Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Anyone with existing specs for a rack system for my kingsnakes? I don't want a rack system to put cantainers in, I want it to be an actual display setup. I have read some previous post but to be honest I am very confused. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also, can someone elaborate on what the different heating methods are? I have never seen these heating ropes (forgot the actual name already) that people are talking about.

Thanks in advance,
Miller
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1.1 Florida King
1.1 Eastern Kings
1.0 Chow Chow
0.2 Cats

Do you mean you want display cages that stack in a rack?

By existing specs you mean you want to build yourself? Or are you asking how big the cages should be?

Regarding heating, how cold does the room where you keep your snakes get?
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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

Chris, thanks for responding.

"Do you mean you want display cages that stack in a rack?"

Actually I want to build one display case with six compartments

"By existing specs you mean you want to build yourself? Or are you asking how big the cages should be?"

I would be building it myself (me and a friend). The thing I am certain of is that I want each compartment to be 5' wide.

Regarding heating, how cold does the room where you keep your snakes get?

I live in Houston, Texas so it does not get all that cold for long here. However, I currently have under tank heaters as well as a low wattage above tank heat source. The snakes are in my room during the day with all the heat lamps the room stays in the mid 80's, at night the ambient probably gets into the low 70's upper 60's. The undertank heaters remain on at all times. They have great appetites and are growing well.
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1.1 Florida King
1.1 Eastern Kings
1.0 Chow Chow
0.2 Cats

>>Actually I want to build one display case with six compartments

Gotcha. Will each level be a single compartment or do you plan to divide each compartment into two halves? More on that later...

>>The thing I am certain of is that I want each compartment to be 5' wide.

With the exception of some plastics, most building materials come in 4' increments. What this means is that you'll likely waste A LOT of material building during the construction of this project.

Also, if this display will be six units high I would discourage you from that as well. But since you may mean that the unit will be three levels tall rather than six, I won't get into that right now.

Give me a better idea of the total size you want for each snake and I'll make my suggestions.

>>I live in Houston, Texas so it does not get all that cold for long here. However, I currently have under tank heaters as well as a low wattage above tank heat source... They have great appetites and are growing well.

I'm sure we'll be able to use your existing heating elements in your display unit.
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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

you can buy plywoods and melamine in 5 ft wide sizes but only at specialty supplies for cabinet makers home depot etc wont carry anything wider then 4ft or well "sometimes" the have it 49" wide in melamine.
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Buisnesses come and go everyday, what keeps you here is how you treated the customer the day before....My Boa Can Kick Your Boas _ss!www.cheapcages.com
Visit the new website while the Jungle gets made over.

I guess I should have said not "readily" available.

Either way, ordering 5' material tends to be very cost prohibitive, even when you factor in the higher quality of the material available from speciality stores.
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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

I was thinking since they were Easterns and Floridas that five feet would give them all the stretch room they would ever need. As for as depth and height, I was thinking 2.5' by 18" high. Since this will be like funiture (want it to not stick out like a sore thumb)I dont' need to go that cheap with the materials. I have six snakes so yes i would want six individual compartments. I don't wnat to build two seperate displays to avoid having to take up more wall space.j

Thanks again for all your help!
Miller
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1.1 Florida King
1.1 Eastern Kings
1.0 Chow Chow
0.2 Cats

>>I was thinking since they were Easterns and Floridas that five feet would give them all the stretch room they would ever need.

I've kept both forms and they do get quite big for a kingsnake. I certainly won't discourage you from building the cage to the dimensions you want. But I will say that a 2'x4' cage is still huge for even the largest specimens. It certainly would make building easier.

>>As for as depth and height, I was thinking 2.5' by 18" high.

With six levels and each at 18", that means 96" tall. Add some casters, etc., and the cage is even taller.

When building such a display I always encourage people to keep the total height to about 78" with the casters so they will fit under doorways.

Gotta run right now...
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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

Some more thoughts before I have to go to practice this morning.

Ceilings are usually about 8' tall so the cage you're proposing won't even stand upright in a normal room. It will also be difficult to clean the uppermost cage.

Let's just assume for a moment you decided to limit the total cage height to 78" so it would fit under doorways. Let's also assume 2" of that height is for casters so you can roll the unit. It will weigh hundreds of pounds so casters are recommended - probably taller than 2" but we'll be conservative.

Factor in 7 layers of 3/4" plywood that make up the floors/ceilings of the cage, and you have less than 12" for the height of the each level.

I'd recommend an upper and lower lip of some sort to support the floors meaning the cage opening will be much less than 12". Even if you only used 2" lips your cage opening would only be like 7". That would not look "furniture quality", especially over a span of 5'.

So I would strongly consider building two units, each at three levels tall. Since wall space is at a premium, I'd limit the length to 48".

Let me know what you think. Either way I can help you with a cut list.

One other thought. A footprint of 2.5'x5' often won't fit around corners in a standard home unless you have wide hallways and/or doorways.

I don't want to talk you out of a cage that is 5'x2.5'x18" for a kingsnake. But when you're talking about making a single unit consisting of 6 of these levels I want you to fully consider all the problems with such a design.
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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

Ok Chris, you are truly a talent! Every measurement you gave is correct not that I doubted you. You made me realize that that information may come in handy lol. My bedroom ( where the display will be) doorway is perfectly aligned with the hallway, so getting the cage in and out would not be a problem. so would a 4.5' wide cage be a good compromise? I just really like for them to be able to stretch out. Would 12" not be tall enough for the inside of the enclosure? Also, my intent was to have sliding glass doors, would that have any affect on whether I have lips on the front of the cages?

Miller
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1.1 Florida King
1.1 Eastern Kings
1.0 Chow Chow
0.2 Cats

>>so would a 4.5' wide cage be a good compromise?

No, not at all. Instead it will just mean that your scrap pieces will be slightly bigger.

In my opinion you either go with a 48" length or stick with your original design. There is not comprimise with 4.5' as it does not save anything. It might make the cage easier to get around corners if you were to move.

>>Would 12" not be tall enough for the inside of the enclosure?

In my opinion this is a minimum for a furniture quality cage. If you pay the premium for the 5'x10' material I really think you'll want a bit more viewing height. When the viewing height is half the depth of the cage (or less) the cage becomes much less attractive, IMO.

>>Also, my intent was to have sliding glass doors, would that have any affect on whether I have lips on the front of the cages?

For the length you want, upper and lower lips will do a lot to prevent sagging along the floors of your cages. You want to avoid sagging with sliding doors.

More importantly, since this is furniture quality, a face frame (which acts as the lips) will add such a nice look to the cage. They also do wonders for hiding lights and heating elements - another important consideration for a furniture quality piece.

You can do whatever you want with whatever dimensions you want, but I'm not certain you've truely considered the tradeoffs of your options.

Post a message over on the kingsnake forum with the title "2'x4' cage big enough for Florida/Eastern King?" and I think you'll get a lot of helpful advice.

That's still a huge cage for a Florida/Eastern King and might even help them feel more secure vs. the size you are suggesting. And the money you'll save will be tremendous.
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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

after reading all th postys i figure i would chime in to help you out. but first props to Chris you da man'

well anyways like chris said 96in is tall. 5 feet long may be too long. snake dont excercise per say they hunt. i would keep the cage at 40-48 inches and probably 12-16 inches tall, and 2 feet wide. i have an adult in a 4x2x2 and she doesnt climb like she used too, she is almost 5 now. she is 4.5 feet long or more easy. i am building a unit soon like that and the cages are going to be 40x20x16 for my corns and my kings. when i do it i will let you guys now.

ken
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0.1 Albino Cal. King (Fokker)
1.0 Reverse Okeetee Corn (trouble)
0.1 Creamsicle Corn (Spot)
1.1.9 Bearded Dragons (Bob & Margret and there kids)
1.3 Dogs(George, Sandy, Cookie) they are rescues, Lhasa Apso, Mutt, Boxer
1.0 Betta
0.1 Wife
0.1 Kid

I really appreciate all the thought and time that you Chris and others are giving to helping me with this project. I have never been a good planner so without your help I would have bought the supplies and figured out how to build it as I went. So thank you again for all your help.

Miller
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1.1 Florida King
1.1 Eastern Kings
1.0 Chow Chow
0.2 Cats

check this site out.

garf.org just the www in front of it, and scroll down to do it yourself section on the left
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0.1 Albino Cal. King (Fokker)
1.0 Reverse Okeetee Corn (trouble)
0.1 Creamsicle Corn (Spot)
1.1.9 Bearded Dragons (Bob & Margret and there kids)
1.3 Dogs(George, Sandy, Cookie) they are rescues, Lhasa Apso, Mutt, Boxer
1.0 Betta
0.1 Wife
0.1 Kid

Thanks!
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1.1 Florida King
1.1 Eastern Kings
1.0 Chow Chow
0.2 Cats