Reptile Care

The Fun of do it yourself Snake and other Reptile Cages

2005-08-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

Are you nuts? You think banging your finger with a hammer is fun? No, I don't. But building your own snake and other reptile cages can be a fun and rewarding experience.
Before you even start, it is important to spend some time planning your reptile enclosure and carefully examining at how other cages are manufactured. Check out all of the parts, examine the locks, joins and vents. How is the lighting done? What about the heating?
Use this information to design your own cages, based on the needs of your reptile and its size. Work out the size of cage you require and design it accordingly, altering the basic designs as needed to suit your purposes.
Building something yourself is a great feeling. I personally enjoy the process of shopping for materials and deciding which is best for the purpose.
There are quite a few questions to consider, such as:
what should I make the base from
what is the best way to make a vent
how do you make the base water resistant
what sort of lock should I use
what sort of door should I use and how do I make it
what is the best light fitting
How should I heat it
Getting the materials home and the anticipation of starting your reptile cage is an exciting time. The will be frustrations to overcome, problems to solve but the feeling of accomplishing and achievement you finally get from building something yourself is fantastic.
Every time you go into the room and see the cages you made you can feel good about them. Sure, you will sometimes get a bit picky about the smaller details. What could you have done better, what if you had done this here etc. well maybe next time.
Some people even use the skills they learn to make cages for other people and make a bit of money. Once you have the skills and tools it is easy. Even if you don not have all of the tools, there are ways around it. You can go to local cabinet makers when you need something cut to size that is too large for you to handle. They are generally happy to oblige for a small fee and you get a perfectly square piece of timber.
On a final note, making your own cages is a fun and rewarding experience and is recommended it to anyone considering it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mark Chapple is the author of “How to Build Reptile Enclosures”. Find out how to build snake and other reptile cages. Full color pictures, detailed diagrams and easy to follow, step-by-step instructions. Plus a host of reptile keeping hints and tips. http://www.reptile-cage-plans.com/

Reptile Care E-Book

2005-07-31T20:45:00.000-07:00

I have been working very hard at writing my ebook on Reptile Care. With the years of experience that I have working with Retiles I can pretty much give a step by step guide to caring for your reptiles. A though had occured to me, maybe there is a specific question you might have that I did not think of for the book. So, I figured it this way. I would like to give you a free copy of this ebook if you would tell me what questions you would like answered. You could either leave the question here in the comments area or send an email to reptile-care@hotmail.com and when the ebook is finished I will email you on instructions on how to download the ebook for free.

Bottom of the Bearded Dragon enclosure

2005-06-08T21:30:00.000-07:00

I've tried a few different substrates. I prefer to use a calcium sand. You can find it at most pet

stores. Children's play sand is much cheaper and works just as well and is found at any home

improvement store.

Bearded Dragon enclosure

2005-06-08T21:00:00.000-07:00

When mine were babies, till about 1 year old, they were kept in separate 20 gallon aquariums. After a year old, they were put in two 55 gallon aquariums. I feel the more room the better, as these Bearded Dragons are very active. Use a screen top for the aquariums, it is needed and very helpful. The required heating & lighting elements for the Bearded Dragons will sit on top of the screen.

Heating for Bearded Dragons

2005-06-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

The enclosure needs to have a cool end and a warm end. This is called a temperature gradient. The cool end should be 70 to 80 degrees. The warm end should be 90 to 100 degrees. basking lamps are the best way to provide heat. Bearded Dragons love to bask. A piece of driftwood or I use a large rounded rock. It should be placed right under the basking lamp. Use a thermometer around where the Bearded Dragon will be sitting to make sure the temperature is right. Check the cool end temperature also. I use timers on both lights. The basking light is on for 8 hrs. The fluorescent light is on for 12 hours.

Lighting for Bearded Dragons

2005-06-08T18:03:00.000-07:00

Bearded Dragon's require Full-Spectrum lighting. This can be provided by a fluorescent bulb, it will simulate natural sunlight. The bulb should also emit UVB rays. Any pet store should carry these.

Bearded Dragon (Pagona Vitticeps)

2005-06-07T18:33:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, I think the Bearded Dragon is one of the best lizards to own. I have 2 Bearded Dragons myself, both females, the oldest is 10 years old. The other one is 6 years old. They both live in the same enclosure I built, and get along great.
Bearded Dragons are very docile, they don't mind being handled and are fairly easy to care for.