I rekindled my desire later in life but I also had mortgages, the cost of raising a family and the daily costs of living to contend with. A reptile was expensive enough, without adding the costs of retail cages and accessories. So I built my own. It saved me a lot of money.

You do need some basic tools but the money you save by making it yourself will allow you to purchase some of those tools that help make the cage. The remainder can go into accessories so that for the cost of a basic cage with nothing else you can make a cage, get some tools and the cage accessories and still have money left over. That's a big difference.

Many people have materials about the house. If you are going to make your own cages you can save even more money by using bits and pieces or timber you may already have, screws, old glass, hinges, light battens etc. that you already have in the basement or garage.

When upgrading one of my cages recently, I was able to reuse some of the materials and the fittings for use on the new cage. This saved me having to purchase new accessories and materials.

Another benefit is the ability to maintain your own cages. Many of the plastic or moulded cages cannot be fixed once they are broken. With a cage you made yourself you can usually fix broken locks or replace doors (I haven't had to do any of these yet as they are very sturdy).

When you build your own cages you decide how strong it will be and what quality of fitting, glues and materials you will be using. The higher the quality of materials and accessories you use, the better the final cage product. You are not at the mercy of manufacturers saving money by using inferior materials and poor quality fittings.

Another benefit is the ability to customise you cages to suit your purpose. One of my earliest cages was built as a normal cage but by placing a removable divider in the middle it allowed me to re-use the cage when I shipped one of the snakes out. This divider was fitted over the middle of a heat mat, allowing for two reptiles to be housed in the cage. It also had two doors. The cage is now used for another purpose but will soon be empty. The divider can still be placed back in the cage for another small snake and then simply removed as the snake gets larger. Tis snake will finally be moved into an arboreal cage. To purchase a plastic cage with divider that will only be a transient cage before the snake goes into a final cage is an expensive exercise.

If you do need to upgrade again, you have the time to build the final cage as the snake grows.

Making your own cages allows you to build and maintain your reptile cages in a cost effective manner while keeping them comfortable and healthy. You can also expand your collection in an affordable way, making more money available for the reptiles while still getting quality cages.
About the Author

Mark Chapple is the Author of "How to build enclosures for reptiles" Find out how to build these cages as well as arboreal cages.Full co lour pictures, detailed diagrams and easy to follow, step-by-step instructions.
http://www.reptile-cage-plans.com

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Reptiles... Choosing The Best Pets For Kids "Can I have a puppy? Please, oh please, I'll take care of it and look after it and everything" Just what do you say to your kids when they ask for a pet? It is perfectly true that growing up with a family pet can teach children responsibility and to develop their social skills. Also cultivating good feelings towards pet animals helps kids to develop a sense of self esteem and help them to establish trusting relationships with other human beings. But before you give in to your kid's demands for a pony, rabbit, salamander, kitten, boxer, python, or macaw, there is plenty for you to consider. The first thing to keep in mind is that no matter how much your kid promises that she or he will be the one to take care of the pet, some if not all of that responsibility will fall upon you. That is an inevitable, inescapable fact. No matter how good the child's intention is, there will be some, and perhaps many, occasions when other things take priority in their minds and the pet is...