Any custom cage builders in the bay area?

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the_bookish_tortoise

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Hello fellow tortoise enthusiasts,

I'm in the market for a new indoor enclosure and thought I'd see if there are any craftsmen/women in the SF/Oakland area who would be interested in a custom commission.

I have a quickly-growing, energetic Russian who needs a cage to fit her future adult size. I'm not interested in a bare bones structure - I'm willing to spend some money because I want something not only functional, but furniture-quality that will last for a long, long time.

I've been keeping a close eye on craigslist for months, but nothing has quite caught my eye. I've also considered renting tools from the library and making my own enclosure, but between my schedule and space restraints, that dream will probably never materialize. Plus, I haven't handled a powersaw since shop class in middle school, and I currently enjoy having all ten fingers.

If you or someone you know is handy and looking to make a few extra bucks on a side project, please reply to this post or email me. Alternatively, if you have other ideas/websites/stores where I could check out custom enclosures, please let me know.

:tort:

Thanks in advance!
 

biochemnerd808

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We live in SW WA, so this isn't that much use to you... but we are having our cabinet-maker friend build us a custom 72"x30" furniture grade tortoise table to replace our large-but-ugly tort table. This one will have drawers underneath, is made of oak and oak ply, has a built in hide box, and has a viewing window in the front so the kids can watch (4" of wood below the window so the torts don't try to walk through the glass.

The point is, maybe you can find a cabinet maker near you who can build you a nice tort table? Usually the going rate for that kind of thing is cost of materials, plus 4x cost of materials to pay for the time. We got the "friend" price of 2.5x cost of materials... we decided it's totally worth it, since the torts will outlive us, and we'll be looking at their enclosure every day for the rest of our lives...

the_bookish_tortoise said:
Hello fellow tortoise enthusiasts,

I'm in the market for a new indoor enclosure and thought I'd see if there are any craftsmen/women in the SF/Oakland area who would be interested in a custom commission.

I have a quickly-growing, energetic Russian who needs a cage to fit her future adult size. I'm not interested in a bare bones structure - I'm willing to spend some money because I want something not only functional, but furniture-quality that will last for a long, long time.

I've been keeping a close eye on craigslist for months, but nothing has quite caught my eye. I've also considered renting tools from the library and making my own enclosure, but between my schedule and space restraints, that dream will probably never materialize. Plus, I haven't handled a powersaw since shop class in middle school, and I currently enjoy having all ten fingers.

If you or someone you know is handy and looking to make a few extra bucks on a side project, please reply to this post or email me. Alternatively, if you have other ideas/websites/stores where I could check out custom enclosures, please let me know.

:tort:

Thanks in advance!
 

jaketheskate

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We live in the Bay Area too! Me and my dad are also building a custom cage for a Russian! Do u have a design plan? Ours is going to be 62"x18"x~15" high. My dads a cabinet maker.
 

juliette.eliza

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I'm just north of you in the Sonoma County area and have the same inquiry. I built a very rough indoor enclosure last year for my sulcata; but am still in need of a nice big outdoor one; and while I am proud of my creation, I think I need something a little sturdier for outdoors. Not looking for barebones either, since ideally it'll last her the next 50+ years.

Thanks,
--
Juliette & Biff
 

Yvonne G

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juliette.eliza said:
I'm just north of you in the Sonoma County area and have the same inquiry. I built a very rough indoor enclosure last year for my sulcata; but am still in need of a nice big outdoor one; and while I am proud of my creation, I think I need something a little sturdier for outdoors. Not looking for barebones either, since ideally it'll last her the next 50+ years.

Thanks,
--
Juliette & Biff

Juliette, I don't mean to hi-jack Bookish's thread, but I wanted to say that Biff should probably have the whole yard. Sulcatas need more room than just a pen.
 

juliette.eliza

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90% of my yard is a concrete patio that I can't afford to remove any time soon, so the plan is to build several planter box style pens that will eventually be multi-leveled to offer more space, but it needs to be some kind of an enclosure because Biff will have to share the space with our 60 lb dog; and while Murphy is currently afraid of Biff, I don't want to take chances. There are also several neighborhood cats that I don't want to mess with Biff either. She's still small enough
 

the_bookish_tortoise

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jaketheskate said:
We live in the Bay Area too! Me and my dad are also building a custom cage for a Russian! Do u have a design plan? Ours is going to be 62"x18"x~15" high. My dads a cabinet maker.

Hi Jake,

Yes, I have some plans drawn up. I'm thinking 62"x24"x24", with a glass front, side vents, and a door that opens on the top. And this is optional, but I'm also thinking of having a platform on one side - maybe about a third of the way across with a ramp (properly protected of course, so he can't fall off). This way he would have something to climb, which he loves, and a built in darker corner to hang out in. Ideally, I'd also like a functional cabinet underneath the cage for storage and I already have a base with mid-century-modern style legs that I'd like to put the whole thing on so it fits in with the other furniture I have. I also want two light fixtures, but those I can always install myself later.

As you can see, I have some very specific ideas, but all of it is open to negotiation with someone who actually knows what they are doing. The most important thing is it to be nice, finished wood exterior and enough space for my little man.

Do you think your dad would be willing to work on another Russian enclosure? If so I'd love to see some pictures of the one he is making for you and talk about pricing.
 

jaketheskate

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Mines going to have a mezzanine too! Its something i figure is a good use of space. Similar ideas and not too different sizes. We are planning on starting our cage building over Thanksgiving. Is there a way he can contact you? I talked to him and he was open to the possibility... I am sort of making a google sketchup plan if our enclosure.
Jakob
 

scottishscott

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I have used these guys before and I am using my old closed chamber for a Sulcata now. Check them out. They ship your cage RTA and it is very easy to assemble. I definitely stand by their product. You can also order custom stands from them as well.

http://www.customcages.com/
 

knechtion53

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Hi, my name is Karen and I happened upon your thread today. I am not a craftsman or builder but I do live in the East Bay Area.

I currently live with 2 Sulcatas and about 11 years ago I purchased a very well designed indoor environment from Hoffmans Reptiles in Concord CA. My oldest tort boy is now 12 and outside full time and I have not been to Hoffman's for several years so I don't know exactly what they might have available currently but I thought it might be worth it for you to look on their website (I Googled the above name to get there) or give them a call for more info.
The owner was quite helpful and got me on the right track with my then 1 year old Sulcata. I had purchased him originally from a small independent pet store and was given wrong information and sold the wrong habitat for a 3 month old hatchling.

Hope this helps
 
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