Brick Cages

Brick Cages

Postby Foxticity » Mon Oct 22, 2012 5:06 pm

Hi All

I have expanded a bit on my collection this year and decided to build a second snake room from my lizard’s mostly and maybe one snake rack. The room will not be Hugh but will be fine for now. It will be 6m long, 2.7 wide and 2.6m high, so there is enough space to build upwards.
My question is.

Seeing that I am building the snake room, why not just spend a bit more and build proper cages for my lizards with bricks. I want to build cages that are 1500x700x1200 for my lizards. I have always used super wood but with my lizards, it is always an issue and I am never happy with the outcome as the wood always looks rather cheaply after a few months and building new cages every 6months have cost me a few bucks, so the above sizes have been tested, and I am happy.
My lizard collection incl. Chinese water dragons, Australian water dragons, basilisk, iguanas and borsch monitors, all of whom need big cages, high humidity and a lot of water in their cages.

So can somebody give me some info and tricks on this build please. I will build the cages with face bricks, tile the bottom of each cage and use bison board tops for the roof (very strong, wide and I will be able to screw my lights in.
For air vents, I will build in some air bricks which should be fine. The "swimming pools" will be tiled for easy cleaning and big filters will be installed.
I just thing that being a proper brick cage, my temps will be easier to regulate and hopefully, help to save a bit on Eskom juice..

Any tips or info will be appreciated. How has done this and how is it working out?

Please do post pictures...

Thanks
Michael
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Re: Brick Cages

Postby Warren Klein » Mon Oct 22, 2012 9:35 pm

I don't think that you will be saving much on your Eskom bill but brick enclosures can certainly handle heat, humidity and water much better than any kind of wood. If built correctly brick enclosures will last for many years and make maintenance of your animals a pleasure. Face brick would be fine (although expensive) but I would advise that you plaster the inside which helps seal the brinks and makes cleaning easier. I don't think tilling the floor would be necessary as it would be slippery for the lizards or going to be covered with some kind of substrate any way. A nice smooth finish cement floor will Cerfice. Bottom drainage is also a must in my books and will enable you to hose down the whole enclosure as you please. Be sure to take care where your power points are positioned in relation to you water ponds or other water features as this is an obvious hazard and also has an effect on any insurance claims. Brick enclosures can be very practical for keeping herps if you are living in a permanent situation. Hope this gives you some things to think about. All the best with your construction.
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Re: Brick Cages

Postby Foxticity » Tue Oct 23, 2012 12:53 pm

Thanx a lot mate. I will def. take your advice when building the cages, how ever, the tiled floor was just for eacy cleaning as I have seen that you battle to get their defication off. I have also thought about building the cages with a slight angle that I can hose them out and the water will then run out.

Oh well. I guess on time (and budget) will tell. Thanx again for your advice.
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Re: Brick Cages

Postby fastback » Sat Oct 27, 2012 1:15 am

Morning
So hoping I understood your first post with all the measurements and the sizes, I put something together as a suggestion to your project!
Sorry for the quality of the drawings, I could not attached the original PDF's.

I have attached two copy and pasted and resized drawings.
1st is the floor plan. just showing the overall size and layout of the cages.
2nd is the Plan view of the front elevation. (what my suggested design would look like)

So taking into account the wall thickness and the cage sizes, your room will stretch to 6330mm that is inside wall measurement and 6770mm outside wall measurement. Giving you a total of 8 cages, 4 at the bottom and 4 at the top all with an inside measurement of 1.5m.
Would also suggest making the building a bit wider(if space allows), the reason, you can build another row of brick units on the other side of the room, and maybe just have 2 big units for the larger lizards, If you going to be building for your needs, do it properly the first time, spend that bit extra to get the most out of what you planning. An extra meter will not add that much cost to your project.

I also suggest using lintels as the floor slab for the cages on top. If done properly this will last you forever and has it benefits with water and things like that.
Would also suggest putting the vents in the front of the cages. shown on the drawn by the rectangles above the sliding glass, which is meant to be mesh.
You can also install your lights and things into the space, which is 200mm in height, the cages are 1400 total height, that is from floor level up to lintels, same goes for the 1st floor cages. You can then use the ceiling as your roof for the 1st floor cages and to attach the lights.

Then another thing that you should consider, is placement of your new building (if you have the space to do so), to benefit from the either winter sun or summer sun.

1st
Brick cages plan view.tif


2nd
Brick cage elevation.tif


These are all suggest Ideas, from when I built myself brick cages. Hope they help in your planning phase.
If you would like the Proper PDF's just send me a PM with your email attached and I will forward them to you.


Semi face brick will be cheaper than full face brick.
But won't cost you that much if you just building the cages out of face brick.
i would agree with the drainage holes to allow water to run out, it will make cleaning the units so much easier.
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Re: Brick Cages

Postby fastback » Sat Oct 27, 2012 9:00 am

So lets try this again! :D :smt006

2nd. Elevation view.
Elevation view.jpg


1st Plan view.
Plan view.jpg
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Re: Brick Cages

Postby Foxticity » Sat Oct 27, 2012 9:39 am

My goodness. I ask for ideas and get a full blue print. This site is cool and the people ausime
Thanx alot fastback for your contribution to my project

You have gone over and above

Thank u very much
Will send u a pm

Thanx to everybody else also for all the help
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Re: Brick Cages

Postby Foxticity » Thu Nov 08, 2012 8:56 am

Hi Guys

Does anybody know where I can get perforated plate in the JHB area or around please? I want to use it for air vents in my new cages and hopefully crickets will not escape then. Or any suggestions for another product that I can use?
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Re: Brick Cages

Postby Foxticity » Thu May 09, 2013 9:25 am

So my brick cages will get another two coats of paint then its all done. My snake room has been a mission and taken a while but its almost done.
I have ceilings with a piece of clear IBR in the middle to supply more light as its a bit dark in the room.

I will be using panel heaters to lift the ambient air temprature to about 18-20 deg. All my snake racks are heated with 35w heating wire and all the cages have 100w basking lights and 60w underfloor heating pads.

I must just sort out the floor then im sorted. I wanted to tile but tiles make the room cold and underfloor heating will increase Mr. Eskom's bonus.
Painting the floor will look crappy so I was thinking about those black interlocking rubber tiles. I only need about 15m² for the floor infront of the cages.

Where can I get them cheap, as R120 x 15 is killing my budget (after the expo) ;) ?

Thanks
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Re: Brick Cages

Postby cascade » Thu May 09, 2013 10:27 pm

That looks good.
Very nice.

I would still tile, just put a carpet over the tiles for winter and remove for summer.
My spider room is done like that. I have tiles with a small carpet on top of the tiles during winter.
I just seal under the door to prevent a drought.

The only thing I would worry about being cold or making your room cold is your polycarb sheeting.
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Re: Brick Cages

Postby Whitelipp » Fri May 10, 2013 12:47 pm

Carpet wont work for Lizzards cascade...
Dont bite, strike!!!!

Dont keep it real, keep it EXOTIC!!!
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Re: Brick Cages

Postby Blet » Fri May 10, 2013 1:45 pm

I'm starting a similar project this weekend. May I ask what option you took re sliding glass as, try as I may, I have not found a suitable glass track option yet.
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Re: Brick Cages

Postby cascade » Fri May 10, 2013 2:57 pm

Whitelipp wrote:Carpet wont work for Lizzards cascade...


I'm talking about the floor outside of the cages. The "passage" in front of the cages.


Foxticity Wrote: tiles make the room cold
I only need about 15m² for the floor in front of the cages.
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Re: Brick Cages

Postby Whitelipp » Fri May 10, 2013 3:27 pm

Oops sorry misread it completely!
Dont bite, strike!!!!

Dont keep it real, keep it EXOTIC!!!
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Re: Brick Cages

Postby Primogen » Fri May 10, 2013 3:33 pm

The cheapest tile carpets I have come across are about R90-R100 per square metre(4 tiles).
So not much cheeper than your rubber tiles.
“The animal needing something knows how much it needs, the man does not.” — Democritus
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Re: Brick Cages

Postby Foxticity » Sat May 11, 2013 9:19 pm

@ blet.

I got some plastic rails from the local shop. For small cages its fine but for cages where you use big pieces of glass they don't work. I have a table saw so I cut a piece of wood into 50mm strips and then cut 2x 6mm slots. The work great! The slide better. The look nicer and it was much easier to install them because the plastic rails you had to glue but these u can sckrew in
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