Home Made

[Floyd]

I am currently working on a homemade tank/cage and would like some input on people who have successfully done so. This cage is going to be 7 feet long, 4 &1/2 feet tall, and 30 inches deep. I have the frame very well built, and I am about to begin the flooring, and walls of the tank. I do plan on polying' it up quite a bit for dealing with the humidity and water. I am also planning on siliconing all cracks and crevices that are seen. My main concern is the heating method to use. I have one of those "Cobra" heat mats (the biggest one they got) which is working ok for now, but in a tank this size I will need something much better. I also plan to have 4 heat lamps spread throughout the top of the tank 2 red 2 white...

Any suggestions, comments, or professional criticism will be appreciated!

[Panama_Red]

I wouldn't spread those heat lamps out to much, all heat should be on one side. I dont think a cobra heat mat is going to do it for an enclosure of that size. I recomend geting a 250 watt CHE to heat the whole enclosure, or a 150w CHE & a fiberglass cane heat pad 100W, along with a Helix super system thermostat. I have used a set up like this in the past when I had wood enclosures. If your cool side isn't warm enough you have too much ventilation, don't forget to put all heat lamps or ceramic heat emitters behind some kind of mesh wire to prevent burns.

[bodeboa]

You can also use heat tape. I use it on the floor of my wooden cages. I then cover it with the cool looking astroterf stuff. I know its harder than using newspaper, but I like it better. If you are using wood for the base make sure that you are using a very hard wood with at least 1/2 inch thickness. I use the extra thickness to take one of the 8 inch dog bowls and recess it in the cage. It prevent tipping over of the water bowl. I also put cross supports in the base of the cage to support extra weight. You might also want to seal the wood very well with a paint called killz. it dries in several hours and there are no chemicals that are given to the snakes.

[Floyd]

what I have so far is just the frame and it's rather sturdy...i have some experience with frame work building houses so this part isn't a problem...i am also thinking about the heat-tape idea and rheo's-&-thermo's with a semi eletrical system mounted on one of the sides outside the cage for easy control and blah blah blah. The bottom where i place the heattape will all be covered by a very thin piece of wood, then covered by linolium to give it a nice appearance and easy cleaning. i am also going to use liquid nail while building some of the larger pieces. then seal everything up as I go along. The finishing touches are all going to completely stained and finished with quite a few coats of poly with a clear coat to "finalize" the project (inside and out)... I am taking pictures as I go along and will have them available to view for the forum as soon as I can get it done. All in all this will take me a while to make, but it's something that I've been wanting to do for a while, and it's kind of fun. Please keep the suggestions coming because they are appreciate and will be needed as more and more of the cage becomes complete!

Thank you!
R~

[Panama_Red]

Instead of linoleum on the floorI would reccomend formica linoleum has oils in it that could be harmful to your snake. You can stick the formica to the floor with clear silicone, it is non toxic when dry, instead of contact cement witch is toxic and flammable. Make sure that any sealers or paint that you use are non toxic when dry, your snake won't be so dazed and confused.

[Floyd]

THANKS! Does the formica have enough strength to keep it from warping from the heat and humidity? I know that Linoleum has no strength in it to keep it from even being torn, but I thought if I glued the heck out of it that I'd be ok, but with the formica, how durable is it other than water proof (on top)... Do they make different thicknesses? I've noticed that the wood compound under the formica top (i guess?) has sometimes gotten worn and can cause air bubbles between the layers. Maybe I'm thinking something different than what we are discussing. (i'm trying to think of what's around me that is made of formica???) cwm13.gif I'll just go and look it up. Thanks for the reply!

[Panama_Red]

Floyd Formica is the stuff that most of America's kitchen counters are laminated with It must be glued to the floor of your enclosure, use silicone instead of contact cement, after you get all of your silicone down (be generous) sandwitch the two pieces together and then use a roller to get the air bubles out. Run a bead of caulk around the edges and the floor will be totaly water impervious.

[Floyd]

That's what I thought it was  
s3.gif....    
(DUH! Kitchen counters)
s3.gif
Anyway thanks again Pan~Red....Advice is always appreciated.  Sometimes you may not agree with it, sometimes you do.  Sometimes it's just really needed.  Either way I see it....the only bad advice out there is that of which is not given!

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