My first wood enclosure. Done!!

[truthsdeceit]

I was recently given another red tail boa (Snaps) and said "that's it... I can't afford to buy another tank, and Mitsuko's outgrown hers already anyway.. it's time to build!" so I did. lol.

Here it is. 4ft L x 22in D x 30in H
It has 4in x 18in x 4in feet/risers attached to the bottom.


This cage doubles the floor space Mitsuko used to have in a 40gal breeder tank (seen sitting on top of the new cage) to almost a full 8sqft. And gives her lots of room to climb. She loves lounging on her branch...(though she's only been hiding since I moved her in) I plan to add more climby things later.

I'm using a fan in this pic to dry the paint / clear the fumes faster.



I built it using glass out of a old sliding case I had, and plywood that someone had just thrown away.
Here's the glass: I plan to build a second almost identical enclosure with the second pane.


The plywood was all scarred up but all the edges were square and it's very sturdy (3/4" plywood is always sturdy, lol) I just sanded the rough edges down and am calling it a 'industrial fashion statement'.


All the plywood pieces laid out for a gloss coat on what will be the inside. Using a clear satin wood sealant.

The black paint is rustoleum latex based indoor/outdoor paint. I used it on all the edges to seal them. And did one coat on the bottom 4" before I assembled it. Another 3 coats after. It provides a water tight seal and a finish I can wipe clean easily just like the inside of a glass tank.

I attached the feet/risers by screwing down from the inside before the final inner coats, so the screw holes are sealed... this way I can attach the cages together by screwing up through the ceiling of one cage into the feet of another without compromising my water tight seal on the bottom. It also allows room between the cages for heat pads and books.. lol. I never miss a chance to add a possible bookshelf.

I let everything dry 24hours before moving in Mitsuko.

The doors frame and air strip were built out of 1x2 furring strips.
Glass attached with hot glue... sounds sketch but trust me it's not going anywhere.
I used aluminum window mesh for the air strip which is stapled then sandwiched.


I used sash locks.


I'm sorry I didn't take good pics all through the process. Every pic I did take can be found here: http://itookthisonmyphone.com/truths...EnclosureBuild with captions.
I was kinda in a hurry to get it done because snaps was living in a 18 gal rubbermade (I hadn't planned on getting her) so I was rushing to move Mitsu out of the 40 gal. I was also rushing to get it done before my wisdom teeth came out, which I am now healing from.
The next one I build, I have plans to build one for every one of my snakes, I love the 'front loading' cages way better than tanks, I will take better "step by step" pics.

I made some small mistakes while building this.. nothing that hinders usability... just stuff that makes it look less sleek and used more wood than it needed too. But for my first enclosure it turned out great!!! My next ones will be even better.

I'm just glad to have it done and had to share my success.

We usually feed Mitsuko in the bathtub, but it was wet.


Mitsuko in her old cage.


My newest addtion, Snaps. She's quite friendly.. snaps is short for gingersnaps.


She's not quite as big as Mitsu but will be soon... hence the plans for another almost identical cage.

[truthsdeceit]

Oh... fyi. I basically built a frame to fit the glass and then all the other dimensions grew from there. I had no control over how big it got.. I could have gone bigger but not smaller. It's shear size is because the glass required a 17 x 49 inch frame.

[Vanchesterfield]

Very cool design. And at a price of basically free, it's a great use of old materials. Might have to try and copy the design. Maybe not on such a grand scale for a BP though.

[truthsdeceit]

Very cool design. And at a price of basically free, it's a great use of old materials.

I don't know about free... but way way cheaper than buying a 300 dollar cage online.

The paint was the most expensive part. $7 a quart for the latex and $10 for the clear gloss. It should have only taken one can of each but I spilled the latex all over the garage when I opened it.. so I had to buy a second can.
Now that I'm sure I like the paints I picked I'll be buying big gallon cans when I go to build all my other enclosures.

Other than the paint, $2.50 each hinges and locks, the furring strips were like $1 each for 8ft.. I used maybe $6 worth, I had planned to build another mouse rack with them but *shrug*

So $45 dollars. Not bad at all. well and 3 days of work... and a $60 power drill, and a skill saw blade, and ect ect ect lol

Might have to try and copy the design. Maybe not on such a grand scale for a BP though.

Yeah if you have a smaller piece of glass or can cut your own plexi it would be very easy to modify down. I plan on dismantling a 20gal tank for enough glass to make 4 cornsnake/bp sized cages. I've got a really junky 20gal from craigslist that the sealant is basically falling off of so it shouldn't be too hard to clean up.

I plan on putting the mesh strips on either side of the door for the smaller cages so there's more floor less height... I just had to put it above the door on this one cause plywood is only 4ft wide and so was my glass.

[Boanerges]

Cage looks great and so does both boa's!!! Didn't you just get a pretty versicolor not too long ago too With the new pics it was looking like a male to me also.

[onna_shinigami]

Wish I could do something like that, but I don't dare have my hands around power tools. We've got a cage that looks similar to yours just that the doors swing out instead of down and has 7 locks on it. The other is the interior, looks like the stuff thats in the shower but I can't think of the name of it runs about $13 a sheet I think.

[truthsdeceit]

Cage looks great and so does both boa's!!! Didn't you just get a pretty versicolor not too long ago too With the new pics it was looking like a male to me also.

Thanks! And yes I did... lol.

Wish I could do something like that, but I don't dare have my hands around power tools. We've got a cage that looks similar to yours just that the doors swing out instead of down and has 7 locks on it. The other is the interior, looks like the stuff thats in the shower but I can't think of the name of it runs about $13 a sheet I think.

I had my roommate do all the cutting.... me and a skillsaw just don't mix... but I did all the planning, drilling and putting it together. I love my new power drill..... I was using a cordless drill but it's power level sucked. Not having to wait hours for batteries to charge is a major upgrade!