hide
side of tub showing PVC hide and silicone seal
water fountain made from painters cup, submersible pump, and river stones
with lid on
in it's place...
ready for evil...
"Harpy" went relatively peacefully...
"Succubus" not so much...
and there you go. if you have any questions, please let me know. no fingers were seriously harmed in the making of this enclosure. although Succubus was trying really hard...
Hefty tub
hefty tub filled with "Great Stuff" - note, don't do this. waste of time and money
looks great right? well when the foam cures, it actually compresses. leaves a huge gap on the sides and back. trial and error...
3" PVC elbo cut in half - painted and dusted with peat moss - these will be used later
PVC elbows flipped over and covered with expandable foam
PVC painted and dusted with peat moss - only used one for this build. other will go in crestie enclosure
lid of tub cut in half and with "windows" cut out. showing placement of some hinges
hinges attached by screws and sealed with hot glue
back of lid showing placement of hardware cloth - hotglue used to adhere wire to back of lid
wooden dowel
painted wooden dowel
wooden dowels dusted with peat moss while paint still wet
ventilation holes on both sides using soldering iron
larger holes created with soldering iron for wooden dowels. sealed with hot glue after put in place
placement of textured wooden dowels
and this is where it went south. the expandable foam on the back actually compressed when it cured. i filled in the gaps with more foam, with the same results. i didn't want to risk the geckos or feeders getting behind the foam, so i scrapped it and started over. i decided to use the T-rex hermit crab climbing background and used a spray adhesive to affix to the back and bottom. I then used black silicone sealant to fill any gaps and pressed sphagnum moss into it to hide the black. the results were much better and below shows the last few steps and completion.
here is the background and flooring that i affixed to the tub using adhesive...it is naturally woven coco fiber
closeup of the background and moss pressed into silicone
back of tub showing background and where caulk was used
after adding vines, silk plants, driftwood, and PVC hide
side of tub showing PVC hide and silicone seal
water fountain made from painters cup, submersible pump, and river stones
with lid on
in it's place...
ready for evil...
"Harpy" went relatively peacefully...
"Succubus" not so much...
and there you go. if you have any questions, please let me know. no fingers were seriously harmed in the making of this enclosure. although Succubus was trying really hard...
