The first thing you need to ask yourself before building a DIY wooden reptile enclosure is: What is this enclosure going to be used for. This is key as you will need to know the optimum dimensions of the enclosure, as well as whether it needs water proofing etc.
In this guide, we are going to look at a number of different DIY wooden reptile enclosure setups. These setups will be suitable for a wide range of reptiles from arboreal species such as the Amazon Tree Boa to terrestrial species such as the Ball Python.
Horizontal DIY Wooden Reptile Enclosure
For this build, we are going to assume we are building an enclosure for a medium sized snake such as a Ball Python or Corn Snake. This cage will be approximately 3ft X 1.5ft X 1.5ft. We would suggest that you read the entire section before you begin your project so that you are familiar with what tools and raw materials you will need for the project.
The raw materials we will require for this DIY wooden reptile enclosure build will be:
2 Sheets of wood that are 900mm X 450mm X 10mm – These will be used for the top, bottom of the enclosure.
1 Sheet that is 900mm X 470mm X 10mm – This will be used for the back.
2 Sheets that are 450mm X 450mm – These sheets will be for the sides.
2 Perspex sheets that are 450mm X 445mm X 5mm – These will be used for the doors of the enclosure. You could also use glass for this.
2 Glass runners that are 880mm long and about 10mm high – These are the tracks that the doors will slide along.
Bag of screws, a Drill and Silicone Adhesive to attach the runners.
Many DIY stores offer a complimentary cutting service and it is highly recommend to take advantage of this if possible. This will ensure that all sheets are cut to the correct length and all cuts are straight.
The total internal length of our cage will be 880mm as we will lose 20mm when the sides of the Viv are screwed to the base (each side panel is 10mm thick).
We are going to use 5mm thick Perspex for the sliding doors of our enclosure. I would recommend using glass if you are housing a lizard that may claw and scratch the Perspex.
As the internal length of our cage is 880mm we are going to use two Perspex sheets that are each 450mm in length. This will give us a 20mm overlap. As the height of our enclosure is 450mm, the height of our Perspex will be 445mm as we need to leave room for the runners.
The runners are the tracks we will use to hold the sliding doors in place and allow lateral movement so that the doors can be opened and closed with ease. As the total internal length of the Viv is 880mm, we will require two tracks that are 880mm long and about 10mm high.
Now that we have all our parts we are ready to begin.
We will start with the base of the enclosure and add the two sides. The sides will be added on top of the base as seen in the image below. If you screw the side panels into the sides of the base it will mess up all of our dimensions. I would recommend drilling small holes into the base where we are going to connect the screws. If we are using M6 screws I would drill M3 pilot holes prior to screwing in the panels as this will help prevent the wood from splitting.
Now that the sides are added we can begin to add the roof of the enclosure. This will be connected to the top of the two side panels.
We can now see why the back panel needs to be 470mm high, the side panels are 450mm in height and the base and roof are each 10mm thick. To add the back, we will turn the enclosure on its front and screw the back panel in place.
The next step is to add the runners. Simply run a line of silicone adhesive along the back of the runners and press them into place. Place something heavy on top of the runners to ensure the stick properly. I would recommend giving the silicone 12 hours to cure before adding the doors.
Adding the doors can be the trickiest part of the project if not done correctly. It is important that the doors are a couple of millimetres smaller in height than the distance between the two runners, this is why we made the doors 5mm smaller than the height of the enclosure.
As we are using 5mm Perspex the simplest way is to drop the Perspex into the bottom runner and bend the Perspex until you can slot it into the top runner. This is best done one sheet at a time.
If you are using glass, I would recommend using a top runner that is twice the height of the bottom one. Using this technique, you first place the door into the top runner and allow it to fall into the bottom one. As the top runner is bigger than the bottom one, the door will be held in place.
Once we add the second door, our DIY wooden reptile enclosure is complete. All that remains from here is to add a heat source. You can use a heat mat or connect a light fixture to the roof of the enclosure.
Vertical DIY Wooden Reptile Enclosure
For this build, we are going to assume we are building an enclosure for a small arboreal lizard such as a Crested Gecko. This cage will be approximately 1.5ft X 3ft X 1.5ft. We would suggest that you read the entire section before you begin your project so that you are familiar with what tools and raw materials you will need for the project.
The raw materials we will require for this DIY wooden reptile enclosure build will be:
1 Sheets of wood that are 900mm X 470mm X 10mm – This will be used for the back of the enclosure.
2 Sheet that is 900mm X 450mm X 10mm – These will be used for the two sides.
2 Sheets that are 450mm X 450mm X 10mm – These sheets will be used for the top and bottom.
2 Perspex sheets that are 895mm X 235mm X 5mm – These will be used for the doors of the enclosure. You could also use glass for this.
2 Glass runners that are 430mm long and about 10mm high – These are the tracks that the doors will slide along.
Bag of screws, a Drill and Silicone Adhesive to attach the runners.
Now that we have all our parts we are ready to begin.
We will start with one side of the enclosure and add the top and bottom. The top and bottom will be added on top of the side panel as seen in the image below. If you screw the top and bottom panels into the sides of the side panel it will mess up all of our dimensions.
It is recommended to drill small holes into the side panel where we are going to connect the screws. If we are using M6 screws you should drill M3 holes prior to screwing in the panels as this will help prevent the wood from splitting.
Now that the top and bottom are added we can begin to add the second side of the enclosure.
We can now see why the back panel needs to be 470mm in width, the top and bottom panels are 450mm in wide and the sides are both 10mm thick. To add the back, we will turn the enclosure on its front and screw the back panel in place.
The next step is to add the runners. Simply run a line of silicone adhesive along the back of the runners and press them into place. It is recommended to give the silicone 12-24 hours to cure before adding the doors.
The next step is to add the doors. These should be added as per the horizontal enclosure build above.
Once we add the second door, our DIY wooden reptile enclosure is complete. All that remains from here is to add a heat source. Overhead heat is more beneficial to arboreal species than belly heat. You can add a light fixture to the roof of the enclosure and connect a heat bulb/ceramic bulb.
Multi-Unit Reptile Enclosure
This unit will be approximately 6ft X 3ft X 2ft and will consist of 3 enclosures. You can of course adjust the dimensions to suit your species or reduce the height of each enclosure to add a fourth cage.
The raw materials we will require for this DIY wooden reptile enclosure build will be:
1 Sheets of wood that is 1,830mm X 940mm X 20mm – This will be used for the back of the enclosure.
2 Sheet that is 1,830mm X 600mm X 20mm – These will be used for the two sides.
4 Sheets that are 900mm X 600mm X 20mm – These sheets will be used for the top, bottom and shelves.
6 Perspex sheets that are 310mm X 575mm X 5mm – These will be used for the doors of the enclosure. You could also use glass for this.
6 Glass runners that are 600mm long and about 10mm high – These are the tracks that the doors will slide along.
Bag of screws, a Drill and Silicone Adhesive to attach the runners.
Now that we have all our parts we are ready to begin.
We will start with one of the sides of the DIY Wooden Reptile Enclosure and add the 4 shelves. The shelves will be added on top of the base as seen in the image below.
Now that the shelves are added we can begin to add the second side of the enclosure. This will be connected to the top of the four shelves.
We can now see why the back panel needs to be 940mm wide, the shelves are 900mm long and the two sides are each 20mm thick. To add the back, we will turn the enclosure on its front and screw the back panels in place. As can be seen in the image below, I used four sheets of wood to make the back panel as I couldn’t get a sheet 1,830mm X 940mm X 20mm.
The next step is to add the runners. Simply run a line of silicone adhesive along the back of the runners and press them into place. These will need to be added to each layer of the enclosure. I would recommend giving the silicone 12-24 hours to cure before adding the doors.
The next step is to add the doors. This can be done using the same technique used in the Horizontal Wooden Reptile Enclosure build above.
Once all the doors are in place, your DIY Wooden Reptile Enclosure is complete. All that is left to do is add the necessary light and heat, decorate the enclosure and add your reptiles. Enjoy!!
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