Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok I was wanting to know a few things about the tubs with wooden faces that people have built. I want to know what size you used for what size snake and where you got that tub. I would also love if you could repost pics or if anyone could post new ones. Thank you
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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

8 gallon trash can for adult male Wagler's Tree Vipers.

20 gallon Homz Storage Tote for adult female Wagler's.

50 gallon Sterilite for Gonyosoma oxycephala, a 5 to 6 foot long semi-arboreal colubrid.

55 gallon tote from Gracious Living for Amazon Tree Boas.

Unfortunately, none of the above boxes are still made. I'm pretty sure the tote from Gracious Living is still made but I cannot find a US distributor.

What species are you building for?
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

I am wanting to build some for you colombian redtails and maybe a larger one for brazilian rainbow boas. I am wondering what is out there to use?
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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

I would look into the new tubs from Rubbermaid. I can't remember the model name but they have been out for less than a year. The 500 gallon tote would probably offer the most floor area for the species you keep. The insides have a lot of ridges, though.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

np

I measured a bunch of tubs a while back and I'm pretty sure this one would offer the most floor area when turned lengthwise and mounted on a face frame.

X-Large Duratote

Keep in the mind the listed measurements don't accurately represent what the actual floor area would be. I think the inside dimenions was about the same size as a 40 gallon breeder tank, or about 36"x18". But you should go check.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

>>I am wanting to build some for you colombian redtails and maybe a larger one for brazilian rainbow boas.

I think a 50 gallon size tote would work okay for something like a smallish Brazilian Rainbow Boa, but will likely only be useful as temporary housing for a Redtail.

With this design [R'maid 50 gallon totes laid on their side], I found that they didn't support a lot of weight inside them very well. The 'bottom' tends to sag if there is a lot of substrate or a large heavy animal in the cage. You could get around that by supporting the bottom on a shelf or something but it strikes me as real limitation - ie. if you're housing something so big that it'll make the bottom sag, you should house that animal in a larger cage to begin with. I used these mostly for small/juvenile snakes and small lizards. Currently only one cage is occupied by a Northern Blue Tongue Skink - the other two are empty.

This type of design works well for arboreal species of lizard or snake, but again, we're talking smaller species of snakes - ie. ones with an adult size of no more than about 3 feet in length, but even that seems a bit small to me. I'm all about providing cages that are as large as possible when possible.

Where I've deemed a 50 gallon tote to be too small for a given species, I've begun to experiment with larger totes. This is the IRIS VE175 which measure something like 52x20x14 with actual interior measurements on the floor something like 48x18x14. Again, this to me is workable for a smallish python [eg. Ball Python] or a medium sized colubrid [ratsnake or kingsnake around 3-4 feet], but again a bit small for my thinking. I use a lot of different totes for my caging right now but more as an expedient until I have the space and workshop facilities to build larger caging.

All I'm saying is that if you want cheap cages, this is the way to go, but they're only adequate for certain species or as intermediate cages for growing animals. Before you put a lot of time and effort into making a bunch of these I'd look at other materials and options as well.
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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

All I'm saying is that if you want cheap cages, this is the way to go, but they're only adequate for certain species or as intermediate cages for growing animals.

Matt,

Thanks for the insight on this. During my experiments with this design I found that 50 gallon totes turned upright were fine but when turned sideways they struggled with heavy water bowls. But the 50 gallon totes I experimented with were very deep, 23" or more, so the weight was not distributed very well. I assumed the shallower tubs would be fine but it sounds like you've had some issues.

There are ways to overcome this and still have a cheap and light cage but you are starting to get away from the true simplicity of the design which is its strongest selling point, IMO. If you end up building a bunch of wooden supports or shelves to support things you should really at least consider another design.

Also, most of the poly stock tanks are more than rigid enough for large cages. This will be my next test with this design.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

>>Also, most of the poly stock tanks are more than rigid enough for large cages. This will be my next test with this design.

Chris - I'm patiently waiting for you to experiment with the poly stock tank 'cage' so I can learn from your mistakes, just as you did with my Sintra 1.0 - 4.0 cages.
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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

LOL. I'll let you know. Wife has to get the "if, when, and what" resolved with her business loan first.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

Could you give some details on the construction of the VE 175 tub cage? In your opinion, could/would they be suitable for venomous? I keep pit vipers, having specimans in all members of the genus Agkistrodon native to North America. I have mainly used the FineGTPs.com cage design and am pleased, except for the ungodly weight. Many thanks in advance.

Vampire

any clue where I can buy a couple of those 50 gallon iris tubs?
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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

Just to sum up what others have stated and what I have experienced:

1. The wood-faced tub cage works best on smallish tubs. That is, not for adult boa constrictors. Find another alternative. I suggest the reasonably affordable plastic caging on the market these days.

2. The design should be somewhat simple.

3. HDPE boxes make the best enclosures (my opinion.) The HDPE sinks at Home Depot (they are granite-gray in color) or the white HDPE boxes made by Cambro (cambro.com or sold at Smart & Final) and Rubbermaid (internet site, not found in stores) make great tub cages. Way more rigid and tough than Rubbermaid storage boxes from Walmart.

You can get Cambro or Rubbermaid HDPE boxes that are 26x18 x12deep. That will hold a baby boa for a little while. So will the sinks. But they aren't for adult boas/pythons. Again, look to alternatives for adults.

I make my own cages for adults I just wanted to find stuff for the babies to 2 year olds.
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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

>>I make my own cages for adults I just wanted to find stuff for the babies to 2 year olds.

You're probably on the right track then. With a little time, effort, and ingenuity you can make some nice looking, well-functioning, inexpensive cages. I'm not sure - have we answered all of your questions? Let me know if you have any questions about the pics I posted.
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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

thanks you did answer my questions and thanks for the pics. Now I just have to build them and pick up some stuff in daytona to put in them.
-----
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