Cage Plans for Adult Chondros
Assembly Instructions
Step 1. Lay the cage bottom on the bench with the right edge hanging over about 6" and the rabbet in the rear. Lay down a thin bead of glue along the edge. Do not use too much glue or there will be an unsightly mess to clean up.
Step 2. Place the right side carefully on top of the glue line, being careful to not smear the glue. Press down to make sure there is good contact with the glue, and position the side flush with the bottom in front and down the edge. Using the brad nailer, nail the side in place up through the bottom. Hold the side in place with your other hand until a couple brads are in place, and center the brads so they don't split out through the side. NOTE: If you don't have access to a brad nailer and compressor, you can hand nail or screw the cage components together. Be sure to pre-drill the holes if you select this option! You can not hand nail into MDF or melamine without pre-drilling, both materials are too dense.
Step 3. Carefully slide the bottom and attached side to the other side of the bench, and glue and nail the left side on. Carefully slide the bottom until it is centered on the bench, and glue and nail on the top. Be very careful when sliding the cage around to not jar the assembly and cause the sides to loosen or fall. Also, be careful not to smear glue when placing parts for nailing, it is tough to remove later.
Step 4. Slide the assembly backward away from the bench front, and carefully tip it forward, laying it on the bench face down. Be very careful to not rack the assembly diagonally while tipping it, as it is fragile until the back is nailed in. Once the assembly is face down on the bench, square it by measuring across the outer corners diagonally and adjusting until both measurements are the same. After squaring, nail the back in place inside the rabbet grooves, making sure to position it with the overlap of the contact paper at the top of the cage. It is not necessary to glue the back on provided you space the nails every 2-3 inches. You can use short ring-shank type paneling nails to do this if you lack the air tools.
Step 5. Stand the cage back up, and then lay it on the bench with the back down. Test fit the face frame without glue, making sure it is flush or just a bit oversize at the bottom and sides. The wide member goes at the bottom of the cage. Allow any extra height to extend over the top of the cage rather than the bottom, and center any extra width equally. I make my face frames about a 1/16" wider than the cage box, because it looks much nicer this way than to have the box sticking out past the frame. When you are satisfied with the fit, apply glue to the box edges. Don't make a mess, but apply a good bead of glue to hold the frame securely. In this case, it's the glue that will make the final bond, the nails just hold the frame in place while you clamp the assembly up. Lay the frame in place, and carefully put two brads in each side of the frame, making sure it is positioned where you want it. You can flex the box a bit to make the frame fit...this is where careful squaring up of the frame during clamping and gluing of it is important.
Step 6. Stand the cage upright and position four bar clamps on the four corners and snug them up. Don't over tighten! You want a good fit of the frame to the box, but you don't want to squeeze out all the glue or crack the frame joints or mar the pine. Let the clamped frame setup overnight.
Step 7. When the glue is dry, remove the clamps and cut your glass track to length. Using liquid nails and the brad gun, glue and nail the top and bottom tracks in place, positioning them flush with the back side of the frame. The wide track goes at the top. If you don't have the brad gun you can use strips of masking tape placed across the track every 6-8 inches to hold it while the glue dries. After installing the top and bottom tracks, measure, cut, and install two side tracks.
Step 8. Here is a shot of the completed cage showing the glass tracks installed and the top spacers glued and nailed in place. The spacers serve several purposes; they allow wires and mist lines to run between cages, the front pine spacer makes a nice looking trim piece between stacked cages, and the gap helps minimize heat transfer between cages.
Step 9. Run a neat bead of clear 100% silicone in all the interior corner seams including the backside of the frame. Pay special attention to the four floor level seems because this is where a lot of contact moisture will occur. Run a small bead of silicone around the back lip of each vent and pop them into place. If the vent is warped, use a couple pieces of masking tape to hold it in place while the silicone sets up. I also install an 18" florescent light in the inside top of the cage just behind the top frame member. I use fixtures made by "Lights of America", but any unit will work provided it has an off/on switch. Hold-and-release type switches commonly installed on many florescent lights won't work because they can't be operated with a timer. Cut the cord of the light and insert it through a hole drilled in the cage top, then re-attach it on the outside of the cage using wire nuts. I use Pro Products heat panels in my cages, installing them in the far right part of the cage top so as to provide a good heat gradient. Follow the directions included with the heat panels for installing them. I use Helix thermostats to control the panels, drilling a hole in the cage top to let in the thermostat probe, which hangs down under the heat panel.
Step 10. I use real Sugar Maple branches in my cages. Any non-toxic species will do, but avoid Wild Cherry, Walnut, and other poisonous kinds. Take a small tape measure and a hand saw into the woods, and cut two branches per cage, about 4-6" longer than needed. Look for limbs that are about the diameter of the snakes that will use them, and a straight section with two or three forks work well. Avoid straight limbs with no forks...they look visually uninteresting, and three contact points are needed to secure the branches so they don't rotate. Try to make a balanced and appealing arrangement of the branches, using the middle third of the cage height for the majority of usable perch space. Be sure to arrange a comfortable horizontal area under the heater as well as the cool side, as most chondros will use these areas frequently. The rest is for show! After cutting the branches to fit, hang them using screw eyes and hooks. Use a small drill bit to pre-drill the holes in both cage and perch.
Wash the branches with a stiff scrub brush and hot water before using them. I have never had to bake limbs or treat them for insects, as long as live branches are used. Avoid dead ones which often harbor pests. Note: Snake mites are spread from animal to animal in captive conditions, they do not come from branches or substrate. Branches hung in this manner can be removed for cleaning.
Step 11. I use silk jungle plants in my cages. I place 2" green florist Styrofoam on the cage floor, covering it with mulch. Plants can then be inserted into it. I also hang a vine or two from the cage ceiling to fill in the top of the cage space and to provide some seclusion for the snakes. If you look carefully, you can see the heat panel in the cage top, and white probe hanging at the far right. My adult cages measure 40" long.
