BIY Help Needed (P. Imp Terrarium)

[Rauven]

Hello crawler lovers. I'm new to the forums but hope to be part of the family soon

I am looking to build a Pandinus Imperator Terrarium and wanted some expert help slash new ideas to improve the original plan. I've been fiddling with SketchUp 7 to build a scaled model and took some screenies of it:

Here's the measures of it

The front and sides, no lid

The side where the Heating mat is going

The top of the terrarium will be a mosquito screen kind of net

I had some real trouble on how to do the opening of the terrarium, as I didn't wanted it to open from the top. I wanted to go with something like a foldable screen with hinges. Here's how i imagined it:

(detail)

I was aiming for this setup with the lid open
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I know this project will give me alot of headaches to build, but i think it is possible. I would like if you guys commented on any flaws on my plan, as well as some ideas on how to make it simpler to build or any other kind of advices.

Thank you in advance for your help!:worship:


Here you have the files for SketchUp 7:
Zip File

 

[H. laoticus]

hi there,

nice little graphics you have, easy to understand. I've always wanted an enclosure shaped like that, too. The only thing I'd change is the opening screen, which are those two conjoining pieces in front of the enclosure with the rotation points. I'd make those two pieces detachable from one another so that when they're put back together, they can serve as a lock. Basically the upper screen can be lifted and placed on top of the enclosure and the bottom screen can be opened and left "hanging" or collapsed downward.

I hope I am making sense, otherwise I'll have to borrow one of your graphics and show you, but other than that, great design

 

[Selket]

I actually had an enclosure exactly like that, the dimensions might have been different. but the shape was the same. I got it for free along with a whole bunch of 20 gal longs, but I gave that one away.

If the netting comes down over the front, could the scorp tear through it? It looks like you are going to have 100mm of glass there, but then is the rest of the front going to be netting up to the top?

 

[christianD]

Hey Rauven,
Very interesting design you have. P Imperator(s) dont really need anything but enough floor space and food and water. however its fun to have cool/unique enclosure for your arachnid/lizard/amphibian etc. i started building my own arboreal set ups for my Avics and its worked out pretty well.
i think your design will work but one thing i would probably change is the way it opens. i would make it so the slanted face will open and fold back on hinges although that may not leave enough space for placement/removal of food or critter. also what you might consider is making the top (flat face and slanted face) one piece with a handle on top so you can lift it off instead of having it hinged. I hope that makes sense. im not good at using programs like Sketch-up.

those are my ideas but they're only ideas, its your project which gives you the freedom to customize all you want. have fun with it Rauven.
You should post some pics of the construction and the final product. so we can see. good luck.

 

[Rauven]

I have been kind of away from the internet lately, too much work. But i'm hopefully back on track, and now with more ideas and wanting to go for the materials and start experimenting. Thanks for the ideas on the opening bit, i think i got what you mean, like the top glass opening over the screen, and the other collapsing over like it is now. I also scrapped the idea of the side mat, as some people had advised me, for a ceramic heat emitter.

Now for some new-found doubts: how much substrate must I use? I ask because Emps are burrowers and I am afraid i don't have enough dept for her to burrow as deep as she feels like. Are 75mm(29.5in) enough? Because if not, I will probably have to make the front ledge taller.
Also I am in doubt at what glass thickness i should aim for.

I cannot find a store selling any kind of substrate, but I'll keep looking and will (hopefully) find one that does. Otherwise, if you know any European store that ships to Portugal, let me know :wall:

 

[Selket]

I would say that 75 mm (2.95 in) is not deep enough. But you can slope the substrate, so it is deeper in the back of the enclosure and maybe give it a premade burrow going towards the back where the deeper substrate is.

Also a ceramic heat emitted might be too much for a single enclosure. I used to keep a heat mat on the side of the tank and would have it about 2/3 below the surface of the substrate. And if you make a premade burrow put the mat by the burrow.

 

[Rauven]

Well I'm trully getting mixed feelings in heat sources. Perhaps a low (40w) ceramic heater will do the job I hope... if not i can always return it hehe.

Also a note, at the advice of a friend of mine, I changed the size of the thing to 550x350x300, and so I can now support more substrate in the front if needed. Thanks anyway for the tip on having a taller substrate at the back, I felt dummy not to think about it before.

PS: Still looking for a tip for glass thickness, ty