Criptic's Page On Herps - Enclosures - Desert

As with all enclosures it is very important to plan ahead of time. Doing so will prevent the time consuming and expensive endevour of correcting mistakes. It is important to take the time to visualize and plan how you would like it to look, and how the animals will interact with it.

For any naturalistic enclosure you will want to avoid large reptiles. They tend to destroy any landscaping that you may have done. Smaller animals will be less likely to crush, scratch, tear, or dig up landscape.

At the very least, you will want the length of the enclosure to be 20 inches and five times the total length of the largest animal to be housed. Its width should be 10 inches and 1 1/2 times the length of the largest animal.

The most successful enclosures incorporate few animals. The sum of the total length of the animals should not exceed 3/4 the length of the enclosure. If the enclosure houses different species that live in different niches, you can then increase the density to the total lengths equals the total length of the enclosure.

In most people's minds, "desert enclosure" means one type of enclosure. This not the case, and it should be understood that it encompasses several different specific types. Some of these are:

	Dry ground surface
	Scrub
	Rocky
	Sandy
	Dry tropical forest

As a general rule, a desert enclosure should have :

	A low to moderate relative humidity
	Relatively dry substrate
	Rock-based or dry wood landscaping
	Succulent or arid-climate plants
	High day-time heat and light levels

Make sure any enclosure you use will allow for several inches of substrata and landscape features. If given a choice, always pick a standard shape enclosure, rather than low enclosures. For example, select a standard 20 gallon instead of a 15 gallon long. You will lose at least 3-4 inches, and taller enclosures will allow you to use taller plants. You will also be able to increase vertical stratification. If given a choice selecting a wider enclosure will allow for topographical stratification. Bottom line, choose the tallest, widest, and deepest enclosure you could possibly afford, and have space for.

You have plenty of choices for enclosures. You can use pre-made marketed enclosures made of glass, Plexiglas, plastic, or wood. If you are crafty, you could create an enclosure out of any, or any combination, of these. Sometimes it is ideal to create your own. You will get the self satisfaction of creating exactly what you want, without settling for the closest thing. You can also size it to fit exactly the spot you want.

Another consideration is the stand in which you will be placing the enclosure. You can either custom build the stand, or purchase one. If you are using glass for the enclosure, you will need to make sure the stand is level. If the stand is not level, you can easily break the glass, or cause stress fractures. The stand should be at least 3 feet to allow proper viewing.

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