| |
| |
|
Pets Information |
|
|
|
What Should I Make My Snake Cage From?
What kind of materials should you use when constructing a snake cage? Snakes come in many different sizes - but usually only one shape. Even so, there are many different housing systems and styles for snakes. These depend on the adult size of the snake, how much room you have, the environment it normally inhabits and how much money you are willing to spend. Aquarium tanks can be used for keeping snakes under 6 feet requiring a swimming pool or humidity. A screen top for ventilation for arid or desert snakes and a partially covered screen top raise the humidity for rainforest snakes. Viewing is unrestricted and the tank can be easily cleaned. It will not get scratched and temperatures are easy to maintain. They are cumbersome and can be difficult to move, especially big or fully-loaded ones. They need to be on a solid table or stand. If you do need to move them, put solid castors on the stand. Plastic/Rubbermaid tubs are useful as breeding racks, during the quarantine period before to introducing a new animal to an established collection, as an emergency/isolation enclosure, feeding tub and for juvenile snakes. They are no good for arboreal species, as they cannot climb. Melamine cages are easily cleaned and melamine is perfect for cage bases or indeed a whole cage. It resists moisture, and you can get melamine specially made for bathroom cabinets. Custom-made enclosures are sometimes made of melamine with different laminates, and you can build furniture-quality enclosures yourself. These can be made to fit anything from a Corn snake to a Burmese. With a glass front, these enclosures hold humidity very well. Plywood cages are much cheaper than melamine and easier to work with. Plywood comes in various grades. The better grades give a much nicer finish to your cage and are worth the extra money. Screen cages/Reptariums are good for transporting smaller animals but not much good for keeping snakes. They can be unstable and larger snakes will knock them over. MDF or craftwood is similar to Melamine but much cheaper. It can be used in combination cages ie Melamine base with MDF sides, back etc. MDF has very good thermal properties (retails heat well) and if used in conjunction with an internal coating material such as Contact, will hold humidity well. Excellent to work with and has a smooth finish for painting. Always wear a mask when cutting or routing MDF as it is dusty and the dust can cause damage to nasal passages. Pine or Cedar: Neither of these timbers should be used to construct a cage. Both timbers emit aromatic hydrocarbons. These can cause health problems for your snakes. They can be used for framing cages. Do not use pine or cedar as a substrate. Wood shavings have a very high surface area, releasing hydrocarbons more readily and rapidly. They can be toxic, particularly for animals that like to bury themselves in their substrate material. Snake owners who construct their own cages, do so from plywoods, melamine and MDF types of materials. These materials all have good insulating properties. Glass loses heat rapidly and is usually only on the front of the cage. Glass cages are also more difficult to make yourself, requiring special tools and some specialist knowledge. The front of the cage can be sliding glass, Plexiglas or a constructed wood/glass door. Using a decorative timber at the front gives the cage a professional appearance. Cages constructed from the more expensive laminated melamine materials can look furniture grade but you do need know what you are doing to achieve this level of appearance. Let painted cages dry out for a minimum of 2-3 days, 5-7 days would be even better, to release the paint solvents. Building you own snake cage is a fun and rewarding experience. Mark Chapple is the Author of "How to Build Reptile Enclosures" Find out how you can build your own reptile cages. Full color pictures with detailed diagrams and easy to follow, step-by-step instructions. http://www.reptile-cage-plans.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Pets - Google News |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Optimum Cichlid Aquarium Set Up The groups of fishes commonly referred to as Cichlids, comprise a vast group of, generally larger and more aggressive fishes from Africa and South and Central America with a few species being found in Asia. They offer such a large variety of bright colors, shapes and habits that they have become one of the most popular fishes kept by hobbyist's world wide. Lyme Disease Treatment in Pets Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics, because the disease is caused by a bacterium that is introduced to your pet through a bite from a tick carrying the disease.Antibiotics will be taken for a long period of time and some times and may not be very effective if your pet has had the disease for a long period of time. What You Should Know About Dog Health Care Our dogs are now, more than ever, a very important part of our families. We care for them as we care for ourselves. Decorating for The Cat Owner - How to Protect Your Possessions The first thing a cat owner should know about home dcor is to keep it simple. Cats are completely convinced that they are in charge, that the house and its possessions belong to them, and that they have every right to break rip or shred anything they like. The Secret That Keeps Horses Trainable! As you likely know already, horses have at least 10 times our strength. If they also had our intelligence, they would probably be riding us humans. Need a Low-Maintenance Pet? Try a Tarantula! If you're like me, then you don't really have the luxury of keeping a high-maintenance pet such as a dog. Even a less demanding pet such as a cat might be beyond your time constraints. Your Purrrfect Companion Out of all the pet animals, the cat is most expressive about its needs. The feline loves to be pampered and cared for. Interesting Old Dog Tricks: For Dog Owners Looking For Fun & Laughter The teaching and training of dog tricks while not a necessary part of a dog's education, is an achievement that offer dog owners and his friends a great deal of amusement and adds materially to the value of a dog.Training your dog tricks can be difficult and frustrating if you cannot achieve the results you want. Dog Vaccinations - What You Need to Know to Protect Your Dog Almost all communities in the U.S. Crate Training Your Puppy Teaching your puppy crate training is the first and best step in his life. It makes all the other steps in his training go so much smoother, much like a solid foundation makes for a superior wall. Can Cats And Dogs Live Together As Friends? Can cats and dogs live together without constantly being at war? It seems that they very often can.We often hear people claim to be a "cat person" or a "dog person", but browsing through the various pet forums it appears that there are many of us that equally like both cats and dogs. Introducing a New Puppy into a Home with an Existing Pet It was November and I had spent 3 months searching for just the right puppy. Finally we had found what we considered to be the perfect one. Does The World Need More Cats? Aren't they cute? Yes, they are! A nest of meowing and crawling little kittens leaves only the fiercest cat hater indifferent. But does the world need more cats?A cat is the second most popular pet in the world. "Sit Up" Buddy: Training Your Dog To Sit Like You The trick of "sitting up" is easily taught to small dogs, but should try not be included in a big dog's education, as it is difficult for them to preserve their balance.The training of sitting up is one of the first tricks to teach and forms the groundwork for many other dog tricks. Do You Know What You Are REALLY Feeding Your Pet? When looking for the best dog food - consider Life's Abundance. The "best food for dogs" are not all created equal. Tips For Traveling With Your Dog Wether it be on a vacation to your favorite resort, or just visiting the in-laws for the weekend, many people are choosing to take their dogs with them when traveling. Land or air, there are many things to take into consideration. How to Groom Your Horse Grooming means taking care of the physical maintenance of the horse. The sight of a well-groomed horse gives immense pleasure to true horse lovers. Grieving Our Pets Death Our pets give us so much. They entertain us, listen to our secrets, and give us unconditional love. Why Crate Train My Dog? A few years ago, before I decided to stay home with my kids, I worked as a veterinarian technician in an animal hospital. While at that job I saw so many clients who would bring in their dog and be upset because they had eaten something in the house, other than food, and were now sick. Scottie & Westie - This Mistake is Perfectly Understandable Show an uninformed dog lover a photo of a Westie, and they'd identify a Westie as a white Scottie. This mistake is perfectly understandable, since they do have similar physical attributes and both originated from Scotland.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2007 |
