Corallus caninus Nederland - website dedicated to the Emerald Tree Boa of South America

CAGING & ENCLOSURES

Overall, if you wish to construct your own cages for Corallus caninus, you are probably better off using plywoods, melamine and MDF types of materials for most of the cage. Another material gaining popularity is epoxy-coated plywood. There do not seem to be any identifiable health issues related to these materials. Another benefit with these materials is their insulating properties. Glass is not a good material for most reptile confinements since it is a bad heat insulator. Many glass vivariums have an open top with no seal and this also causes a high heat loss. This means that glass cages are more expensive to heat if you use certain types of heat sources and also lose a lot of precious heat.
The front of the cage can be sliding glass, plexiglass or a constructed glass or plexiglass door. If you paint your cage, always remember to allow it to dry out for at least 5-7 days in order to release the volatile fumes from the paints. The same applies to resins and varnishes. It is a good idea to make the base of a wooden reptile cage from melamine and use silicone mastic to seal around the inner edges, to prevent moisture penetrating the melamine or plywood sheeting. Seal off any holes where temperature probes are passed through with silcone. It makes them easily removable if need be. MDF or plywood interiors of the cage can also be covered with ‘contact foil' or 'sheeting’, a plastic sheeting with an adhesive backing before the cage is assembled. This eliminates the need to varnish or paint the interior once the cage is assembled. A lot can be learnt and gained from building your own reptile cage. It is good fun and will give you, as a reptile owner, a great deal of pleasure and personal satisfaction. It's best to do some research on the best sort of cage for your animals first before you purchase them or decide to build your own. You should be aware that many snakes - particularly pythons and boas - will grow considerably over time, so you may need to build a number of cages. Cages can also be built to stack, which is a good idea when you need additional space for your animals or offspring. Smaller, outgrown cages can then be used to house smaller, younger individuals.