Building a new encloser

[Ballchris]

ill be staining the wood as well as sealing it anyone have anything good to say about the stain that has the sealer in it? and gonna get a already sanded plywood.

[millertime89]

Kiln dried pine is ok as long as it's sealed and stained. The oils are baked off in the kiln. That said, you can order plastic pretty cheaply online so that's the route I would take. You might be able to find a supplier near you that will cut it for you as well. Some Home Depots have started carrying it, but it's kinda thin (1/8th in) and fairly pricey.

[reptiledude987]

HDPE Sheets / Puck Board / Starboard - Greyco Products

Check out this link I'm going to be ordering a few sheets form them for some custom builds as well

[Ballchris]

Im afraid of sagging with a cage this size with no frame to support that's why I going with plywood.

[dave himself]

Originally Posted by Tsubaki

Sorry i felt compelled.. ! Coulnd't help myself.
But thank you!

Why does everyone think your a man ?

[dave himself]

Quick question ? Can I ask why people prefer the heat panel's, to the ceramic please

[reptiledude987]

Originally Posted by dave himself

Quick question ? Can I ask why people prefer the heat panel's, to the ceramic please

I prefer heat pannels on larger enclosures because the heats more spread out as opposed to a concentrated spot with the che. I do use the che for smaller vivs tho

[reptiledude987]

Originally Posted by Ballchris

Im afraid of sagging with a cage this size with no frame to support that's why I going with plywood.

If you do a frame around the front where the opening is these puckboard sheets are really strong and are available up to 1/2" thick. They make for very solid cages.

[SnoopySnake]

Originally Posted by dave himself

Quick question ? Can I ask why people prefer the heat panel's, to the ceramic please

What reptiledude said, and i also prefer the because, while they're uncomfortable to touch, they don't get hot enough to burn you/snake. Although I'm not sure if that goes for all RHP's.

[Ballchris]

wouldnt ceramic kill the humidity as well, and could possibly burn the animal?

[reptiledude987]

ceramic is more likely to burn them which is why if its inside the viv the cage over the ballast is a must. Fro the most part I find both have the same impact on the humidity. If anythinh the che drys it a bit more because the intense heat on that one area but this is just my own personal speculation on that part.

[Ballchris]

ok I have another question I wanna do sliding polycarbonate doors as it is damn near indestructible, But my cage is 10x4x4 for plenty of room for my big guy to grow and enjoy were and how do I go about getting or building runners for the doors the size of thickness for the glass is 1/4 thick.

[reptiledude987]

I've never made a sliding door that big myself but the tracks I usually get are from home depot. If you cant find a trach wide enough you may want to consider hinged doors. They can also be easier to get difficult giants thru as well.

[Pirarucu]

For what it's worth, sliding doors on a cage that side will be a pain if you don't do it right. The first and most important step would be not using the tracks that the glass fits down into, which are normally used for smaller cages. For such a big window, pushing the glass back and forth to open and close that door will suck.
You'll need to get the tracks that use rollers instead. A rail sticks up from the bottom of the door, and a runner with wheels inside is attached to the bottom of the glass. Then the glass rolls back and forth on the rails.



On a separate note, if you're building a massive cage, why not make it taller? Retics are excellent climbers and will use the space even as adults, unless you keep them far too fat. I've seen a few retic cages eight feet tall, and the snakes use every bit of it.
Here's a few videos of wild retics:
Reticulated python video - Python reticulatus - 00 | ARKive

[Ballchris]

Originally Posted by Pirarucu

For what it's worth, sliding doors on a cage that side will be a pain if you don't do it right. The first and most important step would be not using the tracks that the glass fits down into, which are normally used for smaller cages. For such a big window, pushing the glass back and forth to open and close that door will suck.
You'll need to get the tracks that use rollers instead. A rail sticks up from the bottom of the door, and a runner with wheels inside is attached to the bottom of the glass. Then the glass rolls back and forth on the rails.



On a separate note, if you're building a massive cage, why not make it taller? Retics are excellent climbers and will use the space even as adults, unless you keep them far too fat. I've seen a few retic cages eight feet tall, and the snakes use every bit of it.
Here's a few videos of wild retics:
Reticulated python video - Python reticulatus - 00 | ARKive

were can I get these tracks with rollers? never seen them before, thanks for the input on them.