Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How do they not drive you nuts? Especially when you've got a whole room full of 40 breeders and need to be able to easily get in and out of all of them?

I've had one for a few years for my western hognose, but I don't go in and out of a snake cage as often as I go in and out of a collared cage. Plus, the only thing on top for her was a 4' shoplight that sort of sat on the frame while I slid the screen back and forth right under it. Today I finally got a light rigged into a 4X2X1 stackable and gave the snake an upgrade so I could move the July babies into the 40 (I don't dare try the kind of lighting they need in a one-foot-tall stackable,) and I'll tell you, I'm not as crazy about that tank as I feel like I should be.

Between the awkwardness of trying to give the top opening-clearance while still trying to keep the floor of the tank reachable/ + the heavier light fixtures used for collared lizards/ + the fact that, really, when you'e going in and out several times a day, you start to notice more that those things really don't slide all that smoothly anyway... I'm just wondering, since this seems to be the most popular tank size for these guys, does anybody have any good tricks or suggestions?
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0.1 2006 Western Hognose (Bebe)
0.1 age unknown Cane Toad (Hengo)
0.1 2005 White-Banded Sheen Skink (Minerva)
1.0 2006 Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Queequeg)
1.0 2006 Madagascan Speckled "Hognose" (Sigmund)
1.0 2008 Bullsnake (Winkle)
1.2 2008 Eastern Collared Lizards (Pancho, Lupe, and Chica)
2.0 2009 Eastern Collared Lizards (Cesar and Nino)

I feel your pain, sure I don't have as many lizards/snakes as you do but the sliding tops built for the cages are inadequate to say the least. I could go on about their issue's but we all know them and deal with it. The biggest issue is how flimsy they are, the mesh used let alone the frame on the slide top is amazingly weak. I've purchased a couple of custom built cages with the sliding front door with a solid steel mesh top.

I've considered drawing up plans for a horizontal multi-unit system with lockable wheels, the top would be a steel mesh top that could be swung open like the top of a piano. If you are the handy type you could simple make/re-engineer the mesh tops with a steel mesh or, look online for manufacturers, I believe 'zilla' makes one.

I can post pictures of the newer custom cage so you can get an idea.

I keep an inch or so behind the tank, whichever side that is (I keep some longways and some short end out), so that I have slide/pull room. On the 20 longs, I slide the lid back far enough to get a grip on the tank lip, then pull it forward slightly. Then it is easy. hen I am finished, I slide the lid and tank back. That is very fast, and I don't have to completely remove the lids because I have several wc collareds that can jump right out of their vivs when the lid is off. On the 40s and bigger, I keep enough room behind the tank to slide the lid back far enough to get my hand/arm in to work. I don't use those 40 breeder reptile tanks with the built in sliding lids because I have had collareds escape if they aren't closed tightly, and when they are closed tightly, they are a pain to open. I use unattached screen tops for all of my collared tanks and put lower maintenance lizards that aren't quite as agile in the sliding lid tanks.

I *don't* deal with them. I tried for a while when I first got back into keeping lizards and it was awful. So after some trial and error, I came up with a solution I like for the few remaining standard fish tanks I'm still using. I built my own solid tops for the tanks with screened areas for dome lamps (with a ridge so the lamp can't slide around), an attached slim fluorescent on the inside for ambient light, and a hinged door with screening for ventilation. I love them. If you're at all handy, I recommend trying it. If not, look for the commercial screen tops with the little hinged doors. I think you can get them in a 40 size.

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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1.4 Saharan Uros (Joe, Arthur, Stilts, Hitch, Lefty, and Skywalker)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
1.3 Collared Lizards (Ripcord, Thiamine, Riboflavin, and Niacin)
2.0 Green Anoles (Bowser and Sprocket)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

Torey, what is the solid material that you used?

It's 1/2" hardboard - I couldn't tell you exactly what it's made of, but I found it in the section with pre-cut hunks of plywood, melanine, etc. It feels similar to masonite, but without the shiny hard surface. I've had the one that's on Ripcord's cage for maybe three years now (?) and it's held up really well - no warping from time or heat.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1.4 Saharan Uros (Joe, Arthur, Stilts, Hitch, Lefty, and Skywalker)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
1.3 Collared Lizards (Ripcord, Thiamine, Riboflavin, and Niacin)
2.0 Green Anoles (Bowser and Sprocket)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

Very Nice Torey, good Job, looks very functional. Also Just wanted to say Hi, and ask how YOU and Ripcord and the other kids are ?
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PHEve / Eve

Thanks, Eve! I'm doing well enough and the lizzies are all fine. Ripcord and one of the baby girls are mostly sleeping. They still eat when they come out, so they're not down for the winter yet, but I don't think it will be long. The other two girls are still wide awake and very bouncy.

On an off topic aside, the two malformed uro babies both died, but the other three are doing well and growing. It's hard to believe, though, that these little ones will ever be as big as their parents!
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1.4 Saharan Uros (Joe, Arthur, Stilts, Hitch, Lefty, and Skywalker)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
1.3 Collared Lizards (Ripcord, Thiamine, Riboflavin, and Niacin)
2.0 Green Anoles (Bowser and Sprocket)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)