Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey All, I am trying to decide if it is worth it to build my cages myself or buy commercial cages. I have about 6 snakes (boas, and a retic, soon to be about three large boids)and plan to have a collection at around 10 within the next few years. Does anyone have plans for a do it yourself retic cage? Obviously it will need to be extremely secure so I wanted to see what others have done.. Also what can you piant the interior with? I either want white or black inside and out..

Thanks everyone!

here are a couple I made with 3/4 inch thick melamine. They are in 2 pieces so I can expand them by adding a section in the middle if needed. The cages are 7 feet long. The 3 foot hiding areas to the left have Kane heat pads that are on dimmer switches. These cages hold heat really well and the snakes are having no problems with shedding. Both cages have small openings in the front for a plexiglass divider so I can easily re-fill water bowls or do minor cleaning maintenance without having to pull out the snakes.

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Mark Kennedy

I have some plans on disk that I bought online... I can email them to you if you like...

for ease of moving and convenience, visions, boaphiles, ap's, etc, are good. however, if you dont plan on moving soon or much, a good solid melamine cage with door hinges and good locks are the way to go (in my opinion). you dont have to pre-treat melamine and the hold humdidity and heat pretty well
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retic is king of kings

1.0 Tiger Retic
1.0 Albino Tiger Retic
0.1 Striped Tiger Retic (het albino)
0.1 Salmon Boa
1.0 Albino Boa
0.1 False Water Cobra

I am assuming that the sliding glass doors I have seen on some cages probably cant hold up against a retic, correct?

Hey Ed!
Glass will work just fine with 'tics. Just make sure it's at least 1/4", and all the edges are beveled really good. My 20' tiger female lives in a home built plywood cage with 1/4" plate glass doors, and all the rest of my larger animals are in 6' Visions which have glass doors as well with no problems whatsoever. And trust me, I've had them strike it hard enough to shake the whole stack, but it still held up. I'll tell what, if you find a retic that can bust a 1/4" plate glass door by striking at it, I'm out of this business.....LOL.
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Mike

I would love to see the plans if you dont mind. my email is edschmittou@yahoo.com.

Thanks reticgirl!

This is a great site for DIY cages, I basically followed his 4x2 instructions when building my own cage out of plywood. You need a router if you want the door to be flush with the rest of the cage, but luckily my buddy has one.

http://www.arbreptiles.com/cages/cages.shtml

DIY cages are cheap, but are a pain when it comes to gluing, sealing, and finishing the enclosure. Also, wood cages can be VERY heavy. I have a couple homemade melamine racks that work great, but are the biggest pain in the butt to move.

I just ordered a boaphile cage because I like the fact that you can get two 4x2's and connect them later if you add an extendable side. This feature should make moving them much easier. It's not here yet, so I can't say for sure how well it will work, but they are very light, affordable, and look easy to clean.

Sentec cages are another great one. They are a little more expensive than boaphiles, visions, and animal plastics, but look fantastic. I will more than likely purchase a couple 8-footers in the future, as well as a CB-70 rack.

I personally don't like sliding glass fronts. They're not the easiest thing to clean, and unless they have a lock I wouldn't trust them with a big snake. Also, it's much easier to pull a big snake out of an enclosure when you can open the whole front, rather than just half of it.

Great info! Thanks! I REALLY REALLY wish I could just buy boaphiles for all my snakes but just cant come up with that kind of money. I am thinking about construction similar cages as the boaphiles out of plywood, glue, and some king of water based paint, then of course a locking 1/4" acrylic hinged door. As long as I can seal it, it will make it much easier to clean. I am planning on 4, 4'x2'x12" then 2, 6'x2'x18" for my male retic and the next... LOL already planning for the next!

thanks,
Ed

when you build your own, what you have to plan for and assume, is not a strike by a retic, but a 16 foot retic pushing because it wants a mate. im here to tell you, if a retic wants to, i mean really wants to get, it will, especially in a under well made cage. just think and assume your retic will be pushing in a couple, few years, because it will, and if there is any give whatsoever in that cage, it will get out
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retic is king of kings

1.0 Tiger Retic
1.0 Albino Tiger Retic
0.1 Striped Tiger Retic (het albino)
0.1 Salmon Boa
1.0 Albino Boa
0.1 False Water Cobra

Good info! I will defiantly be constructing this cage very well! Last thing I need is my huge retic out cruising the house with my dogs...

Retics and dogs...at least your food bill will go down that month, one way or another. I have a quick comment regarding the dimensions of the cages you proposed building. A depth of 2' will work for most males, but a big female may be cramped, and not able to coil comfortably. On the other side if you make them too deep you need to climb inside to keep them clean. It's a world of compromises. Careful planning can save you plenty of headaches and rebuilds. Do it right the first time, and better the second.
My2cents,
josh

Thanks for your 2 cents. I am only planning on keeping males so I should be fine with the 2' depth. Only reason I prefer 2' is cleaning, and its the same as the rest of my stack. I am planning on building a plywood system similar to the boaphiles. I was planning on paiting with a water based paint with little or no off gasing. any problems with that?

Im trying to decide on basing it off of this model:
http://www.boaphileplastics.com/6422d.html

Or this model:
http://www.boaphileplastics.com/6322d.html

What do you say?

Hey all, Anyone know of a kind of paint I can use inside the cage? Also is there a kind of silicon i can use that's safe?

Thanks in advance!

I would tend to go with the second because it looks like it would be easier to get in and out of. Plain old 100% silicone is used in aquariums and the fish don't seem to mind. Also, screws are better than nails, and a few brackets for reinforcement don't hurt either.
Josh

I actually found a vendor near by that can sell acrylic in a 6' lengths so I will be making the door one solid piece! Thanks for all of your help. Also Any suggestions on safe paint? I was planning on cooking the cages for a few days in the sun before I use them. Thanks everyone!

Please post up some pics and construction times. I have been considering building one but its hard for me to beat some of the commercial cages out there.
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1.0 Albino American alligator, "Smoke"
1.1 American alligator,"Al Bite Ya & Mollie"
1.1 Purple Albino Reticulated Pythons, "Gumbo & Abita"
0.1 Eastern Gaboon Viper, "Gabbie"

I will as soon as I start. I completely agree and If it were not for the 6' cages for the tics then I would probably purchase the cages. The 6' cages from boaphile and other competitors are over $600 heated and lighted. I can build a really nice one sealed and secure for less than half that. the 4' cages don't have nearly the same payoff.