Table vs open front enclosure

[Ivyna J. Spyder]

I'm making plans for my red foot's 8x4 enclosure and I'm looking for the pros and cons of each type. No matter what I make, it needs to be cat proof, so any type of open-top table is out of the question.

For most of my reptiles I use enclosures with solid sides, top, and sliding doors on the front. But I've also seen people do tables with hinged screen tops. Is there an advantage to doing it that way?

 

[hlester22]

I would think that the one with the sliding front doors would hold in the humidity better than a table type.

 

[jesst]

I use enclosures with sliding front doors and i love them, they keep in the heat and humidity which is good for your redfoot. I would recommend them before anything else.

 

[slowpoke]

i made mine with sliding doors in the front , i love it , it holds humidity real well and keeps the temps where they should be ...

 

[Ivyna J. Spyder]

Oh cool :O Good to know. I guess you'd just need to make sure to seal the wood really well.

 

[slowpoke]

yes, mystic makes a good sealant and paint that is safe for children and pets , just make sure to let dry for 24+ hours before putting any thing in it ...

 

[Tom]

I prefer front openers too.

 

[Nay]

I just wonder, (having a table top version) How deep and moist can you make it? I will actually pour in water to help keep things moist, and it's a good 8 inches when it starts.
I can see that last picture looks great, but when I compare that to what I have for my RF's substrate, I can't see that working, for me.
Also reaching it to clean, does that work well? Sometimes I feel I am inside my indoor table, (double decker) to clean it. But with a dust pan and a spoon to scrape it, (no sharp edges to rip the liner) it seems to work OK.
I could never change, man my hubby would kill me!! Just wondering if the side entrance is a better option, or not.
Good Luck
Nay

 

[Ivyna J. Spyder]

Hah, I was wondering how easy it would be to get into such a large enclosure from the front too, short of climbing in. I was thinking of giving mine a solid hinged top as well, just in case.


I was wondering about the best way to heat it. Would heat emitters be enough, or would I also want to invest in heat cables under the soil? (I was planning on a layered substrate- egg crate or something else for a drainage layer, mesh, soil/coir mix, then mulch/leaves/etc.)

 

[slowpoke]

yea your pretty much climing in to this thing but every thing is removable that makes it a bit easy also ... heat on a front open one stays in there real well , sabstrate is about 8 inches deep with a two inch lip on the front thats why i put sliding doors on there, at the bottem of the substrate its 62 degrees through out the whole enclosure , well not all , in the log it stays about 72 ...but temps are 102 in basking area all the way to 70 on the cooler side , i did have to mount a fan to keep the air mioving wich ive noticed keeps my temps right where i need them ... and thats using a MVB 160w on the basking side and a 100w eco day glow light bulb , i couldnt see keeping every thing right where i need it with a open top or table type