It’s much less expensive to build a nice, but simple 4x2x2 cage than it is to buy one. And depending on which cage you buy, your home made cage may well be better. There are lots of poorly designed reptile cages out there!
A home built 4x2x2 cage can be made of ½ inch plywood and then painted with a gloss or semi-gloss latex paint, or can be made with ½ inch PVC panel that wont have to be painted. The panels can be bought as 4×8 sheets to be cut by you or the store (Lowes etc will usually cut plywood panels, but may not cut PVC panels). The cost of 4×8 panels is lower than an equal area of 4, 2×4 panels.
The supplies you need for a typical cage is often inflated by the fact that the authors of the videos or care sheets often earn money through affiliate links. In truth, a perfectly good cage with everything your animals needs will cost only about $120 above the cost of the cage. See links below for more information.
A video tutorial for building these cages can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/naturallykeeping
The cost of a 4x2x2 cage built with a 4×8 sheet of ½ inch plywood and painted will be about $185.00. The cost of a second cage will be lower because you will have left over materials from the first.
Compare with a similar commercial cage from Custom Reptile Habitats that cost $560 with shipping. That’s 3 times as much! Add the suggested supplies from one well regarded care guide and you have a total cost of $820.
Compare: Custom PVC Cage: $560 shipped. With suggested supplies: $820
Cage cost made from 1, 4×8 plywood sheet: $185. Total with supplies: $305
Cage cost made from 1, 4×8 PVC sheet: $233. Total with supplies: $353
Cage cost made from 4, 2×4 plywood sheets: $202. Total with supplies: $322.00
Cage cost made from 4, 2×4 PVC sheets: $293. Total with supplies: $413.00
Links to panel material:
4×8 panels of PVC 1/2 inch thick
2×4 panels of PVC 1/2 inch thick
4×8 panels of plywood sheathing 1/2 in thick
2×4 panels of plywood sheathing 1/2 inch thick
Material Details with Links:
4x2x2 cage constructed with a single ½ inch thick, 4×8 sheet of plywood sheathing and painted. For PVC cages just subtract wood and paint, replacing with PVC material.
Plywood 1/2 inch 4×8 = $27
PVC Trim Boards for front. NOTE: You can use one 8 foot trim board if you don’t care that they are both the same size. I prefer the taller 6 inch board for the substrate dam, while the less tall 4 inch board for the top to block less of the view. Note: 1×6 boards are 3/4 x 5 1/2, 1×4 boards are 3/4 by 3 1/2.
Bottom trim board: 1x6x8 $30
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Metrie-PVC-Trim-Board-3-4-In-x-5-1-2-In-x-8-Ft/5013353105
Top trim board: 1x4x8 $20
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Metrie-PVC-Trim-Board-3-4-In-x-3-1-2-In-x-8-Ft/5013353133
Vents 3 or 3.5 inch round per 6 $16.00
Rockler 1/4 in sliding door track $20
1/2 or 1/4 inch hardware cloth screen $10.00:
Glass $20 for 2 1/4 inch 24 x cage opening (about 15inches) from local glass shop or hardware store.
Supplies:
Miracle-gro Potting Mix: $16 from any local big box store
Bulbs : (2) $10 total
Bought by case of 12 these 125w bulbs are $2.00 each
https://www.midwestlivestock.com/125w-heat-lamp-bulb/
Spilotes pullatus Tiger Rat Snakes 