Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well i've got a Cuban Knight Anole, small male.
I'm going to build a HUGE cage for him eventually, so he can get a couple of ladys
I want to use Tempered Glass, or not tempered, shouldn't matter he isn't that strong, for the front.
My question is do any major hardware places sell large sheets of it?
I was hoping to get make 4'x4' glass front.
Is this size made? i only need it to be a 1/4" or less thick.

I looked at the local HomeDepot but they didnt' seem to have any. They had lexan but like its freaking expensive, and it scratches. I dont' have the tools to cut either but i do know that HomeDepot or Lowes can cut it for you, for a fee i think.
I could make the front slightly smaller but i don't really wanna

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Later,
WhisQuila

tempered you will find is as xpensive here it runs from 6-9$a sq ft .... you need to call glass shops in your area for prices ,,,
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Buisnesses come and go everyday, what keeps you here is how you treated the customer the day before....

You cannot cut tempered glass. It is cut to size and then tempered afterward. Any glass shop will supply you with tempered glass in any dimension you need. It's not that expensive (compared to the cost/value of your herps.) The advantages, besides scratch resistance, are worth it. If you hit it with a hammer it will not crack, unless you strike it on the edge, and then if it does ever break, it breaks into small pebbles instead of the deadly shards of regular glass. I recommend that you also have any exposed edges polished so they are smooth and easy to handle.
MAP

Aight cool people. I'll call a couple of places and get quotes. As for the edges... as long as they are straight it won't matter. The glass is going to be bordered by a 1"x2" piece of wood, probably Oak or something that will look nice. I'll have it routered... or what ever you call it about a 1/4" deep and the width of the glass, so the exposed total surface of the glass will actually be 47.5" x 47.5" I'll be posting plans as soon as i can make sure the glass isn't going to be the end of my finances
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Later,
WhisQuila

Ok i've talked to about 4 different glass/windows places and um.... $70 for the 4'x4' 1/4" thick glass is the best quote, and that isn't tempered. tempering adds like $30-40. Does this sound high? seems like lexan, which is supposedly more expensive from what i've read, is cheaper.
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Later,
WhisQuila

I would just take a trip around the closest town and look for houses that are being remodeled. I have thrown out dozens of picture windows that were in perfect condition when working on houses. Sores like Re-Store that you take building materials to that are in good shape and sell them. I have bought many materials for cages there.

Like the last post said, you could look into used windows. I've never heard of Re-Store, but if you look in the yellow pages under "Salvage Yards" you should be able to find a few places that sell used construction materials.
Its not free, but it certainly is cheaper than buying new glass. Also, if you talk to some auto glass repair shops, some of them sell plate-glass; that is the same as window glass. And they sell it cheaper than regular glass shops.
Good luck,

~ El__Quijote

Hey there ,
Ok unfortunatly that sounds about right.... like i said in a earlier post tempered glass isnt CHEAP... the lowest i have found it was where i just moved from @ 5.75 a sq foot. here where i am living now lowest i have found is $6.75 a sq foot. so if you round it to $7.oo a sq ft you would be looking in the $100.$120.00 range its not cheap but for the added security and long lasting use its worth the investment as you can virtually strike it with a hammer and not have it shatter.... now the edges are more prone to crack/ or break but with them being usally encased in a wood frame thats not likely.
building cages out of 1/4 tempered you can expect to depending on materials used far as wood spend as much just for the glass as all the materials to build your cage ... so if you have $100-125 in a nice wood ( oak , maple etc) then double that and you will be in a close proximaty of your total costs hope this helps ( ps lol you think the glass is high price the aluminum hardware for the sliding track at about $10-12 a LF lol adds up FAST)
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Buisnesses come and go everyday, what keeps you here is how you treated the customer the day before....

Wow, that sounds ridiculously high. I just purchased 2 pieces for my Tegu cage, each was over 2 feet high and 2-1/2 feet wide, 1/4 inch tempered, with 4 edges polished and it was $62.00 and I am in Southern CA - not the cheapest area in the country. I hope you can find it cheaper, but (if you want my 2 cents worth,) don't compromise on the front of your cage, it gets the most abuse and the most exposure.

MAP