Reptile & Amphibian Forums

For those of you that have tried, how hard is it to work with this material? I want to switch from my melamine racks and cages to plastic, but am not sure if I want to buy them or make them. I have alot of cage building experience but none with plastic. Also if buying them is only slightly more than building, I would buy so I don't screw up and actually waste time and material.

Also does anyone know of any sites that have any info that would be more in depth than what would be postable here? Thank you for any help.

Plastic material is rather pricey unless purchased in bulk. That cost alone makes me want to purchase from cage makers.

Many cagemakers these days use computer-controlled cutting to make very consistent cages and cage doors. Hard to beat that.

I would start with expanded PVC if you want to play around. You can get pieces from sign shops or order larger sheets from plastics suppliers. Google "sintra" for info. You can cut it with a table saw and plastic-cutting blade, or even a circular saw and edge guide. Really easy to drill and cut. Use a "Uni-bit" to drill perfect holes. Glues with PVC cement or that Weld-On product for PVC. For vents I simply cut a few 2" dia holes, place a square-cut piece of screen over the hole, and glue on strips of cut PVCx to frame screen over the circle.

As Mark eluded to the cost savings at the DIY level are nowhere near as great when working with plastics.

The biggest reason to do it yourself is to achieve a dimension you particuarly like and/or a door style that is not commerically available.

Another issue to consider is weight savings which are often not nearly as great with plastics as many people assume. In fact some 1/2" plastics weigh nearly as much per sheet as 3/4" melamine. Hard to believe but it's true.

In my opinion DIY guys and gals who want BOTH weight and $$ savings should learn how to work with 1/4" Sintra or similar brand of expanded PVC. And shop carefully as the prices of these products can vary dramatically. However, 1/4" expanded PVC is not always suitable for racks as it is too flexible.

Just for reference, one of the lightest brand of expanded PVC weighs 1.34 lbs. per square foot. 1/2" baltic birch plywood weighs 1.72 lbs. per square foot and that's on the heavy side for 1/2" ply. And keep in mind that any expanded PVC product has a foamed interior which decreases the weight quite a bit. Any solid plastic is therefore going to weight quite a bit.

Other 1/2" expanded PVC can weigh 2 lbs. per square foot which is even more than 1/2" plywood.

I don't blame you at all for wanting something other than melamine cages and racks. However, just be warned that if you're not careful you might end up with a cage that is both expensive and heavy. Pick your product carefully.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

the 1/4 I use puts out cages that weigh the following:

4x2x1 = 23 lbs
4x2x18 = 31 lbs
4x2x2 = 40 lbs

Solid weighs about double these in 1/4

1/2 hdpp weighs around 70lbs a sheet and if i remember correct the cages weighed around 50lbs for the 4x2x1

1/2 pvc is rather heavy itself would have to weigh one at the shop to get a accurate weight on that ( there racks)
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signature file edited, contact an admin 6/12/06

Yeah, I did not specify in my original post that the weights I listed were for 1/2" PVCX. And actually, 1/2" PVCX is often more than twice the weight of of 1/4" due to a higher density.

1/2" HDPE weighs more than 70 lbs., IIRC.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

I did some research. By defenition HDPE weighs 78 lbs per sheet on the low end (so Alan was pretty close). Anything less than that is considered low-density polyethylene.

That's quite a bit more than 1/2" plywood which rarely weighs more than 55 lbs. And again, some 1/2" PVCX products weigh more than 55 lbs.

Personally, given the cost and flexiness of most plastics I'd be very careful about what product I used.

I think 10 mm Celtec 550 (a type of PVCX) is a nice compromise. A bit easier to work with for the novice than 1/4" and is still reasonably cheap and light -- about 50 lbs. per sheet.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)