Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Making a Terrarium
• Method 2 of 2: Setting up your terrarium
• Tips
• What do you need

The terrarium should be more than just a place to keep reptiles or reptiles in isolation. It should be a safe and comfortable home for them, allowing the animals to enjoy the opportunity to exhibit their natural behavior. The specific needs of reptiles vary from species to species, so you will need to be clear about what your pet needs before proceeding with the creation of a terrarium suitable for it.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Making a Terrarium

1. 1 Consider the behavior of your reptile. Study the information about the type of reptile your pet belongs to. Does he need water? What kind of lighting does he need? Do you have a young individual? How big can it grow? Will the terrarium be indoor or outdoor?
   • The terrarium should reproduce the natural habitat of the animal as much as possible. For example, a chameleon would require a cylindrical terrarium.
   • Turtles, frogs and some snakes need water.
   • Some reptiles eat insects and other animals (such as crickets and mice). In this case, the terrarium should provide for the reliable placement of these food sources inside. It will be unpleasant if this live food scatters around your house.
2. 2 Decide on materials for making a terrarium. The choice of specific materials depends on your financial capabilities and the needs of the existing reptile. Terrariums are often made of metal mesh and plastic, wood, acrylic or glass. When choosing materials, you should also consider how often your enclosure will need to be cleaned.
   • If you have no experience with acrylic or glass, it is better to purchase ready-made, pre-cut panels. These panels can be connected to each other on a wooden or plastic frame.
   • Plastic terrariums are significantly more expensive, last longer and retain heat better than glass counterparts.
   • Melamine-coated (laminated) chipboard (chipboard) looks good, is strong enough, easy to clean, but heavy. Another alternative might be quality plywood or a ready-made set of sanded shelving boards.
   • Terrarium walls can be wood, glass, transparent thermoplastic or metal mesh.
   • Consider making your terrarium using existing materials, such as an aquarium, old chest of drawers, cabinet, or even a refrigerator with a door removed.
3. 3 Decide on the size of your terrarium. The reptile should have enough room to move freely and hide. In addition, there should be room inside to accommodate everything you need: lighting and heating sources, as well as bedding. In most cases, terrariums are rectangular in shape, but there are exceptions.
   • Small reptiles, such as leopard geckos (spotted geckos) and common garter snakes, need about 0.5 square meters per bird.
   • Medium-sized reptiles, such as pythons, need 0.5–0.7 m2 of floor space.
   • Particularly active small reptiles such as bearded lizards require 0.7 to 3 m of floor space.
   • Large reptiles such as iguanas, turtles and boas need to be provided with a room the size of a pantry or even an entire room.
4. 4 Provide ventilation for the terrarium. Possible ventilation options include a metal mesh, a perforated plug panel, or specially designed ventilation holes. For example, reptiles such as chameleons need mesh walls, which require very good ventilation. The exact approach to ventilation in your enclosure should depend on your pet's needs.
   • Ventilation openings should be either small enough so that no pet can escape, or sewn up with metal mesh or black plastic screen to shade windows. Wire mesh is not recommended for snake terrariums.
   • The perforated plug panel is well suited for those reptiles who enjoy rubbing their noses against various objects.
   • If you are worried that your cage could be damaged by your reptile's claws, you can use a plastic-coated metal mesh.
5. 5 Prepare a blueprint for the future terrarium. When you have already decided on the size of the terrarium and the materials for its manufacture, prepare a drawing of what you are going to design. This will help you determine the list and volume of purchases, as well as allow you to think over the general course of further work. It will also be necessary to measure the intended location of the terrarium to ensure that there is sufficient space.
   • Make a list of the tools you will need, such as a chisel, drill, saw, and so on. Also prepare any screws, hinges, glue or other fasteners you may need.
   • Make a plan to build your terrarium. Decide which parts you will connect to each other first. Consider whether you will be using ready-made parts or will you need to cut them yourself?
6. 6 Make a terrarium. Assemble the walls of the enclosure on a timber frame or connect them with glue. Plexiglass and wood parts will need to be connected with screws. Don't forget to make ventilation holes. Make a cage door and set the hinges and latches accordingly.
   • Doors should always open either sideways or downward. If you need to keep the door open with one hand while cleaning the enclosure, this will complicate matters considerably.
   • Position the enclosure door for easy access to all areas. An ill-conceived position or an inappropriate size of the cage door can significantly complicate the care of the reptile.
   • Do not install hinges along the top edge of the door.
   • Make sure all hinges, screws, covers and doors are secure enough. The reptile should not be allowed to escape from the terrarium.
7. 7 Finish the terrarium. Sand down any rough areas and sharp edges with sandpaper.Take care of sealing the bottom so that the substrate does not spill, water and excrement do not leak. Use a non-toxic silicone sealant and durable plastic sheeting for this. Cover up any sharp edges of the metal mesh that are sticking out inside the cage.
   • If you plan to paint or decorate wood, use a wood stain and then paint the wood with a varnish such as polyurethane to protect it. After staining the wood, wait long enough for fumes to escape, which could make your reptile sick.

Method 2 of 2: Setting up your terrarium

1. 1 Choose a terrarium substrate (bedding). The substrate can be sand (fine or coarse river sand, quartz sand), gravel / crushed stone (volcanic stone, pebbles, stones rolled by the sea), wood and paper types of bedding (bark, mulch, torn paper, newspapers, paper towels, sawdust ), soil and mosses (sphagnum, potting soil, Spanish moss) or fillers (cat litter, clay litter, granulated alfalfa). The specific type of substrate depends on the needs of your reptile.
   • When and when in doubt, seek professional advice. Certain types of substrates, such as sand, can cause intestinal obstruction if the lizard accidentally swallows it while feeding on insects.
   • For arboreal reptiles (such as lizards) that spend little time on the ground, tree branches should be placed in the terrarium.
   • Paper towels and newspapers can be shredded and sprinkled on the bottom of the cage. These materials are inexpensive and easy to clean, but they won't help you fight bad odors.
   • Coconut fiber works well for reptiles that need high humidity and helps control odors. In addition, coconut fiber is popular with reptiles that like to burrow and hide.
   • Moss is also good for reptiles that need high humidity and reptiles that like to bury themselves.
   • The sand suits desert reptiles; however, it can be hazardous if swallowed in large quantities.
   • Never use soil, grass, bark or other materials from the street (from a park or your own garden) as a substrate. They can contain organisms and bacteria that are potentially harmful to your reptile.
2. 2 Place a heater in the terrarium. All reptiles need an external source of heat, since they cannot independently control their body temperature, and many of them live in warm climates. If your pet spends most of its time in tree branches or in the upper part of the enclosure, it will need an overhead heating lamp. If the reptile spends most of its time on the ground, it will require a lower heat source. Also all terrariums need a thermometer. The ideal temperature should be between 20–32 ºC.
   • Ceramic heaters, heating lights and lamps can all be a source of heat for reptiles. A full overhead light is arranged to recreate desert conditions. Whereas heating lamps are used in strictly defined time intervals (14 hours in summer and 8 hours in winter), and they must be monitored.
   • Heating pads in the form of special rugs, heating stones, heating cables and ropes are ground sources of heat. Heating pad is a constant source of heat. Heating rocks are better for nocturnal reptiles, but they break at times. Consider your choice of heating stones and rugs. Some of them are capable of overheating, so that the reptile can burn the belly, basking on such a heat source. Heating cables and ropes are flexible enough to wrap around various objects.However, they can get very hot, so a rheostat must be used with them to control the temperature.
   • Do not place the heating lamp directly over a heating pad. This can cause temperatures to rise to dangerous levels that could harm your reptile.
3. 3 Provide UV light. Most reptiles require the full spectrum of shortwave and longwave ultraviolet radiation. Adequate lighting will help ensure your pet has a healthy and happy life, as well as adequate amounts of vitamin D3 and calcium in the body. The specific requirements for the lamps used depend on the type of your pet.
   • The backlight should be placed at a distance of 30–45 cm from where the reptile prefers to lie.
   • It is usually best to use 4-10% shortwave UV lamps, depending on the specific reptile species.
   • You will most likely need at least two UV lamps. It is best to regularly turn on and off the backlight (including ultraviolet), simulating the length of daylight hours for an animal in the wild.
   • Lamps should be replaced every six months, regardless of how well they are working. This is due to the fact that after six months, the ultraviolet radiation indicators begin to decline noticeably.
   • Incandescent lamps will additionally heat the terrarium. Although these lamps can be used as a heat source, care must be taken to ensure that they do not overheat the terrarium.
   • Install lamps outside of the terrarium whenever possible. If you decide to set up interior lighting, be sure to enclose the incandescent lamps with a protective net so that the reptile cannot get burned.
4. 4 Fill your terrarium with items that mimic the reptile's natural habitat. For arboreal reptiles, place tree branches inside, and for those who like to bask under lamps, flat stones. Provide hiding places for the reptile; It is best to set up one shelter at the warm end of the enclosure and another at the cool end. Purchase all terrarium accessories from a pet store or trusted online store. Branches, sticks and leaves from the street can harm your pet.
   • Do not forget about the needs of the reptile for water and food. Some may need a large container of water to climb into, while others may need a drinker.
5. 5 Observe the behavior of the reptile in the new terrarium. Place the reptile in a terrarium and observe its behavior closely to make sure your pet is comfortable there. If the reptile is behaving strangely or is constantly trying to get out of the cage, he is probably unhappy with something, so you need to fix the shortcomings of the existing cage or make another more suitable cage for him.

Tips

• Before proceeding with the assembly of the terrarium, make sure that you can move it to the installation location. Measure the width of the doorways and revise the design if necessary to allow the enclosure to be carried through the doors.
• Don't use toxic chemicals that could harm your reptile.
• Be sure to cover any unplanned openings with additional wood planks, glass, or metal mesh.
• You need to be familiar with the behavior of a particular reptile to find out how comfortable your pet is in the cage.
• If you need to seal any part of the enclosure, use 100% silicone corner joint and wood sealant if wood is present in the enclosure.
• Make sure your pet cannot squeeze through the holes.

What do you need

• Plywood, Melamine Coated Particleboard, Plug Panel or Shelving Board Set
• Glass or transparent thermoplastic
• Metal mesh with or without plastic coating or black mesh screen for window shading
• Door and latch hinges
• Wood stain
• Varnish (polyurethane)
• Brushes
• Sandpaper
• Sheet plastic
• Silicone sealant
• Incandescent and UV lamps
• Heating cable, heating pad or heating lamp
• Branches, stones, shelters
• Substrate or litter
• Thermometer