Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Okay well I’m going to be making a cage for a Tegu sometime in the near future; the cage will be 7x3x2 and made out of wood. I was going to use 3/8” or 1/2” plywood I hadn’t decided. My major concern is water proofing the cage, should I just try to seal it with some sort of deck water-sealant, or should I try some sort of plastic to laminate the interia, or should I try an epoxy? So far from reading it sounds like the epoxy can be tricky to get right. Any responses would be greatly appreciated thanks in advance!

-chris
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I would use the thicker plywood for a cage that size. Maybe even 3/4".

Regarding the dimensions, I think you should consider making the cage a bit deeper front to back and not quite as long. If you shortended it to 6' and increased the depth to 4' you would have the same floor area as what you've mentioned. But there are advantages to the 6x4 footprint.

1) The scrap from the two 6x4 pieces can be used as the sides of the cage.

2) The cage can be turned upright and moved through doorways, etc.

3) Cuts and overall design would be a bit easier to do with 3 full sheets of plywood. If you wanted all of your panels to be cut from single pieces your 7x3x2 would require 4 sheets.

The disadvantages of the 6x4 footprint:

1) Harder to clean a cage with a 4' depth, especially if it's only 2' tall.

2) Viewing is more restricted due to low height and greater depth. Although this may be a benefit from the standpoint of the animal feeling secure.

So I'd say if you already know you have enough room to move a 7x3x2 cage around why not go ahead and make it 8x3x2? Less cutting/waste of material since that's the length it comes in.

And if you have the space it is nice to build them a bit taller. It makes for better viewing, IMO.

Do not use a deck sealer for your monitor cage. They have UV stabilizers and solids that are designed to stay slightly flexible over time. I'm not sure how safe those are.

For a heavy scratching species here are choices in order of cost (cheapest to most expensive) and ease of use (most difficult to least difficult).

The cheap way to go is with fiberglass resin. But that is not easy to work with. I've always regretted it when I used it in order to save money.

West Systems Marine Epoxy sounds like a nice compromise when it comes to cost/ease of use.

Fiberglass Reinforced Panel is probably the most straightforward and the only nusance is the dust created when cutting with a power saw. Heavy duty clippers can be used from what I've heard but I have not tried this.

Thanks for the tips, I'll probably look into that Marine Epoxy. Regarding the FRP is it possible to score and snap? and is it something i would be able to find in regular hardware store? I guess ill redraw my plans a couple times and play a little more with the dimensions I knew i would have to use more wood that way but the recomended length for a tegu cage is 7-8 feet so 7 was the lowest i could go.

-thanks
chris
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I doubt FRP can be scored and snapped but I've never tried it. I think you'll have to go to Lowes, Home Depot or another home improvment center to find it.

A 6x4 footprint will have the same square footage as a 7x3. However, that is not an apples to apples comparison. Thermal gradients may be different, the added depth may not provide as much effective/useful space as the 7x3, etc., etc., etc.

I've helped a lot of people with cage construction over the years. There have been a few cases where people built cages in their garages and could only get them through their front door. When it came to getting the cages downstairs into basements, or around corners into their herp rooms, they failed. Made for a lot of upset wives, LOL.

In many other cases I've had people request a cage of a certain size, insuring me it will fit through their doors, etc. I've gone over there with a template and showed them that it would not fit.

So with all these experiences I tend to go overboard when it comes to helping people with large cages. Don't take it personally

Well i'm not worried about getting it through doors. Once i have everything cut I'm going to put it together to make sure it fits, and then im going to dissasemble it and put it back together in my basement. My original plan was to have HD cut the wood for me because i dont have a table saw and i dont want to mess up and make a wavy cut with my jigsaw. Does anyone know if HD will cut plexiglass or FRP for you? I know they charge for cutting wood after the first 1-2 cuts but does this apply to those too?

-thanks
chris
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Home Depot will cut acrylic but the quality of the stuff they use is very low. I do not recommend it.

Why plexi? It will get scratched up by a Tegu, is more expensive at 1/4", and can warp when exposed to thermal gradients.

I think glass is better for your application.

Home Depot will not cut FRP board from what I've been told.

Well in my original design 9" up on the front i have a 1' strip of plexi across the front. I was going to use plexiglass because on the interior of the tank i was just going to screw the plexiglass in, it seemed a lot easier then trying to cut grooves to put the glass in. I'll try to find my original drawing to scan in and post.

-thanks
Chris
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No, thats a hinged top the cage will be filled half full with a bark substrate so there will only be about a foot of depth that will actually be accesable so there are no front/back doors.
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That makes sense. I like that design for access to lights and/or heating elements and also makes it a lot lighter for moving as you have take the lid off.

You know, I think you could come up with a design that bolts onto a 2x2 frame and can be taken apart. That would allow for a taller cage, more viewing area, and a guarantee that the cage would fit whereever you moved.

n/p
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Instead of screwing the plywood pieces to themselves they would attach to a frame of lumber that is 2" x 2". Well, actually 1.5" x 1.5".

Scroll down on this page or go to page two and look for a threaded titled something like "link to website w/construction pics".

That should help.