building a terrarium for my skink????

[phaemas]

So Marvin was put in a 35 gallon with black tile and a heat rock (I know it's not good for them but my dad thought he was too cold and gave me his old one for him it's not pluged in as the heat emmiter gets it hot enough (marvin LOVES this as he loves to sit on the patio on hot days and bask so this is a clsoe second on his book.). A large eco terra water dish and a meat and veggie dishes (2 diffrent dishes of the same brand small size) and i'm feeling sorry for him as he can't walk very long distances in his cage. the 35 gallon was given to us by the people we got him from. And I want to build him a terrarium that looks ''natural''. If any one has any plans let me know and also any suggestions for his new habbitat.

[Alioop]

If you do a quick search of old posts you'll find lots of different threads on custom-built enclosures. There are quite a few very handy members out there! You should be able to get plenty of ideas.

[cguarino30]

My tip for your habitat is build it with as much ground space as possible. Length and width are key. Height is of less importance. Also, while there may be many options for materials, make sure everything is somewhat water resistant and non-toxic. If you are using wood, make sure you cover it with some sort of enamel paint that will help prevent rots and stains.

[Nae]

Nothing wrong with a heat rock if its not plugged in Why not have both meat and veggies in the same bowl, then remove said bowl when not in use? That can help to get more room~

What I am working on is building fake rocks, hides, levels etc out of foam then coating with groat, painting, then a reptile safe sealant. Heres an excellent resource if you are interested in that -

http://www.lizard-landscapes.com/



Basically ensure that if you make a background, that it can go in and out easily, keeping in mind that foam can bend, but groat cant. My background has been split into two to enable it to get pass the glass bit in the centre of the tank.

I then have two hides which also double as platforms. Ensure that any hides you make enable easy access to your bluey - so dont attach them to anything

Like cguarino said, go for ground space. Ensure its at least wide enough for him to comfortably turn, taking into account how big he is going to be when hes older also. When it comes to hight, think about your lighting - Do you want the lamp sitting on top of the tank, or inside? How high is the basking level (if you choose to do that) and thus how high will the basking lamp have to be to enable a safe distance but still adequate warmth?

And dont forget to take into account the hight of any entrances into hides in accordance to how 'tall' your bluey is and how much substrate you will use. WHile they can and will dig into substrate to enter a hide, since Im building for a Centralian Ive had to take into account how fat they are

[phaemas]

the reson I NEED a new tank is it's 35 gallons tall and long not wide it's 15 inches wide/deep