new here! a few questions...

[mcforeal]

Hi all! My name is Matt and I've been doing a lot of reading up on BTS's for a few months now, as I would like to have a Northern pretty soon =]
I currently have a few other pets, one of which is a bearded dragon named Elvis, and I plan on using this guide here to start making a custom viv for him:
http://www.freewebs.com/crossfireenclosures/

I know that a skink will obviously require a different set-up, different care, and different dimensions for an enclosure than a beardie would...
but does anyone have any tips on building an enclosure for a skink, or any online guides, etc.? I want to give my future skink a large enclosure, and I also plan on making the tank high enough so that I can mount the lighting equipment on the ceiling without the skink being able to reach it when shooting straight up into the air. Thanks!

[James Wilson]

Hello Matt, and welcome to the forum. Here is my standardized answer to your custom enclosure question: I have found an option to the glass tank that is comparable in price, more functional, and visually more pleasing. Since I keep and breed a large amount of Blue-tongues than, space is a valuable commodity. As a result I house my skink separately in 3'L x 16"D x 16"H stackable melamine enclosures. The melamine is an easy to clean surface that also provides good insulation from extreme temperatures. For easy access, I use 1/4 inch sliding glass bypass doors, on plastic track, for the front of the cage. The back walls of my enclosures are made from 1/4-inch pegboard, which provides my skinks with adequate ventilation while still helping to maintain constant temperatures. Light fixtures are easily mounted to the ceiling of the enclosure.
Note: If you are keeping just one skink, and space permits, I recommend the same type of enclosure, but it may be a good idea to go with a slightly larger set-up. An enclosure that is 4'L x 2'D x 20"H makes a great display that gives your skink a lot of extra space, which is always a big plus.

[Susann]

Welcome!
At the top of this page, underneath the sun, you have a bunch of choices, click the "Search" button, then put in whatever words you can think of that have to do with building enclosures, and you will find TONS of advice, instructions, pictures and so forth.

Good Luck!

[mcforeal]

thank you both! sorry i did not use the search feature at the top =/
would it be ok to possible use a ventilation method similar to the one on the crossfire page i linked to? though the pegboard would work, the ideas i have for customizing the viv wouldn't work as well with the pegboard

[Jeff]

Yes you can use that type of vents instead of pegboard. What I like the best is when you have vents high on the walls AND low too. That way you create a situation where the warm air rises and escapes through the top vents while drawing cooler air into the enclosure through the bottom vents. Air circulation (without a draft) is a good thing. The pegboard is one way to create this, but it can be accomplished with other types of vents as well.

I still crack up every time I see James' enclosures. They are almost identical to mine, and we both built ours before we even knew each other. He was smart enough to put a 3# base across the bottom his pegboard though, which would keep loose substrate from going through the holes if he used loose substrate. I wasn't that smart, so I end up with a mess on the floor behind mine.

[James Wilson]

He was smart enough to put a 3# base across the bottom his pegboard though, which would keep loose substrate from going through the holes if he used loose substrate. I wasn't that smart, so I end up with a mess on the floor behind mine.

I have built lots of enclosures in the last 20 years. My first projects were functional, but definitely needed a little fine tuneing, and it did not take me too long to figure out that little baseboard upgrade. It helps keep the bugs in as well if you like to feed insects to your pet.

[mcforeal]

does anybody have any tips or helpful pointers? i'm 18 and this is going to be my first time attempting anything like this.

[Susann]

does anybody have any tips or helpful pointers? i'm 18 and this is going to be my first time attempting anything like this.

Maybe through the searches you can find the members who have done this, and then PM them for suggestions and instructions?
You might get more speciffic info that way.

[phaemas]

3-5 feet long
18-30 inches wide and about 15 inches tall:D