Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello everyone,

I am looking for some advice or illustrations on building a cage and habitat to satisfy the 12 foot retic i will be picking up soon. I would like to build the cage about 10' long, 3' high, 5' wide. I want to build a 2' area under the cage to store stuff and incorporate a large tub style drop in pond. Judging the size of this, it will be impossible to move, so i would like to make it so i can take it part and reassemble as needed. As for the vewing area(front) I want to go with a sliding type door, i am considering a window from menards, simply beacause its easy to frame in leak proof, and lockable. I have searched around but havent been able to find anything on building a cage this large.

>>I would like to build the cage about 10' long, 3' high, 5' wide.

If you want to use wood to save money, remember that it typically comes in 4' x 8' sheets. To build a 5' x 10' cage requires large clamps to bisquit-join panels together or to make a series of large frames.

Both are not the easiest tasks for the beginner.

Some plastic sheets come in 5' x 10'. Polypropylene is what I'd look for, but it's not cheap.

If you have some idea of the locality of Reticulated you are getting it might be that a 4' x 8' cage will be sufficient. It certainly will be cheaper. I don't have the specific taxonomic experience to offer advice on this.

>>I want to build a 2' area under the cage to store stuff and incorporate a large tub style drop in pond. Judging the size of this, it will be impossible to move, so i would like to make it so i can take it part and reassemble as needed.

Good idea and not too much more difficult.

>>As for the vewing area(front) I want to go with a sliding type door, i am considering a window from menards, simply beacause its easy to frame in leak proof, and lockable.

I have heard of problems when using these windows. I believe the slight flexibility that every cage has makes them not function properly.

Follow the link below for more advice. I really don't know the best way to make a sliding door for something as strong as a Reticulated Python. But people do use them so you should be able to find more information.

Also check Bob Clark's forums for cage building advice.
Albinoburmese.com: Cage-Building Tips

-----
1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

If you don't have much experience with cage building, then this project is going to be a tough one. Consider a cabinet maker building the shell for you. One way to do it is to make 2 cages - each 5ft long, with a large cutout on one side of each cage. Then, bolt the 2 together. This way, you can fit the cage through any doorway by disassembling. You'll need to make the joint water resistant, but that is doable.
-----
Mark

thanks for the info guys, that link was very helpful. I am okay with woodworking, ive made alot of subwoofer enclosures. But i would like this habitat to be perfect, and im sure having it built by a cabinet maker wouldnt be too expensive. Well step one will be building the raw shell but, i would also like to design a waterfall/filtration setup for the pond now, in case i need to have the cage modified for plumbing. I am stumped on trying to design a good setup. I could just pump water from the pnd directly to a waterfall, and have a hose hook up taped into the bottom of the pond so i can change water regularely. but i dont know how to filter the flow from the pond to the waterfall or even what to use for a waterfall.

i know that most aquerium have very good filters that are capable of preforming this function that you want to recive