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Materials For Making Snake Cages
By Mark Chapple, Fri Dec 9th
What kind of materials should you use when constructing a snakecage? This question was posed to me once by someone wishing tobuild their own snake cage. They were particularly asking aboutpine and cedar as they had heard these were no good. But it didraise the question about what are the best materials. All-glass, tubs, melamine cages, screen cages, there are manydifferent types of housing systems for herps. Take your pick,depending on the adult size of the animal, how much room youhave to spare, and how much money you are willing to spend! Aquarium tanks: Good choice for keeping under 6 feetrequiring a swimming pool or humidity. If a screen top is used,there will be enough ventilation to keep a sand boa or leopardgecko or any desert animal in it. If higher humidity is needed,the screen top can be partially wrapped with Saran wrap, and thetank can be treated as a tropical garden; put soil in it andplant some plants to raise the humidity! Viewing isunrestricted, the tank can be easily cleaned, it will not getscratched, and temperatures are easier to maintain. They arevery cumbersome to move around, especially big ones, orfully-loaded ones. They need to be on a solid table or stand andif you do want to move them, the stand will need solid castors.
Plastic/Rubbermaid tubs: The feeding trough sizes are great forturtles! You can half-fill them with water, pile rocks in acorner for the basking area, put a lilypad or two in it, andhave your own indoor pond complete with turtles! For the morecommon sizes, the sweater boxes and shoe boxes, any non-aquaticherp can be kept in them. In fact, these are used in breedingracks and in households with too many herps to be able to havethe amount of tanks/cages to keep them all in. Not good forarboreals, as they cannot climb. Perfect for use during thequarantine period prior to introducing a new animal to anestablished collection. These restrict viewing, and aregenerally limited to hatchling animals. Good to use as anemergency/isolation enclosure. Melamine cages: Melamine is the stuff many countertops are madeof. They resist moisture well, so rotting is usually not aproblem. They're easily cleaned as well. Custom-made enclosuresare sometimes made of melamine, and you can buildfurniture-quality enclosures yourself. These can be made to fita leopard gecko or a fully grown green iguana. With a glassfront, these enclosures hold humidity incredibly well. Wood [plywood] cages: Same as for melamine, except MUCH cheaperand easier to work with. Both enclosures, if ordered from acustom builder, can cost a great deal depending on size andmaterial. Screen cages/Reptariums: Excellent for anoles, chameleons,light-bodied snakes, and young water dragons. The majordisadvantages are that the largest size is only 29" x 29" x 72",humidity is very difficult to keep up, and strong animals couldknock them over or even move them. This is a great idea for aneasily-transported cage for small animals. MDF or craftwood: Same as for Melamine but also much cheaper.Good for use in combination cages ie Melamine base with MDFsides, back etc. It can be painted, has good thermal propertiesand if used in conjunction with a coating material such asContact, will hold humidity well. Excellent to work with and hasa smooth finish. You can also use thinner sheets as it retainsits rigidity. Some people recommend wearing a mask when cuttingor routing MDF as it can be dusty. Pine or Cedar: Neither of these timbers should be used toconstruct a cage. Making the whole snake cage from the pine
orcedar has potential health problems for the animals. These woodsemit aromatic hydrocarbons that can damage the health of theanimals and cause various symptoms. There is probably littleissue using as the woods in framing, as the wood has often driedout a lot and released much of the volatile material, or at thevery least, the rate at which it is released is very slow. It also is recommended that you do not use pine or cedar as asubstrate. Pine and cedar wood shavings used as substrates havea very high surface area and so the hydrocarbons are releasedmuch more readily, making them potentially toxic, especially asthe animals like to burrow and immerse themselves in theirsubstrate material. PVC Tubing & Mesh or Plexiglas: These materials make excellentlarger cages for animals such as monitors, larger snakes,chameleons and iguanas. They do tend to lose a bit of heat butany large enclosure will require some effort to maintain ahigher temperature. Lighting at the top and some at the sides(if needed) will create a sufficient heat gradient. Short ofbuilding a large frame with glass and a large door, this is themost economical way to make a larger enclosure if you do nothave woodworking tools. Overall, if you want to construct your own cages for mostsnakes, you are probably better off using plywoods, melamine andMDF types of materials for most of the cage. There does not atthis stage seem to be any identifiable health issues caused bythese materials. Another benefit with these materials is theirinsulating properties. Glass is not a good material for mostsnake cages (except aquatic species) as it loses heat rapidly.Many glass terrariums have an open top with no seal and thisalso causes a high heat loss. This means the glass cages aremore expensive to heat if you use certain types of heat sources. The front of the cage can be sliding glass, Plexiglas or aconstructed glass door. A pine, oak or similar timber frame atthe front will give the cage a more professional and decorativeappearance. If you paint your cage, remember to let it dry out for a minimumof 2-3 days to release as much of the volatile material from thepaints. 5-7 days would be even better. It is a good idea to make the base of a wooden snake cage frommelamine and use Silicon to seal around the edges, to preventmoisture penetrating the melamine or plywood sheeting. There are hints and tips on applying Silicone in the "How toBuild snake Enclosures" booklet. A base of vinyl flooring can also be used if you are concernedabout water penetration into the timbers. Be sure to seal itwith Silicon and seal the holes where temperature probes arepassed through.
You can also coat the MDF or plywood interiors of the cage with'Contact', a plastic sheeting with an adhesive backing, in anycolors you like, before you assemble the cage. This will removethe need to paint the cage inside, reducing fumes, and alsoprovide a water proof seal for the MDF or plywood. Contact comes in a range of colors and is very easy to apply cutand apply. There is much to be gained from building your own snake cage. Itis good fun and will give you, as a snake owner, a great deal ofpersonal satisfaction. Before you do go out and purchase asnake, take some time to research what is the best sort of cagefor your pet. You should be aware that many will growconsiderably over time and you may have to build a number ofcages. About the author:Find out how to build these cages as well as arboreal cages.Fullco lor pictures, detailed diagrams and easy to follow,step-by-step instructions. http://www.reptile-cage-plans.com
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