For you custom cage builders

I am just curious as to what materials everyone uses that makes their own cages?

some very good quality ones come from PVC plastic. That's what is used on mine that I bought from HerpEnclosures.com

If you're looking to build, there are a few that use melamine wood from Lowes or Home Depot...it's cheap and it's white, so it's appealing. Someone was supposed to post a DIY, but they never did.

there's a few links floating around for DIY's but i don't remember them..someone plz post them :)

i know melamines popular. just make sure to seal the corners with silicone or some sort of good sealant to keep moisture from getting to the particle board and rotting the particle board.

I see a lot of people that use melamine, but I just don't really care for it that much. The last cage I built I just used plywood, and it turned out looking like crap to give it a lot of credit.

I mainly use racks, but I have built few cages using similar methods to Greg Maxwell's design. These plans use MDF covered with contact paper inside, and all the seams are sealed with silicone. They are very moisture resistant, quite functional, and they look good with the finished pine fronts on them. They are not difficult to make if you have the right tools, but they are pretty heavy. This being said, well made plastic cages are better in my opinion, but for DIY, plastics are a little tougher to work with (and make the finished product look good) if you don't have experience working with them before.

What are you planning on housing? The size of cage you need may dictate using one design/material over another.

-Evan

I just did one out of MDF and it came out good I think for this being my first time picking up a saw for something like that. 4x2x2 with a sheet of plexi on the front(which needs to be redone because they cut it too small). I will try and get pics up when i go to my friends house on Tuesday.

This is my Ball Python's cage, I used an old 4 drawers cabinet as my starting point. I removed the drawers and used that area as the opening for the cage. The top and bottom of the cabinet became the sides of the cage, and because there was no wood in either side, I put screening material that allows ventilation. I custom made the door with wood frames of 1-1/2" x 1/8" and screening material.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../CageSetup.JPG

I am building a cage for two ball pythons. I am going to use a single 6 foot cage design with a divider in the middle so that each has a 3x2x2. I have a good set of tools, and some experience with woodworking, I was just wondering what was most popular for building materials. I have no experience with plastics, so I am trying to stick with wood products.

never house 2 ball pythons in the same cage. do a search for it and you'll find many threads on the subject.

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Originally Posted by mr~python

never house 2 ball pythons in the same cage. do a search for it and you'll find many threads on the subject.

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Re-read what I said. It is one six foot cage with an entirely sealed divider between the two snakes. Essentially it will be the same as gluing two entirely separate cages together. I know my husbandry, I have kept snakes for years, I am just wondering on common cage building.

Grishna, that is a great photo.....love the night ambiance..:gj:

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Originally Posted by 4theSNAKElady

Grishna, that is a great photo.....love the night ambiance..:gj:

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I agree, I would try to mimick that if I had something I could use that would work well...

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Originally Posted by Dougie

I am building a cage for two ball pythons. I am going to use a single 6 foot cage design with a divider in the middle so that each has a 3x2x2. I have a good set of tools, and some experience with woodworking, I was just wondering what was most popular for building materials. I have no experience with plastics, so I am trying to stick with wood products.

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Just curious, but is there a reason you want one divided 6' cage instead of two 3' cages? I found 5/8" MDF to be superior to melamine and other woods I have used to build cages, as long as all surfaces inside the cage are covered with contact paper or other waterproof vinyl. Building a 6'x2'x2' would work fine using the methods described on Greg's site, but it would be a beast. I made 3 cages that are 48"x30"x18" for a friend housing some dwarf retics with the same materials and methods, and they are pretty heavy. They stack nicely, and are very functional, but it was a pain them up two flights of stairs. I wouldn't want to do that with a 6' cage built the same way. Good luck with your design and construction :).

-Evan

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Originally Posted by Evan Jamison

Just curious, but is there a reason you want one divided 6' cage instead of two 3' cages? I found 5/8" MDF to be superior to melamine and other woods I have used to build cages, as long as all surfaces inside the cage are covered with contact paper or other waterproof vinyl. Building a 6'x2'x2' would work fine using the methods described on Greg's site, but it would be a beast. I made 3 cages that are 48"x30"x18" for a friend housing some dwarf retics with the same materials and methods, and they are pretty heavy. They stack nicely, and are very functional, but it was a pain them up two flights of stairs. I wouldn't want to do that with a 6' cage built the same way. Good luck with your design and construction :).

-Evan

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I already have a 4x2x2 cage on a stand, and I only have one wall to stack the cages on, so if I put three cages this size cleaning would be a lot harder. That is why I chose to go with the divider, that and I just like the way that it looks. If the 6x2 build goes well I intend to build another one (no divider), possibly a 6x3, to replace the 4x2 for my Olive since it is almost too big for the smaller cage right now. The 5/8" MDF is what I went and looked at today, but that seems excessively thick for just two ball pythons.

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Originally Posted by Dougie

I already have a 4x2x2 cage on a stand, and I only have one wall to stack the cages on, so if I put three cages this size cleaning would be a lot harder. That is why I chose to go with the divider, that and I just like the way that it looks. If the 6x2 build goes well I intend to build another one (no divider), possibly a 6x3, to replace the 4x2 for my Olive since it is almost too big for the smaller cage right now. The 5/8" MDF is what I went and looked at today, but that seems excessively thick for just two ball pythons.

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Do you have an Aussie Olive, or a Papuan? Those are both species that I would love to work with.

The thickness isn't to keep the snakes in, but for the structural integrity of the cage itself. Anything thinner and you will likely run into problems with it falling apart down the road, especially if you ever want to move it. You may be able to squeak by with 1/2" if you do it right (good support frame on front and rabbets around the back with the back piece fitted inside). If I were spending a fair amount of time and money, I'd want the finished product to be something that is solid as a tank, and can stand the test of time.

-Evan

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Originally Posted by Evan Jamison

Do you have an Aussie Olive, or a Papuan? Those are both species that I would love to work with.

The thickness isn't to keep the snakes in, but for the structural integrity of the cage itself. Anything thinner and you will likely run into problems with it falling apart down the road, especially if you ever want to move it. You may be able to squeak by with 1/2" if you do it right (good support frame on front and rabbets around the back with the back piece fitted inside). If I were spending a fair amount of time and money, I'd want the finished product to be something that is solid as a tank, and can stand the test of time.

-Evan

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That is a good point, I guess I will go with at least 5/8". It is an Aussie. He is an amazingly intelligent snake. My friend has a female Aussie and I hope to be pairing the two of them up in a couple years. That is a long way away, he is just a yearling and most don't recommend breeding them until about 6 years of age.

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Originally Posted by 4theSNAKElady

Grishna, that is a great photo.....love the night ambiance..:gj:

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Thanks, I am a bit of a Show-off, I have some new pictures of the cage that I'll be posting soon with the snake posing for the camera.

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Originally Posted by Evan Jamison

Just curious, but is there a reason you want one divided 6' cage instead of two 3' cages? I found 5/8" MDF -Evan

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What is MDF (just wondering)

medium density fiberboard

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Originally Posted by Ginevive

What is MDF (just wondering)

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It is basically just another type of particle board.