Damian Mckay is a long-time reptile keeper out of Australia and the owner of Copperhead Customs, which is an enclosure design company that specializes in custom-built backgrounds and decor that not only look amazing but are functional and specific to the animal they are made for. In this episode, we cover the fundamentals of building reptile habitats, including enclosure size, basking and heat, hydration, security, and sanitation. We discuss how to design habitats with function in mind, rather than aesthetics. Damian also walks us through the step-by-step process he uses to build backgrounds and much more!

SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/184-cooperhead-customs/

We Discuss:

0:00 Coming Up

2:19 Welcome Damian & Background

20:48 What is Copperhead Customs?

23:07 Habitat Design Essentials

24:06 Understanding Enclosure Size

27:18 Basking & Heat

28:50 Hydration

34:54 Security and Hides

38:59 CRH & Pateron Ad Read

39:50 Sanitation & Ventilation

44:52 Using Natural History to Create a Functional Habitat

1:04:54 Natural Looking but Inappropriate? Using Thermostats

1:16:04 Process for Building Custom Backgrounds

1:37:54 Minimum Enclosure Size

1:53:07 Help New Keepers Start Properly

2:08:13 Bullying within our Community

2:20:07 Damian's YouTube Channel Idea

2:29:57 Closing Thoughts

2:31:10 Outro

LINKS FROM THE EPISODE:

CHECK OUT Custom Reptile Habitats HERE 

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