[loxocemus]

some chondro keepers use bird boxes (ps i checked the bird box in my mums garden, it has yet to attract the wild scottish chondro)

rgds
ed
ps a nice looking one is the U shaped cork tubes, they look quite natural up there

Or even suspend a hanging basket with hemp liner to be like a bit me at for feeding

 

[loxocemus]

64lt box to habitat conversion. this would be even more effective in the larger sizes of rubs, the 84lt and 145lt.

first the lid is hinged to allow quick opening when in a shelving row.

a good mini branch system is made from deer antlers, grapevine though is easier to find. the hides are made from 110mm plastic pipes with push fit end caps https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Pipes/63..._BIN=1&_from=R40&_nkw=110mm+pipe&LH_PrefLoc=1 https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Plumbing...H_BIN=1&_from=R40&_nkw=110mm+cap&LH_PrefLoc=1

the nylon bolt heads keep the pipe hides in place, the pipe hides are great for snakes, they really take well to them, they are also good in the drawers of drawer caging.



a box doesn't have to be a void with just paper and a bowl

if u specialise in groups of small secretive species i think these would be ideal

rgds
ed

 

[loxocemus]

the floor thats not a floor in a cage thats not a cage

this is a 64lt rub, the floor supports are 13mm x 15mm upvc trim https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_...C+trim+15mm.TRS0&_nkw=uPVC+trim+15mm&_sacat=0

the floor material is 10mm PVC FOAMEX https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_...ex+sheet.TRS0&_nkw=10mm+foamex+sheet&_sacat=0
u can have one or more access holes

in small rubs the floor can be a single piece, in larger boxes it can be hinged

i would use clear rubs but i would line the inside walls under the partition floor with self adhesive black vinyl, the subfloor area should be as dark as possible. u can lock the floors from lifting by using a shelf pin at the side midpoint.

rgds
ed

 

[loxocemus]

compression hide/shelf for ball python rubs, the materials are the same as the post above

dual upvc batons creating runners, the foamex is 10mm the gap should be 11-12mm.

the hide/shelf should be around half the floor area (if the shelf length is 50% of rub length then push the baton lengths back about 50mm+ so the shelf is easier to release). the board creates a compression hide, the animal cannot move the hide, and its freedom of movement is limited in the vertical. there has to be enough space for an adult coiled female, but no more than necessary otherwise the compression effect is lost.

it also serves a dual purpose as a shelf to lay on, using space normally wasted



to attach the runner u can use panhead screws from the outside, or nylon m5 bolt/nuts completely thru the rub and baton. i would also probably use batons on the right side so the shelf is supported on three sides to prevent sagging.

like so

rgds
ed

 

[loxocemus]

shelving conversion to caging

Value Shelving - Shelving from BiGDUG UK using model 150C, given the price and their heavy duty build theres no reason these cant make good viv stacks, they do however require significant modification, depending on the species to be housed and the room temp the rack is going in, ie is air heating needed or is the ambient high enough for a local hot spot/pad only.

150C Boltless Shelving, 5 Levels, 1780h x 900w x 600d mm, 200kg UDL, Blue

the walls and sides are a simple addition as there are plenty of fixing points for the shelving positions, they can be any material, chipboard varnished, melamine, foamboard, plywood

given the 600mm width and the material needed u can use a 23x11 but the 17x11 is an easier fit and the design is based around the 17x11

an aluminium sheet fixed over the top and u can put the mat internally as above

you can cut-out for the mats connector block, or route out a space for the block on the shelve below, a chisel will do just as good a job if its sharp (the shelf cut-out is the better design as the mat is completely isolated from the cage with a complete alu sheet)

reptile radiator assembly, 25mm dense craft foam with an aluminum top, this has a specific size, to insulate the radiator from the floor above but also to insulate the mat above from losing its energy thru the floor, so its a combination piece

upper view of complete floor assembly (so the layers top to bottom are as follows alu sheet-heatmat-shelve-25mm foam-alu sheet-rep radiator)

upside down view

one "cage" section

multiples

with glass, simplistic, no substrate barriers but thats a simple addon, i just didnt sketch it

there are much larger shelving units in their ranges, you can also do less cages per shelving unit for higher individual cage height (those unused shelves could become walls or sides). and if you were really ambitious its a cheap base for a single large arboreal unit for a special project. there is also enough room for any lighting u like, from leds to UV.

lastly if you go the metal shelving route http://www.bigdug.co.uk/shelving-c2/galvanised-shelving-c338 u can make more ambitious designs ie the heat mat could be sandwiched under each floor with the radiator assembly. they have some very large shelving units that can be combined together, so u truly can create considerable sized habitats with these modifications.

rgds
ed
ps the cage height in the design as set out above is @400mm

 

[loxocemus]

addendum's

post#22 the deer antler branch idea was originally from jerry cole he used it for his chondros, iv used it for p.baroni. but its really only viable if u have local access to dropped antlers or like me u get lucky on a ebay auction (there are loads on there but most are sold for mounting or are small pieces for carving etc)

post#23 is not my idea but iv no idea where i saw it originally.

rgds
ed

 

[loxocemus]

64lt rack from bay shelving Value Shelving - Shelving from BiGDUG UK 150B
Value Shelving, 5 Levels, 1780h x 900w x 450d mm 200kg UDL Blue

this is a lidless rack but the lid can still serve a purpose, fixed to the shelve underside, inverted, it serves as the box ceiling, its waterproof and has a nice rounded design which lets the box run smooth. the space inside the lid can also be used to house led strips for box lighting.

this mod requires little work, unlike the previous shelving cage mod. most of the work is drilling holes in the corner uprights to get the proper distances between the box lip and the inverted lid surface. i recommend temporarily holding the shelve in place with a clamp in each corner to get ur drill marks. u have to convert the fitting from hook/slot to nut/bolt, all that's needed is a hacksaw, steel file and a drill with a sharp bit, the steels fairly mild (there are ways to retain the 35mm boltless fitting using spacers)

this design also keeps the lower box well above floor level, and its cool air, @340mm up.

rgds
ed

 

[loxocemus]

water tank cage

there is a myriad of ways these could be modded this is just one.

250 Litres Tough Plastic Water Tank Rectangular

the rough virtual version

rough dimensions are (OD) W925mm x D620mm x H1080mm

cut outs

with simple 25mm aluminium angle frame, this trues the plastic walls and provides a fixing surface

alu door frame

complete frame/door, door is simple 25mm alu tube and easyfix blocks

for a water tub it doesnt look bad

the cage can be broken down for transport, it can be horizontal, it could incorporate a drawer, an arboreal hide and everything else inbetween.

if u can think of it u can probably build it.

rgds
ed

 

[loxocemus]

classic drop door cage conversion

using the same tub as above, the bottom and top frames are made from upvc trim material. the door is easyfix aluminium tube and connectors with 5mm acrylic pane.

rgds
ed

 

[loxocemus]

the arboreal version

rgds
ed

 

[loxocemus]

replacement source for tanks as of post date Water Tank Right Angled 250ltr - Tanks Trays & Waterbutts - Progrow Hydroponics Price: £71.50

rgds
ed

 

[loxocemus]

this would make a good alternative to the hydroponics tank

https://www.solentplastics.co.uk/ta...allon-heavy-duty-static-plastic-storage-tank/

the other sizes could be modified for other species. one advantage of the natural colour is it transfers light quite well so light equipment can be external.

rgds
ed

replacement source for tanks as of post date Water Tank Right Angled 250ltr - Tanks Trays & Waterbutts - Progrow Hydroponics Price: £71.50

rgds
ed

 

[Malc]

Bloody 'ell - 86 quid for a plastic tub !!!

 

[loxocemus]

a tub thats L 903 x W 584 x H 595 mm internal, think of it this way a 3'x2'x2' plastic cage shell for £86.

one piece construction, round corners, easily sterilised, infinitely mod'able for £86

i suppose it all depends on what u want in a cage (and how much u enjoy modding and making something unique).

rgds and i hope u and urs are well my friend : victory:
ed

Bloody 'ell - 86 quid for a plastic tub !!!

 

[Grossman]

Having a hide box off the floor makes all much sense to an arborel snake and frees up space

 

[loxocemus]

The Sockerbit cage, from the Ground up

IL add to this when possible

I saw this https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/sockerbit-storage-box-with-lid-white-20411524/

So I bought one just to spin around and consider if a useful design is possible with it.

 

[loxocemus]

the lid is of no use currently (im designing this on the fly), the dimensions minus lid are 745mm x 495mm x 178mm, like virtually all tubs there is a side taper, resulting in a floor space of 695mm x 440mm, all sizes are OD (outer dimension). the top has a 15mm lip so 30mm can be removed from the the top useable length.

this is the crude virtual tub, though its exact to within 1mm. one difference is the small finger grabs on the short sides have been removed, they will cause the tub to skew slightly when pulled out.

 

[loxocemus]

so the main cage materials can be various pvc products, melamine, mdf, plywood, multiply plastic roofing. all have pro's and cons, some be structural others filler panels, iv made the supporting frames with basic joinery using teak and oak. but by far the easiest to use is easy fix tubing

this time I like the look of this material https://www.cutplasticsheeting.co.uk/integral-foam-pvc/white-ex-cel-integral-foam-pvc/

at 10mm it can be structural, probably even with nutserts, but that would just be a box, if you want a basic box buy an off the shelf one, ul get a better finish for the money.

 

[loxocemus]

the easy fix system is 25mm tubing, usually aluminium and plastic hollow connectors, https://www.aluminiumwarehouse.co.uk/easyfix-and-more , there are steel core connector versions, they are useful when the tubing is under torsion or of extended lengths, for this build their unnecessary as the side panels prevent any twisting.

 

[loxocemus]

(top) so this is simple virtual 25mm aluminium square tubing with appropriate connectors.

(bottom) there are various ways of mounting the wall panels, screws straight thru the tubing hitting the 5mm midpoint, this should be considered for non weight bearing panels as the panels load is taken up solely on the screw points. personally I don't particularly like seeing screw heads, but the screw could be recessed into the inner tube, and the hole capped with a piece of a plastic screwhead cap. any screws used should be stainless panheads