Started like this, an old TV that our neighbors gave us when our original big screen died.



It was weird and wouldnt hook up to our cable so my parents were going to give it to good will or something. [[here it is with the screen off]]


Sound panels taken off, then i gutted it.


The back was also taken off, [[thats where we are going to put the door, where the buldge was]]



We put Plywood across the bottom, that way the floor will be all one level, but i dont know where the pic is for that part. - We also painted the ceiling with black gloss acrilic paint for cleaning... and trust me.. the gloss is a lifesaver because Akua used to leave me presents and all that from the strangest places.

My dad put two switches in, one for the heat lamp, and one for the floresent light - both switches are to the same cord that runs through the back...


next, we Tiled the whole thing, i made the floor a different color tile incase i didnt want to put an actual substrate in.
[[pictured is where we ran the wires for the lighting - there will be one heat lamp and one floresent light ]]


Here is where we ran the one cord from the switches - so we can plug the cage in and only use one spot on the electrical socket


Cords are all in place, and heat lamp isnt in yet.


Bathroom Basket from walmart - $4


NOTE : you can make your own heat lamp cage, but if you go the route i did and buy a bathroom basket thing from walmart. PUT A THINER HEAT RESISTANT SCREEN ON IT. my largest ball python [originally housed in this cage] shoved himself in through a larger hole and lets just say hes ok now, but hes very accident Page Ranking dumb snake. any way

Here is the cage with everything but the glass in, we put a shelf in as you could see in a previous photo... that shelf is now larger and has a partial wall built on to help make a better heat gradient.


Here is the lighting.


Another thing, we made the glass the same size as the plastic screen we took off the TV, we siliconed around the glass to make the cage leak resistant. every corner is siliconed as well.

Here is what we have done to the heat lamp cage,


We also cut a large vent hole on the top of the cage on the opposite side of the heat lamp...


We drilled some holes along the side support things that were in the TV houseing, These are used for putting fake plants when they are used.


And here is the cage all done up awaiting my Jungle Carpet Python!



Thanks for looking, its about as good of a tutorial i could make =D
-Sara

P.S. any questions just ask me! im totally open to helping people with this kinda stuff... (oh and the original design for the BP only costed me around $70 - $80 finished)

thats a very interesting use for a TV. never would have thought about using that as an enclosure.

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yes i am a she ^_^

~My Babies~

1 Rosy Boa (male) Chaos
1 Snow Corn (male) Blizzard
1 Anertherystic Corn (male) Bullet
1 Senegal Parrot (male) Shadow
2 dogs (male) Spot and Bear

Thanks for the ideas!!!

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Colleen

No prob, yeah it was after i had pulled back part of the screen to see what exactly was in the TV that i realized i could turn it into a cage =D

Oh and as for the branches, i drilled a hole into them and then into the place i wanted them to go and screwed them in lol

if i had the spair time and money i would make some and sell them... smaller ones any way, but i dont have time right now... =/

Great job and nice pics. Looks awesome.

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Mike
"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you."

You did a fine job!
I was a bit concerned at first about that basket you were using to cover the light since the holes in it were large enough for a snake to get thru to the heat lamp. Then I saw in the other pictures you had enclosed the whole thing in a finer mesh screen.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

wow great idea! Makes me sick when I think of the of the big screen tv that my neighbor threw out and the garbage picked up!
But now I know

yeah, but most of the time cruddy tvs are plastic, so its harder to do alot with, in my case the entire body was wood. now if i could find another one like that for cheep. i would do it different, like split it into two longer cages, brighter lighting. and depending on what i was housing, a different way to get into it, possibly front drop down doors, or sliding glass front.

but you know... whats done is done.
but i love the back door, its great for cleaning. =D

Very well done! I love the looks of it, and it is very roomy.

very roomy =] actually when i painted the edges of the new shelf/part wall i was sitting in it =D im about 5'6" and i still had a little room to move around =D