Building

Wooohoooo, I'm making a new cage, possibly two. I found some massive amount of plywood I could use. I can either make one massive cage for a macklott's or scrub, or make two smaller cages for m bp's. Hmmm

So, has anyone out there made a cage? If so wanna share some pics? Any tips you got? I've made em before, I just am really bad at it. This time I wanna heat a lot by heat pads. I think If I cut small strips of wood, and hammer it to the floor board, then overlay a real thin piece of wood over that. It'd create a gap for heat pads! I wanna go for simplicity on a lot of it. I think I wanna fixed window too.

By the way, anyone know of some real good water proof paint or sealer?

I would never use any type of wood for the simple fact that alot problems come up within time. May I suggest something else?

Before you paint, get a gallon of "Kilz". It's a primer. It will seal the wood surface for you so you don't have to paint again and again and again. Put a coat or two down....just watch out, it puts off wicked vapors. When it's dry you can paint it. They make bathroom paint that is good for super humid areas.
Make sure you post some pics of your creation and for god's sake, work some duct tape in there! :lol:

hey jon,
If you look through my horrible pictures in my gallery, you'll see a bunch of enclosures (I know sorry bout the horrbile pics)
anyhow If you like any of them let me know, Winslow builds them all and probably has some good tips
Thanks
Rusty

i'm in the stages of building one right now as well

Its gunna look great I hope
i got a whole bunch of rough oak from work and i'm just in the process of dressing it now
It will be finished hopefully tomarrow as i'm going to my old high school and using its shop wich is amazing
I will post some pics as soon as it is done
I'm so excited I can't wait untill it is done

If anyone knows, is there any place to get plans to buy one...I just don't want to be creative with building one...I don't have to right now but when hydra gets bigger she is gonna need something bigger than a 10 gallon and i want to make something nice for her. with two hides, two waters...the whole works.....kinda the same as Johns question so any ideas would be great.../

heres the cage i built. its not a very good for arboreal. and its too big for a ball python. its 72" x 20" (6' x 1.6')
http://img15.photobucket.com/albums/...her/image2.jpg
its actaully upside down to glue the top track on. ive got 1/4 sliding glass that i had to special order for doors. the two small pieces of wood that the tracks are on are 3.5" wide. i used a polyurethane glue to glue the tracks on. it took several hours to dry, but its insanely strong. there is tagboard (is that what its called) for the back. and a support in the middle. if theres no support in the middle the top bends alot, to the point where the glass wont slide easliy. if you must use duct tape, you can cover the bottom with it so when the snake poops all the liquid doesnt soak into the wood. i used some kind of sealan on the bottom but i dont think i used enough. its particle board on the bottom and it just soaked it right up. the glue worked to glue handles on the glass too.
http://img15.photobucket.com/albums/...ther/image.jpg

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Originally Posted by BallKingdom

By the way, anyone know of some real good water proof paint or sealer?

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Contact paper from WalMart. It comes in tons of patterns and colors! Skip the paint and sealer altogether. That's what I used, and it has worked great!

i say you should use duct tape :) are you talking about for the whole cage? if so....you should still use duct tape :twisted: j/k. the stuff i used sucked so i couldnt help ya there.

They make a special paint for boats that is basically 100% waterproof. I just pm'd someone who used a water proof paint on another site, we'll see what she used.

i would suggest building just a frame and using plexi-glass to make your own tank. just like the cage i keep bubba in, it's fantastic. all the walls are removeable plexi, the floor is also removeable plexi, and has compartments underneath for heating pads, and a whole cut in that for the cords to venture to the wall. if you like the idea let me know, i'll break her down and snap some pics. it really is a wonderful cage..

but the thing is hes already got a bunch of wood. right?

i don't think i've ever seen a cage built from plywood, and have heard nasty things about wooden cages.

So long as they are built good, and sealed right there is nothing wrong with them.

i have two wooden cages without a problem. except one is just beginng to get little splinters...nothing that cant be easily fixed. (its one i bought from a reptile store for too much...oh well)

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Originally Posted by BallKingdom

So long as they are built good, and sealed right there is nothing wrong with them.

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I hate to disagree with you but your wrong. They may last a long time if sealed right but your still gonna run into problems with time.

true...but they will last long enough. there might(probably will be) be issues but nothing that cant be fixed. aquariums arent that great eithers. the acrylic(it hinks thats what it is) gets scratched up and doesnt look good forever. i dont know about this melanin stuff...but i kno its expensive...which probably means its the best. but, again, since he has the wood he should use it.

p.s. i fixed those pics that didnt work earlier in the thread

Wood cages hold humidity very well, hold heat extremely well, and if done right will not give you problems for years. The pros are tiping the scale. And with wood cages you're the one building them, so they can come to any specifications.

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I used a black alkyd housepaint for colour (not necessary if you like what the wood looks like naturally), and I sealed it with Epoxal 3:1, and epoxy resin that dries hard and 100% waterproof. It can be used to make aquariums, etc. as well. I believe it is exclusive to Niagara Protective Coatings. 7071 Oakwood Dr., Niagara Falls, ON Tel: 905-356-1581

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Does the house paint go under or over the epoxal? So what do I need, alkyd house paint, epoxal 3:1, and epoxy reson? And in which order are they applied?

Yeah, I'm an idiot

topped

Topped, yet again.

Question: if you build a wooden enclosure, it's almost a given that you're going to want a way to view inside. If I were going to build an enclosure out of scrap wood that it available to me for free, what would the least expensive way be to create an appropriate window/opening? I know there's glass, plexiglass, and acrylic and that real plexiglass is pretty expensive. I was thinking about maybe making a box with a hinged wooden lid and a fixed window so that I wouldn't have to worry about sliding glass. Is that a good idea, and what's the most cost-effective way to make the window?

PS John -- Sorry, I have no idea about the answer to your question.

Thats what I'm doing :)

And plexi ain't too expensive depending on thickness.

for the love of God would somebody answer the man.

btw ball, if i were you i wouldn't even paint the inside of the enclosure... i'd use some sort of wall-paper lining. much thicker though, of course.

Guys....

I'm getting the wood cut this weekend, and hope to start painting Monday. Hook me up here! I need to know how to paint it!

As far as paint vs. wallpaper is concerned, I would consider shelf paper. It sticks, but not like wallpaper. You could change it from time to time for cleanliness or simply decoration.

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I would consider shelf paper. It sticks, but not like wallpaper. You could change it from time to time for cleanliness or simply decoration

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I agree, We used shelf paper in our russian tort enclosure as all he is going to do is tear it up anyway (big on digging etc), so it is easy enough to remove and replace when needed. So far it's been on there (light natural wood color) for two months and has been fine.
Thanks
rsuty

*Gives up hope and hangs himself*

Is there any chance that anyone here would happen to know??? pleaaaaase!

Ball, go to wall mart, get a gallon of Kilz (primer/sealant), and some bathroom paint which is designed for humidity. Prime it, let it dry, paint it and dry again. Should be easy and not take too long. That's what I would do.
The primer seals the wood and does a real number on any microscopic crawlies that may be in the wood. I cuts the ammount of coating you would have to do with paint in half, also.

Thanks man, after hours of pulling my hair out I got help!