Homemade Reptile Enclosures

Keeping reptiles in a comfortable and safe homemade habitat only requires the right materials and preparation beforehand. Knowing each reptile's individual needs will help tremendously in determining what type of enclosure is most suitable to build. You'll also want to decide whether the reptile of your choice will be staying indoors or outdoors before beginning construction on its habitat. Following these steps will ensure any reptile you decide to keep will be safe and unable to escape its new home.

Things You'll Need

  • 20 to 30 yards of chicken wire
  • 5 to 10, 2-by-4s
  • Crosscut handsaw
  • 10 to 20 1-by-2-by-48-inch wood stakes
  • 6-inch nails
  • Hammer
  • Metal tacks
  • Pliers
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Instructions

  1. Building the Enclosure

    • 1

      Find a suitable location to begin construction of the enclosure. If building outdoors, select a area of land that is level, clear of most vegetation and has thick soil that discourages burrowing.

    • 2

      Position the 2-by-4s into a square shape. If the area seems too large for your reptile, cut the boards in half.

    • 3

      Nail the 2-by-4s together at each corner. Hammer three nails in each board to keep them together.

    • 4

      Gently hammer the stakes into the ground along the inside of the 2-by-4s. Stakes should be six inches in the ground, leaving roughly three and a half feet remaining above ground.

    • 5

      Wrap the chicken wire around the stakes, double wrapping if necessary. If the reptile is a climber, wrap chicken wire around the top as well.

    • 6

      Use the tacks to keep the chicken wire tight around the stakes and the 2-by-4s along the base of the enclosure. The wide head of the tacks will hold the chicken wire in place.

    • 7

      Use the pliers to cut a 6-by-6 inch opening afterthe chicken wire is in place for easy access into the enclosure when the reptile has moved in. Use twist ties or bendable metal wiring to keep the door closed when needed.

    • 8

      Add a water dish, a low-lying shelter and other objects the reptile would normally find in its natural environment to complete the enclosure.