Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was cruising around Ebay and came across this, cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2495972398&sspagename=MERC_VI_RSCC_Pr4_PcY_BIN_Stores , and thought you could just cut an opening for the door and you should have a durable, easy to clean, and inexpensive cage. The guy also had them in other sizes as well. Any thoughts, comments?

By the time you figure out how to put doors and vents on that plastic box, you will have way over a hundred dollars into it and it will still look like a crude plastic box.

I think most of the 40 gallon sized plastic cages aren't much more than 100 or so dollars and they probably work better than this box would work as a cage.

Maybe you should buy one and show us the finished cage unit.

I would say that could be a viable cage for ~$20 in materials. Which would make total cost ~$80 delivered. I havent seen other cages of similar size for less than ~$200 plus shipping.

Mount plastic storage totes or garbage cans onto wood face frames. I'll post pictures of several examples.

50 gallon storage tote mounted onto a pine face frame. Most expensive part was the acrylic door.

-----
Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

shows box on face frame and screen top:

-----
Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

This one is two, 8 gallon garbage cans on one 20 gallon storage tote.

-----
Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

Shows the 8 gallon cans from the top.

Both of these could be mounted onto side panels to make them free standing. In fact the one is this picture is now that way.

-----
Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

What are you using to attach the face frames to the cans/tubs? (I would be paranoid of a a push out problem if not fully adhered completely all the way around) I can see these being excellent display enclosures set in a false wall for geckos/anoles/tree frogs etc. (would work wonderfully for a petshop)
-----
Randall L Turner Jr.
www.aircapitalconstrictors.com

Wow! Those are some very creative cages! But dosent the side show when your walking aroung the room? I would put two planks of finished wood on the sides. That is a very smare idea!

I have another idea for cageing- regular glass ones. But from garage sales. I have a little 5 gallon that I got for a buck, and a 25 gallon that I got for 5 bucks. It even came with the pump! And it was almost new! You just have to slide you finger nail along the silicone to see if there are and holes that could leak. If so, it requires 5 minutes of work to fix. You can save tons of money, and still get the nice glass ones, which I prefer.

>>Wow! Those are some very creative cages! But dosent the side show when your walking aroung the room? I would put two planks of finished wood on the sides.

I believe I mentioned in a previous post that one of the units is now built into a solid cabinet.

Regardless, both of these cages were mock-ups of the idea for me to test. With the sides exposed I could check for leaks, fractures in the plastic, etc.

They have held up great, however, and my ultimate plan is to build them into a false wall for the species I keep. Unfortunately I still need to find a slightly larger box.

Thanks for the comments. It was an idea that just dawned on my one day. I built it as soon as I could and could have just kicked myself for not trying it years earlier.
-----
Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

>>What are you using to attach the face frames to the cans/tubs?

Hi Randy, thanks for the comments.

Both of these were mockups to see if they would be strong enough for my application. Ironically, that application is a false wall as you suggested lined with cages.

The cages have held up amazingly well. With the larger cage I was even able to put my 5 year old nephew in the box (with the opening of the cage turned upright) and carry it around by the face frame. This was AFTER the cage had spent a day underwater due to a flood.

The juntion is so strong because I use dozens of sheet metal screws and a polyurethane caulk. The box would tear before the joint broke, I suspect. It's stronger than the joint between two panes of glass in a strong aquarium.

When I was working on the multi-unit cage I set a 40 lb. tool box on top of the small garbage cans so it would be within reach. I forgot about it until the next morning and the garbage cans had not flexed at all.

That bank of cages has since been given to a friend and he's beat the heck out of it. He even had a screen chameleon cage on top that dripped water all over it for hours a week. He also has the boxes full of rocks, heavy water bowls, and decoration. It's still going strong two or three years later.

Go find a small plastic box or garbage can and attach it to a piece of wood with silicone and sheet metal screws. Just do this as a test setup. I think you'll be amazed at how strong it is.
-----
Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

I definetely will be going and trying that out (I want to make a few set ups for amazon tree boas and tokay geckos, but didn't want to deal with actual enclosures or aquariums..)
-----
Randall L Turner Jr.
www.aircapitalconstrictors.com

Hi Randy,

Lowes is (or was) the sole distributor of boxes from Gracious Living - a Canadian company. They have a 55 gallon storage tote that you should look at. They are black with a very smooth interior. No ridges or recessed handle areas which would make cleaning difficult. They do have four very small caster wells that protrude into the interior of the cage.

They would be perfecect for Amazon Tree Boas and Tokay Geckos. In fact a Uroplatus breeder I know is requesting I build him some of these cages around the very same box.
-----
Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

no post
-----
Randall L Turner Jr.
www.aircapitalconstrictors.com

Well done. It looks fromm the front like a total wooden furniture grade cage.
Fleck

Cool setup Chris. Do you have any pet peeves with that setup? One thing I didn't like about my water tank idea, was that I like my enclosures to have more hight than 12".

>>Cool setup Chris.

Thanks.

>>Do you have any pet peeves with that setup?

Only that you're limited by the box. Some boxes have ridges, etc. that make cleaning difficult. But if you're careful you can find boxes for many different applications.

There are excellent boxes between ten and 50 gallons if your shop around.
-----
Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

I emailed the guy and he says they are for RV use: its a six sided box with fitting and weighs about 20 lbs.