Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well I finally broke down and started gathering "stuff" to build a set of cages for my 7 Hondurans.

This was made easier last week when I found a pair of 48" x 12 x 24 bakers racks that were going to be trashed. I talked the manager out of them as they are exactly the measurements that I was going to build my cages. Each one is already split into a pair of 48 x 12 x 12 areas, and made from 3/4 inch melamine.

So I went shopping and got all the goodies. Glass track is coming from Outwater.com (link below, thanks Chris Harper), I went with the 140 track, which is 1/4 inch and comes in brown, white, and black. I chose white to match the melamine.

I went with oversized 4 x 14 vents as I am running a 12" flourescent fixture in each cage, and put the vents in the center of the cage at the top so that any heat generated by the lights will be able to escape rather than overheat the cage.

I have the new "Power Grab" construction adhesive for the glass track, and white caulk for the joints inside the cage.

I also have 25' of a new heat "rope" made for keeping pipes and rooftops from freezing over. The company states that it is self regulating: as it gets colder the proprietary design uses more electricity for heat, and as it gets hotter it uses less. After talking to the tech staff at the company, it was determined that the cable has a maximum temp of around 98 degrees.

I also have the BAH-1000 thermostat coming from Big Apple to controll the heat rope.

Here is a pic of most of the parts awaiting useage. Still waiting for the glass track to come in so I can install it and then get the measurement for the glass.

Outwater.com home page....................

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"Colubrid-aphilia", adj; An inordinate love of Colubrids.

Here's the vents installed. I used one on the outside, but this left the ugly hole visable from the inside. So, I inverted (installed backwards) one of the other vents on the inside to cover the gaping hole.

These vents were bought at Lowes, and they come with the screen already installed on them! Only cost 1.50 or so each, just need 4 more to do the other cage section (identical to this one).

Again, I went overboard with the vent size as I am running a 12" flouresent fixture in each cage.

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"Colubrid-aphilia", adj; An inordinate love of Colubrids.

Keep in mind the cage is upside down on the bench for the ease of installing the lights

I wish Fed-Ex would hurry up with my glass track so I can get these things done and in service!

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"Colubrid-aphilia", adj; An inordinate love of Colubrids.

looks like you have details well worked out.i was wondering why you desided to build a bunch of cages instead of a single rack.have fun!

>>looks like you have details well worked out.i was wondering why you desided to build a bunch of cages instead of a single rack.have fun!

Not a big fan of racks at the moment, I prefer the display type cages so I can see my scaley children. Perhaps in the future I'll end up with too many snakes and have to go with racks, I can only hope, but for now this is the way I'm going to go.

Plus the boxes were already made, and free at that! That's why there is two sets of "twins". I'll stack them up to make one cage rack of four cages. Next run will be a 6 or 8 foot tall stack of 48" cages built together instead of stacked on top of each other. Just worked out for me to do it this way on this build.
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"Colubrid-aphilia", adj; An inordinate love of Colubrids.

IMO, better to have stacked cages than a tall cage split into sections. The larger cage is MUCH harder to move. I built the cage below as two vertical sections. I built a second similar stack with improvements one of which was making it four sections. Much easier to set up and move.

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Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)
4.12 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
1.0 Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 Het for Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Hypo / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Hypo (possible super)
1.0 BCI albino het stripe
1.0 BCI salmon hypo
0.1 BCI ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Hey, those are really nice. What is the pvc pipe for? Did you build the cages yourself? Derek

I use these as breeder cages for my BRB's, the pipes allow me to connect and/or bolck off as many of the 8 individual sections as I want. Typically in breeding season I set the cage up as two seperate sections of four cages each. Then let one male and a few females go wherever they want, last year set it up as 1.3 on one side and 1.4 on the other. 136 babies (90 from the 1.4)
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Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)
4.12 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
1.0 Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 Het for Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Hypo / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Hypo (possible super)
1.0 BCI albino het stripe
1.0 BCI salmon hypo
0.1 BCI ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

np
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Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)
4.12 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
1.0 Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 Het for Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Hypo / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Hypo (possible super)
1.0 BCI albino het stripe
1.0 BCI salmon hypo
0.1 BCI ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Great idea for the light. Are they battery powered? How much are they? Looks like it is coming along pretty well. What is that power grab stuff? I used liquid nails. Is it similar? Thanks, Derek

>>Great idea for the light. Are they battery powered? How much are they? Looks like it is coming along pretty well. What is that power grab stuff? I used liquid nails. Is it similar? Thanks, Derek

Derek,

They come in battery and wired. I opted for wired. I'd have to look, but they cost less than $15 each (was $12 something, dunno the receipt is in the garage) The first pic of everything shows the power cords I will be modifying: just make sure you get a three prong plug and wire so you can be properely grounded! I plan on running all the lights up to a power strip that will be wired into a some sort of switch. How fancy of a switch I don't know right now, probly just on and off.

The power grab is a liquid nails type material that works faster and supposedly stronger (of course their comercial wants you to believe it, ha ha). I'll have to let everyone know after I get my glass track (any day now, hurry up please!). Then it's glass time and final assembly!

I did make a base tonight for the cages that has casters on it so it can be rolled around, no pics yet. Maybe later or tomorrow.

I plan on putting together a parts list so anyone can reproduce what I am doing, will have to do it at the end of the build.

Dan.
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"Colubrid-aphilia", adj; An inordinate love of Colubrids.

Awesome set up. What I'm going to do is buy a 75gallon tall and make my setup just like yours, with the polysterene foam plastic then coat it with concrete and use concrete dyes to make a brown rock,gray rocks,red rocks. Use some washed childreds play sand, add some caudexed figs and spineless tree opuntia and its really going to look like a desert. I'll also use some riverbed rocks and a background to make it come alive. But your setup is really cool.

oh wrong forum.

>>Great idea for the light. Are they battery powered? How much are they? Looks like it is coming along pretty well. What is that power grab stuff? I used liquid nails. Is it similar? Thanks, Derek

Power Grab is Locktite's version. I think its just as good for our application although I have used it in the remodeling of my house. I like it better sets up fast means I don't waste my day holding stuff in place.
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"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

1.1 Hypomelenistic Red Tailed Boas
2.0 Double Het Stripe Albino Red Tailed Boas
0.1 Suriname Red Tailed Boa
0.1 Anerthrystic Red Tailed Boa
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse

on the ceiling? just kidding,

Looking good!! I have similar lights and have them all plugged into one of those power bars with a switch. One switch turns all on.
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Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)
4.12 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
1.0 Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 Het for Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Hypo / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Hypo (possible super)
1.0 BCI albino het stripe
1.0 BCI salmon hypo
0.1 BCI ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats