My Snakes New Cage - Home Built Cost

[Ookoodoocoo]

I'm not sure how much other people spend on building their own cage, but I just finished mine and went back and looked at the cost, and I spent $207.20 before taxes. This is for a birch plywood cage that's 4ft long x 18" deep and 18" tall with sliding glass front doors. Being a wood cage, I went with a ceramic heat emitter instead of floor heating. Costs do not include the temp gauges, heat bulb, thermostat, etc... just the cage, as if you purchased it in a store. I could have went with melamine and saved $32. If I was going underbelly heating then I wouldn't need the porcelain socket, cord, and wire guard, saving me another $36. And if I really wanted to save $$$ I could skip the LED light bar and save another $30... so bare bones cost could be as low as $109. I see AP Cages has the T8 PVC cage which is 48L x 24W x 12H for $165 plus $48 shipping for a total of $213. Doesn't seem like I saved much by building my own. Granted the T8 has no lighting so that would be some additional cost. But for the work involved, it really seems like the only reason to do it is for the personal satisfaction of doing it yourself and maybe if you have some things you want done a very specific way (for example, my vents are at different heights, the vent on the warm side is lower and on the cool side it's higher).

Tracking for glass - $24.99 (Amazon)
1/4" Tempered Glass – $31.37 (Amazon)
Glass Finger Pulls - $4.82 (Amazon)
1-3/4 Desk Grommets (10 pack) - $12.80 (Amazon)
LED Light - $29.99 (Amazon)
Porcelain Socket - $3.47 (Amazon)
Heatlamp Wire Guard - $20 (Local Reptile Store)
Cord for Socket - $1.97 (Home Depot)
16” x 4” Vents - $3.94 (Home Depot)
4 x 8 ft Birch Plywood, ¾” - $60.88 (Home Depot)
Construction Screws 1-1/4” #8 - $7.97 (Home Depot)
TOTAL COST - $207.20 before tax

I was going to post pictures, but it looks like I need to host them somewhere first. I'll look into how to do that and see if I can update with pics.

[Ookoodoocoo]

[wnateg]

I build all my enclosures out of melamine. It's more about the convenience of getting them when I need them and the satisfaction of doing it. Never priced them out.

[Trinityblood]

Is it a house for a ball python that needs higher humidity? The wood could start to mold from the environment or water bowl spills. Plywood is absorbent. It will trap bacteria and absorb the snake's pee. Over time it could turn into a mess. Did you treat the wood with anything to seal it?

Other than that concern, the construction looks great!

[Ookoodoocoo]

What do you use for heating them? I'm aways seeing "BP's need belly heat", but in a wood enclosure, that's not an easy option.

I build all my enclosures out of melamine. It's more about the convenience of getting them when I need them and the satisfaction of doing it. Never priced them out.

[Ookoodoocoo]

Yes, it's for a ball python. But the plywood does have a top layer that is smooth and "finished"... but I didn't add any additional treatment. I did however put silicon around all the seems. Home Depot's site describes the wood as "pre finished".
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Swaner-H...1080/203005208

Is it a house for a ball python that needs higher humidity? The wood could start to mold from the environment or water bowl spills. Plywood is absorbent. It will trap bacteria and absorb the snake's pee. Over time it could turn into a mess. Did you treat the wood with anything to seal it?

Other than that concern, the construction looks great!

[wnateg]

What do you use for heating them? I'm aways seeing "BP's need belly heat", but in a wood enclosure, that's not an easy option.

BPs don't need belly heat, they just need heat. In the wild, the heat comes from the sun. I use radiant heat panels. I don't have BPs though.

[Trinityblood]

Yes, it's for a ball python. But the plywood does have a top layer that is smooth and "finished"... but I didn't add any additional treatment. I did however put silicon around all the seems. Home Depot's site describes the wood as "pre finished".
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Swaner-H...1080/203005208

The treatment is a UV coating which is water resistant but not waterproof. It is a water based coating. You might want to look into a way to waterproof the wood to increase its longevity.

[Ookoodoocoo]

I know this sounds bad, but if it lasts me 3 years, then i'm fine. This was more of a project for me and going forward i'll probably just use a PVC cage when this one rots out. Or maybe if my son really bugs me i'll get a bearded dragon and this will go to him and the snake will get PVC sooner.

The treatment is a UV coating which is water resistant but not waterproof. It is a water based coating. You might want to look into a way to waterproof the wood to increase its longevity.

[Trinityblood]

I know this sounds bad, but if it lasts me 3 years, then i'm fine. This was more of a project for me and going forward i'll probably just use a PVC cage when this one rots out. Or maybe if my son really bugs me i'll get a bearded dragon and this will go to him and the snake will get PVC sooner.

It doesn't sound bad. It's your project, you can do as you will lol. It's just a concern I had. I think it's neat that you built your own enclosure.