Help building monitor enclosure

[Tyguy35]

Hello, I am having the hardest time building my savs enclosure. I am the worst in math ask me anything geography and were good but math nope haha. My enclosure is 8 x 4 x 4. I am having the worst time figuring out how to make doors for this enclosure hinged or sliding. What's easier or cheaper? And how the heck do I do it? Help please I wanna get my guy in soon. I am going to seal the enclosure after with grout all over it kinda make it look like a cave.

Tyler

[millertime89]

I don't think one is easier than the other. As for which is better for the animal I'll defer to monitor keepers but I can help you with the construction. For a hinge I would just use a piano hinge. If you want to do sliding get some very smooth wood (or whatever material you want) and create a W in the top and bottom by sandwiching shorter pieces between taller pieces, you can then use slightly thinner pieces of what you want the door made of to slide in the tracks you have created.

[Tyguy35]

I think I'll be leaning toward hinged because I can use plexi which will be cheaper

[IW17]

Unless things are way different where you live, plexiglass will be more expensive than glass. A 48"x36" sheet is about $60. Cut glass is about half that price. That being said most people I know with monitors don't use acrylic or plexi because lizards scratch it up really bad. Hopefully more experienced lizard keepers will chime in.

[Tyguy35]

Will the cut plate glass work you can get at a lowes or Home Depot I worry that can shatter.

[Tyguy35]

The glass there 0.09 inches thick I feel like it'll break.

[IW17]

You'd probably be better off contacting an actual glass company. They can make you pieces the exact size you need. You can also let them know what your using it for and they can recommend a type of glass that suites your needs. They also will usually carry glass track kits for sliding doors.

[beardeds4life]

On my 4 foot cage with sliding glass door I just took and routed out 2 tracks in the top and bottom. They are about 1/4 inch apart and work beautifully. I also like this method because you do not need to buy any extra hardware and it is extremely easy.

I agree that you need to go to a glass store. I used 1/4in glass and they even rounded out the edges and corners for me. I do not keep monitors but I would guess that you need tempered glass. A glass place will be able to do that for you.

[SnoopySnake]

I don't really know much about building cages but I just wanted to say that if I were you I would try to find tempered glass, may be a bit more but seems a lot safer.

[Pirarucu]

If you do go with sliding doors, I wouldn't use the design millertime suggested. It's great with snake cages, but with an animal like a sav that's going to fling dirt into the tracks, the standard glass tracks like that just won't cut it. Opening the doors will become a challenge, and it will make some truly awful sounds.
For monitors (or any burrowing species that is going to throw dirt around) it's best to get wheeled glass tracks where the 'male' part of the tracks is on the bottom, unlike the standard tracks. They won't clog up with dirt this way.