Uniqued Sized Screen cages.

cyberlocc

Chameleon Enthusiast
It seems Exoterra has begun making some unique sized cages. I just stumbled across them and thought I would share as this layout seems popular these days :).

36wx18Dx36T, 99 dollars at LLLreptile, Site Sponsor! That's a Steal! And it comes with a drainage tray (kind of they are calling a substrate tray, but too shallow for that imo)

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I am actually considering this one. Do you know how well made the exo terra screen cages are?

I have no idea. But Exoterra Vivs are pretty well made, so I would assume these are decent. They claim it's 100% Alu outside of the hinges which are nickel, so it shouldn't rust.

They have a size I wanted for a project, 24x18x36, so I might give that one a go here soon and let you know. If no one beats me too it, it will likely be next month till I get to it.
 
I have no idea. But Exoterra Vivs are pretty well made, so I would assume these are decent. They claim it's 100% Alu outside of the hinges which are nickel, so it shouldn't rust.

They have a size I wanted for a project, 24x18x36, so I might give that one a go here soon and let you know. If no one beats me too it, it will likely be next month till I get to it.
Yeah if you could let me know what you think that would be great. I hate the zoo med ones and the DIY my hinges do not even work. I love the width of this exo terra. So I am thinking with a few modifications I could make it work. I have a few months before it will be ok to put Bahari in a permanent cage.
 
Yeah if you could let me know what you think that would be great. I hate the zoo med ones and the DIY my hinges do not even work. I love the width of this exo terra. So I am thinking with a few modifications I could make it work. I have a few months before it will be ok to put Bahari in a permanent cage.

Ya these Exoterras are very good sized.

And that price is insane. 115 shipped is nuts! For something so big. It's 36 too instead of 30, so a 34in T5 will work on it.
 
I use these they are ok but have 2 problems.
1)The latches require 2 hands to open. You have to hold both latches in the perfect position to open the cage. Even unlatched they block the door from opening.
2) They don't come with a cage bottom besides the substrate tray. The tray does not fit the cage bottom well enough IMHO to keep any insects inside the cage. It is a little too small to be a good drainage cage with out adding a lip to the tray.

I use mine divided in half for my females as a kind of breeder cage. Keep in mind my adult females weight 30 gm max. I like that I get 36 inches in height to give them a good heat/humidity gradient without using too much shelf real estate.
 
I use these they are ok but have 2 problems.
1)The latches require 2 hands to open. You have to hold both latches in the perfect position to open the cage. Even unlatched they block the door from opening.
2) They don't come with a cage bottom besides the substrate tray. The tray does not fit the cage bottom well enough IMHO to keep any insects inside the cage. It is a little too small to be a good drainage cage with out adding a lip to the tray.

I use mine divided in half for my females as a kind of breeder cage. Keep in mind my adult females weight 30 gm max. I like that I get 36 inches in height to give them a good heat/humidity gradient without using too much shelf real estate.


I see that about the bugs. Cheap fix, piece of Plexi someone said that in the Amazon reviews. Home Depot will cut it to size for you.
 
I used a piece of PVC sheet to make a bottom. It was an easy fix for me but I wanted people to know as it will add to the actual price. One day I'm going to add a screw or peg to keep the latches from blocking the door closed when they hang down loose.
They have held up well for over a year.
 
I used a piece of PVC sheet to make a bottom. It was an easy fix for me but I wanted people to know as it will add to the actual price. One day I'm going to add a screw or peg to keep the latches from blocking the door closed when they hang down loose.
They have held up well for over a year.

Even with a 10-15, dollar piece of Plexi/PVC the price is outstanding for what you get :). But yes, they should have included that.
 
If you have a sheet of PVC you can use it to make a lip for the "substrate tray" and use it as a drainage tray.
Edit: it might need a wooden frame for support as well. It's kind of flimsy.
 
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The diy cages have the same problem with the latches swinging down when unlatched. Drives me nuts... but not as crazy as when the cage is not square so you have to lift or force the doors open/closed (diy and zoo meds do it).
 
The diy cages have the same problem with the latches swinging down when unlatched. Drives me nuts... but not as crazy as when the cage is not square so you have to lift or force the doors open/closed (diy and zoo meds do it).


That happens on Glass Exoterras and such too. That's not a bad design as much as the surface it's sitting on likely isn't level. They are not really designed to not Rack, the frame isn't solid enough and the screen isn't solid at all (in glass the silicon flexes) usually you can fix that by propping up the problem corner.
 
I use these they are ok but have 2 problems.
1)The latches require 2 hands to open. You have to hold both latches in the perfect position to open the cage. Even unlatched they block the door from opening.
2) They don't come with a cage bottom besides the substrate tray. The tray does not fit the cage bottom well enough IMHO to keep any insects inside the cage. It is a little too small to be a good drainage cage with out adding a lip to the tray.

I use mine divided in half for my females as a kind of breeder cage. Keep in mind my adult females weight 30 gm max. I like that I get 36 inches in height to give them a good heat/humidity gradient without using too much shelf real estate.

Have any pics floating around of how you divided them? These are what I plan on using in my room redo for the next round.
 
Have any pics floating around of how you divided them? These are what I plan on using in my room redo for the next round.

I don't have any on this computer. I'll see what I have at home.
I used the framing for window screens and screwed into the cage frame it so the spline channel faces in and used that on top, back and bottom as a channel to slide a divider down the middle. The divider has to be sturdy enough not to flex and you have to make a notch for the bottom door to open. You nay have a better solution to the problem than mine,
 
I don't have any on this computer. I'll see what I have at home.
I used the framing for window screens and screwed into the cage frame it so the spline channel faces in and used that on top, back and bottom as a channel to slide a divider down the middle. The divider has to be sturdy enough not to flex and you have to make a notch for the bottom door to open. You nay have a better solution to the problem than mine,

Gotcha, I won't have to worry about my bottoms opening (modifying the cage a bit to be more bio-active friendly). My original plan was to use my old zoomed frames to make a center wall like what you described and then rivet plastex to the center frame. Guess for now I'll stick to that plan lol.
 
Let me know how you deal with the bottom door swinging in at the top when you open it,

I won't be swinging it, that's going to be screwed shut. Basically my plan is to use a plan similar to Lola's build and cross it with the glass style of this cage. Only the top two will open for access, the rest will be sealed for bio bases without the plant boxes like I've been doing.
 
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The diy cages have the same problem with the latches swinging down when unlatched. Drives me nuts... but not as crazy as when the cage is not square so you have to lift or force the doors open/closed (diy and zoo meds do it).
Ya my zoomed cage has that door problem grr lol
 
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