Plexiglass question

I am in the process of building 4 wooden cages with folding plexiglass doors. The cage door is a 4'x2' sheet of plexiglass framed in 1x3"s. If I also also run a support verticaly down the center will this be sturdy enough to use 1/8" thick plexiglass? I can buy a 4x8 sheet of 1/8" for near the same price as one 2x4 1/4" sheet. I am not trying to take shortcuts, just curious if the 1/4" is overkill in a framed door. The wooden door frame will look something like this.
_________
l l l
l____l____l

Thanks for any help.

Well that little doodle didn't turn out right, but I think you get the idea!

It would depend on what you were planning on housing in said cage. I'd think about using a thicker size if you were making say a Burm's cage.

What are you going to be housing?

The largest animal going into any of these four cages would be a male Columbian Boa. He's still just a baby now but I don't want him outgrowing this cage any time soon.

id go with at least 1/4 in. how big do these boas get.

really a thinner piece of plexi isn't going to hurt... Of course you'd be framing the plexi so all you need is a cross bar in the middle of the frame.. You, like me are building a cage and I have my 1/2x4x8 sheet of ply wood divided up into a cross where I will get 4 cages each 2feet wide and 4 feet long plenty of room for the time being...

The difference with my cages would be that you can expand the cage on either side making either 8 2x4 footer cages or 4 2x6 footer cages.... I also have a stand for the 4x8 sheet of ply wood.

The special things with the stand I have built is I can integrate a fridge (which I already have) as well as a air controled heating system which will make the inside of the cages a perfect 65* to 80* or even 90* (since its so big I have it in my unfinished basement which is realyl cold and plus the gas bill for winter is bound to go up)... That has yet to be built into the stand. I love it but it is costing me serious money. I have also thought about a compartment for which I can thaw the mice I've got in the fridge using the heated air from that system.

I love building this cage even though it has cost me nearly an arm and leg for it I know that when I finish it I will be proud of my accomplishment and will get to enjoy its complexity and its beauty (which I'm staining red mahagony).

Oh yeah I just bought a Herp stat II from Mgreptiles.com . He he he he Previous experiance with a dimmer although it worked for about 3 months Turned disasterous when a short nearly set my house oh fire along with frying my 2 boa's

Ah well Just wanted to let yah know that I'm not using 1/4" plexi glas (more expensive) and am using 1/8" plexi and I believe that it will work with the right amount of support. I have asked the manufacturer about thickness of this plexi and constant heat and he told me that it will beable to withstand 160* of direct, constant heat.

Hope this helped and gave you some ideas!

That sounds similiar to what I am doing. I didn't go into specifics but my 4 cages will be one wall unit, built bookcase style. 4' wide, 6' tall, and 2' deep (the back will be a 4'x6' solid sheet of plywood). Each cage will be approx. 17" tall. I would love it if you could send me some pics, as I am just starting to purchase all my lumber. I will heat with a 2' piece of heat tape in each cage controlled by a Big Apple thermostat. I will also use a dimmer on each cage to lower the temps as needed for my colubrids. This will house my 2 young boas, a GB King, and a W. Hog. Did you have any trouble with the 1/2" plywood? I was considering this as well with an internal frame of 1x2's for support (still cheaper than 3/4" plywood). Please Send Pics!!!

sure man NP tomorrow I will be getting the bottom of the cage done and will be working on the staining of the sides but I will have it nearly complete and complete within the next week and a half... the stand will have to wait b/c of how much this is costing me

its almost done.... I just need to wire and stain a few pieces of wood and seal everything up and as soon as the vapor goes away I'm back in action....

First things first.... Long reports.........