Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Thought I'd post a few pictures of a general cage idea I've been toying around with. None of these cages are up to my standards for many reasons, but they've worked out well for the animals.

The general premise of these cages is you take a plastic storage container of some sort as the "shell" of a cage.

The storage containers then have an opening routed out of the top of them and screen is riveted in and then held down further with hot-glue.

The container is then attached to a wood frame, whether it be plywood or real wood, with polyurethane caulk and screws. The backs of the face frames are sealed with epoxy.

All of these cages are prototypes for the general design that will eventually be my snake room. All of them are now in use by friends of mine. They all like the cages even though I've had to rush through all of them for one reason or another.

The only goal of this cage design was to come up with something that was 1) aesthecially pleasing to look at, 2) allowed viewing of the animals, 3) easy to clean, and 4) inexpensive.

Another advantage of this design was it allowed for space inbetween upper and lower cages for heat dispersal, lights, and drains.

Just curious to hear general thoughts and opinions. The most common question I get is are the boxes strong enough. I'll make comments on durability with each individual picture.

This project was originally supposed to be twice this size for a group of Wagler's Vipers. When I started construction of this project I hurt my back badly and ended up having to get out of venomous (long story).

Unfortunately the project was rushed through just to see how it would work. I cut a lot of corners and did not worry about looks.

What you see here is a 24" x 36" piece of oak laminated plywood. The containers are two 8-gallon trash cans and one 20-gallon storage tote. Originally the project was supposed to hold twice as many cages.

The acrylic doors are nested between two strips of 1/4" thick oak. The doors are attached with acrylic hinges and flip downwards.

This face is now built into a free standing cabinet standing 4' tall. It has housed Wagler's Vipers, subadult boa constrictors, baby chameleons, tree frogs, baby Uroplatus spp. and whatever else my friend has grown up in their.

He has the cages heavily laden with rocks and large water bowls. Even with all this the cages have held up very well. When I was installing the floor drains I mistakenly put a 40 lb. tool box on top of the trash cans. I did not realize it until the next morning but they were still fine.

This gives you an idea of how the boxes come off of the face frame.

how hard was it for you to attach the garbage cans to the wooden frame? i've never really made a cage on my own... but after seeing yours, i wanted to start making one for the lizard i have and the future lizards (probably 2 or 3 more) that i will have. is it okay if i see your cage plans? or is that something i'd have to buy? it looks like a great idea. did you include lighting too?

[aimEe]

PS: would Under Tank Heaters destroy the storage tote? i'm planning to use mainly those instead of garbage bins thanks... it looks great!
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0.1.0 Albino Leopard Gecko (Marlene)
0.0.2 Fire Bellied Toads (Norman & Forman)
0.2.0 African Dwarf Frogs (Hobo & Bobo)
1.0.0 Fighting Fish (Blue Balls)
0.0.2 Hermit Crabs (Kirby & Furby)
1.0.0 Black Lab / Pit Bull (Mikey)
aimee.i8.com

Hi,

I did not use any cage plans. I simply come up with an idea and then calculate a cut list. I'd happily do that for you once you find a box you like. You do not need to "pay" me anything other than posting a picture of the finished product.

I believe you posted above regarding Crested and Leopard Geckos? The 20 gallon totes would probably work well.

When looking for a tote hold them up as they will be oriented in your cage style (vertical or horizontal with the top opening facing towards you).

Then look inside and make sure the area that will be the bottom is relatively flat and easy to clean. Many boxes have handles or ridges that interfere with this.

The 20 gallon storage tote I used was the old version produced by HOMZ (available at Kmart). Unfortunately they redesigned that size and it's no longer ideal for this application. That's unfortunate because the 20 gallon box used in this picture was perfect for this application.

Another thing to look for is how wide the rim is around the top of the box. This is where you will use screws to attach the box to the wooden frame. Wider is better, but most have enough of a rim to work with.

That process is very easy. You simply lay the frame down on the ground or a table and then set your box on top of it. Drive one screw through, make sure the box is square to the frame, and then drive another screw through on the opposite edge of the box. The simply go around the perimeter, driving in as many screws as possible.

I use 3/4" square drive sheet metal screws.

If you want lighting, make sure to leave space between two boxes that will be above and below each other. Since the project was originally for Wagler's vipers I was only interested in supplying enough light for the plants.

Leaving room for light would be easy.

Heat pads will not ruin the storage tote. My friend with the Corucia zebrata had an ultratherm underneat going full blast (no rheostat or thermostat).

I think I answered all your questions. Ask away if you need any clarification.

BTW, I think this cage idea is best for semi-arboreal geckos such as Crested's.
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how hard was it for you to attach the garbage cans to the wooden frame? i've never really made a cage on my own... but after seeing yours, i wanted to start making one for the lizard i have and the future lizards (probably 2 or 3 more) that i will have. is it okay if i see your cage plans? or is that something i'd have to buy? it looks like a great idea. did you include lighting too?

[aimEe]

PS: would Under Tank Heaters destroy the storage tote? i'm planning to use mainly those instead of garbage bins thanks... it looks great!

you make it all sound really easy! i went out and thought about it and tried to draw it, but i kept coming up with problems... hehe! maybe it's because i've never done this before.

thank you for reading my post above this one. i'm amazed that you can come up with stuff like this and not even have to draw out a plan (like what i was trying to do). the biggest problem i encountered was the lighting and the side walls to cover the tote bins. the back and top don't need a wooden wall right? because of the lights and wires? i also thought that i could just have a 20 gallon tote (sideways) on the top for the leos, and two 20 gallon totes (tall) on the bottom... the sizes would fit right? because if we had one tall, it'd be a lot skinner than the one that's long sideways... so it's like the wagler's cage you made, but kind of upside down... i hope i made sense... lol - that's how much i've been thinking about it.. it's been keeping me from studying for my final exams!

this is A LOT of hard work, i'd be more than happy to "pay" you. the money needed for the items, the money needed to ship everything, and labor - because it's all on your time and all your effort. i'd feel a lot better paying you hehe~ and of course, i would be posting a picture of the finished product in this forum, another reptile forum, and my own website.

so i should be looking for straight & smooth totes with wider rims, right? because those are easier to screw in? and thanks for the info on lighting and the UTH - although i just can't picture in my head how the lighting would work.

i'm seriously amazed by the work you've done and how you could quickly think of the ideas. how long have you been doing this?

[aimEe]
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0.1.0 Albino Leopard Gecko (Marlene)
0.0.2 Fire Bellied Toads (Norman & Forman)
0.2.0 African Dwarf Frogs (Hobo & Bobo)
1.0.0 Fighting Fish (Blue Balls)
0.0.2 Hermit Crabs (Kirby & Furby)
1.0.0 Black Lab / Pit Bull (Mikey)
aimee.i8.com

Let me think about a better way to "verbalize" answers to your questions while you study.

Feel free to drop me an e-mail when you're done with finals and I'll see what I can do. This stuff is easy, but it does not mean it's easy for everyone. Probably a left side/right side of brain type of thing.

It does come easy for me. I wish my biochemistry courses in college had come so easy

haha you knew i was going to check this again, so you decided not to continue my thread it's okay though - it's good coz it IS helping me study now... coz i know you won't reply until i'm done hehe~ what's your email address? i'll check back here after finals take care and thank you!

college is hard

[aimEe]
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0.1.0 Albino Leopard Gecko (Marlene)
0.0.2 Fire Bellied Toads (Norman & Forman)
0.2.0 African Dwarf Frogs (Hobo & Bobo)
1.0.0 Fighting Fish (Blue Balls)
0.0.2 Hermit Crabs (Kirby & Furby)
1.0.0 Black Lab / Pit Bull (Mikey)
aimee.i8.com

If you click on my blue highlighted name in these threads the Kingsnake software will take you to a page that will e-mail me automatically. Write me that way.

Good luck on your finals.

Hey this idea is awesome! I also wanted to say that this has by far become my favorite forum. The sharing of information in here is great. In fact I was actually inspired to get my butt off the couch and build 2 racks this week. Thanx guys, Dave
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2.1 bay of la rosy boas
1.0.8 kenyan sand boas
3.3 ball pythons
1.0 central american boa
4.9 leopard geckos
3.3 assorted cali king
1.0 greyband king

With this cage I took a 50 gallon Sterilite and decided to make an arboreal cage. Sorry for the condition of the interior. This cage was submerged under water for a day during a flood (fortunately no animals were inside) and that scratched it up a bit. Also, my friend just had to put a Corucia zebrata and her baby in here (I know, not enough room - it's temporary) and they messed it up pretty good by scratching and exploring.

In this case I used real pine to make a face frame rather than cutting holes out of plywood. It is still sealed with epoxy.

Once again, this is just an experimental cage to test and refine my ideas before I finally get to building for myself.

Commenting on the durability, the epoxy withstood the above mentioned flood perfectly.

The box and the joint between it and the face frame are very strong. I was able to put my 40 lb. nephew in the box and carry it around by the face frame. The face and the box flexed slightly but the bond never failed.

Wish I had someone take a picture of that.

This was after the flood which, if anything, would have weakended the structure.

To show you a side view of the box on the face frame. You can also see the screen attached to the top.

The screen is very strong. My nephew was also able to stand on that. The screen would fail before the rivets and hotglue holding it.

This is a fantastic idea! I can imagine almost endless possibilities with box styles and sizes. You know, I have some of the really nice Cambro polyethylene boxes (smooth white polyethylene and as thick or thicker than even Vision cage polyethylene) that I tried to make a door frame for but was unsuccessful. I even made the screened opening on the top like you have. The boxes have been just sitting here, but not for long now. I didn't even think of simply doing what you did. Again, great idea!

Thanks Mark. I really appreciate that, especially coming from you.

Regarding the face frame, the easiest way is to cut a hole out of plywood. If you use hinged doors the hole does not even need to be very square (see Wagler's cages). For double sliding doors (my next step in this project) the hole does need to be square. Either is easier than clamping and glueing a face frame.

If anyone is interested in where this project is going, I plan to build a studded wall but sheeth it with laminated plywood rather than drywall. Then holes will be cut out and a (different) 55 gallon tote I found will be mounted on the back side of the wall. There will be enough room behind those boxes to walk and access lights, etc.

Those Cambro polyethylene boxes are very nice and one that I considered for this application. I did not use them for 3 reasons. First, there is a 1/8" raised area all around the top perimeter. I would have had to remove that or route a gap into the wood. The latter would have added a lot of surface are and strength so it's still "workable". Second, I did not like the lwh ratio, specifically I wanted a cage that would end up being "deeper" than this boxes 15" height. Lastly, the cost was more than boxes that worked just as well.

But none of these are reasons by themselves or together not to use them in this application. I'd certainly use them if I had them.

The list of boxes I've found ideal for the application is fairly long. If you have something particular in mind just ask and I may know of something. I lost almost all of my information in the flood but some of it is still floating around in my memory banks.

I'll try to take pictures of the floor drains I came up with for this project. I don't want to disturb my friend's Corucia, though, so I may hold off. They're cheap and pretty slick (the drains, not the skins).
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This is a fantastic idea! I can imagine almost endless possibilities with box styles and sizes. You know, I have some of the really nice Cambro polyethylene boxes (smooth white polyethylene and as thick or thicker than even Vision cage polyethylene) that I tried to make a door frame for but was unsuccessful. I even made the screened opening on the top like you have. The boxes have been just sitting here, but not for long now. I didn't even think of simply doing what you did. Again, great idea!

Thanks Chris. My Cambros are 26x18x15 - really deep. You're right about the 1/8" ridge - I guess I'll have to take care of that. Hey, thanks for the additional tips!
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Mark

Chris, I've been toying with easy to build cage designs for months now... After seeing the posts, I now have an idea on how to build what I need. Thanks tons!!

Awsome looking cages. you got my wheels a turning.What do you mean by a polyurethane caulk. What kind do you use.

>>Thought I'd post a few pictures of a general cage idea I've been toying around with. None of these cages are up to my standards for many reasons, but they've worked out well for the animals.
>>
>>The general premise of these cages is you take a plastic storage container of some sort as the "shell" of a cage.
>>
>>The storage containers then have an opening routed out of the top of them and screen is riveted in and then held down further with hot-glue.
>>
>>The container is then attached to a wood frame, whether it be plywood or real wood, with polyurethane caulk and screws. The backs of the face frames are sealed with epoxy.
>>
>>All of these cages are prototypes for the general design that will eventually be my snake room. All of them are now in use by friends of mine. They all like the cages even though I've had to rush through all of them for one reason or another.
>>
>>The only goal of this cage design was to come up with something that was 1) aesthecially pleasing to look at, 2) allowed viewing of the animals, 3) easy to clean, and 4) inexpensive.
>>
>>Another advantage of this design was it allowed for space inbetween upper and lower cages for heat dispersal, lights, and drains.
>>
>>Just curious to hear general thoughts and opinions. The most common question I get is are the boxes strong enough. I'll make comments on durability with each individual picture.
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Thomas Jones
aligatorhunter@earthlink.net

No one is to be trusted

Hi Thomas,

Thanks for your positive comments. The polyurethane caulk I use is called "Vulkem". It is a freaky strong caulk that historically has only been available through contractor supply outlets. However, it seems to be turning up more and more in Home Improvement Outlets.

Less expensive polyurethane caulks are not as strong and probably don't offer much over silicone. Especially when you factor in how long they take to dry.

I may just try silicone next time. Heck, if it will hold glass sheets together in an aquarium large enough for me to swim in it should work in this application.

But regarding the Vulkem, and other polyurethane based caulks, they are fantastic and holding together disimilar materials. Probably the one weakness of silicone.