Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just wanted some feedback on a couple options for putting a divider into a 36 inch neo to house a hatchling black rat snake and a hatchling somethin-er-other to be purchased at a show in the near future (probably a sinoloan, but not sure).

1. Plexiglass held in place with epoxy

or

2. 1/2 inch MDF or plywood held in place with screws and any gaps filled with silicone.

To deal with the gap between the door and the sliding glass I was considering putting some sort of weather stripping on it that will give enough to slide the glass across it, but firm enough that the snake could not push its nose through. This will only be a precaution hopefully, because I am pretty sure I can get the fit close enough that any gap will be negligible even for a hatchling, but especially once I had yearlings in there. Thanks for any and all replies, and anyone with pictures of how they may have solved a similar problem would be greatly appreciated.

First off, I would make a template out of cardboard or heavy posterboard. Trim it until you get a nice fit.

For the divider material, I would use closed cell foamed PVC. Much easier to work with, light-weight, strong enough. You can get scrap pieces from sign shops, or purchase online. Any plastics supplier online will have it. One trade name is Sintra.

The 1/4" thick material is plenty thick, and you could et away with the 1/8" thick material (much easier to cut non-standard shapes). If you need to add some rigidity to the 1/8 inch material, cut some strips and glue them on around the perimeter of the main piece. Use regular PVC cement used for PVC pipes to adhere PVC to PVC (not to the Neo cage.)

If you use the 1/8 in thick material, you can carefully cut it (score it over and over) with just a utility knife, even curves. Or cut a rectangle and systematically cut and file away at the corners until they are rounded as needed. I've done this for various boxes, but never a Neodesha cage (yet!).

You can attach with silicon. You may want to adhere an L-shaped bracket to the divider and use a small machine screw to hold it to the cage while you apply the sealant.

Large gaps can be dealt with using epoxy putty or any other non-toxic (when dry) sealant. The glass door will be tricky being that it needs to slide freely. I would say leave a gap there small enough so a yearling ratsnake can't wedge its head in there. Just feed the snake alot that year, lol.
-----
Mark

Thank you for the ideas. You mentioned epoxy putty, would it be okay to just use regular epoxy? Also, the L brackets make a lot of sense, I might even just use them and seal the edges with silicone instead of epoxy. As for the sliding door, I was thinking I was going to get the cut as close to the glass as possible, and then attach some heavy duty stripping to it. Something that gives enough to slide the glass across it, but sturdy enough and tight enough to the glass to prevent the snake from being able to push through. And, as you said, if I get it close enough I might not even need it, but the extra security would probably be worth the effort regardless (especially if the new snake is a king or milk).

regular epoxy would work but you would need some form of stiffener to keep it from flowing out, cabosil is perfect for that.

I wonder why you want to permanently divide the noedesha? why not keep the smaller snakes in tubs till they need the extra room then put them in the Neo?

Nate

Thanks for the epoxy tip, I'm thinking a little epoxy to seal gaps and provide some strength, but the more I think about the previous suggestion, the real strength will come from the L brackets. As for why divide the neo, there's a couple of reasons. First, even though the money is not necessarily the issue, I can divide it for much cheaper than even getting two smaller aquariums and heat it with one pad in the middle of the cage. Second, I like the ease of care, heating and cleaning-wise in the neodesha. Third, it's just kind of a fun project to tackle with what little free time I have before the baby arrives. And finally, depending upon what I get and how I build the divider, I can either use it to display two smaller animals or I take the divider out somehow if I ever need the full size again. I would like to be able to use it to display two animals in my classroom without needing two cages. I realize that it will not be enough space for the black rat as an adult, but it is for now, and I will be building a custom cage in the summer during vacation with his full size in mind.

I would just use expanded PVC and silicone, lexcel or some other gap filled caulk. If they hold glass aquaria together it's plenty for what you're trying to do.