building a cage!! Got a few questions!!

[MikeHansen]

HI all!! I was thinking of maybe building my own cage for a boa and have a few questions. I was thinking of a wood frame and possibly wood floor with plexiglass sides that opens from the front. My big question is will a heat mat under the cage adequitly heat the cage? And will they get too hot for the wood? Also any other suggestions on building materials or designs would be great. If you have built your own,i would like to see a picture of it and how you heat it!

Thanks again for all your time, newbie questions have to get old but i am weighing all my options before i just up and buy!!

Thanks again everyone,
Mike Hansen [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]
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[Shadrach]

Let's see if I can get these to come in this is a cage I built myself.

This is just doing some finishing touches (that's my 13 year old brother-in-law inside it)


And this is the final


I have no problem's heating it with an under the tank type heat mat.

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[txgirl266]

flexwatt gets warm but haven't seen much problems with it, make sure the connections are outside the enclosure. a wood floor is fine but you might want to get some melamine chipboard and adhere it to the floorboard. it makes for a much easier cleaning and more sanitized enviornment. good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!
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[MikeHansen]

Shad,

What kind of wood is that? And how thick is it? Also can i have an estimate on what it cost to build it? It is a very nice cage!! What are the dimensions?

Thanks,
Mike

P.S. Want to build me one? LOL Never hurts to ask...LOL [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img]

[eddie]

Take a peek in here, Constuction pics.
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[Tom]

Hi Mike,

Here is a picture of my 3 cage unit with a book shelf on top.
These cages are 6' x 2' x 20"


Here is a picture of the Kane heat mat I use under my cages not inside the cage. It heats up the cage just fine even though the 3/4" oak plywood.


Standard equipment for each cage is a ceramic infrared heat emitter with a wire guard, a KANE heating pad under the floor, a fluorescent light with timer, casters and air vents. The bottom of each cage is sealed with a clear, high build epoxy finish to aid in cleaning, and prevent water damage to the unit. The 3/4"Oak plywood is stained to any Minwax color you like, sealed, and caulked. The cage has sliding tempered glass doors with locks, to ensure that animals stay in, and children stay out.
(Sliding reinforced plexiglass doors can be installed if you prefer avoiding the risk of breakable glass.)
All cages come completely assembled. They will last a lifetime with proper care. These are furniture grade custom cages. They will look great in your living room, family room, office, den or bed room.
THESE CAGES ARE NOT YOUR STANDARD MELAMINE CAGES. They will not absorb water like melamine can once the surface is scratched.

You can see pictures of the standard equipment on my website. Just go to my "Cage Picture Page" and click on the link for "cage prices" then just click on the high lighted words for a picture of the item you want to look at.

Pricing on some of my cages if you are interested in them.
4' X 2' X 2' is $842.00 + shipping
6' X 2' X 2' is $1,125.06 + shipping
8' X 2' X 2' is $1,127.11 + shipping

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[Shadrach]

Hey Mike look at the link provided and read through them it's from my first pic I posted about this enclosure and will give you an Idea of what I used to build it and the dim's!

http://www.redtailboa.net/modules.ph...amp;topic=8279
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[StaticKaos]

Total Cost: Around 65 Bucks..



I have under tank heating pad that scares me so bad.. I have two thick pieces of plywood under it to keep the heat of it off of the floor.. Im always scared it's going to start a fire, i suggest you not go this route.. i am going to change mine very soon..
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[MikeHansen]

Hey!! Thanks all!! Anyone else???


Mike
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[NYCSpeedcore]

Someone has most likely mentioned this already, but just in case they have not you can buy a very large rubermaid container with a locking lid. I have seen people then buy a piece of acrylic from your local hardware store or home depot and cut it out to a nice sized window so you can see in the tank. Then they attach it to the side of the rubbermaid container useing bolts and washers. Now on the lid they cut out a small rectangular sliver and attach another piece of acrylic, for a floresent light fixture to fit over. Then they mount a heat pannel on the inside attached to a thermostat and flexwatt on the bottom. Ventalation can be added by bolting on a small piece of screen or drilling holes in it. I am going to try and find some pics, or maybe I'll just build one so the next time I have the urge to buy a boa I will have a tank to put it in [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] .
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[RevMojo]

I haven't built a cage yet (on my prject list for next year), but I woud recommend marine grade hardware for fastening it together, or at the very least, something intended for outdoor use, to prevent corrosion in that sort of humid environment.
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[StaticKaos]

Yes, thats the only detail I forgot.. I have a pretty good feeling I'll have to be building a new cage in the future, good thing it was cheap..

Whoever mentioned Rubbermaids.. I've seen really nice 1s with locking lids also.. I bought a 35 gallon rubbermaid recently to house a new rosy we are getting, they heat easily, look decent and are very cheap.. i got my 35 gallon for 15 bucks at target..
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