PLexi Glass for Cage Size?

[svinyard]

Hello everyone, I live in Portland OR where its rather cool at times and I want to use a glass on the sides with some screen towards the bottom. Front will be screen and back.

My Question is there a better option than plexi glass? I need to be able to see through it and still have it hold some heat better than screen. What are the pros/cons of using plexiglass. I'm not concerned with ventilation and humidity stuff as I have that under control.

 

[DeviousMike]

Is plexiglass reflective? That might be an issue if they can see their own reflections. Other then that, half plexi, half screen sounds like you get the open air and perhaps even an easier way of keeping humidity. I'm just theorizing though

 

[pssh]

I think if I were building it, I would want the front to be plexiglass so I had a clear view. You could buy actual pieces of glass and silicone them together and add some bottom vents (kind of like a big exoterra or the new cages that LLL sells.) The only thing is that you might get some water build up and it would have to be wiped down all the time to keep it clear.

 

[txg8gxp]

acrylic costs alittle more, but it is a much better material. You can scuff the outsides up if wanted to add a smoked look to prevent reflections. In the salt water world we do this to make shadow boxes behing the aquariums.

 

[svinyard]

plexi vs acrylic

Well, I'm planning on a large cage with 3 by 7 ft walls on the side. Thinking thatacrylic might exceed my budget quickly. Where do youeven buy large sheets of it? What is so much better about acrylic? I have never had chance to work with it.

Thanks!

 

[sandrachameleon]

Hello everyone, I live in Portland OR where its rather cool at times and I want to use a glass on the sides with some screen towards the bottom. Front will be screen and back.

My Question is there a better option than plexi glass? I need to be able to see through it and still have it hold some heat better than screen. What are the pros/cons of using plexiglass. I'm not concerned with ventilation and humidity stuff as I have that under control.

You might want to use plexi-glass or acrylic for the doors, and screen for one side or just the back instead.

My cages are painted peg-board for back and sides, plexi or acrylic doors, screen/wire top. Works good for a moderate release/retention of heat and humidity.

 

[Itwas]

I have just attached a sheet of matt encapsulating film to the front of my screen to help keep in humidity and heat as the winter sets in here in the UK. Its just like thin acrylic which is used to laminate posters etc but its semi rigid, easy to cut, heat resistant and non toxic. I work in a design studio and printers so i get it for free and thought it would be ideal, seems to be doing the job so far. I just cut a load of small holes in the top and bottom to keep the airflow nice and I used matt instead of gloss to prevent reflections. I imagine it would be cheaper than Plexiglas but as its just a temporary arrangement im not sure how long it would last.

 

[svinyard]

You might want to use plexi-glass or acrylic for the doors, and screen for one side or just the back instead.

My cages are painted peg-board for back and sides, plexi or acrylic doors, screen/wire top. Works good for a moderate release/retention of heat and humidity.

I llike the idea of peg board as its cheap but I'm concerned about its durability in a wet environment. How has your experience been?

 

[sandrachameleon]

I llike the idea of peg board as its cheap but I'm concerned about its durability in a wet environment. How has your experience been?

The first cage I built is over ten years old now, and has given me no problems. I have repainted (zero VOC latex acrylic) it twice in all that time (partly because my scrubbing had worn some painted edges, and partly because I wanted to change the colour)

 

[jvpaouie]

Has anyone tried removing the screen from their screen cages and replacing it with some kind of glass/plastic? I was thinking about doing it with the front panels so I can see the my cham better.

 

[Edward Kim]

The bad thing is it scratches really easily and will limit your view through time. You'll need to buff it out or replace eventually. Glass is an better option, I think.

 

[jvpaouie]

really? so is there any other type of glass/plastic that is lightweight and not so expensive? i'm just concerned that if it's too heavy, the frame won't be able to handle it...

 

[moviemanmania]

You can easily frame out something from inexpensive 1x1s from home depot or lowes. You have to water-protect the wood with a finish though. In their glass department they carry an acrylic 'glass.' It's not plexiglas as its very flexible. It's about 1/3 of the cost of plexi and is very thin.

You will have to drill/screw the plexi to the frame or silicone glue it to the frame. As it does not have the rigid-ness of plexi or glass to stand on its own. The other disadvantage is that it scratches more easily than plexi. I used this technique for the front door on my free range cage and it hasn't been screeched yet and its been almost a year so I'm glad I saved the money there

Pegboard makes great backings and sides for enclosures especially when building cages next to each other.

BE CAREFUL as accumulating heat in a closed wall environment can increase the heat to deadly temps. Watch and stabilize your temps before you relocate your cham to his new space. Other than that you should be good to go. I know there are alote of people who say the reflections can cause stress but I haven't yet experienced this as both of my cages have acrylic doors.

Happy building, keep us posted. Cheers!

 

[jvpaouie]

Thanks, Thanks!!