Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have finished all the plans and started getting material for my beardy cage. im going with a slider in the front but im not sure witch to use glass or plexy. can any body share some pros and cons for each of these. witch is safer, cheaper, and has the best visibility?
thanks
Tony

Plexiglass or another type of acrylic is not ideal for a BD cage. The extreme temperatures and temperature differentials can easily cause plexiglass or other types of acrylic to yellow and/or warp.

I will grant that plexiglass is probably safer, but I don't believe glass to be a serious safety issue unless you have very active children or pets (large dogs, etc.).

Glass is cheaper and has better visibility. It is not quite as good at blocking radiant heat, however.

It also dosen't scratch!
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I use glass for smaller critters, but I use Lexan sheets for the bigger cages. Lexan is a polycarbonate and a trademark of GE. Whereas Plexiglas is a polyacrylate and a trademark of the Atoglas division of Atofina Chemicals. Other polyacrylates include Lucite, Acrylite, and Perspex. Polycarbonate is harder than polyacrylate and in comparative thickness, about 100 times more shatterproof than safety glass. Lexan is UV stabilized and I've experienced NO discoloring in years of exposure to full spectrum lighting, high temps and high humidity. Most of my Lexan sheets display in 6 or 8-foot lengths and 2-foot widths. These are pretty expansive windows and/or doors and only one has experienced a slight warp and this was due to the wood framing flexing under the high humidity levels. Latched shut, it is not noticeable. As with Plexiglas, it is subject to scratching, but I find it more resistant than Plexiglas. And frankly, a little care and forethought should preclude most scratching. Your snakes should not be scratching either plastic, so it is incumbent of you to be careful when cleaning or interacting with the enclosure.

The biggest negative? The usual. ($$$$)

ok i will probly go with glass, but where is the best place to get it. can i trust lowes to cut it right? are there different kinds, and what thickness would work best
thanks again for the replies
Tony

Yes. There are different kinds with varying thickness. I have never done glass work with the big box outlets, however any glass company can tell you what you need and cut and finish the edges accordingly. I have 1/4" safety glass with finished edges on top of my desk to protect the oak. I think I paid less than $30 for this (finished) 2'x4' piece. I reread your original post and see you're not working with big boids, so I suspect you can go with the smallest gauge safety glass they have available. You still want safety glass, in my opinion. Remember, YOU are more likely to damage the glass than your pet, so you want strong enough glass to protect against yourself (wink). Most glass companies can provide you simple tack-down plastic guide-tracks if you're interested in having sliding glass access to your enclosure. I have several 6 and 8-foot oak cages with 3/8" safety glass in two sheets that slide in front of each other on these inexpensive tracks. These are sweet cages, but are limited in terms of how securely they can contain the bigger critters and must always have their glass locks snapped into place. Good luck, Tony.

well i will make some calls tonight to see what i can find