Category Enclosures

Heretic; noun – One who does not conform to an established attitude, principal, or dogma.

We’ve never been one to back down from challenges and Project Heretic is no different. Our goal to create a balanced automated solution to common keeping difficulties has not been an easy undertaking. But then again, what worth pursuing is effortless?

Be a part of our journey and join us as we work to integrate more beneficial technology and automation into a new breed of reptile enclosure.

Our Heretic enclosure bucks convention by boasting 10 inches of substrate area, humidity reduction management, optional staggered side windows, carbon fiber or twisted PVC perches, and programmable misting system.

We’ve been testing the Heretic over six different prototype versions with our personal Green Tree Pythons for nearly one and half years at this point, and are ready to release the production model in the summer of 2024.

The Heretic is built with a wide range of heating and lighting components. Programmable Arcadia Reptile Jungle Dawn LumenIZE LED plant growth lighting, Arcadia LumenIZE Shadedweller UVB, Arcadia Halogen & Deep Heat with ceramic fixtures and bulb cages, and the Wilbanks RHP are all a part of the wide array of UVA and UVB offerings for the inhabitants (plants and animal alike).

Starting from the bottom, this deep substrate dam can be filled with BioDude TerraFirma soil for planted setups which is visible through the clear laser etched Heretic logo fitted to the front of the enclosure. In our testing we included a more ‘sterile’ potted live plant version with similar success in maintaining humidity and hiding spots for those who are looking towards a naturalistic setup without the desire to operate a fully “bio-active” unit.

We selected the Dracaena family of plants for each prototype for their hardiness and coverage options. While we do not claim to be plant experts, the Dracaena have been patient with our testing and trampling from curious inhabitants.

Moving upward, cascading perch mounts are bolted to both side walls. Carbon fiber or twisted PVC perches of varying outside diameters are fitted to these mounts allowing for climbing opportunities throughout a wide range of temperature and humidity gradients. The 35″ interior width coupled with a variety of painstakingly positioned perch mounts in this enclosure offer basking areas under Halogen/UVB, UVB/RHP, or just DHP. The Halogen/UVB combo produces a more natural daytime heating zone on the left side of the enclosure. The RHP and DHP allow for strong ambient heating with the DHP pushing concentrated Infrared A and B heat towards lower perches on the right.

One of the key features of the Heretic is an automated humidity reduction system with interior mounted hydrometer used to trigger a programmable inline fan with a charcoal air filter to limit maximum humidity. When this system is triggered the inline fan gradually pulls in fresh ambient air from the enclosure’s stand through the charcoal filter up into an exterior duct where it enters through a louvered vent mounted in the lower portion of the rear wall.

The moist air is expelled through the roof vent until the desired humidity level is reached. This system cycles on and off as needed to limit maximum humidity parameters. The ventilation programming display shows temperature, humidity level, and current fan speed so the user can monitor the internal conditions. Humidity conditions do vary across the enclosure, however, the location we have chosen to mount the hygrometer/thermometer probe for this system works well as a general spot to monitor conditions at-a-glance.

An optional MistKing can be added to your Heretic build which is designed to pull water from a 5-gallon reserve located in the two-foot-tall stand upon which the Heretic sits. Ceiling-mounted misting nozzles add moisture to the enclosure over user-set time periods. If too much humidity remains in the air after automated or manual misting, the humidity management system slowly ramps on to bring the level back in check.

The roof of the Heretic is the primary mounting location for the majority of the electronics. The array of heating and lighting elements are internally mounted with the exception of the Arcadia UVB. This UVB sits externally on a UVB compatible clear window.

We’ve tested the Heretic’s automated systems through the natural ambient humidity/temperature fluctuations over summers and winters. This has allowed us to optimize the blend of heating, lighting, and overall environmental controls to be manageable in a variety of climates. Each build includes a Herpstat 4 unit with base settings for each heating element that you can adjust to fit your particular environment once you receive your enclosure.

Several levels of enclosure options are available, starting with a base unit including the Heretic, stand, heating, lighting, and automated ventilation system. Other options include a MistKing unit, faux rear rock wall, windows, wood-look front, etc. Each build ships to the contiguous USA assembled & crated on a pallet via freight or is available as a local pickup at our shop in Texas.

Secrets – they’re hard to keep 😁

We built our first prototype C3 3x2x2 months ago, with the original idea behind it formed years back. Finally, technology and material availability met for an amazing match in these fresh builds for the one and only Bill Stegall of @phoenix.reptiles

To start, the first upgrade that catches your eye is the HDPE wood grain front. These two HDPE pieces are both aesthetic and structural components. While they look great they also provide support for sliding tracks to accommodate 1/4″ tempered polished glass. Similar to musical instrument neck construction, the sliding bases feature multi-component assembly utilizing both wood-look HDPE and a 1/2″ PVC backing plate. Not only do they look phenomenally clean, but they’re also incredibly rigid.

To further accent these pieces we added a recessed, floating, frosted Focus Cubed logo encapsulated by a bolt-on viewing window. While being ridiculously cool, this unique component pays homage to the next generation of enclosure ventilation.

Mounted in the upper rear wall (cool side) of these enclosures is one variable speed fan. This fan allows for airflow on demand by pulling outside ambient air through the bypassing front doors across the cool side/hotside transition. There is a second probe cord cover located next to the fan where a hygrometer/thermometer probe can be mounted to monitor or automate internal conditions.

Along with these wicked upgrades, you can see some of our favorites like the dual ceiling mounted PlantClamps, 15/20/20mm carbon fiber perch combo resting on HDPE mounts, 32″ LED with cord cover, and 80-watt heat panel. This unit even features a thermostat probe guide with an adjacent thermostat probe cover to allow for probe installation/removal without the need to pull apart any walls or roof panels and no drilling of any access holes.

Get a closer look and video walkthrough with this C3’s Enclosure Talk on the Focus Cubed Habitats YouTube channel, link in Stories. Also, keep an eye out for MJ’s vlog of our delivery to Bill’s place & our very own Making Of vlog!

Moving right along with our NARBC weekend model release recap – meet the Yin & Yang C2 Slider 2x2x2 build!

Stephen tossed around several ideas for these two foot Sliders and landed on the concept of Yin and Yang – the matching opposites. The first C2 features a red front and holographic logo with the gray build featuring a chrome red logo.

Each of these matching opposite builds has a variable speed fan like the ones we included in the sister C3 Sliders featured in our post yesterday. This fan allows for airflow on demand by pulling outside ambient air through the bypassing front doors across the cool side/hotside transition. Also included is a second probe cord cover located next to the fan where a hygrometer/thermometer probe can be mounted to monitor or automate internal airflow and humidity.

Continuing with the tradition, each C2 is optioned with dual ceiling mounted PlantClamps, 12/15/20mm carbon fiber perch combo resting on HDPE mounts, 22″ LED, and 40-watt heat panel. Some very cool design ideas Stephen machined into these are the thermostat probe guide with an adjacent thermostat probe cover to allow for probe installation/removal without the need to pull apart any walls or roof panels and no drilling of any access holes.

Get a closer look and video walk through with these C2’s Enclosure Talk on the Focus Cubed Habitats YouTube channel.

What can we say, we’re incredibly excited to share our KINOVA Special Projects reptile room Focus Cubed Habitats enclosure build and two-day journey with you! Few people know it, but my first snakes were pied ball pythons and the little girl inside had a dream come true working with and visiting KINOVA.

Follow along with us as we unload the materials, machine, build, pack, and travel cross-country to deliver to one of the premier reptile breeding facilities in the Nation. Stephen and I drove straight through the night from Texas to Georgia, met with the amazing Summer, Justin, and crew, unloaded enclosures, and then headed BACK to Texas for another overnight drive to pick up our pups from boarding. Intense – that’s how we do it here at Focus Cubed Habitats!

Also do us a favor and go check out KINOVA’s Hetflix Episode 176 of their Special Projects room update, subscribe to their channel, and show your support to the KINOVA team!

“Happiness [is] only real when shared.”

– Jon Krakauer

On a rare Sunday post, I wanted to share the story of my dad recently taking his first step into becoming a reptile keeper!

About this time a year ago our world was turned upside down. After a whirlwind of uncertain weeks in the ICU, surgeries, and hospital visits followed over the next 8 months he got to spend some time with our reptiles.

Now, he is no stranger to them; my parents were the champions of my love of reptiles and he grew up catching wild snakes in rural Texas as a boy. But he’d never kept a reptile in his life.

Stephen, me, and some close friends had the wonderful opportunity to begin his choice of builds recently in preparation for his new reptile!

Once we decide on when his new family member arrives we’ll get live plants and a clean-up crew added, but he is oh so proud of his new setup and that is the fundamental reason why we do this. Keeping reptiles is a whole experience!

Whether it be with your family, friends, or pets…take a moment to share some joy together.

Effective. Efficient. EVO.

Stephen and I started this Focus Cubed Habitats journey in 2019 with the idea of bringing reptiles into the front room. After all, if the aquarium hobby could be so popular with beautiful aquascaped environments, why not work to do the same for our equally impressive and cherished reptiles and amphibians?

The breadth of habitats – from dry desert to chilly montane, to moist tropical – that reptiles inhabit inspires many keepers to create truly epic slices of nature within an enclosure. Our founding goal is to provide personalizable, design-savvy enclosures that equally represent and match the care and pride people put into keeping their animals.

Over the last year of working and discussing ideas with some of the greatest people in the reptile community from large-scale breeders to boutique keepers of obscure species, we’ve taken notes to create another revolutionary, or rather, evolutionary enclosure system – the EVO Series.

The tagline “Effective. Efficient. EVO.” succinctly sums up the EVO theory. Whereas our Custom Shop enclosure models give you the opportunity to customize PVC colors, hardware styles, add windows, and select from a variety of heating and lighting options for a wide variety of species, the EVO Series provides a simplified, purpose-built enclosure that offers what you need and nothing you don’t at an affordable price.

You asked and we listened – the EVO TwentyFour debuted March 6th of 2021 (and later in 2021 our EVO Thirty) as an answer to many arboreal snake keepers’ wishes and requests. The EVO TwentyFour model is built with 1/2 inch PVC, a shorter dual-plane substrate dam for easy perch removal, 1/8 CNC slotted vents for humidity retention, CNC machined perch mount holes for quick install, cord and probe slots as a standard, and a four-latch 1/4 polycarbonate door for superior temperature insulation. It can be purchased as a bare enclosure ready for your accessories, or with a variety of perches, a dimmable LED light, and/or radiant heat panel!

We’re super excited to share this project with y’all after weeks of R&D with temperature testing, humidity retention, gradients, and usability for both keeper and the animal!!

As you might be able to tell from our posts – we’re huge monitor fans here! When we had the opportunity to work on an enclosure for J. Kobylka Reptiles and his new hatchling black dragon water monitor, we were determined to create an industry-leading enclosure that surpasses the standard expectations for performance and features.

If you are curious what the next-level in keeping looks like, check out Justin’s video!

And the enclosure here: https://focuscubedhabitats.com/product/pursuit/

If you haven’t visited and liked the Rattlesnake Conservancy and the important things they’re doing, go on over to their website to check it out: https://www.savethebuzztails.org/

We had a wonderful time helping support the cause for their Get Buzzed For Buzztails 2021 event in May with this one-of-a-kind Ratio 4x2x2!

We’re slowly getting our house back to normal after the shop move. The croc enclosure was fun to get in place, but we managed and are quite pleased with the results!

As a little kid this was a dream 😍