how i build my enclosures.

[HetForHuman]

Well ive had quite a few people asking me on how i build my enclosures. So this is for all of you that asked.

First off i figure out how big i want the cage, then i go get it cut at the store. This is just better and quiker for me because i cant cut very sraight with my own saw.
For everyone that wanted to know htey wanted to know about my ball pythons enclosure, so here are what you will need.

1 sheet of 5/8 melamine, cut into.
2- 36"x18"
2- 18"x18"
2- 2 1/2"x36"
1- 36"x16.75"

next thing i do is basically put the 4 sides together, i had all the right stuff at home to be able to do iut myseldf but you may need another person there to help you hold the pieces together.
i start off like this.
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1834102_0201-med.JPG
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1834102_0202-med.JPG
ensure that you pre-drill all the holes, or you will end up with a cage that will prob fall apart on you. and it will probably have screws coming out everywhere.lol
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1834102_0203-med.JPG
here is the box with all 4 sides attached.
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1834102_0205-med.JPG
Now that you have all 4 sides done is lay the box over on the ground and take the peice that is 36"x16.75" and slide it into the box, if you have a level floor this should make it so the back of the cage is now flush with the peice you just put inside. Now predrill and screw together.
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1834102_0206-med.JPG
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1834102_0207-med.JPG
once this is done i put the cage up on a bench or whatever you can and put in the litter dams. These are the pieces that are 2 1/2"x36"

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1834102_0209-med.JPG
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1834102_0210-med.JPG
Now what i do is once the cage itself is built is i go ahead and seal all the cracks inside with 100% clear silicone.
just on the inside :) make sure you let the silicone set up for a good day or so.
Then i go ahead and start cutting the holes for the vents.(i havent done this yet as i am trying out a different vent for these cages). But once i get off my butt and do it i will be sure to take pics and post them up on how i did it.
i also still have to put the tracks for the glass in as well but i will post all of this after, prob in the next couple days.
so this should get you guys and gals who wanted to know started anyway.
If you have any more questions please feel free to email or pm me.

[CyberGypsy]

Awesome. How do you heat it?

[HetForHuman]

I heat it with one of those human heating pads you get at walmart.
the ones with the low med high settings on it.
i put the heat pad on med and place it underneath the cage on one end and i get a hotspot of about 93 degrees give or take 1-2 degrees.

[Invictus]

Looks great, Het. Simple and effective.

[Snakecharm]

I have to say that I'm rather sold on the human heating pad idea. I have proven that I am apparently incapable of wiring heat tape myself. (Don't ask. ^^;;) And while there is a place in town that will cut and wire it for you, that's the reptile specialty shop that gives you extra mites free with every feeder rat. They also charge like $15/ft for the wide stuff.

I can go and get a pad at Walmart for $9(US) and it has a built-in temp control on it. No extra mites and all, but I think I can live without the bonus.

[Jeff_Favelle]

A PERFECT boa cage.

[stkkts]

Thats fantastic. Thanks for posting the instructions. Cheap and simple, and effective.

I assume you could get the tracks for the front at home depot. Would you use glass or plexiglass for the front?

[Invictus]

Het - How much do the human heating pads cost you in CDN $ at Walmart? I'm sick of paying $30 for reptile heating pads.

[HetForHuman]

The ones i buy at wal-mart are the Sunbeam health at home wet/dry heat pads and htey arent the cheapest but better than the pet store heatpads by far.

i think the King size heat pad goes for about $28 or so and it is 12"x24"
and i use this one for my 4x2x2 cage.

the other one i use for my 3x18x18 cage is the 12"x15" heat pad and i think it is about $23.

[HetForHuman]

i use the 1/8 inch tracks with normal 1/8 inch glass. plexi glass is more $ and it scratches easier.

i get my tracks at Rona, since i havent found any at home depot yet.

[raVven]

Het, your timing is perfect!! I am just about to start on an enclosure for my Balls, and i was trying to think of a way to heat it!!
couple of questions though...
-Doesn't the heatpad under the melamine get to hot for the wood, and start to damage the pad or the tank?
- do u use any other heating/lights etc? and if so..where and what type??
- i found an intank lighting fixture that has 2 ceramic fixtures, for whatever type of lamps/ceramic heaters you need, with seperate controls for each one...i was thinking of using it on one end, and a heatpad on the other??
any suggestions/comments??
thanx,
jc.

[HetForHuman]

well what you need to do is put some little legs or something to raise the cage about 1/4 to a 1/2 inch from the ground or other cages if you are going to stack them, to allow for airflow for the heat pad. other than that i havent had a problem at all with the heat pads.

i ust some little 12" flourescent lights i mount in the cage for lighting, but i dont use anything else for heat because i keep the ambient temp in my house around 80 or so.

if you keep the ambient up in your house all you will need is the heat pad underneath.

[Yve]

another way to leave some space under the enclosure is to place the bottom an inch up the sides...this way you'll have legs...and if you stack the enclosures and don't want the enclosures to move just screw stoppers on the roofs of the tanks....I used 1/4" piece of scrap wood that goes the width of the enclosure on both sides just inside the legs.

HetForHuman- you might want to silicone the cuts you make for the vents too!;)

[drewlowe]

How did you put the litter dams in there??? are they screwed or siliconed???

[HetForHuman]

Originally posted by drewlowe
How did you put the litter dams in there??? are they screwed or siliconed???

They are both screwed in.

[TheRedDragon]

Great job Het! That looks like a very efficient enclosure. :)

[spribri]

It's scary how your enclosure looks exactly like the one I built about 3 weeks ago!
A suggestion...save the little ends and pieces you will get when cutting the board to the dimensions you need. They can be used to raise your cage slightly off the heat pad. At least it is working for me...
Glass is about half the price of plexi, but about 10 times heavier! You can cut down on the amount needed by having a "front" to your cage(dam on bottom and an edge on top).
Brian

[jay76]

Great cages! I like the track idea... I was going to router mine when I build it, but tracks are less hassle. Just have to find some around here. Assuming that the ambient room temp isn't 80, what would be a good supplemental heat source? Wire in an incandescent?

[HetForHuman]

you could prob wire in a low wattage ceramic heat emitter, but i have not done this so im not sure how good it would work.

[Burm41]

Nice! Im building me a few cages myself, this will help out a bunch :)

[corr]

Great cage HFH! The only thing I would do different is use white silicon (100%) instead. I used clear on my first cage I built and you could see the chips on the edge of the melamine once it had cured. I used white on the next cage and it looks much better

[Steele]

nice cage how well do they hold up to humidty?

[HetForHuman]

well the ones i built before i used different vents for them which i think are too big, but still holds the humidity well.

The new one i built i am using 4 small 3" vents and im hoping it will work much better but will have to see.
i will post pics when i get the vents in.

[HetForHuman]

well i got the tracks and the vents in and got the glass cut today, so here is a few more pics.

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1834100_0066-med.JPG

here is a shot with how i did the vents this time.
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1834100_0068-med.JPG
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1834100_00671-med.JPG

and here is a pic with the glass in them
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1834100_0069-med.JPG

Hope this helps all you guys.

[corr]

How did you attach the glass channels?

[HetForHuman]

i attached the glass tracks with the same silicone i used to seal the enclosure.

[BrandonVeenstra]

whats the dimensions of the larger one?

[Wuntu Menny]

Nice cages, but I want the truck! What year is that, Het? It looks like a '72 from here.

WM

[HetForHuman]

The larger cage is 48"x24"x18"
that is lengthxwidthxheight

[HetForHuman]

Originally posted by Wuntu Menny
Nice cages, but I want the truck! What year is that, Het? It looks like a '72 from here.

WM

It is a 1968 chevy c/10
and if you want it you can have it for $9500
it was just appraised 3 weeks ago at $11,500

[snakemann87]

Sweet man! Thanks whenever I can have my snakes back my dad is gonna bulid me a cage for my burm its gonna be like 8x3x2 im looking to your plans!@

[munchy]

those are some great enclosures het;) if i used all the same dimensions but 5' long as opposed to 4 would i have to make some kind of frame or could i just build it the same way?

[HetForHuman]

i think you could make it the same way, but maybe use a few more screws :)

[AnniesMom]

That is a great cage! What do you figure that all the materials cost you in total?

[Mark]

Another way I found that seems to work better is contact cement. I have seen the silicon give out after a little while and the track starts to fall off and the glass can fall out.

[lakeridgekennel]

what kind of screws did you use. Deck screws drywall screws or melamine board screws.

[sapphire_moon]

And how much does that weigh?

[HetForHuman]

sorry everyone i have been away at work for awhile.

Lakeridgekennels- i use particle board screws, and remember to pre drill all the holes.

Sapphire moon- they are quite heavy i would say the 3x18x18 cage weighs prob 25 pounds or so, and the 4 foot cages i make are prob about 35+ pounds. these are just guesses though. its a 2 person job to move them around.

Annies mom- the materials to build the small enclosure cost around 45-50 dollars and the bigger 4 foot cages cost me about 60-70 epending on where i got the glass.

[rwg]

Couple of questions: Do you buy the glass pre-cut? Where? Does the glass lift and drop into place in the tracks, or do you have to glue the tracks down with the glass already in place? What is the glass thickness?

[HetForHuman]

what i do is install the tracks on the cage first and then measure what i need. I then just go to the glass shop and get them to cut the glass for me.
i have been using 1/8 inch thick glass and it has worked well for me. But i think alot of people use 1/4 inch glass.
Just whatever works for you i guess.

[burmer]

That looks great!!!! Nice work.

[JDouglas]

Nice cages het for human. We build ours exactly like that but 12 inches high. Because of the low height we don't use litter dams. We use the cages for boas and use newspaper for substrate. It seems to work well. A great place to buy glass track is...

Rockler.Com (http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/showdetl.cfm?offerings_id=2275&objectgroup_id=37&catid=20)

We use liquid nails to glue the track and white bathroom caulk. Make sure you get the stuff that prevents mold and mildew. Here is a pic of some of our cages.
http://showcase.netins.net/web/reptiles/stuff/iron2.JPG

[geko]

Nice het, could you tell me what size pices of wood i would need for the bigger tank?

Im planning on building 3 of these so i want to make sure i gte the right size peices cut!

[Yness]

BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!! I am going to build one this winter for my brb...i like the side access waaay better than the top...beautiful...

[PythonWill]

very nice looking cages, I have some that look identical:cool:
the only thing I have to say is about the human heat pads, they do have a heat control on them but it still gets very hot, it is best to plug them into a reostat and test the temp before you let the snake get on it. I had one of my burms get a pretty bad burn from one once.

[HetForHuman]

Originally posted by geko
Nice het, could you tell me what size pices of wood i would need for the bigger tank?

Im planning on building 3 of these so i want to make sure i gte the right size peices cut!

Sorry man i totally missed your post.
Here is what you need to build one of the 4 foot cages.

2- 24"x18" sides

2- 24"x48" top & bottom
2- 2.5"x48" litter dams
1-16 3/4"x48" back

Hope this helps.

You can just mess around with the sizes to build whatever size you want.

[HetForHuman]

well i thought i'd take this one back to the top since i have had a few people still asking me about them..

[Grant vg]

In my experience its good to try to precut your vents, as i used to HATE getting all that saw dust on my newly siliconed cages...lol

Also, even with 12 inch cages, i would still use small litterdams.
My first wood cages ever didn't have litterdams, and i still remember all that urine running down the glass to lower cages...LOL
So litterdams are a MUST for these cages, or else you will be replacing them very often...

Also, anyone who wants to increase the longevity of these types of cages... may want to replace the silicone every 6 months. its a bit of a pain...but is worth it in the long run.

good post HET!

grant vg

[MouseKilla]

I didn't put any vents in the one I built, I wanted to see how it would hold humidity before I started letting any escape. It's currently holding steady at about 60% the way it is so I don't think I'm gonna cut any holes. It's probably constructed just poorly enough to allow for sufficient ventilation. lol! It may be just that I didn't silicone the top of the cage and some of my cuts are less than straight (my saw sucks!).

[klein]

where did you get those vents from, and from what department, i have been looking all over for them and can't seem to find them.

thanks in advance.

Nick

[bidden]

also, did you bother to finish the cut edges of the melamine?? if so what did you use??

[rwg]

I got vents like the ones in HFH's pictures at Rona. They were in the section with the dryer and stove pipes etc. Anywhere that sells melamine should sell "edge banding" to iron on the cut sides of the melamine. I bought some but haven't bothered applying it yet since I'm lazy and the cage is working fine without it. :)

rg

[klein]

Thanks RG, i went to Rona last night and they have tons of them, i wasn't able to find anything like these in Home Depot. My cage just wouldn't be the same without them. Thanks again

Nick

[DeviledDiablo]

awesome info HFH, and good name btw lol. im new here, so :P but anyways im new wit snakes.. i dun even have one yet.. but ive been readin on em ALOT, but i was wonderin when u build that cage wit the sliding glass.. how exactally does the glass fit on when the track is alrdy on? would be very nice of u to explain that part too :D i have NO idea how to build cages lol so i need all this, step by step for me :o but anyways dat cage idea is a great help.. i was plannin on gettin a Boa Constrictor soon (baby) but ive been lookin around for a cage for it when it gets to like 6,7 feet. so it would be awesome if u finished ur step by step thing for the glass, the vents and also that coating.. ( with that silicon stuff.. where do i get it? and do i just paint it on once? ) sry im clueless on these subjects.. thanx

[rwg]

The silicone is not used as a coating...just a crack sealer. It is just like a tube of caulking. You put a line of it into the cracks where the pieces come together just like caulking a bathtub or a window.

The glass: The top track has deeper channels than the bottom. That's so you can lift the glass up into the top channel, it will clear the lip of the bottom one, and when you drop it into the bottom it's still partly in the upper channel. When you measure for the glass, you have to measure from the base of the channel inside the top track to the lip of the channel on the bottom so the glass will just barely clear when you're putting it in.

As for finishing the vents... not sure what you mean. You need a hole saw or a jig saw to cut the circles, but Rona or HD will cut them for you if you prefer. Use a little silicone to hold them in place but they just push into the cut holes. I paid for all my cutting the first time but my cutting bill was $20 for one cage. I have since invested in a hole saw, and my cutting costs are halved.

Sorry for jumping on this HFH since it's your thread, but I just finished a cage, and I have the wood cuts on my living room floor for two more I'm putting together this weekend. The first one I made was 36" X 22" X 22" because it's as big as I could get out of a 4X8 sheet leaving some room for saw blade thickness and for squaring. The new ones I'm building are 36" X 22" X 18"h so I can stack 4 of them and not need a ladder to access the top one.

In case anyone is curious, I'm paying a bit more for mine than HFH, but it may be the extras. Here's my breakdown:

Melamine: 30
cutting fees 10
tracks: 5
glass: 25
silicone: 5
lock: 10
fluorescent light: 13
vents: 6 (4X3" @ $1.50)
screws: app $1

total: 105 + tax, heating pad etc.

Still way cheaper than buying a glass aquarium if I could even get an aquarium the size I need AND mine are stackable. I was planning on using rubber feet as spacers, but I cant find any I like, so I'll be using scraps of melamine or pieces of 1X2 lumber.

rg

[HetForHuman]

Thanx rwg, you about covered it for me....

Thanx man :)

[scalawag]

Great post, Great Info... I'll be building one for my Ball and Texas Rat.
edit: Just one question, do you use wood glue and screws and would that give off toxic fumes?

[AndrewBobDrew]

I really enjoy the design but don't know if you use some sort of waterproofing at the bottom of the enclosure. Does the wood not get stained?

what types of wood can u use for this design?

many thanks:D

[bidden]

AndrewBobDrew ; this enclosure is built with a wood called Melamine, its a fine particle board that is covered front and back with a fine plastic sheet. this plastic prevents any water from reaching the wood, and if all the joints are sealed properly there is very little chance of the wood interior getting wet. It also is very easy to clean, just wipe with a wet cloth.

scalawag: you can use glue with screws, not really needed though. if you do use glue make sure you read the curing/drying time for the glue and make sure you cannot smell any fumes before you put your reptile in.

[HetForHuman]

Originally posted by scalawag
Great post, Great Info... I'll be building one for my Ball and Texas Rat.
edit: Just one question, do you use wood glue and screws and would that give off toxic fumes?


all i use is screws, i dont think there is any need for using glue at all....

but i do use contact cement now for the glass tracks now. As before when i used silicon, i had a problem with the track and glass falling right out of the cage..

[HetForHuman]

Originally posted by AndrewBobDrew
I really enjoy the design but don't know if you use some sort of waterproofing at the bottom of the enclosure. Does the wood not get stained?

what types of wood can u use for this design?

many thanks:D

Yep i just use a wood called melamine, so far it has worked good for me..

And once it is altogether, just use some 100% silicone to seal up all the edges on the inside..

[scalawag]

Great design, HFH. Is that a single strip 12" Fleuorescent that you use in the 36x18x18 ?

[HetForHuman]

Originally posted by scalawag
Great design, HFH. Is that a single strip 12" Fleuorescent that you use in the 36x18x18 ?

Yep you betcha... :)

[Mike177]

hey,
i really like your desigen and have build all my new cages just like them in many diffrent sizes, 8X4, 5X2, 4X2, anyway just wanted to say thanx and this has been a really good resorce, i will post some pixs in a new thread

any way thanks,
Mike

[HetForHuman]

no problem man, glad i could be of some help....

[Samba]

Beautiful looking cage... I'd like to build one on a larger scale for my Burm, but Melamine is a little heavy for me (I am partially disabled). Is there a wood that isn't so heavy, yet attractive and durable for my Burm? Also, I too, use human heat pads bought at Wal-Mart (on sale 4.99) for my bandula and he loves it. I place it directly inside the cage (that he's in now, temporarily) and cover heavily with Lizard Litter. Thanks, I look forward to your response!

[Icefire]

Hi Samba. Wood is wood... heavy. Balsa is VERY light but fragile and porous. melamine is the best way to go. it's available from 1/4 to 1 1/2inch. normaly it's 5/8inch. and it's pretty heavy.

you should ask help and build one in melamine. Plywood is lighter but not water resistant.you need to coat it with fiberglass resine/epoxy.

[FoShizzleDizzle]

considering the size of a burm cage... Even if you went with a light weight plywood, after staining and sealing with epoxy for max protection or some other, you're still looking at a heavy cage.

[Samba]

I understand that, but minimizing it is an important factor.... I'm concerned about HOW I'm going to build it... I may hire someone to build, design and locate it. I'm just not sure who I would turn to or how much it would cost (I will pay for materials...) any ideas? Thanks again!

[FoShizzleDizzle]

Give this a try. If you want other ideas... I have a lot more web addresses of people who build these things for anybody. I like this site though... www.reptimart.com
They have actions and classifieds. Cheep too.

[FoShizzleDizzle]

Can you get melamine in black or any other colors then white?

[FoShizzleDizzle]

and if so, where? Lowes, Home Depot, etc...?

[HetForHuman]

yep it comes in black, white, and a couple others i think.

And home depot and those others should have it, if not they should be able to order it

[FoShizzleDizzle]

Thanks Het. I'll look around for it tomorrow.

[Samba]

Thank you... I looked around the site, but only briefly. I did post an ad so I hope I will find help there! Thanks again!

[bidden]

black melamine at home depot is almost double the cost of white!! it come's in several "wood" colours too.

[FoShizzleDizzle]

Right right... Thanks for the advice guys.

[DeviledDiablo]

hey het.. i love ur post.. i think im gonna make a cage like dat!!
but i was wonderin if u could help me wit my measurements? like tell me wut pieces i need to cut :D
im thinkin of buildin a 6(L)X2.5(W)X2.5 im new at all this.. ive never really built anythin.. so would be awesome if u could send me the measurements and guild me through it if i had any questions ;)
btw i have a male boa constrictor. datz wut this cage is gonna be for
thanx ahead of time:D

[DeviledDiablo]

ok... well could anyone else help me out on the measurement question i had posted rite b4 this?
ty

[bidden]

What measurements are you looking for?? can you be a little more specific in your question?

[DeviledDiablo]

im thinkin of buildin a 6(L)X2.5(W)X2.5
and i was juss wondering wut the measurements for all the pieces i needed would be.. ( to make the cage dats shown on this post by het ) ty :D

[HetForHuman]

Sorry Deviled, i have been working alot lately and cant get to a computer.

I seen an email from you but i accidently deleted it, if you could send me those sizes again that were in the email, i will try to help you out..

I will be around untill monday evening sept 13 then i have to go back to work for possibly a month.

[HetForHuman]

Ok Deviled, you will need the melamine cut into this....

1- 72"x34.75" this is the back.

2- 72"x30" these are the top and bottom.

2- 36"x30" these are the sides.

2- 3"x72" these are the litter dams..

Hope this helps, and once you do it you'll see how easy it is..

Good luck

Tim

[Derrick]

Tim wouldn't it be 30"x30" for the sides and 72"x 28.75 for the back for a 6x2.5x2.5? it think the measure ments you posted above are for a 6x2.5x3. mind you my heads still num from doing genetics crap the last couple of days.

Also I'm I have no idea about this as I dont have any 6' cages but might it not be better to move up to 3/4" melamine for a cage that size? That would change the measurements slightly. They would be:
1- 72"x 28.5" this is the back.

2- 72"x30" these are the top and bottom.

2- 30"x30" these are the sides.

2- 3"x72" these are the litter dams.

I believe but someone should might want to confirm this.

[HetForHuman]

Its all good Derrick, he told me on msn that he wanted it 6 feet long, 3 feet tall, and 2 and a half feet deep.

[Derrick]

any comment on the building the 6'foot with 3/4" instead of 5/8. I may be due for a 6 footer this year.

[DeviledDiablo]

thanx alot het.. i got 1 more thing to ask :P now those measurments are needed to be cut into 8" X 4" melemaine.. datz the larges size i could find.. how many pieces would i need to make those cuts? ty ty :D

[Derrick]

DeviledDiablo Your going to end up wasting a lot of wood with those measurements if you went to 6x2x2.5(lxwxh) you could do it with 2 pieces other wise you'l need 3.

[DeviledDiablo]

ya i noticed dat.. i kinda went to the wood place and ordered the melemaine alrdy :( nobody answered me for like 2 days.. and it was my day off, i decided to get it done.. its gonna take me 4 pieces and ya it has alot of wasted wood.. but i could prob make somethin outta the rest of it :D thanx for the help ppl

[ssscales]

I built my entire set up on Melamine and it works great, and at a third of the price of the plastic cages it left me more $$$ for more snakes. I've used Melamine for cages for over 5 years and have not had one complaint. Just keep it clean and re-silicone the edges every 6 months and you've got a cage for many years. I originally used Flexwatt tape, but recently swicthed to the human heaters from Walmart. I plan on using my flexwatt tape for the baby racks.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/ssscales/DSC00061.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/ssscales/DSC00060.jpg

[Slipknot]

What's Rona?:confused:

[bistrobob85]

A canadian hardware store. Rolland & Napoleon = Rona l'Entrepôt.

[Slipknot]

Oh... I was gonna use them for glass tracks but I live in America.

[sharno]

i know i know this is a very old thread but i have a question, i have a blood python and i am thinking about doing a cage like this for my snake when it grows. i am gonna do the human heat pad but my cage is gonna probably be 6 x 3 x 3, so would i need like 2 of the king size you think? and also what could i use to keep the humidity up, and last my house is usually very cold what should i use for heat other than the pad thanks so much in advance

also where can i find melamine.... at Home Depot ?? Lowes ??

[sc00t]

Nice job, I have seen a enclouser similar to the one you have built but the person put flexwatt on the bottem of the cage but it was inside the cage then they put their aspin bedding over it. I thought that it might be unsafe to do this but what do you guys think?

[sharno]

im not even close to an expert but it would seem that it could be very very dangerous if the snake were to dig just a few inches under the aspen like my blood does and then there you go fried snake ... lol

[sc00t]

Yea thats what I was thinking I saw it on a website and i have never used Flexwatt so I didnt know how safe it was.