Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Anyone got some ideas for a nice burmese cage. Probably would prefer to build so pics or what would help for ideas. I am planning down the road for my educational talks and I like to do my research first...
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Tom
1.2.0 Leopard Gecko (dot, spot, casper)
0.0.1 California King Snake (booboo)
0.1.0 Sulcata Tortoise (tank)
0.0.2 Russian Tortoise (tito and lulu)
0.0.2 Red Ear Sliders (bernie and ernie)
0.0.3 Painted Turtles (larry, curly and moe)
0.0.1 Western Soft shell (Squirt)
2.2.0 Bearded Dragon (marshmellow,Bubba,Sparkles,Alfredo )
0.0.1 Savannah Monitor (beef)
1.0.0 Peachfront Conure (kermit)
0.1.0 Love Bird ( KIKI )
1.1.0 Dog (layla and Rosco)
2.1.0 Crazy Cats (babe, sabastian, tinkerbell)
0.1.0 Lion Head Rabbit (daisy)
0.1.2 Ferret (jordan RIP, Cosmo and Izzy)
0.2.0 Guinea Pigs (lilly and petunia)
0.0.1 White Tree Frog (dumpy jr.)
0.0.2 Fire Belly Newts (spork and blaze)
0.0.1 Fire Belly Toad (ferdinan)
0.0.1 Red Spotted Newt ( red)
0.0.2 Bull Frogs (goliath and tubby)
0.0.1 Spectacled caiman (wilbert)
0.0.3 Green Anoles
1.0.0 Bahama Anole
0.0.1 Giant Millipede
Lots Of Fish

I am planning down the road for my educational talks and I like to do my research first...

Does this mean you're planning on a cage that you can take to these talks and need it to be transportable? Or do you simply mean you eventually want a Burmese Python for these talks and want to plan ahead for caging?

I assume the latter but want to be sure.

I think it's AlbinoBurmese.com that has plans for a large cage. I have not been to that site in a while so I don't know if it's still there. And if I remember correctly, the recommended some sort of cage sealant that I would definitely NOT use.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.1 Lampropeltis triangulum multistriata

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

sorry looking for cage plans in advance and looking for a burm to take to shows down the road...
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Tom
1.2.0 Leopard Gecko (dot, spot, casper)
0.0.1 California King Snake (booboo)
0.1.0 Sulcata Tortoise (tank)
0.0.2 Russian Tortoise (tito and lulu)
0.0.2 Red Ear Sliders (bernie and ernie)
0.0.3 Painted Turtles (larry, curly and moe)
0.0.1 Western Soft shell (Squirt)
2.2.0 Bearded Dragon (marshmellow,Bubba,Sparkles,Alfredo )
0.0.1 Savannah Monitor (beef)
1.0.0 Peachfront Conure (kermit)
0.1.0 Love Bird ( KIKI )
1.1.0 Dog (layla and Rosco)
2.1.0 Crazy Cats (babe, sabastian, tinkerbell)
0.1.0 Lion Head Rabbit (daisy)
0.1.2 Ferret (jordan RIP, Cosmo and Izzy)
0.2.0 Guinea Pigs (lilly and petunia)
0.0.1 White Tree Frog (dumpy jr.)
0.0.2 Fire Belly Newts (spork and blaze)
0.0.1 Fire Belly Toad (ferdinan)
0.0.1 Red Spotted Newt ( red)
0.0.2 Bull Frogs (goliath and tubby)
0.0.1 Spectacled caiman (wilbert)
0.0.3 Green Anoles
1.0.0 Bahama Anole
0.0.1 Giant Millipede
Lots Of Fish

Check AlbinoBurmese for plans.

Otherwise, HH's picture shows just how simple a cage can be. From the looks of his pictures it appears to be the following design:

Sides fit between the top and the bottom.

Upper and lower dams fit between the sides.

Solid back that I'm guessing fits inside the back of the cage (is this right HH?).

The above design generally makes the strongest and most forgiving carcass design without using dados and rabbets. The main issue with this design is to make sure the back panel is as square as you can get it as it's the primary structure that keeps the carcass from racking.

Total size can be adjusted to your liking. A lot of people like to give Burmese extra room front to back but do make sure the cage tall enough so you can safely reach and and remove the snake. It also makes the cage easier to clean.

Material and sealant is up to you and there are a lot of options.

Absolutely make sure the cage is something that can be moved in and out of the typical home.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.1 Lampropeltis triangulum multistriata

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

It looks like HH has the back panel of his cage fastened to the outside rather than resting inside of the carcass. I did not notice what appears to be exposed plies of the back panel in the first picture.

The advantage to this design is that any lack of squareness in the back panel is not seen in the carcass itself. And with a solid 3/4" back there is still plenty of support and you don't lose that 3/4" inside of the cage.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.1 Lampropeltis triangulum multistriata

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

Looking good HH.

The best advice I can give you is:

#1 - Stick to the K.I.S.S. principle.
#2 - Cutting corners/costs will end up costing you more, either in time, money, or both.

This isn't exactly the cage I wanted to build when I first envisioned building one but I'm in a bind and need to get a large cage ready, fast.

That's 3/4 inch cabinet-grade plywood from HD. I culled nearly a whole stack and found some with nice grain. It was fairly cheap. Out of 4 sheets I had one that wasn't glued together good and didn't notice it until after I had already made my cuts. I was able to reglue that area but will the rest of it eventually separate? I don't know, surely hope not.

That's a single-piece unit. It's 7ft long x 3ft wide (deep) x 21 inches high. That's the size I need it to be in order for me to get two stacks of them, 4 high, in the space it's going. I wanted to make it in two halves but don't have enough time to sort all that out. It won't be a problem for me to get it in/out of the room I'll be using it for the next several months. I can always go back and cut the sucker in half & make it modular if I want.

As you can see I'm in the process of staining it & then I'll coat it with a water-based polyurethane. I've got soffit vents to cover the air intake/exhaust slots on each end. I'll be using overhead heat. It will have sliding glass doors.

Best wishes!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

Hope this doesn't sound stupid what is the K.I.S.S principle? I am just starting on building cages and that looks farely simple.
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Tom
1.2.0 Leopard Gecko (dot, spot, casper)
0.0.1 California King Snake (booboo)
0.1.0 Sulcata Tortoise (tank)
0.0.2 Russian Tortoise (tito and lulu)
0.0.2 Red Ear Sliders (bernie and ernie)
0.0.3 Painted Turtles (larry, curly and moe)
0.0.1 Western Soft shell (Squirt)
2.2.0 Bearded Dragon (marshmellow,Bubba,Sparkles,Alfredo )
0.0.1 Savannah Monitor (beef)
1.0.0 Peachfront Conure (kermit)
0.1.0 Love Bird ( KIKI )
1.1.0 Dog (layla and Rosco)
2.1.0 Crazy Cats (babe, sabastian, tinkerbell)
0.1.0 Lion Head Rabbit (daisy)
0.1.2 Ferret (jordan RIP, Cosmo and Izzy)
0.2.0 Guinea Pigs (lilly and petunia)
0.0.1 White Tree Frog (dumpy jr.)
0.0.2 Fire Belly Newts (spork and blaze)
0.0.1 Fire Belly Toad (ferdinan)
0.0.1 Red Spotted Newt ( red)
0.0.2 Bull Frogs (goliath and tubby)
0.0.1 Spectacled caiman (wilbert)
0.0.3 Green Anoles
1.0.0 Bahama Anole
0.0.1 Giant Millipede
Lots Of Fish

K.I.S.S = Keep It Simple Silly (or Stupid)

This is meant as a reminder to oneself, so don't take it as HH calling your silly or stupid

BTW, Cage is looking good HH. Keep us up to date.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.1 Lampropeltis triangulum multistriata

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

Hey Tom!
Just like Chris said in his post below -

K.I.S.S = Keep It Simple Silly (or Stupid)

This is meant as a reminder to oneself, so don't take it as HH calling your silly or stupid

I usually use "Keep it simple, stupid" instead of "silly." Mostly because I'm talking to myself when I say it. I'm the world's worst for getting too detailed, going overboard, etc... I constantly have to repeat KISS to myself.

Chris - all side pieces are sandwiched between the top & bottom pieces with the two end walls sandwiched between the front & back walls. The two front pieces (top & bottom) that go the length of the cage are temporary, used as butts for face frame positioning. The vertical support will be slightly more forward once face frame is on.

My philosophy for the walls being set between top/bottom was to give the most support to the top and avoid stress on the screws if the walls were to have been screwed into the thickness of the top/bottom pieces. This was important to me since I'll be stacking 4 high.

Chris, you made a good point about racking (twisting/contorting). First thing I did was screw/glue one side wall to the back wall & then did the same to the other side wall. I then secured the top onto the back wall first, and then the two side walls. It wasn't much out of square and went good.

I had the most fun getting the bottom sheet squared & secured. Of course, I had flipped the cage over in order to do it but I had to torque & tweak things a tad to get it shored up. I'd a had a fit if I hadn't paid close attention to the squareness of all my cuts while cutting my pieces. But me, my Swanson straight edge, framing square, circular saw & $100 Ryobi table saw made it. Oh, and I used a router for the vent slots.

Tom, for what you're looking for - a permanent but mobile cage - you're going to have to sacrifice somewhere. I'd say my cage weighs somewhere around 100lbs or a tad more. With a set of furniture dollies (or even hand trucks) underneath it you can wheel it just about anywhere you want, except mine would have to be turned on it's side to fit through a typical doorway. Like Chris mentioned earlier, the room it will be kept in & the cage's maneuverability is what you have to watch out for. I could put my cage in a room at the end of a hallway but couldn't make the turn into a side room in most hallways.

Thanks for the compliments, fellas! I appreciate it. Good timing, too, Tom. I had just came inside from getting ready to stain my cage and took a break to check the forum when I saw your thread. Those are the first & only pics I've taken of it. I usually try to document construction but had to get a move on this thing. I'll keep ya'll updated.

Take care!
Mike
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

Chris - all side pieces are sandwiched between the top & bottom pieces with the two end walls sandwiched between the front & back walls. The two front pieces (top & bottom) that go the length of the cage are temporary, used as butts for face frame positioning. The vertical support will be slightly more forward once face frame is on.

My philosophy for the walls being set between top/bottom was to give the most support to the top and avoid stress on the screws if the walls were to have been screwed into the thickness of the top/bottom pieces. This was important to me since I'll be stacking 4 high.

I agree that this is the better way to build a cage. But for a little bit of peace of mind, let me tell you about my bearded dragon cage.

I built it the weaker way, with the sides sitting outside of the top and bottom panel. The sides were screwed into the length of the top and bottom. I did this only so I could better fit a long light fixture into the cage. Cage was assembled with basic PVC glue and 2" stainless screws. No additional support.

Years later the cage sits empty in my basement and is used as a storage area for bottled water.

We had company coming during a heat wave so I went to Sams and really stocked up on water (we have well water that is over the MCL in radon). I got home and in a hurry stacked over 450 pounds of water directly on top of the cage.

I woke up in the middle of the night and had visions of the cage sagging and breaking the glass windows, which are not safety glass nor tempered. Just regular plate glass.

I went downstais and turned the lights on and not only was everything fine, I noticed that the upper lip still looked straight. The glass doors slid back and forth as well as they always had.

At any rate, those joints have held up to constant pressure of anywhere from 50 pounds to 450 pounds of pressure non-stop for a couple of years now.

Your stacked cages will not only weigh less but they will distribute their weight over a much larger area than my stacked water does. And you built yours the stronger way.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.1 Lampropeltis triangulum multistriata

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

Thanx for everyones advice now i just got to find the time to build one lol...
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Tom
1.2.0 Leopard Gecko (dot, spot, casper)
0.0.1 California King Snake (booboo)
0.1.0 Sulcata Tortoise (tank)
0.0.2 Russian Tortoise (tito and lulu)
0.0.2 Red Ear Sliders (bernie and ernie)
0.0.3 Painted Turtles (larry, curly and moe)
0.0.1 Western Soft shell (Squirt)
2.2.0 Bearded Dragon (marshmellow,Bubba,Sparkles,Alfredo )
0.0.1 Savannah Monitor (beef)
1.0.0 Peachfront Conure (kermit)
0.1.0 Love Bird ( KIKI )
1.1.0 Dog (layla and Rosco)
2.1.0 Crazy Cats (babe, sabastian, tinkerbell)
0.1.0 Lion Head Rabbit (daisy)
0.1.2 Ferret (jordan RIP, Cosmo and Izzy)
0.2.0 Guinea Pigs (lilly and petunia)
0.0.1 White Tree Frog (dumpy jr.)
0.0.2 Fire Belly Newts (spork and blaze)
0.0.1 Fire Belly Toad (ferdinan)
0.0.1 Red Spotted Newt ( red)
0.0.2 Bull Frogs (goliath and tubby)
0.0.1 Spectacled caiman (wilbert)
0.0.3 Green Anoles
1.0.0 Bahama Anole
0.0.1 Giant Millipede
Lots Of Fish