How To Build a Glass Reptile Terrarium

Рет қаралды 51,174

Күн бұрын

DIY Glass Terrarium for Reptiles. I build a DIY glass terrarium for reptiles in this video using old windows. This tutorial can be followed to create DIY glass vivariums and glass terrariums for reptiles.
CHECK OUT THE PODCAST: • Animals at Home Podcast
Check Out Custom Reptile Habitats! HERE: www.animalsathome.ca/crh
0:00 Custom Terrarium
0:22 Windows
0:52 The Plan
2:23 Glass Box
5:52 Painting Walls
8:36 Door Frame
11:05 Acrylic Door
16:04 Attach Door Frame
20:15 Add Cam Locks
21:25 Finishing Touches
22:26 FINAL PRODUCT!
CHECK OUT SOME AWESOME PICTURES OF MY BRAZILIAN RAINBOW BOA HERE: www.animalsathome.ca/custom-te...
Click the link above to also view my "Pros and Cons of a Glass Terrarium" video.
Looking to create and build custom terrariums from home? Hopefully, this video can point you in the right direction! This process would also work if you are looking to convert an aquarium into a snake cage.
BUY A SHIRT ($5 per shirt sold is donated to ARC): www.animalsathome.ca/store/
DONATE TO AMAZON RAINFOREST CONSERVANCY (ARC): amazonrainforestconservancy.com/
FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK: / animalsathome.ca
BELOW ARE MY AMAZON AFFILIATE LINKS. More information here: www.animalsathome.ca/affiliat...
SUPPLIES USED:
GE Silisone I: amzn.to/2yHzsd5
Glass Cutter: amzn.to/2yGPHXG
Mineral Oil: amzn.to/2hAGvkB
Painters Tape: amzn.to/2zZYSH7
Foam Roller: amzn.to/2z47IUl
Black Acrylic Paint: amzn.to/2hD5S58
Black Latex Paint: amzn.to/2hChVQ7
Minwax Polyurethane: amzn.to/2zHrLqz
Black Spray Paint: amzn.to/2A0XrZ7
No More Nails: amzn.to/2iko68R
Cam Lock: amzn.to/2hBdxRl
Storm Door Panel Clips: amzn.to/2jwM2cA
Head Light Buff Kit (for polishing acrylic door, come with Plastx): amzn.to/2zGFDBu
EQUIPMENT:
Camera: amzn.to/2D8Ed0w
Microphone: amzn.to/2oPjpac
Action Camera: amzn.to/2HeDug
ABOUT DILLON:
Welcome to Animals at Home! My name is Dillon and I am the creator of most of the content found on this site. I have been in the reptile hobby for over a decade. I have been passionate about animals as far back as I can remember. My goal with the content I produce is the following:
Encourage hobbyists to participate in conservation efforts by way of providing interesting content about animals in the wild.
Educate the younger generation of young pet hobbyists and help inspire a future role as a researcher or conservationist.
Entertain! I.e. provide interesting content for those who just want to learn more about the creatures we share the Earth with!
DISCLAIMER:
Try this at your own risk! I take full responsibility for the safety of this setup for myself, but cannot recommend anyone copy what I have done unless you are willing to do the same.

Пікірлер: 144

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 4 жыл бұрын

If you are looking for the *RED PILL* of the *Reptile Industry* then *START HERE:* kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fJeBi9KEv8eZcas.html *PREPARE FOR A PERSPECTIVE SHIFT*

@gzusrlz10 4 жыл бұрын

Instead of drilling the acrylic, you could use a soldering iron to melt through.

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 4 жыл бұрын

Good tip!

@TwoWitchyMoons 5 жыл бұрын

The second I heard you say pro-cess instead of pronouncing it praw-cess my mind went "Heyyyy! He's Canadian!" and I smiled super big. I'm planning a trip to visit a friend jut outside of Toronto in a couple of months, I can't wait!

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 5 жыл бұрын

Haha yep, definitely Canadian! I didn’t even realize “pro-cess” was a Canadian thing.... but now that you say it you’re right, it is! Haha

@TwoWitchyMoons 5 жыл бұрын

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast I didn't either until I made a few friends up there and started watching a couple of other Canadian youtubers and now I can catch the accent from just a few words that are pronounced different lol. I think the only other time I've heard it pronounced "pro-cess" is once in a while from someone in Wisconsin or Maine, but those are on the CAN border so not really surprising. Just watched the video where you move your boa into the enclosure, it came out really amazing in the end. Fantastic job! I'm doing a beardie enclosure and doing an old, refinished window for the dropdown door (which is what brought me to your video in the first place. Thanks for the inspiration and ideas for a future video!

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 5 жыл бұрын

Haha yep we definitely say a few things differently 😂 thanks for watching, glad it gave you a few ideas to work with!

@yardenohanona5417 6 жыл бұрын

Amazing:)) can't wait for the next video

@kameronterrell771 5 жыл бұрын

I probably should have watched this video before asking questions haha. I never thought to drill and use bolds to attach the hardware! super helpful video great stuff man. Keep the videos coming!

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 5 жыл бұрын

Perfect! I am glad this helped! 👍🏼

@Skylrrider 6 жыл бұрын

Wow skills!!!

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@jasonjones4036 3 жыл бұрын

Amazing attention to detail

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Jason!

@matthewsbertoli570 3 жыл бұрын

Very nice! You put a lot of work into that and it looks great!

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, Matthew! Is enclosure has since been re-purposed and is now a arboreal/vertical enclosure for my carpet python. You can find that video on my channel as well

@robr471 Жыл бұрын

Well done, looks fantastic!

@AnimalsatHomePodcast Жыл бұрын

Thank you , Rob!

@esme6299 5 жыл бұрын

this was so awesome i might try this

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@andywatkins4991 6 жыл бұрын

nicely done!!

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot!

@lane8932 6 жыл бұрын

Great job man

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you, appreciate it!

@actualark 6 жыл бұрын

"I have no professional skills" that's a lie, you're so talented at making these things

@mattburns4859 5 жыл бұрын

actual ARK It's not rocket science it's ingenuity and this guys got a lot of it. His videos are awesome

@kylewashington3106 6 жыл бұрын

Nice work dude.

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot! Happy with it myself!

@reptile5612 5 жыл бұрын

Awesome video!!!! Beautiful cage!!!

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you!!

@otherallies 8 ай бұрын

Good work!

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 8 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@luisbustamante7994 3 жыл бұрын

Impressive!

@robbevanthillo2966 6 жыл бұрын

you make very nice content! keep up with the good stuff, I am very surprised you only have so few views !

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I appreciate that! Hopefully the view count will grow over time :)

@harryme472 3 жыл бұрын

That is a very good effort , especially if you have not done this ( with these materials ) before. Good job.

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! It has since been repurposed: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/irp3Y5uKntimpYk.html

@alanrobisonPD1960 2 жыл бұрын

It looks great, thanks for sharing the build. My only suggestion is with the hinges, you can use rubber washers that helps absorb the force in the acrylic when you crank and tighten down the nuts and bolts. Hope this helps you some, I really did enjoy them post, looking forward to seeing the rainbow boa. Greetings from Riverside in Southern California.

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tip, Alan! Glad you enjoyed the video. I have moved the rainbow boa to a slightly larger enclosure now, the enclosure in this video is now occupied by a jungle carpet python. You can find those videos on the channel as well. Cheers!

@LuisPonceB 6 жыл бұрын

Dude, great project. I’m figuring it out what can I do for my next ball python. Your video was helpful. Thanks.

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 6 жыл бұрын

Awesome, glad I could help!

@KarnatakaAquarium 5 жыл бұрын

Super

@Trellemania 6 жыл бұрын

Thats pretty epic

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@fernandoaries9817 6 жыл бұрын

🌟FANTASTIC🌟🦎

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you, happy you enjoyed it!

@baja1980s 4 жыл бұрын

Great video, great job man on the enclosure... just an advice, the piece of 3/4 wood that the door hinges are fastened to I would cut and glue a piece of foam on the edge of the wood on the inside all along the edge due to it can be a sharp edge and your boa, snakes like to rub there nose against stuff so the foam will serve as a form of protection

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching, Henry! And thanks for the suggestion, that’s a great idea!

@KarnatakaAquarium 5 жыл бұрын

Nice tank

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@dougalwhi8888 6 жыл бұрын

Top tip for tall Viv's, shower doors! I've done my Chinese water dragon with it on a wardrobe.

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 6 жыл бұрын

Nice idea!! That would work great!

@turbomasterful 5 жыл бұрын

That'd make a wicked awesome coffee table

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 5 жыл бұрын

Haha ya totally!

@mattwall518 4 жыл бұрын

Good job. just curious how you ventilated the enclosure and how did you get all your wires in there? Did you drill holes in the glass?

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I cover ventilation and heating in the next video: Brazilian Rainbow Boa Enclosure kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qd2IbMSdmNLGnYU.html

@bluedeval03 5 жыл бұрын

I spray paint mine black. Many light coats let it tack in between spraying. First I use blue painters tape to keep overspray to a minimum on the sides, and I use saran wrap to keep the paint from getting inside

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 5 жыл бұрын

That’s a great tip, spray definitely would have been easier!

@Agenda18 6 жыл бұрын

Black vinyl works well, too! Nice work!!!!

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 6 жыл бұрын

Interesting... do you mean black vinyl for the flooring or the structure itself?

@Agenda18 6 жыл бұрын

HEY...no black vinyl wrap...like cars. We use to do it for aquariums...years ago. Instead of paint... ;)

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 6 жыл бұрын

Oh that makes more sense! Cool... that may have been quicker. So many coats of paint haha

@Agenda18 6 жыл бұрын

Give it a shot next time. Also, you are so good at making these, you may want to try solvent welding acrylic. As long as your edges are flush it is easy. One more thing...check out European Vivariums, you would be great at making them. AND if you have a scrap piece of wood, it's easier to drill the acrylic with the wood directly underneath the acrylic...just drill a bit into the wood. Watch, it makes it easier. ANYWAY...you're awesome!!!!

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 6 жыл бұрын

I’ve seen aquarium people using acrylic, definitely looks like something I would try! And I’ll give the wood trick a try next time as well. Thanks for the tips and the support, I appreciate it! One day I’ll try a European viv too, I’d love to make one of those!

@hi_tech_reptiles 2 жыл бұрын

An easier way to black out the sides would be black glass cling or even spray enamel. 5 coats each side is... A lot lol. Looks great tho! I'm a melamine MDF enclosure advocate for cost and humidity reasons (the melamine, especially when sealed with silicone, keeps in heat and humidity depending on design/thickness)

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 2 жыл бұрын

😂😂 yeah five coats was about four coats too many

@xc1971pp 3 жыл бұрын

Nice job! But I still can't believe you, actually, painted the whole carpet in black acrylic!... 😄

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 3 жыл бұрын

😂😂 okay... maybe that was a lie!

@xc1971pp 3 жыл бұрын

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast 😆😆😆😆😆 Shame on you for making us believe in you!

@itseasybeezy 5 жыл бұрын

You can use black foam board instead of paint. It will also insulate. What I didn’t like when I blacked out my tank was the reflection it causes inside the tank. I felt it would cause stress so I removed it

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 5 жыл бұрын

Hmm yes very good point, I really don’t like the reflection either! Good idea 👌🏼

@itseasybeezy 5 жыл бұрын

Animals at Home enjoyed watching the process! Reminds me of all my projects. So it’s good to see other ideas and processes floating around. My boa is getting a melamine/acrylic enclosure next up.

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 5 жыл бұрын

Awesome! Ya if you like working with your hands... building enclosures is a great time!

@twinboosted0318 4 жыл бұрын

I’m building a snake cage for a BRB out of melamine. The dimensions will be 4‘ x 2‘ x 18“ high if I place heat tape in the melamine area and also put plexiglass to cover it so it doesn’t get condensation or any moisture in it on the hot side do you think that the ambient air temp on the hot side will reach 85° along with that do you think the cold side would reach 75° I will be using 1/3 of the cage with heat tape.

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 4 жыл бұрын

I would just put the heat tape directly underneath the melamine, many people don’t think that heat tape can heat through melamine/wood but it does. This would be safer than having it inside the enclosure (even if you cover it with plexiglass, it’s safer to have the heat mat out of the enclosure). Likely the heat tape alone will not allow you to achieve proper ambience on both the warm and cold side. I would look into adding a halogen bulb for daytime temperatures. If you’re interested in learning about heating/reptiles I would check out episode number 29, 50 and 55 of my podcast as we go into it in detail

@Pigeonforce29 5 жыл бұрын

I wonder I’d a vinyl wrap would work on your next build since it’s used on vehicles and seems to resist wear and tear on road would it not have heat resistance and possibly keep humidity very well

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 5 жыл бұрын

That was actually suggested below in the comments as well, I think you guys are right, it would work just as well and be WAY easier to apply!

@thedevilsreject23 2 жыл бұрын

It wouldn’t be heat resistant as they use heat to apply it in the first place 🤔

@johnnieyarn3740 3 жыл бұрын

Wonder if you could use acrylic walls instead of glass

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 3 жыл бұрын

Good question... I assume you could. Would probably be much lighter and easier to drill ventilation

@6strings735 4 жыл бұрын

Well done! I did a similar thing on a small scale with a 10 gal tank. I flipped it on its side. I used 1/4 inch closed-cell PVC to make a door frame with hinged door and used silicon to adhere it to the plastic rim of the aquarium. The baby snake outgrew it too soon, but still fun.

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 4 жыл бұрын

Awesome! Yeah half the fun is getting to building closure!

@zyncarla 2 жыл бұрын

Is there air flow? And is it tempered glass? Not sure about rainbows but I’ve seen red tails break non tempered class. Looks great through

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Yes, I did drill holes for vents but no longer use it for the rainbow. It houses a small carpet python now. I also added a screen top for more ventilation. If you search "animals at home arboreal enclosure", you should be able to find the video

@omegaturtlerock 6 жыл бұрын

Very nice but what about ventilation?

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 6 жыл бұрын

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qd2IbMSdmNLGnYU.html I add ventilation here!

@WxkR 5 жыл бұрын

Superb! I’d pay you for a smaller version (with more vents) for a leopard gecko.

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Ya vents are definitely a challenge with an all glass enclosure like this one

@WxkR 5 жыл бұрын

Definitely. What I’ve seen in some glass terrariums is the top made with two separate pieces of glass and stripe of mesh covering the gap.

@Blackmetalwerewolf626 5 жыл бұрын

Nice bro can i hire you to make my boa one

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 5 жыл бұрын

Haha thanks man 😄. You can make one I bet! It’s easier than it looks

@twinboosted0318 4 жыл бұрын

What kind of wood did you use

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 4 жыл бұрын

I used oak!

@KurNorock 4 жыл бұрын

Just curious how you are going to get any heat and UV in there.

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 4 жыл бұрын

This enclosure has changed slightly but here is a video of me adding heat: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/otV2gKhjm5-RgGw.html As of yet, no UV which I regret! Going to try and problem solve that soon!

@silencingmachine2671 4 жыл бұрын

Why didnt you use black silicone when you planed on ruing the glass by painting it?

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 4 жыл бұрын

I’m not certain I was even aware of black silicone when I did this build. However, the silicone is not visible anyway due to the paint, as you pointed out.

@rangovanlife 9 ай бұрын

👋🏽 May I ask, is this a terrarium for the boa to live in or just for other purposes? In my country the law ask us to have a tank the same length as the snake is, 75% body lengh for the height and 50% deep.

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 9 ай бұрын

This was a sub adult enclosure for this animal. Over her life, she was upgraded twice, and now is in a larger enclosure. If you take a look at some of the most recent videos on my channel, you can see them.

@rangovanlife 9 ай бұрын

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast So the law is the same as ours for the enclosure? We have the Veterinarian office who comes every 2 years for a control. I have to upgrade some too.

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 9 ай бұрын

No, we don’t have any laws in my country. I am in Canada. However, I just like to have my animals in large enclosures.

@2078smith 6 жыл бұрын

How thick is each glass piece.

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 6 жыл бұрын

Good question! 5mm

@miyukiwynter885 5 жыл бұрын

As an art major, whenever I see people going to paint their tanks black and they hold up Liquitex Basics paint (which is a lot of people so far) I cry a little bit because it's such a translucent paint with not a lot of pigment I can imagine it being a nightmare to get it to cover on a glass surface!

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 5 жыл бұрын

Haha YES! It was horrible. Can you recommend a better product? I would love to know!!

@miyukiwynter885 5 жыл бұрын

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast I haven't painted glass with it but Golden Acrylics are more pigmented and heavier so they offer better coverage. Again I don't know about on glass but they're really nice paints.

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 5 жыл бұрын

Very good to know, thank you!

@leomadleomad8957 6 жыл бұрын

Lol this is exactly what I want to do for my HSC 😂 Thank you ❤️❤️ Only difference is that I'm going to use wood (I have a gecko ) 😂👍

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 6 жыл бұрын

Happy to help! 😊

@chantellesiequien161 3 жыл бұрын

How do I drill into the plastic without cracking it?

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 3 жыл бұрын

Start with a small bit and work your way up to the size you need.

@chantellesiequien161 3 жыл бұрын

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast Okay because I've already cracked two pieces 😂

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 3 жыл бұрын

Ah damn lol! Yeah you need to start with a really small bit, or use a step bit. Feel free to DM me on Instagram if you need some advice, sometimes KZfaq comments get lost!

@jayvee5886 4 жыл бұрын

Flat Black vinyl would have been easier and better and the outside.

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 4 жыл бұрын

You are not wrong there haha!

@jayvee5886 4 жыл бұрын

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast HA! Still, came out real nice!

@Rhacadactolus 5 жыл бұрын

200th!

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you! 😃

@brunomina51 6 жыл бұрын

how do you going do do the wiring? its all glass?!!

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 6 жыл бұрын

I will be posting a video of the set up in the next few weeks so you'll be able to see! But the heat is going underneath the enclosure, so no need to have any wiring on the inside

@saddan0227 6 жыл бұрын

What about a thermostat?

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 6 жыл бұрын

I never put the thermostat probe directly into any enclosure... too many variables (can get wet, snake can move it, etc.). The probe will go between the heat tape and the bottom of the enclosure. If you watch my Brazilian Rainbow Boa Cage Setup you can see how I do it!

@saddan0227 6 жыл бұрын

Also when you made the enclosure intead of buying the acrylic you could have used another glass panel. But instead of screwing on the hinges you would silicone them on. Just a tip for a future build. Also your boa looks very healthy.

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 6 жыл бұрын

Interesting! I hadn't thought of that, thanks for the tip! Ya she is going great so far

@caldoesstuff7290 4 жыл бұрын

Thought that was a microwave in the thumbnail 😂😂

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 4 жыл бұрын

🤣😂 not quite!

@WhoTheHellIsHarvy 4 жыл бұрын

I'm guessing 8 Exoterra employees working on commission disliked haha

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 4 жыл бұрын

😂😂 you might be right...

@salafismyway2012 5 жыл бұрын

lol rip ventilation

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 5 жыл бұрын

For a rainbow boa you need to ‘rip’ ventilation, especially in my climate. Plus the door is far from air tight and I add vent holes in the next video before I add the animal.

@tatipopo9651 5 жыл бұрын

HELLO you say that your terrarium is made with old windows, but in fact you use plexiglass

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 5 жыл бұрын

Nope, the front panel (I.e the door) is acrylic. But the walls, floor and ceiling are all old, glass windows. Just curious- What makes you think I used plexiglass?

@JJ-mz9hl 5 жыл бұрын

Why TF do you use glass if you just paint over it???

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 5 жыл бұрын

Brazilian rainbow boas like it dark!

@blackholereptiles4007 4 жыл бұрын

supposed to use tempered glass 1 of my reticulated python bursted one of my cages out with regular Windows quarter inch unless the glass is tempered people do not do this and also how you going to get a heat panel in there and a thermostat probe and there's no ventilation I give this one double thumbs down please tell me you did not put a snake in there I am a snake breeder it is creative but you know nothing about snakes that is not suitable for it

@AnimalsatHomePodcast 4 жыл бұрын

Good feedback. I have a juvenile carpet python in it (less than 150g), not concerned about it breaking the glass. I do use tempered for the sliding doors on my boa enclosure though, I agree, shattered glass is a real danger with large snakes. I cover heating/ventilation of this particular in other videos. If you’re a reptile breeder, I recommend checking out The Animals at Home Podcast, I think you’d enjoy it 👍🏼

@blackholereptiles4007 4 жыл бұрын

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast Respect that's awesome you have a lot more going on than I thought. When I seen your glass cage mine was just a glass front gave me flashbacks my snake ended up with stitches because of it it broke and then just shattered down on top of the snake you live and learn that was years a go when I first started I was so eager to put it in anyting