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Ok.. Some of you may remember I posted about building a burm enclosure.. well I finally got off my arse and went to my bud who works as a graphics artist/sign maker for a sign shop. He also builds wooden things as a hobby.. so he is going to help me build my cage.. He brought up alot of interesting concepts to me that never crossed my mind. (Guess thats why he's the artist hehe) Anyways... Going with what we have available locally we decided that 2 8 foot sheets of birch ply-wood is going to be the choice.. with a 2x4 frame. Fold down doors with henges and chains on side to hold it. And lexan on the front windows. Now..
One of the interesting things he brought up to me is "Why are these cages so boring, they are just boxes with a window?" I said that's just how people built them.. well he wants to get creative with it and decorate the outside and customize the front window.. like something that would fit my personality (havent decided yet on what) but example of one that was brought up.. in the door use a jigsaw to cut out the shape of a hatchet(sp?).. with blade, and handle. This is essentially the "viewing window" in the cut out space goes the acrylic and on the bottom of the blade part.. get a bit of red acrylic to make it look as if it has blood on it.. lol I thought that was a neat idea.. to personalize the cage.. so we are going to attempt it. he thinks we can do it for about $190 which is nice too. Now.. me being someome who knows nothing about carpentering anything.. Why are most of the cages so boring? and box-like.. I mean if I had the skill to build I would probably make it more personal myself.

OK.. now couple of real questions.
My friend thought of putting a 2 inch deep "pan" as the bottom (slide out) of some pvc he works with at his sign shop.. it would be where I put the substrate and what the python lays on.. when I take the python out I can just slide the tray out to wash it off. Now this seems like a good idea, but is it really? would i need to worry about losing heat or humidity?

Next.. Vents.. How many and what size would be good?Where's the best spot for vents?(8Lx2Dx2H)

Would heat tape be good to heat such a cage? (until I save up some $$ for a pro-products RHP)

Thanks for reading.. sorry so long. ; )

customizing to your personality is what it is all about. some of my first cages were like this (airbrushed interiors and cutout viewing windows). i have since moved towards more furnature like cages because my tastes haev chaged somewhat.

as far as the pan, it seems like a good idea and you should not really have much to worry about aside from two things i can think of:
one..the pan will be really large, and depending on how you go about building the frame it may be difficult to make it work.
two..make sure the pan is fairly deep. since you will not be sealing the pan in you dont want a nice pile of you know what to get in the crack between the pan and the cage itself.

i do not really like to add too much ventilation. in my 2'x4' cages i only have the ventilation from the cracks in the two sets of sliding doors (glass front and light access doors). i would say maybe just one regular house vent that you can close off to contol humidity. when i use vents i like to keep them on the sides and they usually end up in the middle of the sides.

heat tape could be used, but i think it may require some extra work. i think you may have to seal it under glass for it to be used in the enclosure. i do not have much expereince yet with heat tape in wooden enclosures so maybe someone else will respond with more help.

good luck. sounds like a good plan. remember to post pictures.

>>Ok.. Some of you may remember I posted about building a burm enclosure.. well I finally got off my arse and went to my bud who works as a graphics artist/sign maker for a sign shop. He also builds wooden things as a hobby.. so he is going to help me build my cage.. He brought up alot of interesting concepts to me that never crossed my mind. (Guess thats why he's the artist hehe) Anyways... Going with what we have available locally we decided that 2 8 foot sheets of birch ply-wood is going to be the choice.. with a 2x4 frame. Fold down doors with henges and chains on side to hold it. And lexan on the front windows. Now..
>>One of the interesting things he brought up to me is "Why are these cages so boring, they are just boxes with a window?" I said that's just how people built them.. well he wants to get creative with it and decorate the outside and customize the front window.. like something that would fit my personality (havent decided yet on what) but example of one that was brought up.. in the door use a jigsaw to cut out the shape of a hatchet(sp?).. with blade, and handle. This is essentially the "viewing window" in the cut out space goes the acrylic and on the bottom of the blade part.. get a bit of red acrylic to make it look as if it has blood on it.. lol I thought that was a neat idea.. to personalize the cage.. so we are going to attempt it. he thinks we can do it for about $190 which is nice too. Now.. me being someome who knows nothing about carpentering anything.. Why are most of the cages so boring? and box-like.. I mean if I had the skill to build I would probably make it more personal myself.
>>
>>OK.. now couple of real questions.
>>My friend thought of putting a 2 inch deep "pan" as the bottom (slide out) of some pvc he works with at his sign shop.. it would be where I put the substrate and what the python lays on.. when I take the python out I can just slide the tray out to wash it off. Now this seems like a good idea, but is it really? would i need to worry about losing heat or humidity?
>>
>>Next.. Vents.. How many and what size would be good?Where's the best spot for vents?(8Lx2Dx2H)
>>
>>Would heat tape be good to heat such a cage? (until I save up some $$ for a pro-products RHP)
>>
>>Thanks for reading.. sorry so long. ; )

I would begin to consider using a height of 18" to help you with maintaining heat and humidity.
I would give up the height, and add floor space, because that is what burms need...space to stretch out.
Consider going to 96x30x18.
It will cost you more due to waste. But in the end your burm will better appreciate the room to stretch out.
As for heat... you'll need to cut some holes in the bottom of the cage, and use some sort of material to make a floor with.
FRP,or linoleum, or something along that line. You'll need to make a floor thin enough so the heat from the tape can pass through.
I use radiant heat panels in my large enclosures. They are worth every penny. Something to think about.
Instead of using a 2x4 frame, you can use 3/4" ply and just attach the panels of plywood together.
Saves a step and gives it a cleaner look. Makes it very heavy too. The difference in price between 1/2, and 3/4 ply is not all that much if cost is an issue.
And make sure the wood is well sealed. Burm poop and urates is not something that you want soaking into wood. Plus the high humidity a burm requires makes it imperative to seal the wood.
That's where the pan comes in.
If you can be absolutely sure that nothing can get underneath it, or your snake can't get underneath it, it might work.
However, that will probably block the heat coming from any type of UTH, such as heat tape, and possibly allow heat to build up between the floor and this pan...creating a fire hazard.
OK...I've rambled enough
Post some pics when the cage is done

I would stick with a larger height. You may sacrafice some on heat and humidity, but with litter dams and other front lateral support, 18" doesn't leave much of an opening.

How large is the Burmese now?

You may want to consider making the cage two pieces. Then bolt them together, an 8' cage is a burden to move. Using ply would also be easier than a 2x4 frame. I use frames in my large enclosures but those are completely different. For a large Burmese cage I see 2 - 5'L X 30"W X 30"H boxs as good measurements. The leftover cut from ripping the ply down to 30" can be used for upper and lower litter dams.

These are just a suggestion, and sealing the ply as well as using some sort of additional floor protection is always recommended for Burmese.

Good Luck
Jeremy
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"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

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i agree that 18" is too short. it would be like trying to reach under a bed from one side to the other.
also makign the cage in two parts may be a good idea. also it may be good to make two pans instead of one so that they are easier to move.

>>I would stick with a larger height. You may sacrafice some on heat and humidity, but with litter dams and other front lateral support, 18" doesn't leave much of an opening.
>>
>>How large is the Burmese now?
>>
>>You may want to consider making the cage two pieces. Then bolt them together, an 8' cage is a burden to move. Using ply would also be easier than a 2x4 frame. I use frames in my large enclosures but those are completely different. For a large Burmese cage I see 2 - 5'L X 30"W X 30"H boxs as good measurements. The leftover cut from ripping the ply down to 30" can be used for upper and lower litter dams.
>>
>>These are just a suggestion, and sealing the ply as well as using some sort of additional floor protection is always recommended for Burmese.
>>
>>Good Luck
>>Jeremy
>>-----
>>"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer
>>
>>1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow Red Tailed Boas -Coming Soon-
>>0.1 Albino Red Tailed Boa -Coming Soon-
>>1.1 Hypomelenistic Red Tailed Boas
>>2.0 Double Het Stripe Albino Red Tailed Boas
>>0.1 Suriname Red Tailed Boa
>>0.1 Anerthrystic Red Tailed Boa
>>1.0 Ball Python
>>1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
>>1.0 Green Iguana
>>1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
>>1.0 Pomeriaian
>>0.3 Catus Terribilis
>>0.1 Spouse

A higher cage can add floor space too. My old big snake cage was 4'x4'x8' so 32' floor space. I saw a gecko cage with extra walls, so I added shelves. 2'x4' and 3'x4' more than doubled my floor space. Granted that was a big cage. But you can apply the idea to any tall cage. Funny I had a rock, 2 burms 1 retic of all those the rock liked to climb? He was the lst one I thought would like it. Back then we kept different species together a lot.

OH well, hope it helped
-----
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We at least all agree on one thing. Increase the floor depth to 30"
I still however like the 18" height. My doors(there are 2), are 12" high. I find that more than sufficient to work with.
And I'm fat. My bottom dams are 3" as are the top crosspiece of the door.
I heat my enclosures with Pro Products RHPs. Humidity is kept at around 70%.
I have no problems cleaning the back wall, and no problems moving large burms in and out of this size.
So it becomes personal preference. Just give your burm more floor space though.
I have thought about the double box type cage for some time now, and I am considering it for a retic enclosure.
Am I also thinking of trying to use it to add a 90* corner addition to a burm enclosure...again to give more floor space, but using the angle to save wall space.

Thanks all for replies..
I really liked the two 5 foot cages chris_harper mentioned when I posted a topic similar way down the forum.. but the size wood he said to get isn't available here.. as far as I know anyways. I am not completely done looking around.. but His idea was to make two 5' x 30" x 30" Which is actually what I would prefer.. I am somewhat on a budget now though as I lost my job not too long ago. But I also am relying on my sign making friend to do most of work. He isn't charging me b/c he likes to do projects like this. Anyways.. chris_h said he would use "Russian/Finnish birch plywood" Well lowes, and home depot don't sell that so I am not sure where I could get that. Only reason I said 8x2x2 is it would be most effecient for the wood that we were going to get and would have less waste. But as I said I am open to suggestion so I think I will look around some more and try to find more wood options and such. And of crouse I will post pics of all when I begin and finish. : )

I live in a medium sized town in South Dakota and I can find the 5'x5' panels of Russian birch ply at a local hardwood supplier. In my experience these wood supply shops are in just about every town, you just need to look.

BTW, and 18" tall cage is barely within my comfort zone for working with large constrictors. That would be an absolute minimum for me, especially with a 30" deep cage.

Also, I agree with the frameless construction route. No need for a frame with today's adhesives.

chris.. thanks for info and I wouldn't go any lower than 24 on height. I called around to some lumber comapnies today and 1 out of 6 has 1/2inch russian birch ply.. price is $29.05 per sheet of 5x5. Is this good price? And would the 1/2inch been something that I could use for a cage without problems? I wont talk to my bud thats going to help me until this weekend. How many sheets of this would I need for this also?

$29 was more than my local price last summer, but that imported stuff can flucuate rapidly in price.

I think you could use 1/2". It's a bit trickier to work with but I'm sure you're friend can handle it.

I'm in a hurry so I can't say for sure how many sheets you'd need. I'll try to do some quick math later.

What size did you want to stick to? two boxs 30x30x60? If you cut it right 5 sheets. If you go with a smaller back panel not 1/2", than you can probally take one panel away. I use 1/8 tile board as the back for all my cage but it is a lot easier to just use the same stuff.
Hope that helps
Jeremy
-----
"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow Red Tailed Boas -Coming Soon-
0.1 Albino Red Tailed Boa -Coming Soon-
1.1 Hypomelenistic Red Tailed Boas
2.0 Double Het Stripe Albino Red Tailed Boas
0.1 Suriname Red Tailed Boa
0.1 Anerthrystic Red Tailed Boa
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse

id go with height also, i just got my first burm and she is shy of 2 feet, im going to be building her a cage eventually measuring 9ft long by 4 ft wide and 3 ft high, it will stretch out just about the entire length of my room(which is 9 ft by 10 ft)im slowly buying the materals, my uncle used to have a 16 foot burm and his loved to climb and my lil one loves to to,my room also stays pretty warm so heating the cages will be noproblem, the burm is now my 5th snake and i got her and a male ball Python for my female Ball Python to breed in 2007, i got the burm and the male bp from the hamburg reptile expo. so far i have 2 bp, 1 burm, and 2 snow corns, and i can't wait till the next hamburg show cuz i will be getting a blood and maybe a male albino burm.