How to Make Construction Plans for Reptile Cages
If you are going to keep a reptile as a pet, you want to provide it with an appropriate cage to keep it in. There are several types of materials to build one out of, so be sure you know what is best for your reptile.
What You Need
- Tape measure
- Ruled notepad (8 ½ by 11 inches)
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Tracing paper
Instructions
- Educate yourself about what your reptile will need, and their habits. Plan to expand on your original habitat.
- Decide how many reptiles you will be housing. Snakes require ¾ square foot of space for every foot of length. Use the tape measure to determine this. Otherwise, rely on the information you find about your specific reptile.
- Use the notepad and pencil to draw up your plans once you have determined the footage you will need. This should be done to scale.
- Determine whether you will be keeping more than one reptile in the same cage, separated by a divider. This should be taken into consideration for the overall size of the cage.
- Make a taller cage for arboreal reptiles, and shorter ones for terrestrial living ones. A water area should be built in for semi-aquatic reptiles.
- Choose where to place the opening according to the nature of your reptile, and consider placing a lock on it to deter anyone from touching your pet.
- Use tracing paper to mark the openings.
- Decide on the material to use. Wood is versatile and has insulating properties, and is often preferred over acrylic and glass. You will also want to decide the type of heating apparatus you will use.
- Determine the type of lighting you will need and where it will be located. If you are going to be stacking cages, it will make a difference where you place lights.
- Consider primary sources for nutrition when you are determining the type of materials that will be used.