How to Make Construction Plans For Reptile Cages

Providing an appropriate cage for your reptile is perhaps the primary means of keeping the animal safe, healthy, and also meeting all of its needs. While it may be tempting to just go ahead and buy a leaking aquarium at a cut rate price from the local pet shop and outfit it with a plethora of decorations, a heating source and other items your reptile needs, there is a way of preparing your reptile’s enclosure that makes a lot more sense. Making detailed construction plans for reptile cages not only saves you money, time, and aggravation because of having to make numerous trips to the pet shop or home improvement store, but it also ensures that you get the cheapest possible cage that meets all the animal’s needs. To make construction plans for reptile cages, simply follow these straightforward steps.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Measuring tape
• 8½ x11 inch square ruled notepad
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Information about the husbandry of the specific reptile you are keeping
• Tracing paper

Make Construction Plans For Reptile Cages

1. Educate yourself about the needs, requirements, habits, and basic keeping requirements of the reptiles you are thinking of adding to your household. This greatly determines any construction plans for reptile cages you might fashion now and in the future. Since some reptiles will grow tremendously, you may need to plan on building more than one or two habitats over the lifetime of the reptile.

2. Begin making your construction plans for reptile cages by determining the number of reptiles you wish to house in the cage. Obviously, a larger number of reptiles require a larger enclosure. A good rule of thumb for those keeping snakes is to allow ¾ square foot of actual cage space for each foot length of snake that will inhabit the cage. If you are keeping snakes, use the measuring tape and measure the snakes you will keep to find out the square footage of the cage you need to build. Otherwise rely on the information about the specific reptile you have to determine its space requirements.

3. Calculate your square footage needed and draw your plans with pencil on the notepad. Draw it to scale with one inch representing one foot. If you are working with smaller measurements, drop it down to one inch representing ½ a foot.

4. Decide if you wish to keep two or more reptiles in the same cage but might want to separate them with the use of a divider. The size as well as the divider option must be calculated into the overall design of the construction plans. Draw the divider option on the notepad, showcasing the approximate space left on either side of the divider.

5. Consider the animals’ habitat needs. Arboreal reptiles require a tall cage, while terrestrial ones will be fine with a smaller one; semi aquatic reptiles need a built in water area which requires an increase in depth with respect to the cage’s bottom. Transfer these plans onto the notepad. Mark the approximate sizes of decorations and habitat components.

6. Determine the opening option. Making construction plans for reptile cage doors depends on the nature of the reptiles and if you are dealing with lively and agile animals that dart all around the enclosure, a front opening is unwise and a top opening is most likely a better idea. Conversely, animals that are more subdued and unlikely to dart, like snakes, will do best with a drop down opening. It is wise to add a simple locking option to permit you complete control over whose hands will actually be allowed to touch the reptile.

7. Use the tracing paper to draft different openings for your enclosure. When making construction plans it is worthwhile to try on paper before applying the saw, and if you draw—to scale—on tracing paper the opening in the front versus the top and then apply it over your notepad drawing of the construction plan you will find that the answer is a lot easier to arrive at than by erasing frequently on the original drawing.

8. Consider material options. Reptile cages require heating sources for the animals and more often than not they are given the heat with the help of a mat. Incorporate a heat conducting material for the bottom portion of your reptile cages in the construction plans. Wood is usually preferred over glass or acrylic because it is versatile, easy to work with, and insulates well—an important aspect in reptile husbandry.

9. Factor into your construction plans the need for lighting as this impacts the kind of tops you choose for your reptile cages. In addition to the foregoing, if you are thinking of keeping a lot of reptiles and want to stack cages one on top of the other, the tops need to be sturdier and at the same time permit for light access.

10. Bear in mind the reptiles' primary sources of nutrition when determining the materials used for the enclosure. Constructing a reptile cage with a chicken wire opening is nice in climates that are naturally hot and humid, but if you keep reptiles that eat crickets and other live insects, you might find that quite a few of them escape via the chicken wire openings.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that there is a world of difference between making construction plans for reptile cages and actually carrying them out! If you realize that the cage you designed is perfect but exceeds your skill level, either change the plans or find someone who can help you with the actual making of the cage.
• Do not use cedar or pine wood when constructing your reptile cages. These woods are known for their aromatic scents which are pleasing to humans but present a health risks to small animals.
• You must wait a week before placing your reptiles into a cage you painted on the inside. Fumes from the paint or varnish can harm the animals.

Resources

• Are you looking for some inspiration for your reptile cage construction plans? The CagesByDesign.com website has an amazing assortment of reptile cages and while they are all for sale and some are actually custom designed, the sheer volume of available designs is sure to spark the creativity in you.
• The Reptile-Cage-Plans.com website offers a book and also a wealth of information about drafting construction plans for reptile cages.
• Online help with all things related to reptiles may be found at the HerpCenter.com website where community forums foster the interaction of novice reptile owners and seasoned breeders and owners who are willing to help out with some of the harder questions.