Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok so my burm is getting quite feisty and I've decided it is time to build her a permanent full size cage for when she is full grown. Currently she is about 10' but I want her to be comfy when she's reached maximum size.

I've decided to build her a cage being I can't afford to dish out the funds for a prefab box. Keep in mind I barely passed wood shop in high school so I need ideas that are fairly simple.

I'd like to have a good sliding and lockable glass door, water proof seems and under 250 with construction costs. Any help would be greatly appreciated. (i.e. forwarding me a text or pdf of plans)

Thanks for your help no matter what form it is.

Derek

Derek,

What size of cage do you want?

The most popular burmese python cage design discussed on this forum recently has been a two-piece design that is 10' long, 30" deep and however tall you want it. It consists of two cage halves that are each 5' long that are bolted together. It uses the somewhat readily available baltich birch plywood that comes in 5'x5' sheets. It is very high quality plywood for the price but is usually only available from hardwood suppliers.

However, it is still not the cheapest plywood and the two-piece design does add some cost. And the plywood will need to be finished, obviously, which adds to the cost.

Does the $250 cost include a heat source and thermostat or is that just for the cage carcass, ventilation and doors?

Also, is there any particular feature that is most important to you? Or perhaps you should rank the following features from most to least important:

1) Light weight

2) Attractive appearance

3) Long-term durability

4) Low cost

Combining all four is when things get difficult. For example, you could build an inexpensive cage that is nice looking and that will last a long time, but it would likely be VERY heavy.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Jave local (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)

The dimensions you specified were exactly what I'm looking for. The 250 is pretty much the money I wish to use on the building process such ass materials, doors, glass/plexiglass whatever. I already have all the other necessities for proper temperature monitoring and additional heat sources.

I wish the cage to look pretty good as well. Besides for the locking doors that either open up like a normal door or slide, I'd like to paint it with some sort of water proof non-toxic epoxy rubbery something or rather to prevent the cage to rot away and to reflect heat back into the cage (pref black). I was also going to use silicone aquarium sealer on the edges.

So yeah.. this was my idea

I think a cage built from the 5' x 5' baltic birch will be good for you. Look for a local source and Bighurt and I can help you get going with a cut list. I'm sure you can find a local cabinet builder to cut it for you. The custom cabinet building business is a tough one and often shops are happy to have something for their employees to do to keep busy.

How tall do you want the cage? I like a taller cage for large snakes as it makes it safer. You do not want to be reaching into the back of a 30" deep cage if the opening is less than 20" tall.

But the extra height will mean more glass which will add to the cost. Once you decide on a height you can start pricing glass. Don't order it until the cage is built and the glass track is installed, however. A taller cage might also mean needing an extra sheet of plywood, mostly likely four instead of three.

For $250 I think you probably should forgo a solid-wood face frame and instead go with leftover plywood for the upper and lower lips of the cage.

The next big expense will be the sealer. Since you want black you will have more options that if you wanted clear only. We can talke about that more once the time comes.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Jave local (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)