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View Full Version : Want to build I cage? this should help...


Bryce Masuk
06-25-03, 01:55 AM
This is what you will need to do to get your cage off the ground.

1. Figure out what your animal needs this is the easy part

2. What do you want to build it out of?
This will detirmine what your going to build it out of
Budget Time Skill and Tools and of course the animal thats going to live in it as well as where its going to in your house

3. Good materials to use are

Melimine advantages Pre sealed Cheap It looks clean Choice of colors
Disadvantages Heavy as Heck you may not like the look of it it chips if you dont silicone the edges its not very strong at its edges
I would go with 1/2 inch plus thick

Plywood Advantages Looks like a show peice If you use nice wood its not nearly as heavy as melimine it doesnt chip
Disadvantages More expensive then melimine Unsealed you will need to paint it and sand between the coats that means its even more expensive and takes much more time it must also be left to dry you can varnish the outside so you can see the wood
When painting the inside try to find a dark color it makes your animal feel more secure

4. How are you going to see in?
You will need to use plexiglass or glass Use plexi for snakes if you can but glass will work dont use plexi for lizards there claws after time will leave you with ugly scratched plexi use glass.

5. How do I open it? you use a slider setup or you can hinge the front up down or sideways jsut make sure ther is room for it to swing open if you choose to have it swing open you will need to frame the glass there are simple ways of doing it and hard ways onw you can router wood so it slips over the glassor you can drill thought your wood and glass and moun it with screws that will only work with non tempered glass

there are others but its late and i am getting tired I will finish with heating and lighting tomorrow and correct any of my screw ups too.
Bryce

SerpentLust
06-25-03, 09:45 AM
That was helpful :)

Jenn

Bryce Masuk
06-25-03, 03:50 PM
Thanks but theres more.....

Heating and lighting
In order to figure out what you want to use you need to know what it needs if it needs uva/uvb lighting you will need to build the cage around this it will need to be within 12 inches of your reptile and it can be filtered through glass or plexi glass it can go through mesh but even that blocks some of the light so try to avoid it

how you heat it will depend on your reptile as well if its a snake I would use heat tape or a kane heat mat depending on the size of animal. you can just throw a kane mat in easily but you may want to put something on top of heat tape just in case. glass or plexi will work

For lizards generally overhead heat will work best a light bulb in a cage built into you cage is the cheapest option radiant heat panals work great but cost serious $$$ compared to a light bulb.
ceramic heat emiters work great for night time if you use a light bulb in the day but they dry the cage which can be good or bad depending on the animal.

Venting a lot of people have a problem with this this also depends on the animal but placing the vents high will cause you to lose more heat and humidity so place them accordingly.
home depot has a section of vents and it becomes your choice pretty much all of them will work
I hoped this helped sorry for not spending alot of time on making

it perfect english but thats not my style :)

Darlene
07-04-03, 01:34 PM
Very helpful info. TKS.

snake_goth
07-04-03, 01:39 PM
thanks ime going to build mine out of ply

Bryce Masuk
07-04-03, 04:31 PM
Glad I could help If you have any questions or if I didnt explain it so you could understand it well feel free to email me
monsterpirate@pbreview.com

fateamber
07-05-03, 12:21 PM
That is helpful thanx

WingedWolf
07-06-03, 01:44 AM
Another note is, you don't want to use regular melamine with any species that require high heat. Melamine, when exposed to heat, can outgas formaldehyde, and this has in the past caused serious problems in snakes. Don't place heating equipment, including undertank heaters, pads, or tape, directly on melamine if it's used for the cage itself and not just a shelf.

You can buy formadehyde free melamine--you must ask for it, and it is more expensive, but it's a viable option.

Bryce Masuk
07-06-03, 07:23 PM
Winged wolf I have never heard of that what kind of temps are required to cause these problems? I am guessing pretty high since many people I know have had no problems at 100 degrees or so