You've really outdone yourself here! I am so impressed and so inspired!!! I seriously feel like you are on a whole other level than the rest of the "Pet Tube" community. I am so grateful that you've created this platform that gives voice to experts and experienced reptile keepers who strive to improve their animal care. So many of the people you've interviewed for the podcast don't necessarily have a CZcams platform or podcast or anything of their own - they've just been improving their reptile husbandry for the sake of the animals. I've been catching up on your podcasts the past few days, and I am so grateful that you've created this free archive of expert knowledge. This build really embodies all of the knowledge you've collected. You're like the magpie of reptile knowledge, and I'm loving every bit of it! I don't even have a pet snake yet, but I know that, thanks to your efforts, my reptile husbandry standards and expectations are going to be on a whole other level than the typical beginner. Thank you so much for all that you do!
THANK YOU, Cary! Those are some very kind words :) I am so grateful to have such thoughtful viewers! Thank you for continuing to support the channel/content, it means so much to me :)
You have done a lot of work to create the enclosure - highly commendable! It will be interesting to see whether she uses the pond, and if so, how often. I reckon the humidity in the Brazilian rain forest is close to 100 percent even during the day: check out Dav Kaufman's video which he made in their natural habitat - though she'll be fine, as you've given her a humid hide, and, and, as we know, b.r.b.s almost always uses hides during the day.
Thanks, John! I will keep everyone posted as the enclosure matures. Yeah, I may still have to tinker with the RH (especially as we go through the winter) but like you said, the humid hide is key. It's a tough balance between fresh air and humidity air!
@Animals at Home Oh, it's awesome! If I may say I love the vibe as well. It's refreshing with all the hate in America right now. All that aside, you've helped me a ton today. I started just looking for tips on temps, and boy, now I got a bunch more than that. I've always thought I was good, but I forgot the best part. I cam Always do better
Solid work, Dillon! Also, I like that you already think ahead. My enclosures can't be big enough either. Ironically all my critters still like to cram themselves into the tiniest spaces. Still, I prefer for them to have the option to expand at least, which they do use from time to time...
Thank you, Oliver! Ha ha it’s true… They do love to be crammed into small spaces😂 But as you say, it’s great to give them the option to stretch out and roam around
Thank you, Karen! Glad you enjoyed the video. If you get a chance, I recommend checking out the podcast as well. You will likely find it quite helpful 🙂
Wow this was super helpful. Even more helpful than how-to videos by showing so much and linking so much. Thank you for also showing some set backs you had!!
Hey Dillon I love this video I particularly liked the warm hide idea and decided to build one for my Female Suriname Red Tail Boa and I can’t thank you enough for making this video as the temperature is absolutely stable with her basking spot sitting at the spot on temp. Also making the rest of the enclosure stable as I was having a problem keeping the heat up before I built it. So thank you once again 👍
I love all. The different features you've applied here and will probably use them in my tree monitor enclosures. Excellent video and very informative, it gave me a lot of creative ideas for me to proceed. Thank you
Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed it. If you get a chance, you’ll have to check out the podcast as well. I think you’ll like it! (You can find it on this channel, or any podcasting app, new episode is due to drop in less than an hour!)
The basking platform with the hole for the heat probe is awesome. I had an idea for that but could not come up with a suitable material. Sand and glue, geez, perfect.
Awesome video, some great ideas, agree about the 16 inch height situation, will look to build something more bespoke in the coming year, beautiful Rainbow Boa as well.
Thank you very much for watching! Yeah 16 inches is just so annoying 😂 she’s in a 3 foot tall enclosure now… I will be doing a video on it later this fall
Thank you so much for watching the video! I hope you get a chance to check out episodes of the podcast as well, I have a feeling you’ll enjoy those too 🙂
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast I've watched almost all of the episodes! They're a fantastic resource and I look forward to each one that comes out. I want the ethos of Advancing Herpetological Husbandry to spread to every corner of the reptile hobby, and the podcast has been a great way to introduce people to some of the ideas. :)
Hi mate Olly here, Love your points about working with what you have to improve your husbandry. I’ve just added a drainage layer to my crested gecko and green mountain dragon setups to help with live plant growth.
You said dimensions and I was like SWEET! Then you said Brazilian Rainbow Bow and I was like...nooooooo. Then you said you wanted to upgrade and I was like YAAASSSSSSSS
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast hahaha for sure! It was a good one though. You seemed to be reading my mind through the whole video, summed up in the end when you said you really liked the individual elements but they took up too much space. I feel that! Thats always my problem too!
Thanks for watching! And yeah exactly, that’s were a very large enclosure will come into play. I have a few ideas I’m toying with, I’m moving into a bigger space later this summer so hopefully after that I can work on something bigger/better 👌🏼
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast totally! And seeing what you're able to do, and drawing from current experience with that same scenario... its a slippery slope af. Hahaha can't wait to see what you do!
I just ran across this video and I've got to say that the whole water system is amazing! The feature itself is beautiful but the technical part takes it to a whole different level. The sand and glue look like an interesting medium, I may try it for a project. Thanks for the inspiration and your rainbow boa is beautiful.
I do find snakes a bit scary, but if I ever get over my fear a Brazilian rainbow boa would be the snake I would like to keep! They are absolutely gorgeous 😍
Certainly Next Level stuff here. Some great features that, even though I'm not at the point to incorporate all of them in one enclosure, it gives me ideas to improve my existing set-ups (as always). If the female gets too big, I guess you'll have to get a young male to throw in there and get an 8' set up for your girl. Great stuff!
Thank you for watching, Joe! Yep that’s what I’m thinking as well… This animal was actually supposed to be a male, but after I bought it turned out to be a female 😂
This is so cool it's ridiculous, this gives me so many ideas for the snakes I am hopefully getting next year. I'm looking at Lake Cuitzeo Garters and being semi aquatic snakes they love swimming and I think the pond idea would work so well for them. Plus it's a lot more achievable for me to do something like this than a paludarium type setup as I have no experience with aquariums etc.
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast I meant pond instead of probe lmfaoo but I saw in the next video you said maybe a canister filter would be better, do you know around how often a canister filter should have a water change ?
😂 that’s funny, because probe actually made sense as well. I think doing a partial water change once a week would be good, but you probably wouldn’t have to open up the cannister and rinse out the sponges they often. Maybe once a month (Or if the snake produces waste into the pond)
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast thank you !! And wait maybe I also meant probe because I was excited about that too. Do you have any social media contacts ? Like a public fb page or something ? It’s going to take me a few months (mostly because of money lol) once it’s all finished and I’d love to show you the finished outcome when I’m all done. Probably won’t be finished until estimating December.
Greetings from South Korea! Nicely done. Looking forward to the update, and your thoughts on what you'd do differently after seeing it in use for a few months.
An absolute great enclosure! I only have a Rosy Boa and later on I wanna adopt some other snakes, including a BRB. The DIY pond has been a dream of mine for really any reptile enclosure. Seems like a lot of work and understanding the set up behind the installation. Maybe someday I'll reach that far in creativity lol. Good video!
I use air humidifier (the one for humans, just plased it in on top of terrarium on the ventilation), my bci really liked it, now he spends much more time under heating lump and outside of his hide =) Later I'm planning to make a pond, but with waterfall and, maybe, a filter, because I won't be able to replace water easily your way, since in Russia water from water tap isn't drinkable. But as temporarily solution humidifier really works and easy to use. Anyway, thanks a lot for your tips and ideas, this enclosure looks great, your animals are lucky to have you as their owner =)
I have a air humidifier in the room as well, they help a ton! Thanks for watching the video and good luck with your pond & waterfall, that sounds amazing!
Good job,so the pond is also her drinking water source I gather. Do you find changing the pond water every 3 days or so is adequate for drinking? I ask as I am planning a bioactive build for brb with water feature and was wondering about drinking water quality
Thanks, Gord. Yep the pond is an area for her to soak and for her drinking water. Changing the water every few days has worked very well. The water qualify stays fresh. I clean both the pond and reservoir about once a month (I.e. empty out all the water and scrub)
It looks awesome man! I really like the pond setup and design. Im curious if you noticed any odor from the sand and glue slab after being under the halogen for a bit. I know the pva is supposed to be non-toxic but I've always been a bit leary of leaving it under a heat lamp like that.
Thanks man! So far I haven't had an issues with odors or fumes. I know Roman (who I got the idea from) has used these slabs for years without issue (czcams.com/video/4lu8S68CyWE/video.html)
Thank you for watching! Unfortunately I don’t build cages to sell. Plus I live in Canada so shipping would be outrageous haha! I do recommend check out my channel sponsor though. Custom reptile habitats, link is in the description!
Very informative, and glad you dropped the music at the start, which IMO was a distraction over what you were saying. I take it you want to extract the air from the enclosure into the room, rather than have the fan pull air into the enclosure? If not then reverse the fan. The label on the fan identifies the direction the air flows. My only other concern would be filtration. I would add a small internal filter in the "sump" just to aid with any bacterial build up, especially as she will probably toilet in the pond as most boa's tend to to given the chance.
Thanks for watching (and for the feedback re: the music, glad I didn't use music for most of the video!). I actually want to the fan to blow air into the enclosure, I was looking to potentially create a "wind" like effect for enrichment sake... it will be easier to accomplish in the summer when the relative humidity in my home is higher. Good advice on the filter, I think that's a great idea and wouldn't be difficult to add
A lot of great stuff in this build. I keep rainbow boas and although I think for experienced keepers, a lot of rules are meant to be broken, I can’t say I agree with using the halogen bulb. I’m well aware of the increased bioavailability of a halogen bulb as opposed to radiant heat panels, but I just can’t justify the heat loss. These animals are nocturnal, and are likely absorbing residual heat, not directly basking in top of rocks in the rainforest during the day. The ventilation required to allow the heat bulb in eliminates the proper humidity. After a meal your snake will want to be on the warm side, and will have to sacrifice humidity for warmth. Also, how are you maintaining nighttime temperature? I understand that slab will hold a lot of heat, but does it remain in the low 80s throughout the night without the bulb turning on? I particularly liked the design of the water feature and hides. Having ventilation for a few moments at night seems pretty advantageous. I might consider using an aquarium filter for that water. Very interesting. Good job. I still think you should have higher humidity during the day. Perhaps a misting setup to spray the warm side every few hours would work as the halogen burns it off and lets it evaporate into the air.
Thank you for watching! Yes, I'm certainly going to have to play around with the humidity on the warm side, although I'm not having an issue maintaining humidity _in_ the warm hide as I have it filled with sphagnum moss as well. It is mainly the surrounding area that is drier than I would like. I may have to play around with increase the ambient humidity of my room (I have a large swamp cooler that does the trick) or use a daily mist as you suggest. And I actually don't have night heat for any of my reptiles in this room, I let the room drop to 23-24°C through the night which is in line with the lows in the wild (here's the location I pulled data from for my BRB: en.climate-data.org/south-america/brazil/amazonas/manaus-1882/). Having said that I still have the option of sliding a heat mat under the enclosure underneath the warm hide... this is something I might consider now that you have me thinking about it! I've done something similar with my JCP (it comes on in the late afternoon and turns off the early morning (2 AM ish), czcams.com/video/fYBPrtIjdwA/video.html), I might do something similar with this enclosure. Thank you again for watching and providing great suggestions!
Hey I have a question, so the arcadia and the halogen bulb are your only sources of heat and light (other than the leds) right? So how do you keep temps up during night when the lights are off? Love the enclosure.
I’ve added a heat mat on the warm side that turns off at 2 AM. So there’s a short period during the night where there’s absolutely no heat. I keep the entire room at above 23°C so the temperatures never drop below that. If you watch my room tour I posted in December I explain that in a little more detail 👌🏼
Thanks for watching! I hadn't thought of that, however, I think since I change the water out so frequently it probably wouldn't play a huge role in keeping the water clean.
Hey, question, so you don't put any substrate in the hide? I'm making my own bioactive enclosure and don't know if I should leave it empty or to fill it up? Or did you fill it up and I didn't see? 0.0
If you are not using the sump as filtration or making a big running water feature like a waterfall or drip wall, what benefit do you get from that plumbing system instead of just siphoning water directly from the pond to do water changes? Is it just so the water isn't stagnant and can go longer between water changes?
Yeah the main benefit is it keeps the water fresher. A) through movement and B) through increase water volume. Plus it’s a lot easier to do water changes because I just siphon the water and refill directly via the sump
Thank you for watching! And unfortunately no, I’m not quite set up to be building/shipping out projects. I live in an apartment... doing this project turned my living room upside down for weeks 😂. Plus I’m in Canada so shipping costs would be high! But there are some fantastic businesses that do this sort of thing. For example: facebook.com/habitatsdesign/
Could you please do a more in-depth video about how you created the pond/water feature and all of the specifics about the plumbing? I feel like that will be really useful for the reptile community! Also, you use a humid hide, and the rest of the enclosure seems to appear fairly dry, is this recommended for a rainbow boa? And how do you manage with the heat being on a different end to the humidity? I have a BRB (only few months old), and I keep the entire enclosure humid as I know that the babies need 100% humidity - am I doing this correctly?
Yes, I can definitely do a more in-depth video about the pond! Adult rainbow boas should have a humidity of about +75%, so technically by the end of the day, my warm side is a little drier than it should be. I can't recommend that anyone lets their rainbow boa enclosure get this dry (I am taking the risk, to allow myself to tinker with the increase ventilation which I believe will be a healthy addition). But keep in mind, most of the 24 hour period, the humidity is adequate throughout the entire enclosure, it is really just late afternoon/early evening that is it too dry. I plan on counteracting this with a daily mist if two, that will elevate the humidity on the warm side. And yes, sounds like your setup is fine, babies are much more sensitive and do require a higher humidity at all times. Thank you for watching! I'll try and get to the pond video this month!
I'm planning the build for my new rainbow boa and want to a add a water feature very similar to yours! My main limitation is that I don't have the tools to cut glass so was hoping to use a clear plastic tub and customize the outside. Do you have any input on the pros/cons of that?
I think that should work fine. That was actually my original idea, but I couldn't find a plastic tub that was the dimensions I needed so a custom cut glass tub was my only option!
If you want to leave a cool texture on your great stuff and you also don’t have superhuman hands like me grab a sturdy fork. It will save you a lot of headache and leave a pretty textured pattern and with a little bit of artistic effort it can look amazing.
Hi! I just watched this video and I am amazed. I wanted to know, do you accept commissions? Because I’d totally pay for an enclosure like this for my female BRB!
Thank you very much, I’m glad you enjoyed the video! Unfortunately I don’t build enclosures for others… I actually live in Canada so the fee to even ship it would be extreme! But thank you so much for asking 🙂
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast I'm wanting to add top soil in with my blend and play sand. I use Cypress Mulch and Sphagnum Moss currently. I already have the lowes app ready for my purchase. Thanks for getting back to me 💯
Thank you, Zoe! Yep I used wood. Not worried about rotting, I think it’s a common misconception that lumber rots quickly. It can spend literally years outside without rotting!
You could probably get away with that with a male, especially because it’s so tall. A female would probably outgrow that though. I have mine in a 6 foot now.
What in your opinion is the BEST sealant for a BRB diy reptile background?? I know the approach for really high humidity species is different from what I've researched.
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast initially I wanted to do the aquarium silicone and the dry substrate mix. But I'm not certain yet. So far I have just the gaps n cracks insulation foam down! I'll be adding some shelves with styrofoam sheets.
@@reptilefae no problem! Thanks for watching the contact. You can either do the silicone/substrate, or drylok (as I did in this video for the pond). Either would work perfectly fine!
You did a lot of really cool stuff in this video and I think it worked out pretty good overall. Can I make a couple suggestions that you can take or leave?? I think it would be cool to add a few more plants especially over in the area beside the warm hide which would give even a bit more cover. Something with a purplish colored leaf would be pretty cool or any kind of fern which should do okay and there as well and provide a lot of cover. You're hot hide is extremely cool in a lot of ways but it does kind of look a bit like a box and I would be tempted to hide it a bit by piling some substrate up against the side of it so that it's partially buried or maybe piling some small stones or hiding it with plants. One thing I don't super love about these enclosures when I see a lot of them is because they're black I find them dark even if they're well lit. Adding a background can really help although maybe you want it dark for some reason that I don't understand? I don't mean making it super bright just so that the light carries through the entire enclosure a bit better. On that note do you have enough light for your plants? I don't know that much about Brazilian rainbow boas although I did almost buy one once and so I did a little research, can I ask what the substrate is? It looks to be a mix of sphagnum moss and soil? I'm surprised at how shallow it is? I'm impressed with how the electronics and plumbing are on this and I find that pretty inspiring. The little probe screens all look really professional. When I do my corn snakes addleton closure I'm planning to put in a trickling Creek, quite a bit different than what you've got here and I don't have the option to drill through the side of my enclosure since I'm building it in a commercial display case from a store which is almost entirely made of glass. The one issue is I'm not sure if the glass is tempered but then the second issue is that if I did crack some of the glass I don't think I could fix it so it might not be worth even attempting. My idea was just to build it with the pump compartment under the water where the snake can't get into it, and have the whole unit as a removable piece that I can take out and clean when needed. One other thing that I might suggest would be have you considered putting floating plants in the water? I do this with my corn snakes enclosure and the plants grow quite well and they have a little bit of a water filter in aspect to them as well as making it look more naturalistic. When I change his water dish I take them out and I rinse them a couple times before putting them back in. I use mostly salvia and duckweed but with the scale of your enclosure I would probably choose a larger variety. Overall I think you did a really good job and I really liked watching the build especially the part of mixing the sand and glue to build the hide with the slate tile.
Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed the video! And thank you for the suggestions, I really appreciate that! I think more plants and a background would be an excellent idea. The main thing is- I am really not a fan of this enclosure. The lack of height makes it lack versatility. I'm hoping in the next year or so to upgrade this boa to a larger enclosure. The plan for the larger enclosure would be more plants and a 3D background! Yep, the plants have enough light and are growing well. They are rooting really well into the pond too, which makes a neat effect. Pothos require very light to survive thankfully. The substrate is a mix of a bunch of components. Mainly, coconut coir, sphagnum moss, and some orchid bark. I wish I could go deeper with the substrate, but again the enclosure itself is the limiting factor. Sounds like you have a really interesting idea! I think a trickling creek would look amazing. I hope the glass isn't tempered so you can give that a shot! The pothos plants I have are almost acting like a water plant because their roots are covering the surface of the pond... but I'm thinking duckweed would actually look really cool as well! Thanks again for watching and commenting :)
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast I wish I could show you the backlit background I made for my hognose snake enclosure. It's not a 3d background but it looks great and ads some diffused light, without taking much space. Something like that would be cool in your enclosure. I guess I could tag you on Instagram maybe? For my trickling creek I'm planning on just making it a single piece unit that can be lifted out to clean. So the plumbing would go inside the enclosure only.
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast I tagged you. And there's a ton more photos and videos on there too. I'd be stoked if you include my enclosures in your next review video as well
Wjy not just get a bag of "Cemental" which hardens in like 2 hours.....instead of that multi-ingredient sand, glue, tint, etc and days of waiting? Lust get a square, plastic food storage container from Dollar Tree, place themometer rod at bottom, pour, let set and turn it over and the block just slides out.
Im not really a boa guy so i wont be watching the whole video. That said, my experience is boas need vertical space...badly. Im more of a python guy, but thats been my experience. Other than that, big props for 1 giving your animal plenty of room and always questioning if that's enough(sadly don't see that as much these days, with rack systems) and 2 making what u have better suited for the animal and its needs.
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast I have a friend and neighbor with a red tail and she's in a 6*3*5. She's always on different shelves, or hanging out in cork rounds. Def more active than my balls! Again the fact ur always trying to reach for better, NOT being content with the basics is commendable.
Thanks for watching the video! Please comment below with any questions you have, I'll make another video soon to address your questions!
You've really outdone yourself here! I am so impressed and so inspired!!!
I seriously feel like you are on a whole other level than the rest of the "Pet Tube" community. I am so grateful that you've created this platform that gives voice to experts and experienced reptile keepers who strive to improve their animal care. So many of the people you've interviewed for the podcast don't necessarily have a CZcams platform or podcast or anything of their own - they've just been improving their reptile husbandry for the sake of the animals. I've been catching up on your podcasts the past few days, and I am so grateful that you've created this free archive of expert knowledge. This build really embodies all of the knowledge you've collected.
You're like the magpie of reptile knowledge, and I'm loving every bit of it!
I don't even have a pet snake yet, but I know that, thanks to your efforts, my reptile husbandry standards and expectations are going to be on a whole other level than the typical beginner. Thank you so much for all that you do!
THANK YOU, Cary! Those are some very kind words :) I am so grateful to have such thoughtful viewers! Thank you for continuing to support the channel/content, it means so much to me :)
That deli cup idea for the glass drill was absolutely brilliant!
Haha thank you!
I love your innovative ideas (and breaking rules safely)
Glad you enjoyed it!
This is wonderful
I have my young BRB in a 4 by 2, and was intrigued by the new ideas for changes.
Awesome, thank you for watching!
What a beautiful Boa
This is so cool!!
I appreciate that, Stephanie! Thank you for watching the video.
You have done a lot of work to create the enclosure - highly commendable! It will be interesting to see whether she uses the pond, and if so, how often. I reckon the humidity in the Brazilian rain forest is close to 100 percent even during the day: check out Dav Kaufman's video which he made in their natural habitat - though she'll be fine, as you've given her a humid hide, and, and, as we know, b.r.b.s almost always uses hides during the day.
Thanks, John! I will keep everyone posted as the enclosure matures. Yeah, I may still have to tinker with the RH (especially as we go through the winter) but like you said, the humid hide is key. It's a tough balance between fresh air and humidity air!
Very very awesome!! Love the ideas you have and thank you so much for sharing them!!!
Thank you for watching the video Brittany! Glad you enjoyed it
you did a awsome job
Thank you, mark!
I'm brushing up on my husbandry, I'm happy to have found you today sir.
Glad you found the channel! Hope you enjoy the content!
@Animals at Home Oh, it's awesome! If I may say I love the vibe as well. It's refreshing with all the hate in America right now. All that aside, you've helped me a ton today. I started just looking for tips on temps, and boy, now I got a bunch more than that. I've always thought I was good, but I forgot the best part. I cam Always do better
This is so great :) Well done!
Thank you! :)
Awesome build man!
Thank you, Mark!
serious respect for your dedication - your boa looks so happy!! :)
Thanks, Jessica! 😊
⭐️Thanks from DC⭐️
Thanks for watching! 😁
That was very sepa design vibes, it was done so well!
Haha thank you... just gotta add a couple of zeros to the view count 🤣
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast won't be long 😏💪
Solid work, Dillon! Also, I like that you already think ahead. My enclosures can't be big enough either. Ironically all my critters still like to cram themselves into the tiniest spaces. Still, I prefer for them to have the option to expand at least, which they do use from time to time...
Thank you, Oliver! Ha ha it’s true… They do love to be crammed into small spaces😂 But as you say, it’s great to give them the option to stretch out and roam around
Some very nice ideas. Well done Dillon.
Thank you, Stefan!
Wow I really loved the ideas on this!
Awesome, thank you so much for watching!
Great video man. Appreciate it
Thanks for watching!
Cracking stuff, Dillon! Keep setting that bar higher!
Thanks, Joseph! 😀
Dude is brilliant! This video is so thorough... along with the detailed notes I feel I can actually DO this too! Thanks!!
Thank you, Karen! Glad you enjoyed the video. If you get a chance, I recommend checking out the podcast as well. You will likely find it quite helpful 🙂
Wow this was super helpful. Even more helpful than how-to videos by showing so much and linking so much. Thank you for also showing some set backs you had!!
Thank you, Liz :) Glad you enjoyed the video!
Hey Dillon I love this video I particularly liked the warm hide idea and decided to build one for my Female Suriname Red Tail Boa and I can’t thank you enough for making this video as the temperature is absolutely stable with her basking spot sitting at the spot on temp. Also making the rest of the enclosure stable as I was having a problem keeping the heat up before I built it. So thank you once again 👍
That is fantastic to hear! Thanks for watching the video, I am glad this method worked out for you!
I love all. The different features you've applied here and will probably use them in my tree monitor enclosures. Excellent video and very informative, it gave me a lot of creative ideas for me to proceed. Thank you
Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed it. If you get a chance, you’ll have to check out the podcast as well. I think you’ll like it! (You can find it on this channel, or any podcasting app, new episode is due to drop in less than an hour!)
Amazing 👏
Thanks 😄
This is super cool man! I wanna do something like this for a couple of my snakes! 🐍
awesome! Thank you very much for watching the video
I'm so glad I found this video! this enclosure is so awesome!! i will be drawing inspiration from this for an enclosure for my juvenile BRB!!
Thank you for watching the video, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Good luck with your enclosure build 😁
The basking platform with the hole for the heat probe is awesome. I had an idea for that but could not come up with a suitable material. Sand and glue, geez, perfect.
Yeah, I was pretty stoked when I learned that idea from Roman as well. It works great!
that snake is sick bro wish i had one
Yeah they are incredible!
Awesome video, some great ideas, agree about the 16 inch height situation, will look to build something more bespoke in the coming year, beautiful Rainbow Boa as well.
Thank you very much for watching! Yeah 16 inches is just so annoying 😂 she’s in a 3 foot tall enclosure now… I will be doing a video on it later this fall
I could never do this 😂😂. Really nice bro 👌🏽
Thanks man!
Excellent. My how this hobby is developing....
Thanks, Roman! And thank you for sharing your wonderful ideas!
I loved everything about this video. I love how you're learning and trying new things that are benefitting your animal.
Thank you so much for watching the video! I hope you get a chance to check out episodes of the podcast as well, I have a feeling you’ll enjoy those too 🙂
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast I've watched almost all of the episodes! They're a fantastic resource and I look forward to each one that comes out. I want the ethos of Advancing Herpetological Husbandry to spread to every corner of the reptile hobby, and the podcast has been a great way to introduce people to some of the ideas. :)
Excellent! I’m glad you enjoyed it😁
Hi mate Olly here, Love your points about working with what you have to improve your husbandry. I’ve just added a drainage layer to my crested gecko and green mountain dragon setups to help with live plant growth.
Thanks for watching, Olly! I bet your plants will respond very well to the extra drainage!
You said dimensions and I was like SWEET!
Then you said Brazilian Rainbow Bow and I was like...nooooooo.
Then you said you wanted to upgrade and I was like YAAASSSSSSSS
😂 what a roller coaster hey?!
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast hahaha for sure! It was a good one though. You seemed to be reading my mind through the whole video, summed up in the end when you said you really liked the individual elements but they took up too much space. I feel that! Thats always my problem too!
Thanks for watching! And yeah exactly, that’s were a very large enclosure will come into play. I have a few ideas I’m toying with, I’m moving into a bigger space later this summer so hopefully after that I can work on something bigger/better 👌🏼
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast totally! And seeing what you're able to do, and drawing from current experience with that same scenario... its a slippery slope af. Hahaha can't wait to see what you do!
I just ran across this video and I've got to say that the whole water system is amazing! The feature itself is beautiful but the technical part takes it to a whole different level. The sand and glue look like an interesting medium, I may try it for a project. Thanks for the inspiration and your rainbow boa is beautiful.
Thank you, Ann! 😁
I do find snakes a bit scary, but if I ever get over my fear a Brazilian rainbow boa would be the snake I would like to keep! They are absolutely gorgeous 😍
They are beautiful! 🙂
Certainly Next Level stuff here. Some great features that, even though I'm not at the point to incorporate all of them in one enclosure, it gives me ideas to improve my existing set-ups (as always). If the female gets too big, I guess you'll have to get a young male to throw in there and get an 8' set up for your girl. Great stuff!
Thank you for watching, Joe! Yep that’s what I’m thinking as well… This animal was actually supposed to be a male, but after I bought it turned out to be a female 😂
This is so cool it's ridiculous, this gives me so many ideas for the snakes I am hopefully getting next year. I'm looking at Lake Cuitzeo Garters and being semi aquatic snakes they love swimming and I think the pond idea would work so well for them. Plus it's a lot more achievable for me to do something like this than a paludarium type setup as I have no experience with aquariums etc.
Awesome, I’m glad it helped you brainstorm! Thank you very much for watching!
this is so freaking awesome. I love all of this and the probe idea is soooooooo goood thank you so much
Thank you very much, I’m happy you enjoyed the video 😁
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast I meant pond instead of probe lmfaoo but I saw in the next video you said maybe a canister filter would be better, do you know around how often a canister filter should have a water change ?
😂 that’s funny, because probe actually made sense as well. I think doing a partial water change once a week would be good, but you probably wouldn’t have to open up the cannister and rinse out the sponges they often. Maybe once a month (Or if the snake produces waste into the pond)
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast thank you !! And wait maybe I also meant probe because I was excited about that too. Do you have any social media contacts ? Like a public fb page or something ? It’s going to take me a few months (mostly because of money lol) once it’s all finished and I’d love to show you the finished outcome when I’m all done. Probably won’t be finished until estimating December.
Yep, give me a follow on Instagram! I monitor all my DM‘s. @animalsathomeca
Greetings from South Korea! Nicely done. Looking forward to the update, and your thoughts on what you'd do differently after seeing it in use for a few months.
Oh great! I'm glad you made the move successfully... I'm sure that was a quite the job! Thanks for watching :) Talk soon!
An absolute great enclosure! I only have a Rosy Boa and later on I wanna adopt some other snakes, including a BRB. The DIY pond has been a dream of mine for really any reptile enclosure. Seems like a lot of work and understanding the set up behind the installation. Maybe someday I'll reach that far in creativity lol. Good video!
Thank you very much for watching! I’m sure you’ll tackle a pond some day 😎
Cool channel
Thanks man!
You might be able to use glue and coconut fiber + sticks, leaves, moss, whatever to make the hide look more natural.
Actually one of my friend’s copied this method and did that exact thing, and it turned out awesome!
Do a interview with Clint from Clint's reptiles!!
He's on my of future guests!
great video! definitely inspiring and informative! I was thinking you could also great stuff the humid hide to give it a more natural look🤷♂️
That's a great idea! Thanks for watching!
When i get a corn i'm making a pond for them!
Right on!
I use air humidifier (the one for humans, just plased it in on top of terrarium on the ventilation), my bci really liked it, now he spends much more time under heating lump and outside of his hide =) Later I'm planning to make a pond, but with waterfall and, maybe, a filter, because I won't be able to replace water easily your way, since in Russia water from water tap isn't drinkable. But as temporarily solution humidifier really works and easy to use. Anyway, thanks a lot for your tips and ideas, this enclosure looks great, your animals are lucky to have you as their owner =)
I have a air humidifier in the room as well, they help a ton! Thanks for watching the video and good luck with your pond & waterfall, that sounds amazing!
Hello !!!
What temperatures do you use during the day and what do you use at night?
Good job,so the pond is also her drinking water source I gather. Do you find changing the pond water every 3 days or so is adequate for drinking? I ask as I am planning a bioactive build for brb with water feature and was wondering about drinking water quality
Thanks, Gord. Yep the pond is an area for her to soak and for her drinking water. Changing the water every few days has worked very well. The water qualify stays fresh. I clean both the pond and reservoir about once a month (I.e. empty out all the water and scrub)
It looks awesome man! I really like the pond setup and design. Im curious if you noticed any odor from the sand and glue slab after being under the halogen for a bit. I know the pva is supposed to be non-toxic but I've always been a bit leary of leaving it under a heat lamp like that.
Thanks man! So far I haven't had an issues with odors or fumes. I know Roman (who I got the idea from) has used these slabs for years without issue (czcams.com/video/4lu8S68CyWE/video.html)
Rhis is the best build ive seen. Soooooo how much to make a ship one just like it?? Obviously without the plants and substraight?
Thank you for watching! Unfortunately I don’t build cages to sell. Plus I live in Canada so shipping would be outrageous haha! I do recommend check out my channel sponsor though. Custom reptile habitats, link is in the description!
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast It doesnt hurt to ask!
Very informative, and glad you dropped the music at the start, which IMO was a distraction over what you were saying. I take it you want to extract the air from the enclosure into the room, rather than have the fan pull air into the enclosure? If not then reverse the fan. The label on the fan identifies the direction the air flows.
My only other concern would be filtration. I would add a small internal filter in the "sump" just to aid with any bacterial build up, especially as she will probably toilet in the pond as most boa's tend to to given the chance.
Thanks for watching (and for the feedback re: the music, glad I didn't use music for most of the video!). I actually want to the fan to blow air into the enclosure, I was looking to potentially create a "wind" like effect for enrichment sake... it will be easier to accomplish in the summer when the relative humidity in my home is higher. Good advice on the filter, I think that's a great idea and wouldn't be difficult to add
A lot of great stuff in this build. I keep rainbow boas and although I think for experienced keepers, a lot of rules are meant to be broken, I can’t say I agree with using the halogen bulb. I’m well aware of the increased bioavailability of a halogen bulb as opposed to radiant heat panels, but I just can’t justify the heat loss. These animals are nocturnal, and are likely absorbing residual heat, not directly basking in top of rocks in the rainforest during the day. The ventilation required to allow the heat bulb in eliminates the proper humidity. After a meal your snake will want to be on the warm side, and will have to sacrifice humidity for warmth.
Also, how are you maintaining nighttime temperature? I understand that slab will hold a lot of heat, but does it remain in the low 80s throughout the night without the bulb turning on?
I particularly liked the design of the water feature and hides. Having ventilation for a few moments at night seems pretty advantageous. I might consider using an aquarium filter for that water. Very interesting. Good job. I still think you should have higher humidity during the day. Perhaps a misting setup to spray the warm side every few hours would work as the halogen burns it off and lets it evaporate into the air.
Thank you for watching! Yes, I'm certainly going to have to play around with the humidity on the warm side, although I'm not having an issue maintaining humidity _in_ the warm hide as I have it filled with sphagnum moss as well. It is mainly the surrounding area that is drier than I would like. I may have to play around with increase the ambient humidity of my room (I have a large swamp cooler that does the trick) or use a daily mist as you suggest.
And I actually don't have night heat for any of my reptiles in this room, I let the room drop to 23-24°C through the night which is in line with the lows in the wild (here's the location I pulled data from for my BRB: en.climate-data.org/south-america/brazil/amazonas/manaus-1882/). Having said that I still have the option of sliding a heat mat under the enclosure underneath the warm hide... this is something I might consider now that you have me thinking about it! I've done something similar with my JCP (it comes on in the late afternoon and turns off the early morning (2 AM ish), czcams.com/video/fYBPrtIjdwA/video.html), I might do something similar with this enclosure. Thank you again for watching and providing great suggestions!
Hey I have a question, so the arcadia and the halogen bulb are your only sources of heat and light (other than the leds) right? So how do you keep temps up during night when the lights are off? Love the enclosure.
I’ve added a heat mat on the warm side that turns off at 2 AM. So there’s a short period during the night where there’s absolutely no heat. I keep the entire room at above 23°C so the temperatures never drop below that. If you watch my room tour I posted in December I explain that in a little more detail 👌🏼
Great idea. Im curious what size tub did you use?
Thanks! The pond is 18 L x 10W x 8H
Great project! Have you thought about putting a small sheet of copper in the water tub? Copper is antibacterial, antiviral and anti-fungal.
Thanks for watching! I hadn't thought of that, however, I think since I change the water out so frequently it probably wouldn't play a huge role in keeping the water clean.
Please help !!!
What temperatures do you use during the day and what do you use at night?
For the Rainbow boa
At night the temperatures are around 75F. During the day the enclosure ranges from 84-ish to 75
Hey, question, so you don't put any substrate in the hide? I'm making my own bioactive enclosure and don't know if I should leave it empty or to fill it up? Or did you fill it up and I didn't see? 0.0
I do out substrate in my hides! (Maybe I didn’t show it)
If you are not using the sump as filtration or making a big running water feature like a waterfall or drip wall, what benefit do you get from that plumbing system instead of just siphoning water directly from the pond to do water changes? Is it just so the water isn't stagnant and can go longer between water changes?
Yeah the main benefit is it keeps the water fresher. A) through movement and B) through increase water volume. Plus it’s a lot easier to do water changes because I just siphon the water and refill directly via the sump
After you installed the halogen do you still use the radiant heat panel?
Nope! I pulled it out 👍
This is epic! Any chance you'd make one for someone who isn't very crafty?
Thank you for watching! And unfortunately no, I’m not quite set up to be building/shipping out projects. I live in an apartment... doing this project turned my living room upside down for weeks 😂. Plus I’m in Canada so shipping costs would be high! But there are some fantastic businesses that do this sort of thing. For example: facebook.com/habitatsdesign/
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast LOL I feel ya! Those are really good points! And thank you! I'll check them out!
Could you please do a more in-depth video about how you created the pond/water feature and all of the specifics about the plumbing? I feel like that will be really useful for the reptile community!
Also, you use a humid hide, and the rest of the enclosure seems to appear fairly dry, is this recommended for a rainbow boa? And how do you manage with the heat being on a different end to the humidity? I have a BRB (only few months old), and I keep the entire enclosure humid as I know that the babies need 100% humidity - am I doing this correctly?
Yes, I can definitely do a more in-depth video about the pond! Adult rainbow boas should have a humidity of about +75%, so technically by the end of the day, my warm side is a little drier than it should be. I can't recommend that anyone lets their rainbow boa enclosure get this dry (I am taking the risk, to allow myself to tinker with the increase ventilation which I believe will be a healthy addition). But keep in mind, most of the 24 hour period, the humidity is adequate throughout the entire enclosure, it is really just late afternoon/early evening that is it too dry. I plan on counteracting this with a daily mist if two, that will elevate the humidity on the warm side. And yes, sounds like your setup is fine, babies are much more sensitive and do require a higher humidity at all times. Thank you for watching! I'll try and get to the pond video this month!
I'm planning the build for my new rainbow boa and want to a add a water feature very similar to yours! My main limitation is that I don't have the tools to cut glass so was hoping to use a clear plastic tub and customize the outside. Do you have any input on the pros/cons of that?
I think that should work fine. That was actually my original idea, but I couldn't find a plastic tub that was the dimensions I needed so a custom cut glass tub was my only option!
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast Okay awesome thank you!!
What is your substrate mix compiled of?
It's a mix of sphagnum moss, potting soil, coconut coir, and crushed up leaves.
If you want to leave a cool texture on your great stuff and you also don’t have superhuman hands like me grab a sturdy fork. It will save you a lot of headache and leave a pretty textured pattern and with a little bit of artistic effort it can look amazing.
Awesome, that is a fantastic tip! Thank you for watching the video, John
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast I’m new around here bud I absolutely love the content you are putting out. You’re gunna see more of me here in the comments lol
Excellent 😎
Hi! I just watched this video and I am amazed. I wanted to know, do you accept commissions? Because I’d totally pay for an enclosure like this for my female BRB!
Thank you very much, I’m glad you enjoyed the video! Unfortunately I don’t build enclosures for others… I actually live in Canada so the fee to even ship it would be extreme! But thank you so much for asking 🙂
What is your mixture for your substrate and a guesstimate of the portion percentages?
Right now I’m using a mix of potting soil, coco husk, orchid bark and sphagum moss. Probably about equal part of each
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast I'm wanting to add top soil in with my blend and play sand. I use Cypress Mulch and Sphagnum Moss currently. I already have the lowes app ready for my purchase. Thanks for getting back to me 💯
Hey this is amazing!! You used wood for the hides right? Are you worried about it rotting?
Thank you, Zoe! Yep I used wood. Not worried about rotting, I think it’s a common misconception that lumber rots quickly. It can spend literally years outside without rotting!
@@AnimalsatHomePodcastI had no idea about that. Definitely going to aim to create a terrarium like yours for my BRB!! That pond is great !
Hi,what bedding are you using?And you use 2 devices,one for hot zone and one for cold?
Substrate is a mix of coco coir, orchid bark, sphagnum moss, leaf litter. I’m not sure what you mean by the second question?
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast if you re using 2 diferent thermostats/humidity devices,one for warm zone and sec for cold
@@diandralorena2903 Nope, just on the warm side!
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast thank u
i have an old glass terrarium, 3.9 x 2.2 x h3.7, would that be ok for an adult ?
You could probably get away with that with a male, especially because it’s so tall. A female would probably outgrow that though. I have mine in a 6 foot now.
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast i’ll try to get a male then, or change enclosure lol.
Thank you so much for the quick answer, love you content :)
What kind of glass was used?
For the pond? Just plate glass from an old window
What in your opinion is the BEST sealant for a BRB diy reptile background?? I know the approach for really high humidity species is different from what I've researched.
For a 1 year old who will be in this one for about 2 years before her final size of 5x3x3
What type of background is it?
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast initially I wanted to do the aquarium silicone and the dry substrate mix. But I'm not certain yet.
So far I have just the gaps n cracks insulation foam down! I'll be adding some shelves with styrofoam sheets.
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast and also thank you for answering both questions on your 2 posts. I really love all your content.
@@reptilefae no problem! Thanks for watching the contact. You can either do the silicone/substrate, or drylok (as I did in this video for the pond). Either would work perfectly fine!
You did a lot of really cool stuff in this video and I think it worked out pretty good overall. Can I make a couple suggestions that you can take or leave??
I think it would be cool to add a few more plants especially over in the area beside the warm hide which would give even a bit more cover. Something with a purplish colored leaf would be pretty cool or any kind of fern which should do okay and there as well and provide a lot of cover.
You're hot hide is extremely cool in a lot of ways but it does kind of look a bit like a box and I would be tempted to hide it a bit by piling some substrate up against the side of it so that it's partially buried or maybe piling some small stones or hiding it with plants.
One thing I don't super love about these enclosures when I see a lot of them is because they're black I find them dark even if they're well lit. Adding a background can really help although maybe you want it dark for some reason that I don't understand? I don't mean making it super bright just so that the light carries through the entire enclosure a bit better.
On that note do you have enough light for your plants?
I don't know that much about Brazilian rainbow boas although I did almost buy one once and so I did a little research, can I ask what the substrate is? It looks to be a mix of sphagnum moss and soil?
I'm surprised at how shallow it is?
I'm impressed with how the electronics and plumbing are on this and I find that pretty inspiring. The little probe screens all look really professional. When I do my corn snakes addleton closure I'm planning to put in a trickling Creek, quite a bit different than what you've got here and I don't have the option to drill through the side of my enclosure since I'm building it in a commercial display case from a store which is almost entirely made of glass. The one issue is I'm not sure if the glass is tempered but then the second issue is that if I did crack some of the glass I don't think I could fix it so it might not be worth even attempting. My idea was just to build it with the pump compartment under the water where the snake can't get into it, and have the whole unit as a removable piece that I can take out and clean when needed.
One other thing that I might suggest would be have you considered putting floating plants in the water? I do this with my corn snakes enclosure and the plants grow quite well and they have a little bit of a water filter in aspect to them as well as making it look more naturalistic. When I change his water dish I take them out and I rinse them a couple times before putting them back in. I use mostly salvia and duckweed but with the scale of your enclosure I would probably choose a larger variety.
Overall I think you did a really good job and I really liked watching the build especially the part of mixing the sand and glue to build the hide with the slate tile.
Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed the video! And thank you for the suggestions, I really appreciate that! I think more plants and a background would be an excellent idea. The main thing is- I am really not a fan of this enclosure. The lack of height makes it lack versatility. I'm hoping in the next year or so to upgrade this boa to a larger enclosure. The plan for the larger enclosure would be more plants and a 3D background! Yep, the plants have enough light and are growing well. They are rooting really well into the pond too, which makes a neat effect. Pothos require very light to survive thankfully.
The substrate is a mix of a bunch of components. Mainly, coconut coir, sphagnum moss, and some orchid bark. I wish I could go deeper with the substrate, but again the enclosure itself is the limiting factor.
Sounds like you have a really interesting idea! I think a trickling creek would look amazing. I hope the glass isn't tempered so you can give that a shot! The pothos plants I have are almost acting like a water plant because their roots are covering the surface of the pond... but I'm thinking duckweed would actually look really cool as well! Thanks again for watching and commenting :)
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast I wish I could show you the backlit background I made for my hognose snake enclosure. It's not a 3d background but it looks great and ads some diffused light, without taking much space. Something like that would be cool in your enclosure.
I guess I could tag you on Instagram maybe?
For my trickling creek I'm planning on just making it a single piece unit that can be lifted out to clean. So the plumbing would go inside the enclosure only.
Yep, you can definitely take me on Instagram! I would love to see that
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast I tagged you. And there's a ton more photos and videos on there too.
I'd be stoked if you include my enclosures in your next review video as well
Wjy not just get a bag of "Cemental" which hardens in like 2 hours.....instead of that multi-ingredient sand, glue, tint, etc and days of waiting? Lust get a square, plastic food storage container from Dollar Tree, place themometer rod at bottom, pour, let set and turn it over and the block just slides out.
Yep I think that would likely work as well!
Im not really a boa guy so i wont be watching the whole video. That said, my experience is boas need vertical space...badly. Im more of a python guy, but thats been my experience. Other than that, big props for 1 giving your animal plenty of room and always questioning if that's enough(sadly don't see that as much these days, with rack systems) and 2 making what u have better suited for the animal and its needs.
Thanks for watching! I hate this enclosure due to its lack of height. She’s in a 3 foot tall enclosure now
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast I have a friend and neighbor with a red tail and she's in a 6*3*5. She's always on different shelves, or hanging out in cork rounds. Def more active than my balls! Again the fact ur always trying to reach for better, NOT being content with the basics is commendable.