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cage questions

ryantholen Jul 06, 2008 09:42 AM

I want to build my own cages my boas. I have a few question about them. I have three boas and I want to build cages for all of them. I was thinking of building the cages out of plywood covering them with the stuff they use in showers(sorry I don't know the terms) I wanted to use Ceramic Heat Emitter to heat the cages, is that a good way to heat them and how many watts do I need. Also will a 4'x2'x36" be big enought for full grown boas. Also if anyone has any ideas to help me put it together that would be helpful. Thank you. Ryan

And of the subject how do you post pictures?

0.1 wife
1.0 son
2.1 Red tail boas
1.0 coastal carpet
1.0 ghost corn
1.0 hognose
1.0 ARB

Replies (6)

Chris_Harper2 Jul 06, 2008 10:51 AM

Kingsnake makes it very easy to post pictures but you need to have them hosted online somewhere. You cannot just upload them from your hard drive and onto a forum post. Fortunately KS also offers a gallery in case you do not already have a photo hosting site you use. Here are two links that will be helpful:

Tools & Toys

Kingsnake's Gallery

I was thinking of building the cages out of plywood covering them with the stuff they use in showers(sorry I don't know the terms).

You'll have to be a bit more specific. Do you mean the tile-board shower surround material that comes in 4x8 sheets? Or the similar fiberglass reinforced panel (FRP)? Or do you mean the vinyl or polyethylene membranes that go over walls and underneath tile? Or you do mean the paintable moisture barriers?

I wanted to use Ceramic Heat Emitter to heat the cages, is that a good way to heat them and how many watts do I need.

I like CHE's and feel that large snakes in particular enjoy basking underneath them. They do get very hot and some sort of barrier which prevents the snake from coming in contact is very important. Regarding wattage, that depends on a few factors including the height of the cage which you did not specify, the amount and placement of ventilation in the cage and the coldest temperature of the room where the cage will be placed. There is no forumula so you'll likely have to experiment.

Also will a 4'x2'x36" be big enought for full grown boas.

Large enough, but I'm unsure if the 36" is the height or the depth (front to back) of the cage. 36" is an uncomfortable depth for a cage unless it is very tall and you can lean into it. I would re-think it if you meant 36" as the depth of the cage.

If 36" is the height then you'll be fine, especially if using a CHE. My only concern would be if the room where the cages will be is cool in the winter. In a larger cage like that you may end up getting too much of a thermal gradiant. As much as I like taller cages for boas I would be a bit concerned about heating a cage like this in a cool room. But there are ways around this. You could wrap the cage in Reflectix during the winter and provide a lot of thermal mass and get a very nice distribution of heat.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephala (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

ryantholen Jul 06, 2008 12:32 PM

Thanks for the advice.
I want the cage to be 4' long 2' wide and I changed my mind to 24" tall. will that work?

I think I am going to use tile-board for showers. I found it at homedepot. It is thin flexible and white and some sort of plastic. How sould I mount the pieces on the plywood and together so there are no cracks. Also where is the best place to mount the CHE. I was thinking of cutting a hole in the top of the plywood then use metal screen. Can I just put it right on to of the screen, or will it get to hot.

Chris_Harper2 Jul 06, 2008 01:23 PM

I think 24" tall will work fine and will make better use of plywood and your liner, both of which come in 4x8 sheets.

I used to use a lot of tile board back in the early 1990's. I liked it because it was reasonably durable for its cost and was also easy and cheap to replace. I was not a fan of the looks and honestly today would likely choose something more attractive and durable, albeit more expensive. Probably a lot more expensive.

Back then I rarely used it on the walls. When I did I would apply it with silicone because I could always peel off panels and scrape off the excess silicone from the melamine walls with a razor blade. This will be more difficult with plywood. Whatever you do make sure you can replace the tile board simply because I don't believe it is durable enough to be a life time finish.

When I built my melamine cages back then I built them without a floor and then used silicone and staples to attach the tile board floors to the bottom perimeter of the cage. The tile board was supported by the ceiling of the cage below. This saved on weight and cost and made the floors much easier to replace.
But this only works if the cages will be stacked or on an otherwise solid surface of some sort.

For the CHE, a hole with screen works but does not look great and prevents stacking. But if that's your plan it does work.

If you go back to 36" for height then I would build something so the CHE can be mounted inside of the cage.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephala (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

Chris_Harper2 Jul 06, 2008 01:46 PM

Have not mentioned this yet, but if you have it in the budget I would absolutely use radiant heat panels if at all possible. They can be safely mounted right inside of the cage and also produce a nice radiant heat which many reptiles seem to prefer. They tend to be more expensive but are less work and more streamlined than CHE's.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephala (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

ryantholen Jul 06, 2008 03:25 PM

Where can I find radiant heat panels? Also is there another place to put the che so I can stack the cages, if the cages are only 24" tall and I can't put them in the cage.

Chris_Harper2 Jul 06, 2008 05:03 PM

Radiant Heat Panels are made by Pro Products, Enerjoy, Helix and RBI. Big Apple also carried the Desert Rays Panel but those are really most effective if you provide your own radiant barrier to direct the heat.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephala (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

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