Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've been planning on building my boa cage to be 4' long, 3' high, and 2' deep, because I have glass panels that will fit in those dimensions. However, I recalculated everything, and I'm seeing now that if I buy glass panels, and build the cage 2x2x4l, even after paying for the glass, I'll save something like $80 over my original idea. That $80 will then be able to be spent on things like moulding for the corners, and decorations and such, rather than on vertical that I don't see the snakes using. Since it's meant to house a pair of Hog Islands, and both should be between 5 and 5.5 feet, I'm thinking 2x2x4 will be fine. Also, with that, I'm still going to include a shelf that'll stretch half the length of the cage, to make a basking area & provide more floor space. Does this sound like an OK size for a pair of Hogs?

So, I was planning on making the front of the cage a solid panel, and cutting out windows to put the glass panels into. It would have a ledge along the bottom 3 inches high, and then the top, sides, and a center column of 2". I'd rout a 1/2" wide bit out of the corners of the inside, so that the glass will sit flush with the inside of the wood, and it'll either be siliconed in place, held in with those little plastic things that hold in glass in cabinets, or both.

Now, however, I'm thinking about making the front a little bit different, and I'm just questioning the stability of my new idea. Also, I might have some trouble cutting the “windows” out straight, and I'd definitely have to find somewhere to build the cage, compared to doing it the new way, I could completely cut everything myself, or even have the imbeciles are Home Cheapo make the cuts for me.

So, what I'm thinking of now is building the cage 2x2x4. Out of a 4x8 plywood sheet, I'd get the 2x4' panels for the bottom, back, and top. The remaining 2x4 panel, i would cut into 2” wide strips to make the front frame. The only cuts I'd have to make in the wood would all be able to be made with a table saw, or even a circular saw & a guide, compared to needing a jigsaw, and who knows what else. At that point, I'd make the top & bottom pieces 4' long, and put in vertical supports that would end up being 20” tall. Also, since I'd be making two layers, I'd overlap them- the front layer would have the top & bottom longer, with the sides wedged in between them, and the back layer would have the sides longer, and the top & bottom wedged in between them. If I do it this way, I could use the router to cut corners into the inside edges, and sandwich the glass between the two layers of plywood.

Does anyone understand what I mean here? Does this sound like it would be stable enough? Also, I'm planning on having the top and one side hinged, for access. I know that will probably cut some of the stability from it, and that's why I'm slightly concerned about having multiple pieces in the front, instead of a solid piece.

I'm not sure I understand what your plan is exactly, but I thought I might be able to give you some perspective on sturdiness.

My old bearded dragon cage, which now sits empty in the basement, is 4 x 20 x 29. The back panel of the cage does not go all the way up to the top as this is the access are for the false ceiling.

The side panels do not rest between the bottom and top panels as is normally recommended. I screwed and glued them to the outside so I could fit a 4' light fixture inside of the cage.

I don't have a face frame, insteand I just used 5" strips of plywood for the glass track to attach to.

I used no dados or rabbets. Everything is standard edge joints with yellow wood glue and normal wood screws.

Recently we have started stacking cases of bottled water on top the cage. Not to long ago my wife did this by herself when I was not home and stacked about 4 cases right in the middle instead of on the ends. That's about 130 to 150 pounds of water right in the center top of a cage with no supportive back panel and no face frame.

Much to my surprise, the glass still slid in the track the next day when I noticed this.

So I guess my point is that if your back panel goes all the way up to the top, your sides fit such that the top panel of the cage rests on top of them, and you use strips of plywood on the front to form the opening, you should have an even stronger cage than my bearded dragon cage, which is evidently strong enough to hold a lot of weight without affecting the sliding glass track.

Here is a picture of the cage.

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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)

Thank you for the quit response!

And that is almost exactly what I'm talking about, except I did a really poor job explaining it. Except, I don't want to use sliding glass panels. I want to use two individual frames of glass surrounded by wooden “frames”. Think of what you have there, and then with a 2 or 3” strip nailed to the middle of those two panels on the front, so that it goes straight up & down. I have to have the middle piece for for my shelf to attach to. In addition' I'm going to put the same thing down each side. Where it got complicated in the original explanation is much easier when I think about it-
If that support for the shelf is attached right to the middle, it will make the cage look bad, because it would be uneven. The whole front would be smooth across, then right in the middle, there's a big piece of extra wood that would stick out the front an extra half inch. So, instead, I'd “fill in” the rest of the front with more strips of plywood. Does that make sense now?

But yeah, the picture you posted is essentially what I'm talking about.

I'm lining the bottom of the cage, as well as a couple inches up each wall with vinyl flooring. I was thinking about buying FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic), because it's smoother and is a solid color, rather than patterned like vinyl flooring is, but I have a whole roll of vinyl flooring I can use for free, compared to buying a $40 sheet of FRP. Can't justify the price difference for something that's gonna be mostly covered with substrate anyway!

Chris, you've been a great help with this project. You've really given me some great advice, and helped me with this project, and others!
I'm planning on staining the wood with Varathane's water based Diamond Polyurethane Interior that you recommended in another thread (at least, I think it was Diamond you were talking about- it's the only water based Varathane product I can find). I haven't bought my wood yet, but, you recommended using a high quality laminated plywood. Now, I know almost nothing about building things. I'm a 19 year old college student(I'm actually there right now!), so I try to keep things cheap. And, I'm a language major, not a carpenter, so I try to keep them simple. I've tried my hand at building a few things, including cage lids, shelves, and rack systems, and been very satisfied with most of them(the first rack put together turned out like crap, but I was 13- what should I have expected?). I try to rely on people I know for suggestions & tips, but it doesn't always work. So far, I've had everyone recommend oil-based polyurethane products, and cedar wood. My dad is urging me to buy 1/4” cheap plywood, which is exactly what you suggested I stay away from. Do you have a specific type of wood that you would recommend, other than any higher quality? In your experience, is there any one wood that will take poly better, and hold up better than any others? And also, I have $70 worth of gift cards to spend at Lowes, so I really want to get as much stuff from them as I can. I got a couple gift cards for Christmas, so I'm kind of stuck buying at least $70 worth of supplies there. So, they have a ¾” Birch listed under the prefinished/cabinet grade plywoods for $39 a sheet. Think that would work? That would be most of my required wood, right there. The only thing I'd have left over that I'd need would be the 2x2 end pieces. I wouldn't be too worried about the end pieces being a different type of wood, as long as I could find something close.

You're probably explaining things fine but I have had a tough week and very little sleep.

Basically you want a center stile, or support. That makes sense. Exactly what you plan to do with the raised shelf and the fillers is still a bit fuzzy. Regardless it sounds like you have a plan and I'm sure it will be fine. One real simple thing you can do is download a Graph Paper Image and open it up with Microsoft paint and draw away. That's only if you really want us to see what you're talking about.

I would at least consider having the shelf smaller and not attached to the center front stile of the cage. Most people make a shelf about 1/4 or less of the floor area and attach it to a back corner. Often you don't even need additional support.

I do believe Diamond is Varathanes waterborne product. I think their oil-based stuff is called professional. And trust me, don't use Cedar and oil-based poly.

I also would not use 1/4" plywood. 1/2" at a minimum. I do think the higher quality stuff is more than worth it. I do like the birch plywood due to the smooth surface.

If budjet is a concern, you could also use precut melamine shelving from Lowes. I have seen plans online where an entire cage was made with shelving and no additional cutting was needed.

If it were me and I were in your situation I'd probably use the $39 cabinet grade birch ply and have them cut it for you. I think it's a 48" x 24" x 18" cage that can be entirely made from a single sheet of material, assuming all crosscuts are made.
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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)

Chris and Co can handle your construction issues. I'd like to comment on the cage size.

You assume 5.5ft for the boas, but that may not be true necessarily, especially for the female. In any case, my opinion is for 2 boas to cohabitate, the cage is too small. Either go with the 3ft height and have a shelf or two, or go longer or deeper.

Or, make two cages.

Or, make two cages each 3'w x 2'd x 2'h. One with an open cutout on the right, and one with a cutout on the left, then bolt them together to make a 6ft cage that you can disaasemble if you need to to move it.

When one snake defecates (boas make huge piles), why subject the other snake to having to be near it? And what about basking site? How are you going to ensure both snakes get the temps they want in a 2x2x4 cage? You can't really. Go bigger.

After coming up with that, I realized that it's too small.
However, the size really is about right. My female is close to 5 years old(assuming she was a year old when I bought her, like I was told), and just barely 5.5 feet long, probably closer to 5. I've never had a good measurement of her. The male.. His father is 4.5 feet long, his mother 6 ft. Guessing somewhere in the middle would go with 5-5.5, and since he's a male, he'll probably be on the small end of that.

However, the plan originally called for the cage to be 3 feet tall, and that is what I'm going back to. Even while thinking 2 feet tall, I was still planning on putting a shelf in there.

The double 3x2x2 won't work, because I don't have anywhere to put a 6ft long cage. I was thinking about doing that, as well.

My solution was to go back to the 4' long, 2 deep, and 3 high, or to change it to 3 deep, and 2 ft high, instead of 2 deep and 3 high. Either one will still have the shelf thrown in the middle. The reason I was wanting to do away with the height is because neither of my boas climb. Ever. I've had the female for almost 4 years, and have never seen her do anything more vertical than sit on top of a hide. I haven't had the male that long, but I still have yet to see him climb anything at all. I foresee making it 3 feet deep rather than 3 feet high working better, because it will provide a good bit more floor space, which I'm thinking they'll use more effectively. What do you think?

In a sense, having a shelf all the way across in a 4ft wide cage doubles your floorspace, so that is better than a 6ft cage.

Boas seem very content on the ground, but you would be amazed at how they can climb. It really depends on where their preferred temps are and where they feel secure among other things. I would surmise that Hog Island boas may be more terrestrial than other boas judging by the terrain in their habitat. But that is a guess.

I think that when you have a 3ft tall cage with a shelf (and a basking spot up there) you will see your boas use it sometimes. Especially if the shelf has a lip on it that partially hides the snake on it. Certainly, providing the option is a good thing.

I can still recall that old very large 13ft Surinam boa (RIP) at San Diego Zoo perched way up in a tree in her huge enclosure sitting under a basking lamp hung from the ceiling. She was massive yet scaled that tree like nothing. Seeing that makes one realize the limitations we put on these animals by housing them in tiny enclosures.

I have an old Boaphile video that shows a gravid Colombian female coiled on a shelf in a cage that is like 2ft high. Jeff mentions how his females use shelves quite a bit.

So I say go for the height.