Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am going to build a cage for a juvenile water monitor, before it gets to large. I want it 8Lx4Wx6H until I buy another house to give it it's own room. I would like to build it out of plywood, but don't know the best way to seal it because of humidity. Also, does anyone have any good plans for construction?

buy a steel trough and build a big top , they basically look like you built a cage with out a bottom and set it on a trough

heres a pic of a trough cage built by mikes monitors

http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/index.php?photo=346997
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1.1 jungle carpets
1.1 sumatran bloods
1.1 het albino rtb

If you have not done so already, you should post this on the monitor forum. Typically the monitor forum has been a great source of information on cage building, although that may not be the case anymore.

For sealing, I think the two most popular choices are polyester resin (basically automotive fiberglass resin) and Fiberglass Reinforced Panel (FRP) laminated directly to the plywood. If this is a temporary cage I would go with what's cheaper. For short term use, Drylok Masonry Waterproofer may also work but I just can't say for sure.

Regarding cage plans, do you need this cage to be something that can be taken apart and moved to another site or are you just going to build it in place and not worry about having to move it when you move? Obviously 8x4x6 is not something that can be moved into or out of the typical house.
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Currently keeping a small collection of various Gonyosoma. Both G. janseni and G. oxycephala.

Thanks Chris,
I want to build something I can move eventually. The last cage I built was 6'Lx3'Wx6'H. I could split it in half, 2 3'Lx3'Wx6'H pieces using latches on the bottom, back, and top, with screen front, and a side door. It lasted 15 years. I used 2x4's and 3/4" plywood and resin on the inside. It was a pain to move. I guess I could use the same design, but lighten it up a little.
Thanks, Mark

I think lumber and plywood is a good way to go for something like this.

If it were me I'd probably build a shallow pan the size of the footprint of the cage and maybe 1 to 2 feet deep depending on what you plan to use as substrate.

Then I would build three walls that could be bolted onto the pan and together. If you only skin the interior walls with plywood and leave the framing open on the outside it will be easy to access these bolts.

Then a door of some sort.

Another thought is to track down pictures of the monitor cage that Junglehabitats built from poplar and glass panels. Basically he built six panels and held the entire thing together with Kreg pocket screws. Each panel was glued and screwed together, but when they were screwed to each other there was no glue used.

Very attractive cage and now that I've experimented with pocket screws I imagine it was pretty strong.

You should email him and see if he'll post here.
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Currently keeping a small collection of various Gonyosoma. Both G. janseni and G. oxycephala.

If I were building a temp enclosure I would go with whats cheapest. I never realized how fast some monitors really grow. A friend of mine purchased a small water monitor and in just a few months the thing was huge. I noticed the same thing with a blackthroat I had. I ended up selling it after just 12 months b/c I was not prepared to cage something that large. It was really amazing to see first hand just how fast they can grow. I could imagine someone with more experience than me seeing even faster results.

I guess what I'm trying to say is build the enclosure soon and cheap b/c the monitor might outgrow it by the time it's finished. You are probably already aware of this, however. Hope everything goes well with room you will be converting to a tank.

Best of Luck with the water monitor.