Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I finally finished my 6th cage, so I thought I would take a picture. Derek

Sweet! Looks like an awesome setup. How much did the cages cost you to build, and where did you get the door handles?
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::i believe in joy > http://www.winds.org/nekomi/hope.html

::my homepage > http://www.winds.org/nekomi

My Growing Zoo:

1.0 Husband (Byron) ^_^
0.1 black cat (Shade)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Zia)
1.0 Leucistic Ratsnake (Houdini)
1.2 Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides yellow-gold)
1.2 Panduro cichlids (A. panduro)

The cages were approximately 70$ to build, but I did have to buy the hole saws for the vents. The door handles came fro the same glass shop. They are plastic with an adhesive back. I am getting ready to build an even bigger one than these for my Hog island boa Girl. If you have a few tools, these cages are nothing to build. I buy the melamine at Home Depot. They will cut it for you, but I cut my own. Derek

>>I buy the melamine at Home Depot. They will cut it for you, but I cut my own.

Better that you have the tools and skill to cut your own. I have had hit or miss results with Home Depot and their panel saw. It's either very good or off by enough to be a problem. Typically I just have sheet goods cut in half or thirds so I can get in my tiny truck. The I cut it down at home.

Another choice is to contact cabinet shops. Not only are their cuts perfect, the melamine they carry is of noticably higher quality.

But it will cost you.

Nice job. How big are the cages? What are you housing in them?

Also, why did you choose the shelving system instead of stacking them?

They are 30" wide 17" deep and 18" tall. I have 2 graybands, 1 corn, and 1 Hog Island Boa for now. The top 2 are empty right now. I will convert the Hog to a bigger one when I get it done. She is still a baby. I had them stack, but over time, I thought it better to use shelves because of the weight. Here are a couple of the animals that are in there. Derek

..for those of you without tools, or minimal tools, or even just looking to save time, I have built several cages like the ones shown above by buying the modular "shelving" units from Home Depot. They are made of white melamine, go together with nothing but a screwdriver, and are essentially 4 sided melamine boxes. If you want to stack them, they have a pin and dowel system to achieve that. You can purchase a half sheet of dry erase board-like material for the back and buy sliding door track from various sources. I like to buy the track from McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com Item 1717A3) and just use Liquid Nails to put the track on as well as affix the back piece. Add a sliding door lock and you're in business. I have built the 30" ones for less than $40 including the plexi or Lexan for the doors. If I had a pic I'd share it. If anyone is really interested I can take one tonight.

-Jason

This is true. I only had to cut the sides and holes for the vents. At Home Depot, they sell several different sizes of Melamine. Derek

You could screw pegboard to the back, then you wouldn't need to cut the ventilation holes. Just a thought.