Caimen enclosure..

[cichlaguapote]

I didnt realize this was gonna be an 8 foot enclosure. Its gonna be pretty snug for any crocodilian species

We told him 18' was way big so he got scared and went the other way. Plus I think when most people think rubbermaid they think of the 8' as the biggest.

You should tell him what the ideal size for one is. I don't think most of us know the ideal size for one, just how big they get usually.

 

[Umbra]

As for fish, perhaps try something smaller, ie. some convicts, guppies, mollies, etc. Smaller fish will probably have a greater chance of being ignored by a 5'+ caiman than would say, a tasty 15" midas or 20" dovii.

 

[Bsixxx]

I didnt realize this was gonna be an 8 foot enclosure. Its gonna be pretty snug for any crocodilian species

Its going to be 12-18' long not 8!
maybe 8wide was what you were thinking..

but anyway I am probably going to start building this thing in the summer, I allready have 2 Cuvier's on hold for me.. but i can change at anytime and get another species..

 

[SimonL]

You should tell him what the ideal size for one is. I don't think most of us know the ideal size for one, just how big they get usually.

Paleosuchus palpebrosus is the smallest living crocodillian, males reach maximum 5' and females 4'. The similar P. trigonatus is larger, males reach 7.5'. The common or spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilius) may reach over 7', rarely to 10'. Also small, but not as common, is the Dwarf African crocodile (Osteolaemus tetrapsis) which grows to 6'.

Size for an adult can be worked out depending on the species. Recommended size is usually the animals (Snout to Tail) length x length for land and twice the ST length x 1 ST for the land area. That's probably a minimum too...some countries have actual crocodilian housing laws regarding size.

The German law for instance requires 1.5x1.5 ST length for land, and 2x2.5 ST for water.

 

[varanio]

Its going to be 12-18' long not 8!
maybe 8wide was what you were thinking..

but anyway I am probably going to start building this thing in the summer, I allready have 2 Cuvier's on hold for me.. but i can change at anytime and get another species..

My biggest concern is if you go this big now, is the skeleton that you will hold this massive wooden tank in. It wont hold the pressure heat/and humidity combo on such a large surface area. The size and depth are perfect for a pair, but will the wood hold up? Not because of the lack of water tightness from the epoxy, but from the pressure it will have from the humidity that the water and heat will insert on the cage. If at all possible what you should do is make a wooden pond with a liner for the water area, free the area out so pressure escapes, and you can do this by using a soft plastic mesh to enclose the water area. Then you can enclose the land area to make it more like a hot room for them and only allowing minimal heat escape in that area if you live in a part of the country where it gets cool/cold in the winter. If thats not an issue I would just enclose it all in the soft mesh and you will save yourself from having to replace the top half of the enclosure constantly from the pressure of humidity.

 

[SimonL]

This is why I'm going with a plastic pond, less risk of exploding crocodile tank due to my shoddy carpentry lol.

 

[cichlaguapote]

Size for an adult can be worked out depending on the species. Recommended size is usually the animals (Snout to Tail) length x length for land and twice the ST length x 1 ST for the land area. That's probably a minimum too...some countries have actual crocodilian housing laws regarding size.

The German law for instance requires 1.5x1.5 ST length for land, and 2x2.5 ST for water.

Awesome stuff. Didn't know there was such a calculation..

 

[Bsixxx]

well I live in a hot place, doesnt get below 70..
So I think im good. Plus its going in my garage which never gets below 76 degrees.. Also for the heat issue i dont think it will cause to much of a problem insulating it in..

 

[haloman02]

maybe you could get 1/8 glass and ouline the plywood with it so the 1/8 inch can be the water proofer it runs at about 1 usd per foot on glasscages.com. Good luck

 

[varanio]

well I live in a hot place, doesnt get below 70..
So I think im good. Plus its going in my garage which never gets below 76 degrees.. Also for the heat issue i dont think it will cause to much of a problem insulating it in..

Well it looks like youve clearly covered it all, good luck and make sure you reinforce it some how to prevent the assortment of things we suggested, since you did come on here for advice.