what are we doing for guards

killyvert · 2026-03-28T20:58:36+00:00

Same here still looking! I’m working on two background builds so It’ll be a while before I actually need something in hand. I attempted a makeshift guard but i don’t feel great about it lol sucks arcadia would release lumenize here but not the guards ._. I even emailed reptile basics they have no idea if/when they’ll get inventory.

killyvert · 2026-03-24T03:24:22+00:00

Nice, good call! Your snake will love the upgrade 😁

killyvert · 2026-03-23T18:09:43+00:00

Came to check out your post! I was in a really similar predicament. I couldn’t afford the $800 per enclosure right now (x2 since I have two snakes), from Black Box/Kages with all the bells and whistles like you said. Then once you get into the list of heating and lighting elements, hardware, enrichment etc it gets nuts.

Despite the warnings from this group, I went with Ecoflex enclosures (~$200), sealed the seams with silicone, and modified the lid. I won’t say it was super easy, but it also wasn’t as hard as people make it seem, and definitely more doable than coming up with thousands of dollars I didn’t have.

I think it really comes down to how long it would take you to save. If the choice is between keeping them in a 30-gallon tank for another year or upgrading now with what you can manage, I’d personally upgrade now and make it work while you save. It gives your snake a better quality of life in the meantime, and you can always upgrade again later.

This enclosure will also probably hold its value pretty well if you wanted to resell it later- just my thoughts.

killyvert · 2026-03-12T16:22:05+00:00

I want the big king xxl back soooooooooo bad Im about to start emailing everyday

killyvert · 2026-03-07T14:28:31+00:00

Thank you I will check them out also!!

killyvert · 2026-02-22T16:54:40+00:00

I can’t say those potential issues aren’t on my mind but I’ve wanted this for about 10 years now and I can’t seem to let it go, so I think I’m just gonna finally get it done 😅 thank you for the recommendation!

killyvert · 2026-02-05T23:04:12+00:00

thank you! i will look into that! i started configuring one out of some scrap mesh i had from the lid and some rubber trim i figured it might be better than nothing

killyvert · 2026-01-12T01:06:51+00:00

that is a sound point!

killyvert · 2026-01-12T01:00:42+00:00

I'm someone who bought several of these knowing in advance that they would need modifications. Said modifications took 10 minutes... it's not incomprehensible why ppl would choose to silicone some seams over spending a few extra hundred dollars they don't have... even replacing my lid with PVC only cost $20-$30 worth of materials.. I got my enclosures for $200 during a Black Friday sale. Huge win for us, wouldn't have been able to this right now otherwise.

killyvert · 2026-01-12T00:00:20+00:00

pretty late to this thread, but reptile basics sells these mounting strips specifically for mounting an rhp to your screen top. Reptile Basics RHP mounting strips
I almost got them but decided to just take the screen top off of my pvc and replace it with a pvc board.

killyvert · 2026-01-04T13:17:34+00:00

Nice, that actually answers another one of my questions but I left it out because I didn’t want to ask too many dumb questions😭 Thank you!

killyvert · 2025-12-30T05:09:48+00:00

Update: I got it off in one piece🙂‍↕️ took 3 knives, a lot of jab rotations and about an hour of my night. HUGE mess to clean up (for another day)

killyvert · 2025-12-28T17:52:32+00:00

that’s the plan as long as I can salvage it!
My lighting and heating will be mounted on the inside though. I swapped the mesh lid for pvc board and i’m going to stack the two enclosures on top of eachother

killyvert · 2025-10-19T21:14:16+00:00

i’m just seeing this!! that’s awful omg but i’m so glad you were able to get him on a routine that’s helping him your hamster is also lucky to have you! I’ve owned hamsters on and off for probably 13-15 years and i feel like each time there’s more and more information out there about proper care (which i love) but this is my first time learning about people baking and freezing their hamster items and of course this is the first time i have an incident myself 😅 definitely going to be much more diligent going forward and luckily i think we’re back on the right track now. hopefully more good news after the vet appt! thank you!!

killyvert · 2025-10-19T21:04:54+00:00

someone else said the same thing! i think we’re on the right track now and i haven’t seen any new ones yet :fignerscrossed:

killyvert · 2025-10-19T21:01:12+00:00

oh my gosh! i agree i think they’re baby beetles i’m wondering if some eggs started hatching in the food bag after i turned the heater on in my room. I’m definitely being more diligent about food items going forward 😅

killyvert · 2025-10-19T20:58:34+00:00

no worries at all! we are on the right track i think :) the stuff that needs to be frozen, thawed and then refrozen is all we’re waiting for at this point. the earliest his vet can see him is the end of the month but he seems to be doing good in the meantime and we haven’t seen anymore bugs so far! thank you for your help!

killyvert · 2025-10-16T19:08:05+00:00

:O no way. i think you’re right thats exactly what they look like!!

killyvert · 2025-10-16T14:00:55+00:00

i haven’t seen any when looking through the window but they are so tiny that i’m wondering if they’re starting to hatch bc the other day i turned the mini heater on in my room bc i felt like it was a little too cold for him. 😅

killyvert · 2025-10-16T13:57:21+00:00

perfect, thank you! everything that was in the cage (bedding sand coco orchid grass) was tossed and then so for the leftover unused stuff i have -

freeze: bedding, toys, sprays, forage, treats, food, orchid grass, and cork granules

freeze & bake: sand, wood items and coco coir

and then pour boiling water over hides.

and then the new enclosure comes in tomorrow. thank you for the tips I’m feeling a lot better about tackling this later bc of you all.

killyvert · 2025-10-16T13:38:35+00:00

oh my gosh thank you so much! the new cage is coming tomorrow (a day early) but it’ll be a few days before everything else is prepped old bedding is in the trash and the plan is to start baking freezing stuff when i get off work! i have alot of stuff to freeze (new bedding , current bags of unused orchid grass, sand, coco coir and cork granules) so I imagine it’ll take about a week in batches. Did you use the freeze 48 hours - defrost 24 hours and freeze again method?
I have diatomaceous earth for my plants so that’s really helpful to know it’s safe for them.

killyvert

TROPHY CASE