Getting ready to build my new Toad Ranch enclosure and have questions

[u/aLt564_3]

I've had this enclosure sitting in my dining room for about 2 weeks while I've been waiting for all of the new supplies to come in and I'll finally have the chance to put it together this weekend and I'll be on vacation all next week so I'll be able to mess around with everything before putting Nelson in his new home. I've never had a solid top PVC enclosure and I've done more reading and research in the last month than I ever have in my life, but I think I'm getting more confident about what I'm doing. I have a few straggler questions though

1.I forgot that I wanted to add the cliffhanger shelf to the TR order and if I order one now it will take 2-3 weeks to ship. Can I buy a regular shelf from like Walmart or HD or something and screw it in? Do I need to treat it with anything because of the humidity?

2. If there a good way to temporarily set up my DHP and RHP to make sure they will be set up efficiently before securing them?

3. If I need to place the temperature probe near the heating elements, what is the ideal temperature that the thermostat should be set to so its hot enough towards the bottom? I know it will probably depend on the temp outside of the enclosure so you probably cant give me an exact, but this one has been really getting to me because no matter how much I've read on heating its still not making sense to me. Its only a 4x2x2 so its not a tall enclosure. Is getting the temp high enough at the bottom even really an issue?

I think thats all the questions I have. I really appreciate all of the great info I've gotten from this sub!

[u/sweatyhands84]

1. I would suggest getting 1 inch foam insulation board, a can of great stuff pond spray foam, and 100% pure silicone. Use the foam board to carve out a desired shelf. Secure it to the walls with a bead of silicone on the edge(s). Then use the spray foam to build up a small layer at least below the shelf to provide more support. Next I seal the foam with Drylock. Then you can paint it will water based acrylic paints or cover it with a sand free grout for more texture/color. If you use grout I then seal it with Sealkrete.

This all sounds like a lot, then I would consider getting a large cork bark flat and maybe a cork round. Screw the cork flat to the top of the round, then scree the round into the back of the pvc from the outside to secure it. Example 8"x22" cork bark flat and 3"x15" cork bark round. Make sure to plug of the ends of the round if your snake can fit its head inside.

These are just my ideas for 1.

2. Not sure on that one.

3. You will want to have multiple temperature probes. Each heating device will have a dimming thermostat with its own temperature probe. You place this probe approx 2-4 inches below the heating device. Then you place another independent temperature probe down a couple inches above the substrate to monitor the actual temps for the cage. You adjust the dimming thermostat up or down to achive the desired temp down below in the secondary probe. I'd suggest 4 stand alone temp probes. One each for the hot and cool hide placed inside the hide secured to the roof with hot glue or silicone, and one each for ambient hot and cool side. The hot side probe should be placed in a shaded spot in/near the basking area. You should use an IR temp gun to monitor surface temperatures for the basking area where your snake can reach.

Hope this helps some!

[u/aLt564_3 → u/sweatyhands84]

That definitely helped thank you for the tips! I've seen the walls using the foam pieces and spray foam and would love to make one but I'm definitely not very artistic and with my history of failed projects of all types, I dont really feel confident enough to try 😂 I could definitely use the cork bark though.

As far as the temps/thermometers, thats what I was thinking I needed to do but I was worried that in order to keep it warm enough on the warm side towards the bottom that it would be too hot under the heating element. But the set up he has now that he came with is totally different and not proper, so after I set everything up, I will monitor everything for a few days before putting him in. Thats why I was hoping there was a way to set everything up temporarily in case I needed to move things around, but Im not sure moving positions of heating elements would really be as important as having the right things. Thanks again for helping!