Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just curious what the demand would be for a custom acrylic froggie cage? Would anyone even be interested in paying the extra cash to get a nicely designed cage? If so I have a few questions...

1) How much would you pay for an acrylic tank? If you would pay at all?
2) What type of frog?
3) What sizes would be best for that specific frog?
4) Would you prefer an all acrylic cage with holes drilled for ventilation, or a partial screened top?
5) Any othe suggestions, comments, criticisms, flames etc etc...

Here is a cage I made out of 1/8" scrap materials a few days ago. The size of the cage is 12L x 9H x 9H (depending on how you stand it). It was made out of scraps so the edges were rough and crappy. It holds water good although I would use thicker materials for any cages I built and sold.

Here are a few pictures..

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2.0 Ball Pythons (Kurt the Snake ~ Frosty McFry)
0.1 Leucistic Texas Rat (OogieBoogie)
0.1 Kenyan Sand Boa (NoFingers McGee)
1.1 Bearded Dragons (Saku ~ GracieJ)
0.0.1 Albino Ornate Pacman Frog (Jabba the Frog)
0.0.1 Ornate Pacman Frog (Hooter)
0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion (Still Thinking)
0.0.1 Usambara Tarantula - (FBD - Fire Ball of Death)
2.0 House Cats (Bill ~ Ted)

And a partrige in a pear tree...

~!Bearded Dragon Custom Cage Design!~

Well... I can tell you you'd make a killing selling those to green tree python owners. They're pretty cool!
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"The serpent crams itself with animal life that is often warm and vibrant, to prolong an existence in which we detect no joy and no emotion. It reveals the depth to which evolution can sink when it takes the downward path and strips animals to the irreducible minimum able to perpetuate a predatory life in its naked horror."
Alexander Skutch

You should sell them on an online auction site. I would think that frog keepers, as well as some snake keepers, would love them.
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*~Ginevive~*

"You should sell them on an online auction site. I would think that frog keepers, as well as some snake keepers, would love them."

Yup that crossed my mind. But I first wanted to get some idea of the demand for them. I also need to map out prices to see if its even worth my time etc etc. Also sizes people would want etc etc.

Can you give me any help with those? Maybe specific sizes for specific frogs? I only own Ornate frogs so I only know about them.
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2.0 Ball Pythons (Kurt the Snake ~ Frosty McFry)
0.1 Leucistic Texas Rat (OogieBoogie)
0.1 Kenyan Sand Boa (NoFingers McGee)
1.1 Bearded Dragons (Saku ~ GracieJ)
0.0.1 Albino Ornate Pacman Frog (Jabba the Frog)
0.0.1 Ornate Pacman Frog (Hooter)
0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion (Still Thinking)
0.0.1 Usambara Tarantula - (FBD - Fire Ball of Death)
2.0 House Cats (Bill ~ Ted)

And a partrige in a pear tree...

~!Bearded Dragon Custom Cage Design!~

Well, instead of asking, why not just throw some up on an auction and see how they sell? That would give you the best idea as to the demand. If they sell, people want them. I wouldn't mind a really big one, say the size of a 40 gallon, for some geckos or tree frogs. How would they be heated though? Wouldn't basking lights cause the material to melt? They look neat though.

>>"You should sell them on an online auction site. I would think that frog keepers, as well as some snake keepers, would love them."
>>
>>Yup that crossed my mind. But I first wanted to get some idea of the demand for them. I also need to map out prices to see if its even worth my time etc etc. Also sizes people would want etc etc.
>>
>>Can you give me any help with those? Maybe specific sizes for specific frogs? I only own Ornate frogs so I only know about them.
>>-----
>>2.0 Ball Pythons (Kurt the Snake ~ Frosty McFry)
>>0.1 Leucistic Texas Rat (OogieBoogie)
>>0.1 Kenyan Sand Boa (NoFingers McGee)
>>1.1 Bearded Dragons (Saku ~ GracieJ)
>>0.0.1 Albino Ornate Pacman Frog (Jabba the Frog)
>>0.0.1 Ornate Pacman Frog (Hooter)
>>0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion (Still Thinking)
>>0.0.1 Usambara Tarantula - (FBD - Fire Ball of Death)
>>2.0 House Cats (Bill ~ Ted)
>>
>>And a partrige in a pear tree...
>>
>>~!Bearded Dragon Custom Cage Design!~

Well that is definetly an option. But the only problem with that is i spend alot of money on making the cages and then no one buys them *lol*.

Id much rather get some input about the cages before I stat producing them. Much rather spend the time doing research then building and loosing lots o money haha.

As for the size of a 40g. Then your getting into a pretty expensive tank. Materials alone would probably cost at least/around $100. As for heating I could easily make a 1/2 screened top and 1/2 acrylic top. You can always use a heat pad as well or a heat emitter. But the half screened top is easy to do.
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2.0 Ball Pythons (Kurt the Snake ~ Frosty McFry)
0.1 Leucistic Texas Rat (OogieBoogie)
0.1 Kenyan Sand Boa (NoFingers McGee)
1.1 Bearded Dragons (Saku ~ GracieJ)
0.0.1 Albino Ornate Pacman Frog (Jabba the Frog)
0.0.1 Ornate Pacman Frog (Hooter)
0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion (Cecil Peoples)
0.0.1 Usambara Tarantula - (FBD - Fire Ball of Death)
2.0 House Cats (Bill ~ Ted)

And a partrige in a pear tree...

~!Bearded Dragon Custom Cage Design!~

I didn't even think about a screen on top. Duh. I guess acrylic is tougher than I think. By the way, I like your custom dragon cage, and I'll be converting an entertainment center using your ideas. I'm going to try the sandstone colored grout. I'll probably snap pics all throughout like you did, so one's who choose so can see the progress. Thanks for the ideas. I was wondering how to make fake rock...

>>Well that is definetly an option. But the only problem with that is i spend alot of money on making the cages and then no one buys them *lol*.
>>
>>Id much rather get some input about the cages before I stat producing them. Much rather spend the time doing research then building and loosing lots o money haha.
>>
>>As for the size of a 40g. Then your getting into a pretty expensive tank. Materials alone would probably cost at least/around $100. As for heating I could easily make a 1/2 screened top and 1/2 acrylic top. You can always use a heat pad as well or a heat emitter. But the half screened top is easy to do.
>>-----
>>2.0 Ball Pythons (Kurt the Snake ~ Frosty McFry)
>>0.1 Leucistic Texas Rat (OogieBoogie)
>>0.1 Kenyan Sand Boa (NoFingers McGee)
>>1.1 Bearded Dragons (Saku ~ GracieJ)
>>0.0.1 Albino Ornate Pacman Frog (Jabba the Frog)
>>0.0.1 Ornate Pacman Frog (Hooter)
>>0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion (Cecil Peoples)
>>0.0.1 Usambara Tarantula - (FBD - Fire Ball of Death)
>>2.0 House Cats (Bill ~ Ted)
>>
>>And a partrige in a pear tree...
>>
>>~!Bearded Dragon Custom Cage Design!~

I've personally would not go for them. There is hardly anything you cannot do with a store bought aquarium, and those come with a manufacturer's warranty. Besides, acrylic is a major pain in the butt because it gets scratched so easily, is more sensitive to chemicals and cleaners, and over a period of time will absorb water. If you are serious about doing this for a hobby or making money, you might want to concentrate on making entirely customized enclosures such as tanks with half land half water.
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...the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

Thanks for the suggestion on the half and half. Sounds like a great idea.

As for glass aquariums vs acrylic, I can see your point. The one huge thing that acrylic cages have over glass is that they look so much better in appearance, at least I belive so.
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2.0 Ball Pythons (Kurt the Snake ~ Frosty McFry)
0.1 Leucistic Texas Rat (OogieBoogie)
0.1 Kenyan Sand Boa (NoFingers McGee)
1.1 Bearded Dragons (Saku ~ GracieJ)
0.0.1 Albino Ornate Pacman Frog (Jabba the Frog)
0.0.1 Ornate Pacman Frog (Hooter)
0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion (Still Thinking)
0.0.1 Usambara Tarantula - (FBD - Fire Ball of Death)
2.0 House Cats (Bill ~ Ted)

And a partrige in a pear tree...

~!Bearded Dragon Custom Cage Design!~

The one huge thing that acrylic cages have over glass is that they look so much better in appearance, at least I belive so.

They may look good at first, but not 5-10yrs from now!
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...the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

Id be lucky if one of my glass tanks was still in one piece in 10 years. *lol*
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2.0 Ball Pythons (Kurt the Snake ~ Frosty McFry)
0.1 Leucistic Texas Rat (OogieBoogie)
0.1 Kenyan Sand Boa (NoFingers McGee)
1.1 Bearded Dragons (Saku ~ GracieJ)
0.0.1 Albino Ornate Pacman Frog (Jabba the Frog)
0.0.1 Ornate Pacman Frog (Hooter)
0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion (Still Thinking)
0.0.1 Usambara Tarantula - (FBD - Fire Ball of Death)
2.0 House Cats (Bill ~ Ted)

And a partrige in a pear tree...

~!Bearded Dragon Custom Cage Design!~

I have a question. Is acrylic more apt to retain bacteria and other contaminants, than glass is? I ask because now that I am raising acf tadpoles, I had to recommission my old acrylic tank, and it seems much harder to clean the algae off the sides of it, than the similar-sized glass tanks I'm using. This is because I can't use my magnetic algae scraper, because it scratches up the acrylic. Maybe an old acrylic tank like mine has tiny surface scratches that increase the surface area that the algae/bacteria can live on?
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*~Ginevive~*

Yes I imagine it would be harder to clean the glass in that instance. I agree that acrylic might not be the best for *fish* tanks since it is completely filled with water and chemicals etc etc.

Which is why i tend to aim more so at animals that do not require vast amounts of water.
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2.0 Ball Pythons (Kurt the Snake ~ Frosty McFry)
0.1 Leucistic Texas Rat (OogieBoogie)
0.1 Kenyan Sand Boa (NoFingers McGee)
1.1 Bearded Dragons (Saku ~ GracieJ)
0.0.1 Albino Ornate Pacman Frog (Jabba the Frog)
0.0.1 Ornate Pacman Frog (Hooter)
0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion (Still Thinking)
0.0.1 Usambara Tarantula - (FBD - Fire Ball of Death)
2.0 House Cats (Bill ~ Ted)

And a partrige in a pear tree...

~!Bearded Dragon Custom Cage Design!~

For some treefrog holding, I use 30-40 gallon tanks stood on end with the lid duct taped on one side as a hinge. These are perfect for treefrogs as they stratify into their own comfy microhabitats. It would be nice to have an entirely vertical tank for treefrogs like this.
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...the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

Mkay now were getting there! haha

Would you have a problem having a tank that large using thinner materials in order to keep costs down? Im not even sure how the thinner material would hold up using something that big though. And using 1/4" materials would be expensive.

Would you need something that is 40 gallons? If not what sizes would you need?

Screened top or acrylic? What do you do to heat them?
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2.0 Ball Pythons (Kurt the Snake ~ Frosty McFry)
0.1 Leucistic Texas Rat (OogieBoogie)
0.1 Kenyan Sand Boa (NoFingers McGee)
1.1 Bearded Dragons (Saku ~ GracieJ)
0.0.1 Albino Ornate Pacman Frog (Jabba the Frog)
0.0.1 Ornate Pacman Frog (Hooter)
0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion (Still Thinking)
0.0.1 Usambara Tarantula - (FBD - Fire Ball of Death)
2.0 House Cats (Bill ~ Ted)

And a partrige in a pear tree...

~!Bearded Dragon Custom Cage Design!~

>>1) How much would you pay for an acrylic tank? If you would pay at all?

I would pay $20-$30 for the cage pictured. If it was larger I would pay more.

>>2) What type of frog?

Most herps that keep and plan on keeping the future are ones that do best in natural terrariums. Dart frogs, mantella frogs and certain geckos are what I would be interested in housing in a nice acrylic tank.

>>3) What sizes would be best for that specific frog?

I keep most of my cages on wire shelving units. The space that I've been looking to fill is 44 inches long by 18 inches wide by 21 inches high. Thats enough room for 4 cages that measure 10 inches by 18 inches by 16 inches along with a light fixture above. I've also considered cages that are 24 inches deep and letting them hang over the front or back with a drain.

>>4) Would you prefer an all acrylic cage with holes drilled for ventilation, or a partial screened top?

Deffinetly partial screen top with misquito proof screening. Fruit flies and hatchling crickets can escape through drilled holes.

>>5) Any othe suggestions, comments, criticisms, flames etc etc...

Hinged front opening tanks are what I've been interested in because you can stack them in less space than ones that open on the top. Drilled bottoms fitted with plastic bulk heads are another option that I have on some of my tanks and like. So far acrylic front opening tanks have been too expensive for me so I've stuck with glass aquariums but if I found a place that made cheaper acrylic tanks I would deffinetly take advantage of it. So far twin oaks seems to have the best deals, 15 gallon hinged acrylic cages for $30 without a cover. Your tank looks awesome and if you have the skill and material to make more I would deffinetly recomend doing so and maybe setting up a table at your next local reptile show. Nice tank, talk to you later
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Devin
devin@amphibiancare.com
www.amphibiancare.com
4.1 Dendrobates tinctorius 'Dwarf French Guiana'
1.1 Dendrobates tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
5.1 Mantella aurantiaca
2.1 Mantella crocea
1.0 Ceratophrys cranwelli
1.0 Bufo americanus
0.0.1 Salamandra salamandra
1.0 Ambystoma tigrinum
0.1 Chamaeleo calyptratus
0.1 Phelsuma dubia
1.0 Uroplatus ebenaui
0.0.1 Chrysemys picta belli
1.0 Terrapene carolina triunguis

Thanks a bunch!! Lost of helpful info there.

>>>I would pay $20-$30 for the cage pictured. If it was larger I would pay more.

Thats about what i would sell that cage for. Around $30 maybe try for $35. But to be honest the only reason that I could sell it that cheap is due to the thiner materials that I used on that. While it is thin, it completely works. Completely full it holds the water fine with no leaks and no intentions of busting! If i bumped up the thickness to 1/4" the price doubles in material cost. That size tank in the picture would cost around $25 - $30 just to make. So I would have to sell it for at least $50. Which might be to much to ask people to pay.. i have no idea.

Would you have a problem using the thiner materials? As i said they work fine, but i could understand people wanting to have something extremely sound and sturdy for their money.

>>>Most herps that keep and plan on keeping the future are ones that do best in natural terrariums. Dart frogs, mantella frogs and certain geckos are what I would be interested in housing in a nice acrylic tank.

Are there any special requirements id need to keep in mind? I have no clue right now how to do a drainage system in a tank, or all that nifty stuff ive seen on other cages. Plus that would just jack up the price alot. Would those be necessary in a tank for you to buy it?

>>>Hinged front opening tanks are what I've been interested in because you can stack them in less space than ones that open on the top. Drilled bottoms fitted with plastic bulk heads are another option that I have on some of my tanks and like. So far acrylic front opening tanks have been too expensive for me so I've stuck with glass aquariums but if I found a place that made cheaper acrylic tanks I would deffinetly take advantage of it. So far twin oaks seems to have the best deals, 15 gallon hinged acrylic cages for $30 without a cover. Your tank looks awesome and if you have the skill and material to make more I would deffinetly recomend doing so and maybe setting up a table at your next local reptile show. Nice tank, talk to you later

On the hinged front openings, take example the on in the picture. How big would you need the unmovable section? The section that holds substrate/water in when it is standing upright. How big would that need to be? The only problems that ive found with front opening tanks is that they can only be used for animals that do not live in water. Understand what I mean? *lol*

Can you provide me a link to the twin oaks website? Im interested to see what they got.
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2.0 Ball Pythons (Kurt the Snake ~ Frosty McFry)
0.1 Leucistic Texas Rat (OogieBoogie)
0.1 Kenyan Sand Boa (NoFingers McGee)
1.1 Bearded Dragons (Saku ~ GracieJ)
0.0.1 Albino Ornate Pacman Frog (Jabba the Frog)
0.0.1 Ornate Pacman Frog (Hooter)
0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion (Still Thinking)
0.0.1 Usambara Tarantula - (FBD - Fire Ball of Death)
2.0 House Cats (Bill ~ Ted)

And a partrige in a pear tree...

~!Bearded Dragon Custom Cage Design!~

Oogieboogie, I built my frogs' enclosure out of acrylic (1/4" w/ drilled holes in the lids. I used silicone to put it together. However, I'm finding that over time the substrate & wear & tear of life is causing it to lose integrity at the seams. People here have suggested using a small frame at the bottom & maybe top, too, to keep it all together over time. What are you finding in this regard as I notice you also are not using a frame?

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1.0 Reverse Okeetee Corn snake Fuzzy
1.3.0 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1.1 frogs Buffy the Cricket Slayer, Butrose Butrose Froggy
1.1.4 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Juice Newton, Olivia Newton John & Helmut Newton
1.1.0 cats Gus & Mena

*laughs* Silicone is definetly not the way to go to hold acrylic or anything together. I found that one out the hard way.

To get the acrylic together use "Weld-On - 16" You wont find it at your local store, you need to order it online. I got mine from TAP Plastics...

http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=132&

This stuff is AWESOME! It doesnt *glue* the pieces together, but it mends them into one piece by melting both sides and then when it hardens it is one piece. Stuff rocks and cures completely in 24 hours. It works so good you need absolutely *NO* silcone sealer ever!@
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2.0 Ball Pythons (Kurt the Snake ~ Frosty McFry)
0.1 Leucistic Texas Rat (OogieBoogie)
0.1 Kenyan Sand Boa (NoFingers McGee)
1.1 Bearded Dragons (Saku ~ GracieJ)
0.0.1 Albino Ornate Pacman Frog (Jabba the Frog)
0.0.1 Ornate Pacman Frog (Hooter)
0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion (Still Thinking)
0.0.1 Usambara Tarantula - (FBD - Fire Ball of Death)
2.0 House Cats (Bill ~ Ted)

And a partrige in a pear tree...

~!Bearded Dragon Custom Cage Design!~

You are right about the acrylic adhesive. It is the way to go and is only commercially available.
You can make the tank with a section in the front about 6 " that is sealed to hold water and then have the doors open from there on up. check the competition.