Step by step construction on an inexpensive yet nice two cage unit

So here is the thread I said I'd do on a step by step construction on a cage unit that holds two snakes. My goal for this design was for it to be aesthetically pleasing as well as to be able to be built for $100 or less w/o heat. I also wanted it to be relatively easy to construct so that someone who didn't have a lot of experience building things, didn't have a ton of tools, lived in an apartment, etc would be able to build one. I think that the design looks pretty good and it was able to be built for $105. This cage unit is made of melamine and pine and has two cages that are 12x36x14". Plenty of room for an adult corn snake.

I am also in the process of making a pdf version that will be easy to print out that you can get from me. But I'm so busy right now with life that won't be for a week or so.

Here's a pic of the finished cage.


Ok, here we go.

Tools you need:
• Drill
• Assorted drill bits
• Tape measurer or ruler
• Pencil

Helpful tools but not necessary:
• 90º elbow clamps
• Saw horses

Additional optional tools:
• Table saw
• Circular saw
• Countersink

Laundry of materials you need. All can be purchased from Home Depot. The wood used is called "Premium Pine" (or something like that). It's already sanded silky smooth and has a nice gloss coat on it. I have used it in other vivs and it's been great. Doesn't require finishing so that makes it great to work with. Make sure that when you purchase the boards of wood and melamine that they are straight and true. Don't get warped ones. Also, all the melamine was 3/4" thick.

• (2) – 11 ¾” x 36” Melamine boards
• (1) – 11 ¾ “ x 48” Melamine
• (1) – 11 ¾ “ x 72” Melamine
• (1) – 1x3x8 Premium pine
• (1) – 1x2x6 Premium pine
• (1) – 1x4x6 Premium pine
• (1) – 2’x4’ Peg board painted white on one side
• (2) – Bags of #10-24 ¾” machine screws with nuts
• (3) –Bags of 2” hinges (total of 6)
• Box of 2” coarse drywall screws
• Package of window screen hardware (see pic)
• Tube of caulk

You will also need 4 pieces of 1/2"x3/4" strips of trim. You can either buy these or if you have the appropriate tools or means you can take scrap pieces of the 1x3 wood and rip pieces. They need to be at least 13". Exact length discussed later. Also two pieces of acrylic will need to be purchased, but it is best to purchase these later as will be discussed. Home Depot carries acrylic but it is expensive and the one by me won't cut it. So get out your phone book and look up palstics suppliers and contact them.

Some of the hardware:

Let's begin construction. If you don't have a table or circular saw; Home Depot can do these cuts for you. The first two are free then after that 25¢ a cut. But if you were budget conscious you could just buy a couple of pieces, have them cut, pay, come back and buy some more and get those cut free, too. Regardless of where you have it cut, make sure that the cuts are the right length and are nice square cuts.

The first thing you need to do is to cut down all of the pieces. I don't have pics of this but it should be pretty straight foward. The two 36" pieces of melamine are going to be the floors of the cage (they won't be cut); 48" piece the top; and the 72" piece the sides.

First cut down the 48" piece to 1.5" longer than the 36" pieces. My pieces weren't actually 36" but 35-7/8" (check yours to see what it is). So the 48" piece should be cut down to 37-3/8".

The cages are each 14" high which means a total of 28" pluc 1.5 inches for the thickness of the melamine. So take the 72" piece and cut it into two 29.5" pieces.

The 1x4x6 piece of pine is going to be both a support for the back and a dam to keep bedding in. Cut it down to two 35-7/8" pieces (or the exact length of the floor pieces).

The 1x3x6 is going to serve as a bedding dam for the front. It is going in front of the floor. Cut it down to two 37-3/8" pieces. Also cut the 1x2x6 down to one 37-3/8" piece. It serves as a brace for the top.

Next, take the piece of pegboard and cut it down to 37-3/8". Then cut it in half length ways so that you have two pieces that are ~12 x 37-3/8" in size.
Pics of everything cut down (peg board not shown).


Time to start drilling

With melamine you have to pre drill everything or else it will split. I used a 1/8" drill bit when drilling holes for the drywall screws.

First take one of the side pieces (11-3/4 x 29.5 "). Drill three holes along the bottom that are 3/8" from the bottom and about 1" in from the sides. (In the pic the holes on the sides are wrong. This is where I first drilled them but decided they were too close to the sides. Drill yours 1" in from the sides).


Next, measure 14 3/4" and 15.5" from the bottom of where you just drilled the holes on both sides and make a mark.


Connect the marks and drill three holes along that space. This is going to be where you connect the floor for the top cage to. Picture of the 6 holes drilled along the side.


Repeat for the other side piece.

Next take the floor pieces and drill 7 holes along one long side that are 3/8" from the edge that are 3" in from the sides.


Repeat for other piece.

Lastly, take the piece that is going to be the top and drill three holes along both of the short sides that are 3/8" from the edge and 1" in from the sides. No picture.

This next part is where the 90º elbow clamps come in handy. They aren't necessary, but if you omit them have a friend help you to keep everything aligned or else your cage won't fit.

Take one of the floor pieces and align it to the side piece where the holes where drilled. Clamp in place (or have someone hold it there). Drill through the hole you just drilled and into the side piece.


Then take a drywall screw and drill it in. With that one screw in, flip it over and do the other outter hole.


After both side screws are in, repeat for the center screw. Then repeat for the bottom floor on that same side. It should look like this:


Repeat on other side with the other side piece:

Dude, awesome post

Hey man, I tell you what the costs of keeping snakes (starting) kinda has screwed me into not being able to get more of them. This post is really helpful and luckily both my and my fiances father are handy men and do projects all over the house as far as room extensions and remodeling so this may be really cool to do with one of them and be an excuse for me to get a few more snakes. I mean even if I got dividers for the two cages then I could keep four with I'd imagine enough room. When you get the pdf file in a couple of weeks I'd appreciate a copy, my email is [email protected]. I know you may be too busy to send it to individuals but if you could cool. If not I'll keep a look out for it. Man, this is awesome. Right on time too because the reptile show for our county is on Saturday, December 9th so even if I pick up a snake and use a temp cage for a while it would still be cool. Great post man!

It should look like this now:


Next, take the top piece and align it with the sides:


Pre-drill all the holes and then attatch with screws. Repeat for the other side. Your cage should look like this:


Now to add the rear supports/bedding dam. Lay the cage on its back and Remove one of the floor pieces. Align one of the 1x4 pieces with the edge of the floor.


Pre drill a couple of the holes then attatch with screws. Flip it over and repeat with the other side so that now the 1x4 is fully attatched to the floor piece.


Re-install the floor and then drill two holes. Then attatch with screws for additional support and strength.


Repeat with other floor piece.

It should look like this:

Take a 1x3 piece and pre drill a hole 3/8 from the edge in the middle. Repeat on other side:


Align with one of the floor pieces and pre drill a 2nd hole into the melamine.


Then attatch with a screw. Repeat for the other side.

Now that the bedding dam is attatched at the ends, pre drill 5 holes across the front into the melamine. Make sure you're at least a couple of inches from the side or you will drill into the screw holding the floor in place.


Attatch with screws and repeat for the other floor and piece of 1x3.

Attatch the 1x2 at the top of the cage in the same manner. However, you cannot attatch it at the side or you will drill right into the screw holding the top in place. Here's a pic as a reference.


Your cage should look like this: (Finally starting to actually look like a cage!)


Now you must prepare the 1/2x3/4" trim. I didn't give you an exact length because your construction might have been a little off from my dimensions. Measure the distance between the bottom dam and the top dam:


Cut a piece of the trim down to that length:


Pre-drill two holes and attatch with screws:


Repeat for the other 3 spaces.

Lay the cage on its front and align one of the pieces of peg board so that the top is aligned with the melamine for the floor above it:


Pre-drill holes along the sides and top and attatch with the drywall screws. Repeat for the other piece of peg board. *note* The dry wall screws are 2" long and the piece of wood at the bottom is not that deep, so to attatch the bottom of the peg board, use a shorter screw. You can get enough in a baggy from Home Depot for 86¢.


It should look like this: (almost there!)


At this time measure the dimensions of the opening of your cage. Measure all the way from the edge (not the inside, but all the way to the youside) and then the top to bottom height (should be same as what you used for the 1/2 x 3/4 trim). Use these dimesions (should be two different ones off by about 3/4 of an inch) to order pieces of acrylic. Subtract about a 1/4 off the height to allow for room for them to freely open. For example, if your opening was 11" high, then order a piece of acrylic that was 10-3/4". You also want your acrylic to be 1/4" thick. I got my acrylic from a local plastics company for $13 a piece.

For this next part drilling acrylic is not hard, but be aware of a couple of things. Always drill with it above a scrap piece of wood. When you drill it use steady pressure and drill through it into the wood below. If you don't do this it can crack. If have found that if you have a variable speed drill that it is best to use a slower speed and be slow and steady. Wherever you get your acrylic from ask for a couple of scrap pieces (they should be free) to practice drilling on.

DO NOT remove the plastic film that comes on your acrylic at this time!!!!!!!!

Measure out to the middle and then 6" from the sides on the acrylic. This is going to be where you put the hinges. The larger part of the hing should face away from the cage:


Align the acrylic at the edge of your wood and allow it to hang down as shown. Mark the two holes where you will drill:


Drill the holes for the other hinges. Use a drill bit that is as wide as the threads on the #10 bolts that you have. I cannot remember what size bit it is, but you should be able to figure it out. Sorry no pic.

At this time remove the plastic film and attatch the hinges to the acrylic using the nuts and bolts. The nut should be on the inside of the cage. Only hand tighten at this time.

Lay the acrylic into the cage as shown. Align it so that there is ~1/16" gap at the top. Once it's aligned. Drill the hinges to the bedding dam using the supplied screws that came with the hinges. After the hinges are attatched to the cage, fully tighten the nuts and bolts on the acrylic.


Next take the plastic window hardware and space 5 of them out along the top. Align them so that they are even with the wood when the are on their sides:


Pre-drill a hole (the bit you will use is larger than the drywall screw bit). Screw them in. You want it to be so that move freely, but will also stay up when they are rotated. Use a hand screw driver to get the exact tension so this works.




The final step is to use the caulk and to seal the joints inside the cage so that no water or anything gets stuck there and rots anything out. This step is not shown but is easy to do. Also take some caulk and put it around the nut and bolt on the inside so that the surface is soft and there is no chance of the snake injuring herself on them. Sorry, no pics of this.

Ta-da!! Your cage should now be ready for occupation!

Final thoughts.

I hope that this is helpful to many and that hopefully it will encourage others to build their own cages. I should note that it would be easy to make it just for one snake if one wished. Also, if one has the resources to make cuts easily, two of these could be built from a 4x8 foot piece of melamine which is only a fraction more than what was spent on this. Factor in the cost of acrylic pieces, and it would be easy to build two of these for $150. But, again, this write up is inteneded to have as little cuts as possible to make it easier.

It is also possible to paint all of the pieces of wood to match the melamine if you wanted. I personally like the bare wood and the black screws. I think it gives it a neat industrial look.

Also, I did not go over heating the cage. I personally am using a piece of flex watt placed in the bottom of the cage and attatched with silicone as well as having all of the connections sealed with silicone. There is more info than you'll ever need on the internet about heating cages; so I omitted it.

Ok, well if anything is unclear or you have questions PM me or email @ [email protected] or post it in this thread. I should have the pdf available in a couple of weeks so you can just print and build. But don't hold your hats for it soon.

That is amazing!

Good work!
and great writeup

Very nice job Matthew! It's nice to see people like yourself who are talented at building racks take the time to share it with the rest of us. I've found that my inability to build is not from not being able to, but rather not knowing how to. Nice job and thanx again.:cheers:

Excellent write up...
I wasn't certain what type of display I will be using for my snakes (when they get to that size), but this is an excellent idea.

Thanks for sharing...! :cheers:

Wow, amazing! Thank you so much for this. Do you think it would be possible to have this set-up, but with more cages vertically? How much weight do you think it could hold? I'm imagining something like this in the future, but with 4 cages stacked.

I'd love that pdf when it's available.

Thanks for taking the time to share. That is indeed a good looking set-up and definitely something I will looking into making this spring.

That is really good!!

Thanks for taking the time and effort to take the pics and do the write-up for us all to follow.

Awesome.. I'll be buying materials today.

(uh-oh.. that must mean I'll be buying another couple snakes huh? I guess it was inevitable...)

Thanks for all the compliments guys!

Candachan said:

Wow, amazing! Thank you so much for this. Do you think it would be possible to have this set-up, but with more cages vertically? How much weight do you think it could hold? I'm imagining something like this in the future, but with 4 cages stacked.

I'd love that pdf when it's available.

Click to expand...

I imagine it would be possible to build it up higher. This one is pretty darn sturdy. It's in the garage right now hiding under a bunch of stuff until x-mas and is bearing the weight just fine. I'd feel confident about it being 3 high; somewhat confident about 4 high. But that is something you'd have to see for youself as I have no intention of building one that siz.e

So I've decided not to do a PDF of this write up. There hasn't been that much interest and I figure that this thread is probably good enough. Ok, well if anyone actually does make one, let me know, I'd like to see how it all works out!!