How to build a Simple PVC Reptile Cage

How to build a simple PVC reptile or amphibian cage. This is a beginners tutorial that uses very simple tools. This inexpensive design can be scaled up to 8 x 4 x 4 and easily waterproofed with silicone.

[@GandalfStorKuq123]

This video deserves alot more attention, easily the best diy reptile enclosure build video on youtube. Awesome work dude

[@ryananderson7382]

Eh it was very hard for me to fallow and understand, but that why were all called an individual we all learn differently

[@ryananderson7382]

Eh it was very hard for me to fallow and understand without any talking, but that why were all called an individual we all learn differently

[@Mr59J]

It takes alot of kindness and care for pet owners to make a video like this. Many thanks!

[@ricktilghman7642]

Yes this is a very underrated video. So good. Thank you. I’ll watch the sliding door video next.

[@darlingdivine]

Thank you so much! Being intimidated by power saws is what's been preventing me from seriously considering attempting to do this myself!

[@jmonahan1]

Thats one reason why I made these. I hate power saws too :-)

[@ACblue1]

None of the hardware stores near me in Arizona have pvc board larger than 1/4", and even then they cost $45 for one 2 x 4 ft board :( Not sure where everyone is finding these...

[@HammboneBob]

I'm dreading making one, but buying one is expensive too.

[@darioa2872]

Thank you so much. Greetings from Spain

[@jmonahan1]

Hola amigo.

[@user-df3cq9wx7m]

Where did you purchase the pvc panel?

[@cl4-tpgaming]

Any hardware store will have it

[@Munky_funky6]

They have them at Home Depot and lowes

[@cl4-tpgaming]

@@Munky_funky6 lies, I’ve tried. They only have 1/16th in stock usually

[@Munky_funky6]

@@cl4-tpgaming i was just at Home Depot today buying some maybe I was just lucky ???

[@mmmglobmmmmb9150]

This stuff is impossible to find in my area. Been looking for around 5 years and it’s never in stock anywhere. (Houston TX)

[@durenpaul]

Curious what kind of PVC board you're using, and where you sourced it? I'm assuming it's not the lower density material often used for exterior trim? The little bit of searching I've done has only turned up extremely expensive materials--like, several hundred dollars for a 4x8 sheet. Thanks for sharing your channel!

[@lukeschumacher6353]

I agree. I always see videos like this "I made a cheap reptile enclosure with pvc" and i mean dozens of tbese videos and not a single person has a link to where they got their pvc sheets or even saying where and how much on the video.... baiting people for sure

[@JaysWrldEnt]

should be your local home depot or lowes, just a local department store

[@ExoticReptileCreations]

The PVC is in fact the trim stuff from home depot. It also comes in 4x8 sheets of 1/2” and 3/4” Some locations you may need to special order though.

[@jmonahan1]

@@lukeschumacher6353 Im sorry you feel baited Luke :-) These are handi-panels from Menards or Home Depot. They are 4x2 sheets and cost about $35 each.

[@peterh5417]

@@jmonahan1 😆Total BS, cheapest 1/2" 2ft x 4ft PVC sheet I could find online is $136.87 a sheet, Home Depot has absolutely nothing but thin & long trim pieces which are useless to this project. I called my local Rona and Lowes too, they said they don't carry anything close to 2x4 PVC. My local industrial plastics shop (which has the best prices by far) wants $120 per 2x4 sheet. So, yeah. Expect this project to cost upwards of $500+ when all is said and done. Manufacturers of reptile enclosures get their supplies at cost, that's why they can afford to make and sell them for $500. Making them yourself for under $100? Yeah those days are long gone. $35 a sheet, maybe in 2013.

[@Ryethekit]

Curious if these are stackable? Or if there's a specific pvc you need to use for them to be stackable?

[@jmonahan1]

I build the simple shelves you see in the background of the video. I dont stack cages because the lights are best if outside the cage and because the cage walls can distort if they are not shored up with extra material.

[@ConservativeHippie001]

Excellent video. Just wish there were voice over

[@QonnyWolf]

Well thanks… i wanted to know how to add the glass… 😂🙈

[@storriecasaus2865]

Part 2 is on his channel

[@matthewcoffey2672]

I have a problem with the side panels bowing out a little causing a gap between parts of the glas poor and side panel. Any reccomendations?

[@kadeschaos]

would it be okay to make this with half inch thick plexiglass instead?

[@kristenc7700]

Truly I thank you !!!

[@jmonahan1]

You are welcome!

[@elafmohammed7329]

Thank you!! I needed this very much!!1!!1!1!2

[@manuelrosario6543]

Did you install lights in this enclosure?

[@KylesMonitors]

Pretty solid build

[@lethalmambagaming3182]

Thank you for the quality video

[@lethalmambagaming3182]

Best I have seen yet

[@thirdeyereptiles1772]

Thank you so much for this video! I want to build my chameleon a forever enclosure (2x2x4ft). I have cold dry winters so a pvc cage is what I’m looking to make. What could I do for the top to be screen so I can have ventilation & set his lamps on? Also curious how much this build cost you!

[@PotatoInk101]

Because I’m not a professional and I’m also trying to do some things similar with absolutely no guidance from anyone else… perhaps try cutting out a large section from the top and getting some screen mesh that’s sturdy enough for what you’re trying to use as heating and stapling it in with heavy duty, staples or seal it with silicone, whichever one you prefer; it won’t look beautiful, but it should get the job done. If you really wanna go all out, though, you can technically make removable screen squares, similar to what you see in the store-bought ones, and secure it in with some sort of bolt in clamp. I’ve seen this done on wooden enclosures and though it may be a little bit more tricky with PVC I believe you could get it done with some research. I hope this helps 🥺

[@KylesMonitors]

Is a 4x2x2 big enough for an adult? To make a screen top, figure out how big of a square hole you need on top to fit your lighting and cut it out. Buy 1/4" stainless steel hardware cloth to use as screen. Cut scrap pieces of pvc or buy some extra trim boards to make a frame the size of the square hole you cut out, staple the hardware cloth to it and trim the excess hanging out, flip the whole piece over so the hardware cloth is on the bottom and screw it down to the top of the enclosure where you cut the hole out. That will make a slightly raised, neatly framed piece on top for you to sit all the lights on.

[@Jordan-sd7rh]

@@KylesMonitors yes that’s enough

[@NathansWildLife]

Can you make a link on all the tools you used

[@user-pd3eh6ks8f]

might be a stupid question but is the PVC the same as a Ceiling Tile because thats what they wanted to sell me at home depot. That did not seem correct to me.

[@Jho_Sephine]

Thank you for this video!!!

[@NPCExotics]

Where do you get the sheets of pvc ?

[@jmonahan1]

For these cages in the video I bought them at Menards. They are also available at Home Depot.

[@backwoodsbarbie3123]

Do you happen to sell these!? I would love to purchase one since I'm not the best at building things!

[@jmonahan1]

No, I do not. But I think the construction is so simple that you could get together with a couple friends and try one. Even if its no good you will have learned enough to build a second one much better. Life skills :-)

[@rachelchen3449]

ball pythons have the tendency to escape, what would be a good alternative to the ventilation holes?

[@Respect.The.Grind..]

Lol no they don’t

[@Respect.The.Grind..]

But prolly has a screen installed in the holes. I’m sure that’s eventually what this guy was intending to do with those holes

[@fireinateacup89]

You could put a screen on the inside over the holes. Just make sure it's a fine weave so they don't try to push into it and scrape up their noses (I used chicken wire for this purpose once and my snakes were convinced that if they pushed hard enough they could get through the wires. 😑 lol)

[@andrewloucks6568]

Yo where does he get the pvc though??

[@jmonahan1]

Read comments above

[@austinbonner1152]

Wouldn’t side panels have to be cut to 23”x24” so they could fit in between the top and bottom?

[@jmonahan1]

The side panels sit in front of the back panel, so have to be 1/2 inch less deep than the top and bottom panels, which are 24 inches. The top and bottom panels sit on top of the back panel for structural reasons. The side panels are also the same height as the back panel so 24 inches. I have a video showing this Ill try to find it

[@rizaandikamarpaung6861]

It is 12mm or 18mm PVC board sir???

[@Cheesefiddlehorn]

What is a centre support and how do you do it

[@benrhodes1890]

Wow that's awesome

[@beforeandafterphotos]

Could you use the pvc stuff that you would for pipes? If it melts the joints together would that be better than screws?

[@SeanBeckwith92]

How long did it take

[@mang3139]

Awesome! Do you know approx. cost of all the materials?

[@jmonahan1]

The cost varies a lot with location and specific materials. But the 4 PVC panels are about $35 each. The vents are about $15 and the glass track is about $20. I use the thin glass that I get from the hardware store (window glass) because I dont have kids that could break them and get cut. If the cage is larger than 4x2 I would use a thicker glass like 1/8 inch. I used 1/4 glass for similar 8x3x3 ft cages, which is more expensive but much safer.

[@peterh5417]

Each PVC sheet will cost you $100+ dollars so you're looking at $500 minimum.

[@jmonahan1]

@@peterh5417 Your information is wacky.

[@trits3415]

​@@peterh54171/2"x4x8' are 100$ a price. You only need one to do a build this size, plus the trim board.

[@stephaniebw4471]

@@peterh5417 Home Depot has a 4 ft by 8 ft sheet for $99. We made an enclosure using this video last week. The trim was an additional $10-15.

[@joshuatill1840]

What kind of trim board is that? I can’t find any square cut mind putting the link?

[@jmonahan1]

These are 4x2 panels that are 1/2 inch thick. I buy them at Menards or Home Depot for about $35 each

[@chickenfist1554]

Unless I'm looking at the wrong stuff, an 8x4' sheet of PVC here in the UK is the equivalent of about $320!

[@ItsJoeBull]

Wrong stuff

[@ItsJoeBull]

Is it the foam pvc black sheet?

[@oneyedthing]

They are called several of names which makes it really confusing. But i believe you shouldn;t get the ones labelled as foams.. Those are the ones used in standeess and are not weatherproof.

[@badguy773]

How much would you charge to build this for someone

[@jmonahan1]

About a bazillion dollars or so.

[@frostytoes]

If the pvc gets hot wouldn’t release fumes, hurting the animal?

[@aboveyou686]

I sauce you’re talking about heat lamps. No. Not hot enough to create fumes

[@frostytoes]

Yeah i was talking about heat lamps, thanks.

[@jmonahan1]

Yes, you want to cut this material in a well ventilated area if you are using power saws. But once built you wont have trouble unless you lay a hot lamp right on the material itself. Dont do that! 🙂

[@stephaniebw4471]

@@jmonahan1 my RHP is attached to the top- should i do something differently? Attach something in between to buffer it?

[@captainshad1182]

​@stephaniebw4471 no your fine the RHP are directional the part that goes against the top is designed not to get hot for that purpose

[@charleshamby575]

Where do you get the pvc sheets I can't seem to find them anywhere

[@2nd2none15]

lowes

[@NatureBoy736]

@@2nd2none15 thanks

[@jmonahan1]

These are from Menards, but in some locations Home Depot and Lowes has them too. About $35 each

[@charleshamby575]

Yeah I found the 4×2 panels they was like $55 each the web site says they have the full 8×4 sheets but I didn't see them at the store thanks

[@jmonahan1]

@@charleshamby575 They are $35 here. The 8x4 are about $90

[@alex81815]

Where did you get the pvc materials

[@jmonahan1]

Menards and Home Depot have them for $35 for 4x2 sheets. You can buy larger 4x8 panels which are less expensive per sq foot, but are harder to cut to size.

[@kzyt87]

nice \

[@KillahReptiles]

When you say up to 8x4x4 with certain support,what kind of support do you mean?? Are these safe to stack??

[@jmonahan1]

When I built the 8x3x3 versions I divide the front space with a support. You can actually see it in the background in this video when Im cutting the panel on the workbench. This way the front glass can be made up of 4 pieces, like 2 smaller cages almost. This makes the glass much less heavy and easier to slide.