\"\"Help\"\" Building a cage!!!!

[Lyricqt]

Hey "RTB" I am trying to build a cage for my 6ft boa, He is getting to bis for his 75 gallon tank.. I don't want to go about the fish tank way again so I decided to build him one... But I can't seem to find material on going about it..I herd that you can build them out of book shelves and dressers but (like I said ) can't find the 411... thanks for your help... Before hand.. MARCUS
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[morti]

Hi Marcus!

I am not the right person to talk to about building a cage, but someone will be along shortly that can help with that...

I am however the right person to talk to about getting a Boaphile Plastics cage. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Just an alternative to hours of hard, sweaty work.

www.boaphileplastics.com

-Morti
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[talon]

I built a 6x2x2 cage for my 7'6" female BCI out of a 2"x2" frame and hard board (same material as peg board. this is not an ideal material but it is fairly light and CHEAP!(works for me). You can build the frame around large shallow plastic "rubbermaids" and put your substrate and water in them which allows you to sterilize the cage floor and make for easy clean up. I also put a shelf about half wayup on one side to increase floor space and used a metal shelving material to set a spot lamp (infared heat emitter) on top of it for basking. Just some Ideas.
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	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

[phaedrus]

Here's a thread.

Also, somewhere in the pics forum is a link of one of our members photo album. It shows incremental pictures of the cage being built.

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[phaedrus]

Found it.
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[Blueeheeler]

I built a cage for my rtb and corn out of a 5 shelf bookshelf. My corn is a baby so he has a home the size of a realy big 10 gallon tank. where my boa has the rest of the cage to herself. I added to doors to match the size of the cages for each snake. It was so simple it only took two days to do and most of that was waiting for my husband to cut the lumber. For the doors I used 3/8" door stop molding and coated 1/2" wire/screen, which I stapled to the 3/8" wood then covered the staples with flat molding. I pit the screen on the outside of the door frame so there would be no rough wood or screen for her to rub her self raw on. I also added a 2 inch dowel cut in half for her to climb on. Most of the shelves were cut down to make hide boxes ect...Good luck and have fun. OH! by the way my bookshelf was bought at the goodwill store for $20.00. More money to left over to spend on the goodies....


My bookshelf is 6 feet tall by 25" wide and 14"deep. Which is a real nice size for a 3 yr old boa and 4 month old corn.

We love our cage it is so easy to clean and I can see both my pets all the time. Great Ventilation too!
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[JuliusSqueezer]

blueheeler...boas need more floor space than vertical space....25" x 14" is minimal space for a snake a tad over 2 feet. all that height is pretty much waste. You too need to be looking for something much bigger for the boa.
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[LdyDrgn]

Plus, how is the enclosure heated and how well does it hold humidity?
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[Blueeheeler]

I thought about the heating information after I posted. On the top of the bookshelf is a 9" hole screened to hold the fixture that has a 60 watt blub in it, the other way I heat it with an under the tank heater mounted to the underside of a shelf. Shelf is at 84 degrees with the over head light on the same side total heat in the cage is 90 degrees. She has a hide box away from all light and heat so she can cool down if needed, which she does not do too much. She likes to be out so we can see her.

As for the humidity it is probably too low for a snake. Will look in to getting some plexi glass and a humidifier for her. Unless those are not good for snakes? All of you comments are welcome and appreciated very much.

What kind of cage do you all recommend for my girl, plastics, aquariums.

I have a 55 gallon aquarium that I could use for her. How do I keep the humidity high enough? HELP!!!! Which is best?



AS for the SCARS! throught her sides she has creases in her scales and some of the scales are going the opposite way they should. That is the best way I can describe the marks. You can really see them when she is curled up. Well they look like fold lines. I will be posting some pictures on the web with a link probably in the AM of the 15th. Since I have had her which is not long she is only eatting prekilled rats....No live food here, it scares me that she might get bitten, I do the same for my corn. Thank you for all of you advise.
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[Dr.Oviparous]

The folded lines are a result of her living in the 10 gallon aquarium for 3 years. Honestly I am not positive the lines will fade away. But I would assume they will with many sheds over the next few years, but you know what happens when we assume...

I might have missed it, but what kind of substrate are you using? This can be a big factor in winning the humidity battle. A lot of loose substrates hold much better humidity compared to carpet, newspaper or other flat subs. Misting a few times a day usually does the trick with a loose sub. You can also cover a portion of the top of the cage with suran wrap or aluminum foil.

I use a lot of glass aquariums, One neodesia, a couple I built (melamine), and oh yes even the ultimate reptile cage; RUBBERMAID!! What type of cages you use really just depends on you needs, likes, and budget. -Juggalo
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[Blueeheeler]

With the cage that I built, it has all open areas so at this point in time no subs are used. When I move her to the 55 gallon aquarium what would be the best? Taking into consideration that I use an under the tank heater and overhead heating as well.

Thanks for all of the advice. I will get to work on the aqarim today.
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[Nyte]

How big is your boa blueeheeler? I would tend to think that for a three year old boa,a 55 gallon tank is still going to be a bit on the small side. You have already said that you and your spouse together can build and enclosure, perhaps you should look into building another one. Take what you learned from the first one, and apply it to the new one. You can chock the first one up to a learning curve.

Brian
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