Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been checking out your wooden, seemingly self made BRB rack/enclosure thingy's. The one with the PVC that you open up for breeding. What is the internal dimentions of one of those boxes? i was just wondering because its a cool system and was looking arround at parts to make something similar.

-Russ
-----
Russ
1.0 Basset Hound (Goofy)
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Apollo)
1.0 Columbian Rainbow Boa (Odin)
1.0 Guyana Red-Tail Boa (Ares)
0.1 Pastel Salmon Boa (Minerva)
0.1 Rosy Boa (Athena)
0.1 Dumeril (Puzzle)
1.4 leopard Geckos (the breeders)
0.1 Sandfire Beardy (breeder)
Melbourne, Fl

dave is a high class comercial breeder who doesnt care about his snaeks those cages are really only 6 inches squared they look big but they arent he is cruel and should be reported ASAP so some1 can take away his nasty dirty under fed uncared for animals i am ashamed of him lol seriously tho i think they are like 2 foot squared or somethign like that tho i could be way off

I for one would be willing to take on the burden of taking in his snakes, bring this man to justice! and check shipping rates to 32935!
-----
Russ
1.0 Basset Hound (Goofy)
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Apollo)
1.0 Columbian Rainbow Boa (Odin)
1.0 Guyana Red-Tail Boa (Ares)
0.1 Pastel Salmon Boa (Minerva)
0.1 Rosy Boa (Athena)
0.1 Dumeril (Puzzle)
1.4 leopard Geckos (the breeders)
0.1 Sandfire Beardy (breeder)
Melbourne, Fl

not as much tall. That about cover it? no???? LOL

Well, I have two, forget building the first as it's too hard to move around being only two cages. The second I built as four interlocking cages and I can build the stack by myself. Yeah is easier to get help especially on the top cage.

Each unit is 4' x 2' x 19" (outside dimensions)

Case parts from my plans...

left side 22.75 x 19 x 0.75 ply Back-3/8 x 3/8 rabbit, T/B - dado
right side 22.75 x 19 x 0.75 ply Back-3/8 x 3/8 rabbit, T/B - dado
floor 45.5 x 22 x 0.75 ply
top 45.5 x 22.75 x 0.75 ply
back 45.5 x 17.625 x 0.75 ply
divider 22 x 16.5 x 0.75 ply

Front frame parts.....
front left 19 x 2 x 0.75 solid
Front center 14 x 1.5 x 0.75 solid
front right 19 x 2 x 0.75 solid
front top 42.25 x 2 x 0.75 solid
front bottom 42.25 x 3 x 0.75 solid

I already had extra doors made when I built the first cage, I knew I'd make another eventually so made twice as many as I needed (plus 2)

You might want to change the door plans as they are hard to make if you don't have the right door making tools.

Gotta run, my Hypo BRB delivery just showed up....

Digest this for a bit and then we can discuss more
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
24.36 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I was at a crafts store with my girlfriend and one of my roomates (surrounded by women -_-) and im wandering arround, bored as all hell, so i start looking for good stuff for snakes, be it boals, hide box's something. so i stumble on the unfinished wood section and i see a big tower, that is about 5'tall 2' wide and 2' deep and has perminate set dividers that divides it into 4 box's.

so i get to thinking, what if i could take that and finish it with some sort of water sealer or some such, and put plastic doors on them. it might be pretty damn good if i could find one with the right dimentions, i also got to thinking i could drill holes in them like you have. . .

what i was looking at was something like this (i just randomly found this on the internet)

If i could find soemthing like that with the correct dimentions for adult BRB's it would save a lot of time and money.

whattcha think?
-----
Russ
1.0 Basset Hound (Goofy)
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Apollo)
1.0 Columbian Rainbow Boa (Odin)
1.0 Guyana Red-Tail Boa (Ares)
0.1 Pastel Salmon Boa (Minerva)
0.1 Rosy Boa (Athena)
0.1 Dumeril (Puzzle)
1.4 leopard Geckos (the breeders)
0.1 Sandfire Beardy (breeder)
Melbourne, Fl

Looks good, would need to add some sort of litter dam. And like you already know SEALING!!!!! BRB's do like to get things quite wet!!!
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
24.36 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

What do you mean by litter dam?
-----
Russ
1.0 Basset Hound (Goofy)
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Apollo)
1.0 Columbian Rainbow Boa (Odin)
1.0 Guyana Red-Tail Boa (Ares)
0.1 Pastel Salmon Boa (Minerva)
0.1 Rosy Boa (Athena)
0.1 Dumeril (Puzzle)
1.4 leopard Geckos (the breeders)
0.1 Sandfire Beardy (breeder)
Melbourne, Fl

Need some "lip" at the front so nothoing leaks out. If you use mulch, lots will fall out every time you open. Even if you use paper, the BRB's will make messes that would tehn spill down the front into lower sections and onto your floor. Not the kind of stuff you want "flowing downhill"! if ya get my drift.

So for a litter dam, depending on substrate, even an inch of vertical board at the front of the floor would keep stuff in. If you use mulch, you'll want it higher!! All mine are two inches above floor height.

Another way to think of it. If the side and back joints are well sealed and you spill a water bowl, where will the water go? The "litter dam" is a litteral dam at the front of the shelf to keep stuff in.
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
24.36 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

ahh, that explains it, that is easily fixed though but an important issue to think about ahead of time.

thanks!
-----
Russ
1.0 Basset Hound (Goofy)
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Apollo)
1.0 Columbian Rainbow Boa (Odin)
1.0 Guyana Red-Tail Boa (Ares)
0.1 Pastel Salmon Boa (Minerva)
0.1 Rosy Boa (Athena)
0.1 Dumeril (Puzzle)
1.4 leopard Geckos (the breeders)
0.1 Sandfire Beardy (breeder)
Melbourne, Fl

Exactly!!!
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
24.36 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

did you just seal the bottom side or did you formica only the bottom for a spilt water and does the water ever go on the floor or do you have a rubber strip sealing the door shut?

or is your cut openings on the front higher the shelf housing the snake and squat bowl?

prolly could have worded it different but that is just me so sorry
Bob

Russ,
....I would use multiple coats of polyurethane to finish and water seal that to make it a cage. I have old homemade wooden cages with around 6 coats of polyurethane and they have held up for 15 years. Each coat was fully sanded between coats so it was time consuming. You would need to add the litter dams Dave mentioned but those could be grooved so that you could have sliding glass doors or you could put hinged doors on the cage. Using ready made book shelves like that does take some of the work and expense out of making cages but after all the time and the parts and supplies they can get pretty expensive so that Visions or Boaphiles really do not seem like so much money.
Jeff

>>I was at a crafts store with my girlfriend and one of my roomates (surrounded by women -_-) and im wandering arround, bored as all hell, so i start looking for good stuff for snakes, be it boals, hide box's something. so i stumble on the unfinished wood section and i see a big tower, that is about 5'tall 2' wide and 2' deep and has perminate set dividers that divides it into 4 box's.
>>
>>so i get to thinking, what if i could take that and finish it with some sort of water sealer or some such, and put plastic doors on them. it might be pretty damn good if i could find one with the right dimentions, i also got to thinking i could drill holes in them like you have. . .
>>
>>what i was looking at was something like this (i just randomly found this on the internet)
>>
>>
>>
>>If i could find soemthing like that with the correct dimentions for adult BRB's it would save a lot of time and money.
>>
>>whattcha think?
>>-----
>>Russ
>>1.0 Basset Hound (Goofy)
>>1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Apollo)
>>1.0 Columbian Rainbow Boa (Odin)
>>1.0 Guyana Red-Tail Boa (Ares)
>>0.1 Pastel Salmon Boa (Minerva)
>>0.1 Rosy Boa (Athena)
>>0.1 Dumeril (Puzzle)
>>1.4 leopard Geckos (the breeders)
>>0.1 Sandfire Beardy (breeder)
>>Melbourne, Fl

Yeah, my wooden cages were not cheap, after all was said and done I could have bought palstic cages for less than I spent to mbjuild those oak and glass cages. I do like them though and am happy with my decision to make the cages, I like the fact I made them and they look so good.

My first set was formicsa floored and poly coated sides. The second stack I lined all internal surfaces with formica for ultimate durability!!!
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
24.36 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

How are you planning on heating this. I have thought about doing this same thing but it seems like heat pannels are the only option. These seem really pricy??? Anyone???

I'm using RHP's, yeah a bit pricey but work really well!!! IMO worth it for my breeders!!!
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
24.36 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I have ceramic heat emitters inside my melamine BRB cages. They are controlled with a proportional thermostat and rheostat in series adjusted so that they are never too hot.
Jeff

>>How are you planning on heating this. I have thought about doing this same thing but it seems like heat pannels are the only option. These seem really pricy??? Anyone???

is each unit an entire row? so its 4' long TOTAL, but it looks split into 2 seperate units. .

so let me get this straight

in this enclosure

there are 8 snakes, with 4 rows and 2 snakes in each row, and each snake has roughtly 2'x2'x2' ~4.5-6 square feet each. right? and then each row is connected so that it can be expanded into 4 tanks that are 4x2x2 each when mating season comes arround, yes?

trying to digest, come back soon plz!
-----
Russ
1.0 Basset Hound (Goofy)
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Apollo)
1.0 Columbian Rainbow Boa (Odin)
1.0 Guyana Red-Tail Boa (Ares)
0.1 Pastel Salmon Boa (Minerva)
0.1 Rosy Boa (Athena)
0.1 Dumeril (Puzzle)
1.4 leopard Geckos (the breeders)
0.1 Sandfire Beardy (breeder)
Melbourne, Fl

First off, that's the original cage, notice there is not an equal vertical distance between the doors. That stack is made of two four section cages.

The newer stack is made of four sections, each with two doors and a removable divider. The removable divider is really permanent, caulked in etc. but could be removed of I want to.

Each divider has a pass through so those two cages could be joined. Also I have a set of pipes on each side that will allow me to connect cages vertically. Lots of options to connect cages up to all 8 joined together. I'm going to change that this year. going to change the outer pipes so the top two levels can be joined on either side and the same with the lower two levels. If you label the sectiona starting from the top as level 1 cage left and cage right you'd have

1L / 1R
2L / 2R
3L / 3R
4L / 4R

I'm going to join the cages in pairs this year,
1L-2L
3L-4L
1R-2R
3R-4R

each level has it's own controller so I'll make levels 1 and 3 warmer than levels 2 and 4, that way they can thermoregulate a bit. Each two section breeding unit will have two females and a male.

Bottom line with each stack is there are 8 individual sections, each 2' x 2' x 18" (actually a bit less internal dimensions) Those cages can be connected to adjacent (both horizontally and vertically) cage sections by removing screw in plugs. I plan on joining cage sections this year into pairs. In prior years I had less males so the number of sections joined was higher.
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
24.36 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

speaking of, have you had any issues with thermoregulation? I would assume not as you have produced a good ammount of babies this year. Currently my BRB is in a 20g Long tank and i dont really have a heat source directly on it as my snake room gets ~ up to 82* durring the day and doesnt get below ~72* at night. . i was afraid if i put a pad on it it would get to warm durring the day, but at the same time im eliminating the thermoregulating. . . .

and of course as you have shown that can be a problem with your current setup and the one i am dreaming up.
-----
Russ
1.0 Basset Hound (Goofy)
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Apollo)
1.0 Columbian Rainbow Boa (Odin)
1.0 Guyana Red-Tail Boa (Ares)
0.1 Pastel Salmon Boa (Minerva)
0.1 Rosy Boa (Athena)
0.1 Dumeril (Puzzle)
1.4 leopard Geckos (the breeders)
0.1 Sandfire Beardy (breeder)
Melbourne, Fl

I think getting the temps right is better than providing a range. I do get a range of temps closer to the heat vs further away but not a large range. I think in breeding they do like to move around to various temps so I try to provide a better range for them.
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
24.36 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats