Cheap and Easy 4x2x1 Cage

Originally Posted by smigon

Okay, I LOVE this idea. However, I can change out a plumbing fixture, replace electrical units and light fixtures, repair vintage telephones, but this is out of my league. I am not good with saws because I have no place to really work with them, although I asked my husband for a radial saw for Christmas, he laughed like never before. Harumph.

Sooooo, what about this? I have 2 55 gallons, one in use, neither have braces, and a 29 tall not in use either, but all have a strong metal mesh top that folds up longways. Could I attach the bottom fold to the sideways tank with a permanent glue and use my velcro closers (which are amazing, if I do say so myself) to keep the top closed but able to swing it down when I need to get in there? I can coat or cover the bottom half of the screen so no substrate gets out.

Does this make sense?

I was just reading through this old thread and saw that I never saw this. Sorry.

I like your plan, but my only concern is as follows:

I wouldn't trust the glue. Part of what makes the sliding door design so secure is the fact that the bars and tracks are mounted INSIDE the rim of the tank, which means they can't be pushed outward. When a snake is trying to get out, it will push, and can get a good bit of force to do so. Glue may hold, but I wouldn't feel comfortable with it indefinitely. Instead, I would recommend putting some kind of bracer on the inside of the track (could be vinyl bars, or anything else) and then run a screw through the edge of the screen, through the lip of the tank, and then into the bracer. That way, the screen in permanently mounted to something inside the tank.

Hope this helps (and wasn't drastically too late to be of service) good luck.

Here's a quick update. I've recently modified two of these 55 gallons to become one giant 8x2x1. Removing the side panels of glass was a bit of a process (Smashed with a hammer and then carefully cut out the pieces with a razor blade) but other than that, it's a real piece of cake. I would only do this for very large snakes though (the female in the picture is 8 feet long and weighs 40 lbs) because there is likely to be a small gap between the two aquaria, so smaller snakes would likely find a way to escape. I suppose a person could take some added steps to block these up, though. Here's a picture.