Reptile & Amphibian Forums

how do you protect against water and moisture and do you guys have a problem crickets escaping

I've used pegboard for the back wall of cages for about 14 years. I've had this cage for about 11 years. I have a automatic misting system that mists twice daily for a minute duration each. The humidity usually stays about 60% or so and I've never had the pegboard backing deteriate. If it did, it would be easy and inexpensive to replace. I use the kind that is white on one side and brown on the other, and put the white side towards the cage. As far as crickets getting out, well, that would be a problem, I haven't built cages for cricket eaters. There is pegboard with different sized holes. If I did try it, I'd use the smaller holes. Now that I've switched to cypress mulch substrate and added the misting system, I have had some concern about the pegboard getting wet, though. I've thought about making a substrate damn along the bottom of the back of the cage, to keep the damp substrate from directly contacting the pegboard.

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1.1 Jungle Carpet Python
1.1 Ball Python
1.1 Corn Snake
0.1 Gray band Kingsnake
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
0.1 Pueblan Milksnake
1.0 Bullsnake
1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback
0.1 Spouse

I have painted my pegboard with exterior polyurethane and have np. I really like the looks of your cage. What did you make the bulb guards out of??

Thanks. I made the bulb guards out of chicken wire. I used an electric shear (hand snips will work)(I found the ele. shear on ebay for pretty cheap though) to cut the wire into a plus sign shape, then folded the extremities inward to form a cube shape. I then wound wire around the edges to hold them together and it also covers any sharp edges where the sides meet. Then I cut four pieces of wood molding and form into a square to fit the cube and glued the corners together using a corner vice. Then I drilled holes in two opposite corners (from the front to the back and recessed them so the bolts I put in there couldn't be seen. I puttied over those holes (I forget, but I might have shot a little glue in the hole to keep the bolt from turning)and sanded smooth. I spray painted the wire black and the wood frame black, then textured the wood frame with stone texturing spray paint to match the outside of the cage. I then stapled the wire cage to the inside of the frame. To mount, I drilled two holes in the back of the pegboard, pushed the bolts thru them and secured them with a wing nut on the backside. I don't bother with the guards on my smaller cages because I can use 15 watt bulbs and I can put my hand right on them without burning, but with the larger cages I use 40 watt bulbs in order to provide enough heat, so I need to prevent the snake from contacting directly. I have those lights attached to a rheostat so I can adjust the heat and on a timer set to sunset and sundown. The night time light comes on when the white light goes off. The full spectrum flouresent light comes on for 8 hours during the brightest part of the day.

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1.1 Jungle Carpet Python
1.1 Ball Python
1.1 Corn Snake
0.1 Gray band Kingsnake
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
0.1 Pueblan Milksnake
1.0 Bullsnake
1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback
0.1 Spouse

I found plastic peg board at Lowes. It cost a bit more, but totally worth it. To keep crix in, secure some window screen to the back of the pegboard or you could even sandwich the screen between to pieces of peg board.

>>how do you protect against water and moisture and do you guys have a problem crickets escaping

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Zoodude

"Just because I'm paranoid, it doesn't mean they aren't after me."

plastic pegboard, I haven't seen that yet, thanks, I like the screen idea too.

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1.1 Jungle Carpet Python
1.1 Ball Python
1.1 Corn Snake
0.1 Gray band Kingsnake
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
0.1 Pueblan Milksnake
1.0 Bullsnake
1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback
0.1 Spouse
8 ball python eggs due any day now!