Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I had a guy send me some pics of his cages that he made. The pics should show up below. I was wondering if anyone else has done something like this and if so do you have any pics or step-by-step on how you did it. I am also wanting to see if anyone has done this idea with larger tubs or some sort of rack with larger tubs like this. I would appreciate any help.
Thanks

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1.1 Motley het butter corns
0.1 Snow corn
0.1 Okeetee corn
1.0 Anery mutt corn
0.1 Stripe Ghost corn
0.1 Amelanistic corn het carmel
2.1 Colombian Redtails
1.0 Hypo Colombian redtail
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
1.0 Anery Kenyan sand boa
0.1 Normal Kenyan sand boa

Chris Harper has and I myself am working on a set of new cages around the same principle. I will be posting pics when I start and finish mine. I'll let Chris get into the details of step by step assembly.

Good Luck and great cage alternative.
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Jeremy

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

1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow RTB's
1.1 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.2 Pastel Hypo RTB's
2.0 Double Het Stripe Albino RTB's
0.1 Suriname RTB
0.1 Anerthrystic RTB
0.0.11 Red Bearded Dragons
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse
0.0.1 Youth -coming soon-

Some quick pictures...

One of my original attempts at this for tree vipers. One 20 gallon tote and two eight gallon trash can mounted onto oak plywood with cutouts.

Later cage with pine face frame and 50 gallon tote. Looks much better than this picture suggests.

Side view of the same cage. I had planned to use shelf brackets to hold it up but no longer use this cage.

Once I had the design worked out my ultimate plan was to build something like this for the arboreal colubrids I keep. Many things have happened since then and I never got around to it.

These boxes are 55 gallon storage totes no longer available at Lowes. A shame since it was the perfect box pretty much.

Another option I have found it polypropylene stock tanks. I can get 110 gallon tanks for about $50 in the town where I live.

What species is this for?

One final comment is if you plan to build a bank of cages rather than a bunch of individual ones then I'd recommend using one big sheet of plywood and cutting out openings for the totes. I think this is easier and more durable than face frames.

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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

The nine-unit display built around the 55 gallon tote was built by a contact of mine. I gave him some basic tips and he had a carpenter build it. But that was very similar to what I planned to build for myself.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

Home Depot sells high-density polyethylene utility sinks that are as thick and durable as a Vision cage. Slap a face front and hinged door on that and you've got a killer cage for small boa constrictors, complete with a pluggable drain line when you need to rinse it out.

I am trying to do a better job on the next one. Using a single piece of plywood then cutting out the doorway works better IMO than making a frame from pieces (unless you are great with joinery. I suck at it.) Then seal with silicon where the plastic meets the plywood. This time I am skinning the inside of the door frame at the bottom with PVCX where it functions as a litter dam.

The door frame I made is 1/2 plywood. The door itself is 1/4" PVCX with some added PVCX strips to stiffen the door, with a cutout for an acrylic panel.

Also, since these sinks are square-like, it is easy to cut a hole for a lamp dome and rivet screen to the plastic. The thick polyethylene cuts easily for making vents and such.

Somewhere in the archives of this forum there is a picture of a similar bank of cages made from utility sinks. I just took a look and was unable to find it, however.

I wish they were a bit bigger but they do work well.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

A friend did something similar for Eyelash vipers. He had it set up with a misting nozzle. The drain linked into the next cage underneath it. There was a small gap and the water washed down the next drain and than into the sewere system. He cut a small hole in the front and used some wood and screen for a top. I was a real masterpiece. I am supposed to go over there this week. I may be able to get pictures. todd

Todd,

Please do take some pictures and maybe even see if your friend will come over here and discuss it.

It was truely the perfect system for when I kept tree vipers.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

Can you post pics of that HDPE utility sink cage? I'd love to see it, as I'm always looking for new ideas to use when building cages.

Thanks
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Michael Rehker

Middle Tennessee Reptiles
Website Coming Soon!

"Which of us has not been stunned by the beauty of an animal's skin or its flexibility in motion?"
--Marianne Moore

My friend is a cage savant. He built viper cages out of sinks. A massive arboreal cage for his ETB. A massive three part pvc cage for his retics. And is also helping me build my new cb70 rack out of a home depot plastic rack. I owe him more beers and wings than I can count.

Those are the best kind of friends to have!

When you get a chance, please post some pics of those cages...I'd love to see the design.

Thanks,
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Michael Rehker

Middle Tennessee Reptiles
Website Coming Soon!

"Which of us has not been stunned by the beauty of an animal's skin or its flexibility in motion?"
--Marianne Moore

A lot of people have experimented with this very same technique, interestingly enough. I've included two pics - the first is a three-stack unit I made with Rubbermaid 50 gallon totes built into a wooden frame with 1/4 inch thick Luan face frames. It was a cheap design but I don't care for the unfinished wood in contact with substrates, etc. I chose after several door designs, to go with a single removeable panel made from 1/4 inch thick acrylic with casement latches to hold it securely in place.

My second trip to this construction method was I think far superior. It's a Sterilite 45 gallon tote with a 6mm Sintra PVCX face frame with a 1/8 inch thick acrylic door - again fastened closed with casement latches. This cage isn't completed yet as it still needs the screen top installed along with side ventilation panels.

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Matt Campbell

"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in." John Muir

I'm always looking at things and trying to figure out how to use it for another purpose, other than the intended one. I can't believe I never thought of this. Rubber maid tubs and plastic utlility sinks!!!! Some more things to look at at the hardware stores.
Yes, please post som pic of the sink tanks if you can get them.

There is a place by me that is kinda like Big Lots, but for woodworkers and home improvement materials. They are a close out store called Woodworkers Warehouse. They have all kinds of materials fairly cheap.

Please excuse me for rambling. I'm still on a good high. I just found my fist rattle snake. Not sure what kind. About 8" long and 4 tiny buttons. Nice lifer! WOOT WOOT!!!!!
Rob

Here is one picture of the caging, but you get the general idea. Todd