184: AAH The Secret to Creating Natural & Functional Reptile Habitats | Damian McKay

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  https://www.instagram.com/copperhead_customs_/ https://m.facebook.com/CopperheadCustoms3775 https://www.facebook.com/Yarrareptiles https://www.youtube.com/@MillerWilson/videos Support, Subscribe  & Follow: CHECK OUT Custom Reptile Habitats CLICK HERE SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST NETWORK: SPOTIFY► https://spoti.fi/2UG5NOI Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/animalsathome Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AnimalsatHomeChannel Follow on Instagram: @animalsathomeca