Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I promissed the wife as soon as I had the racks done in the snake rooms that I'd start in on a "display" system for the main living room. I know, shoot me in the head now this is going to cost a small fortune I just never really thought I'd have to get to it lol. Anyway what I'm thinking is a stacking system of several different sized cages all in 12" increments length and height and all 18" deep (outside dimensions). Like 12x12x18, 24x12x18, 48x24x18, etc. and let her position them together however she likes to fill up the walls, probably leaving little cubbys in select places for plants, tv, etc. I've got the corner unit figured as a 5 sided thing 27" against each wall, out 18" to but up with the cages on either side and then have about 12 1/2" for a door in front. My thought was to dado cut the floors in to leave about a 1" gap in between the stacks (room to tape in flexwatt, run wiring, etc.) I'm also thinking I should build a base maybe 18" high, one to get them off the ground and two for storage space and control panels below them. Ceiling level is about 8 feet so I'm thinking we'll go about 7 1/2 feet high total with these and cover at least 2 walls. Ok that should give you some background on what I'm looking to do, now for the questions.

On the base, how would you recomend building it to take the weight? I was thinking maybe a 2x4 framework and then facing it off in whatever I use to face the cages with, not real sure though and that's a lot of weight depending on what I make the cages out of.

What would you suggest making the individual cages out of? Animals would range from high temp desert to tropical rainforest environment. My initial thought was 5/8" mel, maybe 3/4 but damn that stuff gets heavy and I'm not sure about warping either. Would plywood be any better strength to weight wise?

What am I forgetting about? (I know, probably a lot. Man racks are easier lol).

On the base, how would you recomend building it to take the weight?

I have stacked frameless melamine cages well over 6' tall so I don't think you need to worry much about a 2x4 base. You could just build a lower profile cage with solid colored doors for storage.

On that same note, I would encourage you to carefully consider the height of these cages if this is for a display system. I like a taller cage for displays. I think a fixed height would look good as well as the depth. I would also consider RHP's instead of a flexwatt heating system. If you do go with flexwatt try to make it accessible from the front.

What would you suggest making the individual cages out of? Animals would range from high temp desert to tropical rainforest environment. My initial thought was 5/8" mel, maybe 3/4 but damn that stuff gets heavy and I'm not sure about warping either. Would plywood be any better strength to weight wise?

Melamine does not have a problem with warping. But it's probably not the best for the rainforest species, although there are ways to seal it.

Plywood does have a much better strength to weight ratio but can get a lot more expensive.

My only other comment would be to consider building these single units with a footprint of 48x18. I would make them so that they are on hidden casters (with the casters hidden by moulding) and can be rolled underneath doorways. This way the floor of the top cage will act as the ceiling for the cage below, and so on. It will save some money and if you do it right will actually be stronger.

You could still leave little niches and everything, they'd just be filled in.

Ironically, my wife and I are considering something similar for her orchid collection, although we probably won't have the niches.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

If anyone has any pics or other suggestions I'm open.

Ok so if I went with plywood do you think it would be possible to go with 1/2" or would the weight require 5/8" or 3/4". And to seal it if I go with a natural wood look should I use something like deck sealant? and if I go with a painted look, something like white latex?

Also what are your views on mdf? is there any way to seal it properly to take all environments? Just exploring my options here a bit before I start building anything.

I would use 3/4" plywood.

Do not use deck sealant. Too many reasons to list.

For a clear coat I would use a water-based epoxy or a bartop epoxy. Which product in part depends on where you live. There are also catalyzed WB polyurethanes. Some of this depends on what wood veneer you go with. Darker wood and lighter woods often look best with specific sealants.

There is also prefinished plywood with a UV cure epoxy coating. Don't know just how durable this stuff is but it is said to be cheaper than buying the same quality plywood and finishing it yourself, depending on what your needs are.

A latex paint would probably not hold up in the rainforest environments. I would be more likely to use formica or vinyl film for a solid color.

I am not a fan of MDF, although it is cheap and smooth. But it's even heaver than melamine so I don't think it's something you'd like.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)