Frequently Asked Questions
Click on the links for the FAQ's
Do I need a whole lot of electrical tools?
What skills do I need?
What if I've never built anything before?
What about big snakes?
What about small and juvenile snakes?
How big will the cage be?
Can I change the reptile cage plans?
Are the reptile and snake cages lockable?
How heavy will the reptile enclosures be?
What should I make it out of?
Can I make cages that are waterproof?
What sort of reptiles are the cages suitable for?
I need to build a cage for 8' boa.
I need a cage for a bearded dragon
We live in a relatively cold climate - our iguana is in a tank - it's too small.
We started to build the iguana cage, but started thinking what if the cage is out in the rain?
Ordering and eBook FAQ
I'm worried about ordering online - I might get ripped off
Is PayPal safe?
I do not have a credit card
What is an eBook?
Are your books available in hard copy form?
How do I order the "How to build reptile enclosures" books
How do I download the eBooks and other products?
What if you are total computer dummie?
Can I use the reptile or snake cage plans on a Mac?
Cage Plans FAQ
Do
I need a whole lot of electrical tools?
No. To build you own reptile cages properly you will need some basic tools, such as a drill and, ideally, a power saw. “How to Build Enclosures for Reptiles” tells you ways of making snake and other reptile cages without having the power saws, but it is better. Obviously, the more tools you do have the easier the construction of your snake or reptile cage will be. If you do not have power tools, you'll find tips to help you make the cages without having al of the equipment.
Are
your books available in hard copy form?
No, but they are printable. You can scribble and make notes all over them. Some people like print them, hole punch the pages and put them into a binder.
Not a lot. Mostly a desire to learn how to build a snake or other reptile cage. There are tons of pictures and tips throughout “How to Build Enclosures for Reptiles”. These are specifically created to show you how to do everything you need to do to make a successful reptile enclosure.
What if I've never built anything before?
We all had to start somewhere. With all of the advice, tips and tricks in “How to Build Enclosures for Reptiles” you can successfully build a snake or reptile cage. The booklet it full of pictures detailing exactly wat you need to do to build a successful snake enclousure or lizard cage.
Not a problem. We tell you how big to make the snake cage. Plus “How to Build Enclosures for Reptiles” show you how to change the snake cage measurements so you can calculate different sizes to make different sized snake enclosures. These are written in such a way that can easily work out exactly how big you need to make your snake or lizard cage and what size the materials need to be. There are also diagrams for larger cage sizes.
What
about small and juvenile snakes?
We've got that covered to. “How to Build Enclosures for Reptiles” show you how to house juvenile and small snakes. They are instructions on how to house juvenile snakes and together with the "Snake Keeping - Proven Techniques Everyone Can Use" book you be able to look after your juvenile snakes. We all know how nerve wracking those youngsters can be.
That depends on you. Typically the cages will be 3' to 4' long x 2' wide by 18'' high for terrestrial species. Arboreal snake cages can be all sizes and we show you the basic structure and how to make a cage about 6' high by 2 1/2' wide and 2' deep, but these measurements in “How to Build Enclosures for Reptiles” can be changed to suit your reptiles needs. If you need a bigger snake cage, the booklet shows you how to calculate the dimensions to suit your needs.
Can
I change the reptile cage plans?
Of course. The plans in “How to Build Enclosures for Reptiles”are a guide only. There is information on how to change the measurements to make customs snake cages, lizard cages and arboreal enclosures to suit your needs. Some owners have altered the design of the snake and reptile cages considerably to suit their reptile, materials and skill level.
Are
the reptile and snake cages lockable?
Ideally, reptile cages should be lockable.The reptile and snake cages in “How to Build Enclosures for Reptiles” are lockable and we show you simple and effective ways to do this.
How
heavy will the reptile enclosures be?
“How to Build Enclosures for Reptiles” discusses a range of materials and gives advice which ones suit different needs. The weight of the snake or lizard cage will depend largely on the material you construct it from. “How to Build Enclosures for Reptiles” also gives tips on dealing with heavy lizard or snake cages.
Again, this depends on the material. “How to Build Enclosures for Reptiles” discusses a range of materials to make snake and reptile encloures and gives you advice which ones suit different needs so you can decide what is the best material for your reptile cage.
an
I make cages that are waterproof?
Yes you can. There is a section in the book on just that and the best way to make very waterproof cages using the same techniques and materials used to make large wooden aquariums.
What
sort of reptiles are the cages suitable for?
The cages are designed for most snakes and lizards, such as cages for bearded dragons, blue tongues, striped skinks, ball pythons, corn snakes , hog nose snakes, red tailed boas, tree pythons, diamond pythons, garter snakes, milk snakes, king snakes, children's pythons etc. Most reptiles will happily inhabit these homemade reptile cages.
The Iguana cages are suitable for a wide range or arboreal species, such as chameleons and can easily be adapted to other reptiles such as angle headed dragons and water dragons. Even an arboreal monitor would find the iguana cages very suitable. There are also plans for building arboreal cages for snakes included in the reptile cage plans.
The exceptions would be crocodilians, large monitors and very large pythons (over 15ft), such as Burmese, Reticulated and African Rock, and turtles. Many of these species require specialised cages or very large enclosures.
The cages would be suitable for snakes up to 12ft but the cages would need to be extended and it would benefit from extra doors. There is information in the plans that will assist you to make larger reptile cages and help you to calculate the dimensions of the materials to make these larger snake or reptile cages.
The arboreal cages would be suitable for arboreal species up to 8-9ft.
I
need to build a cage for 8' boa. Cage must be on casters (sturdy wheels)
so I can move it without assistance from another person. It cannot be excessively
heavy. It must have plastic-type bottom for easy cleaning. Do you have
plans for this sort of thing?
You could use the same plans but make the cage longer - say 6ft and maybe deeper say 3 ft (although this may not be necessary) with maybe two doors instead of one, if it's a terrestrial cage.
There is a section on adding casters and I would suggest another set in the center of such a long cage. The cages use a melamine base and there is a section on using a vinyl material that is easily cleaned over the top of the melamine and the heat mat, should you choose.
A larger cage is a matter of increasing the dimensions and there is a section on how to calculate them for any size cage. Boaphile plastic cages start at around $390 and making it yourself would cost less than half of that I would think, including all of the lighting and accessories.
The retpile cage plans have a section on how to make sliding doors as well as two hinged types. If your boa is arboreal you could use the arboreal snake cage plans as these types of snake do not need a lot of ground area but rather height.
Either way, there is a money back guarantee if you don't want them.
I'm
looking at building a cage fora a bearded dragon. In the material I
will receive if I purchase your book and the extras, can you give me a rough
idea of the number of plans for a roughly 4x2 cage that would be included
and what type of materials are the different designs specified for? I've
seen some ones that were all mesh material, but I'm looking for some plans
that would be a combination of hard material on the sides and bottom, glass
or plexiglass in front and then either mesh or some type of hard material
on the top. How does your selection of plans match up to that?
It matches up pretty well what you have described. There are several designs. The cages are mostly timber with either sliding glass or plexiglass fronts. You can use pretty well whatever timber you choose. MDF and plywood are probably the simplest but many owners choose pine, oak and other timbers. There are some examples of cages built by owners here.
To make the mesh for the top is a simple alteration of the plans and there are diagrams in the reptile cage plans demontrating how to do this. For example, I personally have a mesh top for my bearded dragon's cage. It is only one half of the top - the other half is timber. The front section of the top is hinged and the mesh is removable using simple eye hooks.
We
live in a relatively cold climate - our iguana is in a tank - it's too
small. What does the iguana cage require for keeping heat/humidity at the
correct levels?
The iguana cages have 8" lamps on the roof for the iguana to bask under and keep them warm. They will prefer to spend a lot of their time up near the ceiling in a cage like this so they will be very content basking under the lamps. The iguana cages have shelves that allow the iguanas to climb up underneath the lamps.
You can put water bowls in the cage and misters to maintain the humidity.
Instead of mesh that would be used in warmer climates, you would use acrylic panes for the cage walls. You could also use heat mats on the base or heat tape on branches - it's up to you to find what will work best for you - and this will allow you to turn the lamps off at night and still maintain a temperature sutiable for your iguana.
We
started to build the iguana cage, but started thinking what if the cage
is out in the rain? The cage we have now is in a place where it gets
wet. What should we do?
Instead of the covered ply on the iguana encloasure, you can use plastic sheeting on the roof. This comes in a range of thicknesses from about 1/8"-1/4" thick or you could even use clear plexiglass. The rest of the iguana cage would be plastic mesh or Plexiglass. It depends on how warm it gets where you live.
You could also just use plastic mesh on the roof as essentially the cage would be for outdoors when the weather is suitable. I wouldn't expect that you would necessarily have the iguana out in cooler weather or in the rain anyway.
I'm worried about ordering online - might get ripped
off
We are real people at the other end and have been online since 2005. Reptile-Cage-Plans.com have never ripped people off and we have always done our utmost to help customers. You can contact us via the emails on the Contact page.
I really have to thank you for being so prompt in your responses to me. I get a little worried ordering things online.
Steve S
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An eBook is an electronic book. That is, it is a book that you open and read from your computer. The Reptile Cage Plans eBooks are printable. You can print a copy of your snake cage plans or reptile cage plans to take into your shed or wherever you intend to build your homemade reptile cages and work off them from there. You can even scrible notes all over them - I do.
How do I order the "How to build reptile enclosures" books
To order the reptile cage plan books, simply click on the blue "Get Your Copy Now" text on the front page. This will take you to PayPal, where you can make your purchase. PayPal (a division of eBay) has a secure server so your credit cards details are fully encrypted and cannot be stolen.
Once there, you will be prompted to either login to your PayPal account or to enter your credit card, postal information and email address. Once you have submitted this information, you will be then be sent back to a URL (web page) to download the "How to Build Reptile Enclosures" and "Iguana Cage Plans" and all of the other bonuses.
During the purchase process you use secure PayPal pages to ensure your credit card or echeck remains safe. PayPal has been doing business on the web for many years and has an enviable reputation, with over 70 million accounts - they mus be doing something right.
How do I download the eBooks and other products?
When you have made your "How to build reptile enclosures" purchase you will be sent an email with complete, detailed instructions for accessing the eBooks. You can also email me at Reptile-Cage-Plans for support or any questions.
There are also detailed instructions for accessing the reptile enclosure plans on the download page and another page of instructions. So far, everyone has been able to access the snake or other reptile cage plans in one form or another.
What
if you are total computer dummie?
Don't worry, I have solutions for that too. As I said, everyone has been able to get the the reptile or snake cage plans in some form or another. Some have been quite a challenge but we have always worked it out, so you will be fine. At worst, you get a full money back guarantee so you will not be out of pocket and you get to keep the bonuses. Pretty good deal either way.
Can
I use the reptile or snake cage plans on a Mac?
While the eBooks cannot open on a Mac I have other alternatives for Mac users and they have all managed to use the books so don't let that deter you.