Need a new terrarium

[ReptileLover567]

Jaxom has gotten very big. He is almost a year old, and I want to get him a new terrarium because the one I have him in now is only about 3ft by 18 inches. I also want to get a front opening one, because I think it will help with bonding and making it easier for me to get him out and handle him. I've been holding him more and he is doing very well, but it's hard to get him in and out of the terrarium.

I have looked in pet stores and none of the ones seem much bigger than what I have now. I looked on kiji and I found some, but most are expensive and come with extra stuff that i don't need. I will probably end up going with one of these when I have money. One guy was selling exactly what I needed and he had three selling each for 60-70 bucks. I thought this was a little too good to be true and when I emailed him about the terrariums he was extremely rude in his response. So there goes that option. I refuse to buy from someone who treats me like that.

So now I'm not sure what to do.
I could custom make my own, but I wouldn't know where to start. How long would it take? How much would it cost?

So where can I find a good sized front opening terrarium? What is my best option?

[splashy07]

Do you guys up there in Canada have Craigslist or is that just a US thing? I just found a 75g with stand and accessories for $50. Buying from pet shops can be ridiculous, and even at shows supplies are not discounted by much if at all. Many people soon tire of their pets or have bought for their children who no longer care for them, and supplies go up for sale all the time on CL. I've gotten just about all of my tanks there, but won't do you any good if there is no CL in Canada!

[Dood]

[url][/url]Kijiji is our #1 classifieds site and she looked there we also have Craigslist but it's usually empty

[ReptileLover567]

Yeah we mostly use kijiji here. I checked craigslist too, but there were like two tanks and none that fit what I am looking for. I will probably just get something off kijiji when I have money. Next paycheck

Ps. I'm a she. Not that it matters at all

[Samong]

I wanted to say that with some careful DIY work you can make fish aquariums into front opening terrariums. So if you were to find a cheap 75 gallon (48"x18" footprint) you could gently tap off the plastic frame, use a razor to cut off the silicone adhering the long front panel to the tank, pop it out, have two pieces of glass cut to be the sliding doors (Make them half the thickness of the aquarium glass), place those in the old frame (The plastic tank frame should be big enough to hold, but there are also u-channels you can buy at home improvement stores), then gently re-tap the top frame back on again. Ta-da! Sliding doors.

I have also seen people turn an aquarium on its side and do various types of doors. If you were to turn a 75 gallon on its side you would get a 48"x21" footprint. You could carefully drill the glass for ventilation, use screen based doors, or have the top 3 inches of the new front be screen and use whatever doors you like below that.

Good luck! Finding truly large terrariums for a good deal is really tough. Especially if you live in an area where people just aren't selling much.

[mdeford09]

My vote goes for building your own.


You can build yourself one heck of an enclosure for MUCH cheaper than you can buy one. I built a 135 gallon enclosure for right at 50 bucks and it is even very nice to look at. 4ft long x 3ft wide x 1.5 feet tall (48" x 36" x 18")... Allows to have a side that has moss for them to bury in and then a side with just a grassy carpet and stone to sun on.


here is what you get.

1. Cheapest wood you can find to be used as a frame = fence pickets - 6ft x 5" treated http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-5- ... /100066415

2. Plastic used for Signs is used for the walls/floor inside. It is Cheap, water proof, and will not breakdown and leave chimicals inside the tank. http://www.homedepot.com/p/COROSPLAST-7 ... /202771364

3. Thin acrylic for door - http://www.homedepot.com/p/OPTIX-36-in- ... /202038044

4. Super cheap set of hinges http://www.homedepot.com/p/Design-House ... /203447338

5. Aquarium Safe Silicone - can be found at most any pet/aquarium store.


Put it all together and you have yourself one heck of a tank that is really cheap and also really neat.


I have some pics on me of the semi-finished build but I don't have any of the entire finished product... I will have to take some tonight. I will post what I have.















But, I do have a pic of my my indoor terrarium I built with this same exact design, just bigger (taller)... The bottom half is nearly identical to my BTS's cage (we like orange)

[ReptileLover567]

Wow! Making one seems easier than I thought. And definitely cheaper than buying one. How long did it take for you to make it? And the supplies seem like they wouldn't be too hard to find. I will definitely look into it thank you all so much for your ideas everybody!

[K.lib]

I am in the process of building my own 4x2x2 terrarium. Here are some pics. It takes just one sheet of plywood and a couple acrylic sheets with some hinges. If you are interested just let me know and I will give you more info

[mdeford09]

I made the enclosure in a single evening but, I let the silicone dry for about 19hrs.

[ReptileLover567]

I think building my own will be the cheapest and best option. If you or anybody else has any more information and tips on building, that would be helpful.