Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok, im building two cages 30*24*12 im gonna cutout a rectange from the floor for the heat pad, would a sheet of plexi glass work ok for the floor to stick the heat pad to? can it handle the heat or would somthing else work better? once i get this figured out im good to go! any help is appreciated thanks!!!

Stay away from acrylic ("plexiglass" for that purpose.

A better material is 1/4" expanded foam PVC e.g. "Sintra" that is available from sign shops in most cases or from plastics outlets like www.us-plastics.com. Cover the whole floor if you can.

Depending on what's going in the cage, how heavy of cage furniture if any, etc, you may get away with the 1/8" thick expanded PVC just fine. You can cut this with a utility knife and a straight edge.

Another excellent material is High Density Polystyrene. The 1/8" thick material is extremely tough. However, it is hard to cut without a good saw.
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Mark

what exactly is expanded pvc? it seems everyone is talking about it on here, im a carpenter and have worked with alot of different materials but dont think im familiar with this? does lowes or a building supply dealer carry it you think? the way ppl talk about it makes it sound like plexi glass and expensive. Thanks for your help! oh, the only furniture would prolly be a light hide box. also... would FRP be an ok choice to line the rest of cage with ???

ok, so is it more like a foam or a hard solid? it can handle temps. of a good uth? will most sign shops sell a sheet is that something they usually do? sorry so many questions, im just excited to finally figure this stuff out

PVCx looks alot like that foam-core paperboard used for school projects. PVCx is a closed-cell foam PVC core sandwiched between two thin layers of solid PVC. Because of this construction, it is much lighter-in-weight than solid PVC, and the foam core helps insulate and hold heat, so it works well with heat pads. It cleans well and is durable enough to be a floor of a snake cage.

It comes in various thicknesses. The common sizes are around 1/8" thick and 1/4" thick, but there exists 3/8" thick. For your app, the 1/8" stuff may work just fine, and the 1/4" stuff will certainly be fine.

You can cut with a saw meant for veneers or finish plywood, but you can also score it with a straight edge and blade (like 1/2 way deep) and break it along the line (it is soft, so it will not break like acrylic, but it pull apart like foam board does). You may then use the blade to carefully score the solid PVC coating that may not snap off. For your application, the score and break method is fine.

Sign shops have scraps, and the few I've been to will order me anything I am willing to pay for. A better way to go as mentioned is from plastic suppliers, like the one I mentioned before www.us-plastics.com, or it may be usplastics.com. I forgot. Google it.
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Mark

what exactly is expanded pvc?

Expanded Poly Vinyl Chloride or in other terms same as PVC pipe but flat and lighter.

does lowes or a building supply dealer carry it you think?

No, Sign Shops may be able to sell you some otherwise a plastic distributor is the only other option.

Yes it is expensive!

FRP is ok but the rough texture is makes cleaning difficult for the sides of enclosures its not bad but floors become tiresome. I would recommend vinyl flooring as a protective floor covering its cheap easy to use and can be replaced relativly easy.

Best of Luck
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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
0.0.10 Red Bearded Dragons
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.2 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse
1.0 Child

Thanks for all your help guys! but one more thing... with my false floor plan, the cut-out of the plywood where i stick the uth. is there anything else other than expanded pvc i could use for the floor. ill probably end using it but since im building more than one id like to cut cost where ever possible. i couldnt stick the heater to frp or vinyll floor could i? thanks again!

with the idea of undertank heat. What a pain with wood cages. Use overhead heat and eliminate all of the cutting and plastic, etc.

Depending on the size of the animal going in the cage, either a radiant heat panel will work great, or for small-med colubrids a red spot heat lamp will be perfect. Much easier to install.
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Mark

im building for my dumerils and i rather not use a bulb, my plans call for the cage to be 12" high woould that be to short for a radiant heat panel?

No

If you go with Pro Products they will work with you and your cage dimensions and build a panel right for the cage.
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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
0.0.10 Red Bearded Dragons
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.2 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse
1.0 Child