Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

This is my first post in several years. I'm currently planning the construction of a new cage for my bearded dragon and would appreciate some expert advice.

I'm using melamine coated particle board for the basic skeleton, and will add sliding glass doors to the front, air vents on the sides/ceiling, and lighting fixtures on the ceiling.

This is my first cage building attempt and while I'm fairly tool-savy and feel confident in the construction, I would like some tips regarding materials/accesories. I'm mainly interested in sources for cage hardware; specifically, air vents, light fixtures, sliding glass tracks, locks, handles, etc. If you've used something and are pleased, or conversely, have found something worth avoiding please post; sources, prices, and part name/codes would be great.

Thanks in advance,
Ethan Hildebrand

For sliding doors I used 1/4" glass (plexi will scratch), "Stanley" makes a 1/4" track, comes in 6' lengths (I bought at Home Depot for $10) works great.
vents I used a drain cover, they are 4" round, come in black, white, or green...$3.00 each.
For the lights I used a standard 48" ($12 Home Depot) shop light for my reptisun 10.0, I mounted a 10" dome w/ my MVB on the front inside lip, and used a standard "plant grow" lamp fixture to provide extra heat.

Hope this helps...
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for my beardie, i made a 4x2x2 plywood cage..i made the mistake of using plexiglass...it scratches way to much and in a month or so it was ugly...i also made the mistake of using plexiglass for the door, which folds upwards...well after about a year, the corner broke where we always pulled on it....so all in all, i would definitely use glass instead of plexiglass...plywood worked great though for the structure..hope this helps..
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0.4 normal ball pythons
0.1 normal Redtail boa
1.0 Hypo Redtail boa
1.0 true Redtail boa
1.1 100% Het Albino Redtail boa
1 baby sulcata tortoise
0.0.1 Baby Bearded Dragon
0.0.1 Baby Red Uromastyx
0.1 GF Eryn (WC)

not sure why that photo popped up....here's a link to my thread last month...
Link

I got my vents at Lowes, but Home Depot may have them. They are called soffet vents. They have them in 2 or 3 inch. They pop right in from the inside. Derek

They look good, nice job.
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RBICHLER

what did you use to fasten the cage together?...glue, screws,nails?...just curious, they look really nice...
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0.4 normal ball pythons
0.1 normal Redtail boa
1.0 Hypo Redtail boa
1.0 true Redtail boa
1.1 100% Het Albino Redtail boa
1 baby sulcata tortoise
0.0.1 Baby Bearded Dragon
0.0.1 Baby Red Uromastyx
0.1 GF Eryn (WC)

I used self tapping wood screws to screw the melamine togther, and I used liquid nails to glue the glass track on. I sealed all edges with kitchen and bath caulk. Although I have not gone to a cabinet shop to get the better melamine, I find that the stuff that I got from Home Depot is good for what I needed it for. For my next cage, I might try a cabinet shop melamine, just to see what the difference is. Good Luck. Derek