Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have about $350 to build a cage with, but I don't know how far it will get me. I'm looking to build an all wood cage with a glass(or plexiglass) front. I want it to be at least 8' long but would prefer about 10', and I want it to be about 3 1/2' wide but haven't yet decided on a height. What is the best kind of wood to use? What kind of tools are required? Is it better to get the wood precut at the store or just do it myself? Also what is best to seal the wood with and should this be done before its put together or afterwards? Sorry for any stupid questions but this will be my first cage to build and I don't want to screw it up too badly.
Thanks for any advice,
Kate

For 350 you should be able to make the cage you want.

For the frame, I use 2x2 instead of 2x4. and for the outside you can use either waferboard or plywood, waferboard will be cheaper.

I would do all the cutting yourself because sometimes you may have to make a little bit of adjustment, that wont be possible with precut.

For tools, I built mine with a drill and a scroll saw, but a tablesaw would have been nice if I would have had access to one.

If you make ur cage 18-24" tall, that will be plenty.

you can seal the wood itself with polyurethane, That works best. or at the very least, with several coats of an exterior latex. I would just get a decent wood sealing cocking for sealing the joints. Someone at your hardware store will know what you need.

Good luck
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1.0 Albino Green Burm
0.2 Normal Burm
1.1 Java Retic

One more recommendation would be to put either lanoleum or contact paper down on the floor. Even with sealed would it is a little harder to clean up the messes because the wood is a rough surface. The lanoleum and/or contract paper will give you an additional waterproof surface that is smooth and easy to clean. Todd

Seal it! Seal it! Seal it! I'm a woodworking fool but when I made my first cage I didn't seal the floor very well and when he pee's, it seaps through the seems and into my carpet. YUCK! You can use a silicone to seal the seems. I would go with the linoleum also. I used an outdoor, water based latex to cover the walls. I started with a white base, 3 coats, then painted it dark green. Then I used a textured roller with light green for a forest/leafy effect. Put the linoleum down on the floor (you can get small remnant rolls from Lowe's/Home Depot for less than 10 bucks, and you be REAL happy with how easy it is to disinfect the cage. Then hit EVERY seem from the floor up with silicone sealant. Also, for the front edge on the floor, make about a 4 inch high wall. This helps when they come out of the cage to knock off some litter AND, gives more protection against leakage from the front of the cage. I wish ya'll were local. I got a well equipped work shop and would love to help you out. Good luck!

DZ

Sorry! Never answered your question.

With $350 you could build whatever you want like Red said. I like making them look like furniture so I use polished brass hardware etc. You might want to skimp on the fancies and invest more into heating, humidity and temp hardware. I feel that's where the whole pet thing is more fun when you spend more time handling than upkeep. With technology today, the cage could practically run itself.

DZ