Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all.

I'm looking to build an enclosure for a Tokay or Uroplatus gecko. My dad's a master carpenter, so I pretty much have carte blanche as far as construction. I'm planning on either 24x24x48" high or 36x24x48" high. There are a couple of things I'm wondering about:

-For humidity levels up to 80%, what would be a suitable construction material? I wanted to use PVCX, but it's twice the cost of marine grade plywood for similar thickness. Would pine planking be suitable?

-What sort of finish should I use on the interior? Probably wouldn't require the kind of durability you would need for a varanid or a big snake, but ease of cleaning would be a factor.

-Glass vs. acrylic for the front. Is acrylic liable to become cloudy over time from the gex clinging? I wouldn't think so, but does anyone have info to the contrary?

Any input would be appreciated.

Chris

Go for glass. You can get it for about the same price as really good quality acrylic/plexi/lexan or whatever. Won't scratch or cloud unless you do something REALLY wierd. Plus acrylics will be a little harder to clean cuz you gotta not scratch it. no so with glass. So just go with glass.
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Later,
WhisQuila

PVCX is a great material. Fairly light for a plastic and has excellent thermal properties. Well worth the money if that's what you want.

However, if you like the look of wood, you might as well take advantage of your father's experience and use it.

The only product I don't recommend you use is marine grade plywood. It tends to bow, is not very attractive, and has a lot of chemicals added to make it more water resistant. I'm not one who necessarily worries about how one material is more toxic than another, but marine plywood has a smell to it I just don't like.

For wood you could either use pine or other wood planks or a laminated plywood. I like oak and birch laminated plywoods. It really depends on what look you prefer.

Glass or acrylic is really up to you. Acrylic is more likely to bow and scratch, but is light and easy to polish if it does get scratched. Make sure you use a high quality acrylic.

For double sliding doors I use glass. For hinged doors I use acrylic.

I'll post a picture of a cage I built for a group of Uroplatus henkeli. It's 49.5" x 30" x 48". It has a GLASS double sliding door. This is just the cheap oak-laminated plywood you can get from Home Depot and other home improvement stores. The more expensive materials from cabinet shops and specialty lumber yards are even nicer. The cage also has a false ceiling design that works very well. I can post pictures of that if you like.

I'm sure your dad could build something that would put this cage to shame.

The interior is sealed with Envirotex Epoxy. An easy to use and very attractive finish. The exterior only has a few coats of a water based polyurethane. Both the interior and exterior were stained, obviously.

Thanks for the info, that's just what I needed to know.

My first choice was actually the PVCX, but aside from the expense, I'm not sure how one works with it, i.e. can it be mitered, drilled, joined, etc. like wood, or are there special techniques involved? Also, do you happen to know the weight of PVCX vs plywood?

Chris

1/2" PVCX and 1/2" laminated plywood are about the same weight. The real weight savings comes from the fact that you can use thinner PVCX than plywood. I prefer to use 3/4" ply for cage construction but one can get away with 1/4" PVCX so the weight savings are obvious.

1/2" PVCX can be worked "fairly" similar to wood. The techniques necessary for using 1/4" PVC are trickier unless one is a practiced plastic welder. Given the weight similarities I generally recommend one use 1/4" PVCX and learn how to work with it. Otherwise, I'd rather just use 1/2" plywood. It would look nicer, be cheaper, and weigh about the same.

I'm giving you a very biased opinion here. I love the look of stained laminated plywood with a real wood face frame. Given your dad's talents I'm most inclined to recommend that. I'd only recommned the PVCX if you two were willing to take the time to learn how to work with the thinner material.

If weight is a concern at all and you like the look of pine, edge glued panels might be a nice compromise between a lightweight but sterile looking PVC cage vs. a heavier but attractive oak cage.

If you really want the plastic cage I do have some advice for how to work with the material if you don't have a plastic welder.