Enclosure falling apart

[ChristianH26]

Hi. I keep a halmahera in a viv exotic 4”x 2 x 2 enclosure. I have attached photos of the problem. Due to the very high humidities required for Stevie, the once straight and level enclosure has warped very quickly just as the last enclosure did. It’s beyond annoying as these are the only viable enclosures for what Stevie requires- besides PVC however these are exceptionally expensive- and when you spend the money you hope this won’t happen. Anyway I was wondering if anybody thinks it would be a good/ bad idea to just fit a few of these brackets pictured. Any help would be great thanks.

[IvanDanko]

Hi Christian,

What material is the enclosure built from? I am assuming it has not been coated in a plastic/waterproofing layer or it has been poorly proofed. Once moisture permeates the fibres of the wood it swells and thats basically game over. I don't know if brackets will do much good as the integrity of the wood has been compromised - is the warping widespread?

What I would suggest is if PVC is out of your budget for the near future, purchase second hand or build a melamine coated MDF enclosure. I custom built mine myself - melamine is a plastic substance that waterproofs the MDF board within - then the only thing you need to worry about is sealing the edges/joins with plumbing silicone. Most hardware stores will cut the wood to size for you - the rest can be achieved with minimal tools and experience and significantly reduces costs. There are several guides on google and YouTube to help you, an example:

https://youtu.be/Ru1EJ-eYEx8

[Noodlebasket]

Hell yea Coop is awesome!

[ChristianH26]

Hi Ivan unfortunately there must have been a gap in the coating and the waters founds it’s way in. I think you’re right I’m just going to have to build my own. Thanks for the help