I think a cage built from the 5' x 5' baltic birch will be good for you. Look for a local source and Bighurt and I can help you get going with a cut list. I'm sure you can find a local cabinet builder to cut it for you. The custom cabinet building business is a tough one and often shops are happy to have something for their employees to do to keep busy.

How tall do you want the cage? I like a taller cage for large snakes as it makes it safer. You do not want to be reaching into the back of a 30" deep cage if the opening is less than 20" tall.

But the extra height will mean more glass which will add to the cost. Once you decide on a height you can start pricing glass. Don't order it until the cage is built and the glass track is installed, however. A taller cage might also mean needing an extra sheet of plywood, mostly likely four instead of three.

For $250 I think you probably should forgo a solid-wood face frame and instead go with leftover plywood for the upper and lower lips of the cage.

The next big expense will be the sealer. Since you want black you will have more options that if you wanted clear only. We can talke about that more once the time comes.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Jave local (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)

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• Noob cage design and questions - radioactivity, Wed Dec 27 20:00:55 2006
• RE: Noob cage design and questions - chris_harper2, Thu Dec 28 10:30:22 2006
• RE: Noob cage design and questions - radioactivity, Thu Dec 28 14:54:12 2006
• RE: Noob cage design and questions - chris_harper2, Fri Dec 29 09:42:18 2006