Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Okay so my boas are starting to grow up and I had to start preparing for some new caging. I have been using glass aquariums for years now and with so much heat and humidity loss, I decided to go with some wooden stackables.

I browsed through the enclosure forums online and and found one on another forum that was to my likings sorta........needless to say that the post kinda inspired me.

After a few modifications I headed out to home depot and got 4 sheets of plywood. A major change I made was that I opted to use 3/4 inch for the top and bottom where most warpage may occur over time rather then the sides and back. I also wanted a little taller and went for 16" rather than 1 foot!

So for 100 some odd bucks I got 2 3/4 inch sheets, 2 half inch sheets, 200 1 1/2 inch screws and the 20 cuts it would take to make it all fit in my car!!!

I put everything together beveled my edges for some glass and also cut some triangles in the back which was routered as well and will have 1/4 inch pegboard for ventilation.

Currently I am painting the insides so as to give the paint plenty of time to dry!!! I could not find the Verathane colors in plastic , apperantly Home Depot does not carry the product anymore . Instead I found an easy 1 Step water based Stain and polyurathane also made by Verethane. Although only 6 select colors and 19$ a liter, its oderless, Water based!!! and cleanable with soap and water.

The liter did not last as long as I had expected and I have only done 2 insides as seen in these photos!

The entire stack of 4 so far!!!

Note the 3/4 inch on both the top and bottom to ensure sturdiness and prevent warpage over the 4 x 2 spans!!!

Some Size Reference. 16" Tall each, 4 Inch bottom pieces to prevent substrate spillage etc, 3 inch strips around the sides routered along the sides and top to recess the glass eventually. With about a 9 1/4 inch opening!

Overall Size for 4 while sitting on the floor!!! 5.5 feet!!

The finished inside. 3 coats . You can also see the 2 triangles I have cut out which will be covered with pegboard for ventilation. also put in a bright Sylvania led light that is a push on and will be handy when feeding or cleaning!!

The Back Side showing the routered triangles. I was playing around with either pegboard or some kind of drilled acrylic as to let some extra light into the enclosures for regular viewing!!

And lastly the paint I am using!

I am very interested in hearing some comments and would love to hear what everyone thinks.

Also a couple questions for all the pros here!!!

#1. How to properly heat????

I was thinking running two 11" strips down the sides of 1 corner, but have heard it would be alot of wasted heat. Would I need to space in between each lvel if I wanted belly heat????

#2. Glass Doors?

Can glass be drilled and have hinges mounted to easily and at home? I was planning to get precut and sanded down pieces of 1/4 inch glass. Do i use tempered or untempered? Glass would be alot sturdier then most plastics and require less hinges and latches !
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www.BetterBoa.com

4.3 BCIs (Zeus, Athena, Xena, Jocasta, Menelaus, Aphodite, Hades)
4.4 Corn snakes

Instead I found an easy 1 Step water based Stain and polyurathane also made by Verethane.

I would recommend going with something more durable for the floor. Waterborne polyurethane is great stuff but not ideal for Boas.

#1. How to properly heat????

I'm not a big fan of providing heat advice. If it were me I'd use a radiant heat panel of some sort but they are more expensive.

One idea I recommend a lot is to cut a rectangle out of the floor that is about 2" wider and longer than the size of flexwatt you'll need to use. Keep this cutout away from the walls of the cage as to preserve the structural integrity of the floor.

Then cover the entire floor with expanded PVC sign board or something similar that can also transmit heat well.

The flexwatt is then taped to the underside of the plastic floor with the appropriately rated foil tape. A groove can be routed from the cutout to the back of the cage for the flexwatt cords.

The idea makes for a more durable and easy to clean floor but also allows the flexwatt to have an air space and operate more safely and efficiently.

#2. Glass Doors? Can glass be drilled and have hinges mounted to easily and at home? Do i use tempered or untempered?

I'm not so sure about this idea. I remember one guy doing this and attaching the hinges with epoxy or silicone -- no holes.

I'm not a huge fan of acrylic doors but this is one area where they are probably the better choice.
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Currently keeping a small collection of various Gonyosoma. Both G. janseni and G. oxycephala.