Wow! Sounds like you'll have all the resources to make a really nice cage. I'll try to remember your questions and respond to them. I'd skip using the Spanish cedar, even with the polyurethane, your other wood choices should be fine. I'd use a sturdy plywood for the base - at least 1/2" or 3/4" would be better. A triple coating of polyurethane should be satisfactory for sealing the cage, although you'd still need to seal the corners with aquarium-grade silicone because the water will still leak out of the seams, just not into the wood.



I personally don't like polyurethane and prefer to screw on pieces of appropriately-sized white tileboard since it makes for quicker construction. Also I usually try to landscape the insides of the enclosure with paint, various textures, and handmade pieces to build up the background. All of this is easier to do on a base of tileboard. As for making a knock-down cage, it can be done with furniture knock-down fasteners but you have to have the proper jigs and such to make cages using that type of hardware. For the sake of simplicity your basic idea of two halves being screwed together might be better.



Plexi side panels and the Pro-products heat panels sound like a good idea. As for the base, I've always liked the idea of some type of removalable tray or holder for the substrate but haven't made any cages with that setup simply because it's more complex. If you want the best all around setup I'd try to work in the removeable trays as they'll make cage cleaning a breeze compared to removing substrates from behind a litter dam and then trying to clean and rinse everything. Hope this helps.



Good luck and have fun,

Matt Campbell

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