Cage Matters

[HallsHerps]

Wanted to know what the consumer looks for when buying cages

 

[HallsHerps]

Also if you feel like it list problems or things that you may or maynot like in features in the cages on the market today

 

[dwedeking]

Alan,

It depends upon the animal and if it's a display cage or not. For our breeder chams cheap is good since there are a lot of them. For those animals that are displayed in the living room I want a furniture quality wood cage.

The thing that is a pet peeve of mine is the complete front not opening up with little disturbance to the animal inside. I have one screen cage where the front entrance slides down into a groove and only opens the bottom 1/2 of the cage. The chams I'm trying to take a picture of are at the top of the cage and they freak out by the time you slide the piece up and get ready to snap a photo. I have cages where the complete front swings open on a hinge with a single clasp to keep it closed. I can get the camera ready, swing the cage open and snap before they realize they've been caught <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

 

[sschind]

I am going to say a few things here that I know are in direct conflict with each other, but I think they sum up pretty well what the general public thinks about just about everything.

"custom cages are just too damned expensive."

and

"if you only knew what goes into building a decent cage you would know why they are so expensive."

I know that if wanted to I could build as nice a cage as anything offered.  I also know that to do this it would cost me more in time and effort that if I bought the cage to begin with.  I am a cheapskate at heart.  I know that if I only had the right equipment and the right suppliers and the right material I could make cages for half what those crooks are asking.  On the other hand, I know that it would cost me twice as much.


I'm sorry I did not really answer the original question, its just that it is a difficult question to answer.  I am sure that if money were no object all or herps would be in the best enclosures.  Heck if I had Bill Gates' money all my collared lizards would be kept in a 20 acre parcel in southern Arizona.  for most of us however,  money is an object.  I know exactly the kind of cages I want for my animals.  In my mind I have designed dozens of them.  I know they could be built relatively cheaply if I only had the right equipment, and the physical skills.  With my designs, and someone else's ability we could build cages that every herper in the world would want.  of course we would probably charge so much that only a few could afford them, and that would leave the door wide open for competitors.  Kind of like the way it is now.

I'm done, good night.

Steve Schindler

 

[Mark Schmidtke]

What I want in a cage, by order of importance.

1st.  Safe, secure and comfortable for my animals.   This one pretty much goes without saying.

2nd. Easy to Clean.  I'd like an easy to wash surface, rounded corners inside, removeable fixtures.  I don't want to have to stand on my head and dislocate any joints to reach a spot of dirt on the back of the ceiling.  

3rd.  Easy to heat/light and easy to modify by myself so I can install the heating/lighting that  I want to use.  whether its heat pads, heat tape, CHE's, radient heat panels, spotlights, flouresent strips, or whatever.

4th. Stackable and space efficient.  I don't have a lot of space to work with, so I'd like to be able to maximize the number of cages in the space that I do have.  
 
5th. Light weight.  I have a bunch of homebuilt racks that I made out of 3/4" melamine. They work really well but quite frankly my refridgerator is lighter.  

6th.  Inexpensive.   I don't want to go deep into dept to outfit my whole herp room.

 
Not asking for much am I?   <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>  <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

Mark

 

[HallsHerps]

first off thanks steve & dwedeking

now to steves answer ,
i agree with you steve when you say </span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">"custom cages are just too damned expensive</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'> i also know i wouldnt expect people to buy them for all there reptiles( but how sweeeet it would be ) lol
now as to the "design" side of it i have a million and 2 designs  maybe 3 ... lol  
the main reason i am asking these questions s to get all of the people that keep what they keep to give feedback . this will help to see what and where the target market is. iguess ya can say a kinda "gallop pole" ish thing .i have been working on lowering my prices on cages and to be honest they are still changing to the lower side! now you hit the nail on the head when you said </span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">"if you only knew what goes into building a decent cage you would know why they are so expensive."

</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>by trade i am a custom kitchen installer / remodeler
by hobby im a snake head ... by fun i build cages and to bring in the "snake fund $"there are several cages out on the market today made of melemine and other processed wood products.and by far they IMHO are wayyy overpriced nearly 2 xs the normal cost or more of wht they are worth again IMHO

ok now here is a " hypotheitcal question"
 a cage made of cabinet grade wood  that would measure
5' w x 6 ' t x 2 ' d
made into two cages in one unit the 2 cages will measure
5 x 3 x 2... have slding doors that are 27" tall by 2'-7"wide
have 3 viewing lights in each cage aluminuim tracks (NOT plastic) come with a digi thermo w/ hi - lo range temps and memory stained and finished to your choosingpainted inside to you choosings and crated up with foam betwen the box and cage for safety  outside crating made of a 1/4 plywood to help the bumps of the road.
now on most cages i will build i will only ship them outcrated in this fashion .. to ship it like this i charge $45.00 for crating and packing( it surely costs me mor to build the crating  then i charge but hey .. i cant give that away )
ok now granted this cage will not be one you just pick up and move all over it would be more a " showcase /display cage for looks , functionality & quailty .. not in any certain order but having all of those in it .

now for one unit with 2 cages 5 x 2 x 2  sliding glass doors , locks, lights , thermo ,  all of this 100% sealed
what would a fair price on this be in you mind ... ? ill come back in a day or so and post the costs i just wanna see where the minds go .. lol take care and again thanks for all and any input !!!

 

[dwedeking]

Here's another feature that would be nice, especially with the "refrigerator weight" cages. Wheels.

BTW your cage should retail at $500 - 750 dependent upon finish.

The formula for manufacturing as a business runs price = 4 times cost of materials. 1 cost for materials, 1 cost for labor, 1 cost for overhead (marketing, paperwork etc) and 1 cost for profit. Now this is a general rule of thumb type rule but pretty accurate. Now as  a "for fun" type of builder you can probably cut the overhead cost.

 

[HallsHerps]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">BTW your cage should retail at $500 - 750 dependent upon finish.

</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

ok well so much for a few days for the answer ..  thanks again dwedeking...
ok the cage i listed i would ask $700.00 + the shipping costs that includes the crate charges and i like the way you know  your buisness skills ... ok now i hafta come clean i did say as a for fun thing ..  but the reason i wanted to go into trying to sell customs is after seeing what the other companies are selling ones  of less " quailty" for ( not real wood products) and talking with people that have owned them  hearing what there dislikes and likes are on those types i know i can build them with "real wood" and make them as marketable as theres  but for less costs  granted some of the cages are not light due to size and the use of glass and 3/4" plywoodi would say most of the larger cages would run in the 150 lb range or as much as say you dresser w/ clothes in it . but you wont get "warping from heat" , seams busting , doors not sliding ,  and the permiable odors of urinates that have soaked in the  melimine cages swelled them  or from stories i have heard on the visions and likes of becoming brittle and doors not sliding ..

 

[sschind]

Allan,

Sounds like a great cage but I would never pay $700.00 for it.  I'm not saying its not worth it, and that others wouldn't, just that I personaly wouldn't.  Like I said in my first post.  I know what goes into building custom materials like this an they are not easy to make.  Its just that its a lot of money for something I could do myself If I just got off my lazy behind.  Again, not everyone could build this so there may be a market.  

By the way, don't try to build a custom cage that I would buy, like I said before, I am a cheapskate, you'd lose too much money

Hope thing work out.

steve schindler