Question on building viv

[dragongirl95]

Hey guys
so i decide that im gonna build vivs for my guys Its gonna be a 2 in one and then a 3 in one as in 3 vivs all stuck together. What glue is safe to use? Is a 4ft long 2ft wide and 1 1/2 ft tall tall enough for each viv the heat lamps would be recessed into the top of each viv and the uvb hanging from ceiling. And what do you think about makeing the back panel from a decortive Plexiglas which is 1 and a half inch thick with twigs or vines in the middle mostly just for looks . Also what would be best flooring a wood with a light grout layer on it to make it slighty rough to help with nails or tile with a light grout layer?

 

[jarich]

Wow, one and a half inch thick plexi is a lot! Thats going to be really heavy for you. I would think you could go with half that thickness and still be ok as long as its braced every two feet or so. Plexi doesnt hold up that well to heat and scratching though, is there a particular reason you wanted to use that specifically?

As for the dimensions, that seems reasonable. Id normally recommend a little higher, as these lizards are semi arboreal and love to climb. However, given that you seem to have a number of them, sometimes practicality wins out. As for the floor, since its going to be made of wood, youre going to have to seal it somehow anyway. I think most of us use a polyurethane or epoxy to seal the wood first and then put whatever you want over that for the substrate. Sometimes the tiles crack or the grout cracks, so it can get water sitting down in it rotting the wood if its not sealed on its own. Itll also help with the smell if the wood is sealed first.

 

[dragongirl95]

The reason im doing 1 and a half ft tall is a combo of reasons since 1) Most of my beardies are in the older lazier stage lol and 2 my ceiling is only about 6 and a half ft approx from my floor. The plexi is a very durable one. But i can use polyurethane or epoxy to glue the sides together?

 

[lynchy217]

If you're planning to make the tanks out of plexi, you can use acrylic welding to stick them together.It's essentially an acid that melts the plastics together. It takes 24 hours(very conservative estimate) to set, but after that it is perfectly safe.

 

[dragongirl95]

Only the back panel and the doors will be made from plexi The rest of the cage will be good wood

 

[jarich]

The reason im doing 1 and a half ft tall is a combo of reasons since 1) Most of my beardies are in the older lazier stage lol and 2 my ceiling is only about 6 and a half ft approx from my floor. The plexi is a very durable one. But i can use polyurethane or epoxy to glue the sides together?

Sorry, no the polyurethane or epoxy resin is to seal the wood from moisture. I would recommend using screws to secure the panels to a frame during construction.