Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been looking at these plastic snake cages online for a while and I was wondering what are they made out of? I know in some resturaunts in the kitchens they have what's like a 1/8" thick white plastic which I could use, but I can't find any.

What I want to do is create a fairly long lightweight cage to hang along the wall of my apartment, with maybe a couple plexiglass doors for easy access. I have the dimensions all worked out and the mounting worked out, right now i'm suck on what to use to build it out of and how to join the joints. I was thinking just using a thin plexiglass, joined with clear silicone, but will this really even hold up?

Thanks,
Chris
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The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -Unknown

i've created a rough design for what i'd like the cage to look like, right now i'm thinking of building it out of plexiglass and i'm trying to figure out the total weight that will be in the cage...i have 2 black rat snakes, plus water, caves (and that stuff doesn't weigh much). i was going to paint the bottom white (from the outside) and have it sealed with aquarium grade silicone, and have a few L brackets outside, with bolts coming through, coated in the aquarium grade silicone. Mount it to the wall with 8 anchors (4 on the top 4 on the bottom). Will the thinnest plexiglass be sufficent for this, or will I need to spend more money for a thicker grade? Also, does this even seem that it would work? (i have one long wall with nothing on it, I'm not sure what i'll put underneath this.)
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The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -Unknown

forgot the picture here you go.

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The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -Unknown

well first off you will definately need a minimal of 1/4" plexi and i would say go with 3/8 since this would have the bearing weight of it on the floor of the cage anything thinner will warp sage and look like fidos southbound end.If you are looking to make somthing that would look nice in your apt and showcase the animals in heres a better cheaper idea. ill list out cost comparisons in my area for you to compare .

1/4 acrylic $78.00 4'x8' sheet x2 $160.00
clear hinges roughly $5.00 each x's 4 $20.00
clear clasps roughly $4.00 each x's 2 $8.00
anchors $10.00
Solvent to edge glue the acrylic $10.00 ? not sure never used it so basically you have $200.00 in it give or take $20.00
Pros: will be clear and cool looking for humans

Cons: snakes will stay freaked out cause it would be in a high traffic area morethen likely
if you goof you blew alot of money on a mistake
tools to work it are costly if you dont have them
will look really bad if you dont keep it very clean
will sooner or later become scrathed if not cleaned properly

Building with a finish plywood costs .

3/4 Birch or Oak ( i say birch stains can vary in the look from mohagny to cherry and look very very nice
3/4" birch $35.00 a shett 4x8 total $70.00
3/4 Oak $51.00 a sheet 4x8 total $102.00
Can be assembled with wood biscuits , screws finish nails & glue Costs $20.00 ( biscuits would be more if you dont have the biscuit jointer)
You can then cut on each end a square and insert 1/4" plexi panels for end viewing
stains and polys to seal and finish it $20.00

over all you would have a much richer nicer cleaner custom built look with this then the plexi and a total cost of id say lessthen $150.00 weight would be around 100-125 lbs or so which could be hung on the wall as long as you hit the studs

The learning curve on edge bonding the acylics isnt fast alotto factor in to it and no room for a mistake on the otherhand the wood is forgiving and can be recut to compensate for mistakes

over all id say go with wood apply a nice color stain to it lay a sheet of FRP panels on the floor seal it with silicone and enjoy it .

good luck
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so FRP is okay to use in the cage? My grandfather has literally at least 2 of every tool you can think of, from bandsaws to welders, lathes (got three of those), 4 table saws, etc. What if I just used regular plywood or something, or maybe OSB and painted the exterior? It will be in my bedroom, the only people in there will be me and my girlfriend and occasionally a room mate or something, I wouldn't dare put these animals out in the living room (college apartment...too many parties.) Also, would it be necessary to put shelf brackets underneath the cage for support? I'm going out to talk to my g'pa in a few about this, I appreciate your help and your detailed pricing information! THANKS!
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The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -Unknown

or what about a vaneer, maybe linoleum (for the interior, then have my substrate on top of that). Would that work decently?
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The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -Unknown