Kenidi
New Member
4 ft Tall, 17 in. wide tube cage
* Easy to clean, very mobile, and inexpensive to make! *
Materials: All available at your local hardware store
- 4 ft. wide, 57" long piece of quarter-inch hardware cloth (preferably the plastic coated variety because it protects your chams feet). You can also just buy a large role and use wire cutters to make it the right size
- 6 hog rings + hog ring pliers, you can also use zip ties but the hog rings look nicer
- clear silcone caulking + caulking gun
- 2 plastic plant water saucers measuring 17 inches in diameter
- Small bungee cords
Putting It All Together:
Roll the hardware cloth into a tube so that the tube fits snugly into one of the plant saucers. The two ends of the hardware cloth should overlap about 3 inches. (The diameter of your cage depends on the diameter of the plastic plant saucers that will go on the top and bottom. You can use larger saucers for a larger-diameter cage. Just measure the circumference of the plant saucer you want to use, and add 3 inches so you can overlap the ends of the hardware cloth when forming the tube to fit into the saucers.)
Secure the top and bottom of the tube with a hog ring or zip tie. Fasten the remaining zip ties, hog rings or wire ties along the edge until no gaps appear.
Place one end of the tube inside a plastic dish and secure with silicone. Put a bead of silicone along the hardware cloth seam on the inside of the cage. Be liberal with the silicone all along the edge to cover any sharp edges.
When the silicone dries, the tube cage is surprisingly durable and will take years of abuse. If the silicone becomes loose or the saucer breaks, simply attach a new saucer in the same fashion. The hardware cloth will outlast plastic saucer replacements many times over. Wire can also be fashioned into a handle and secured to the cage to make moving it easier.
Place a nontoxic plant (see the “Plant Paradise” sidebar for tips on choosing a plant) inside, and some perches. A chameleon’s feet are very similar to a bird’s feet. Provide various sized branches and sticks in the enclosure. This encourages proper circulatory function and eases cramping and joint pain. If only one size of branch or perch is provided, foot problems may occur. Fresh, green, smooth branches from the yard or different sizes of dowels are OK. Variety is the key to exercising the feet properly.
Now add your chameleon and put the other water saucer on top. Secure the top saucer with small bungee cords to ensure your chameleon doesn’t escape.
***It takes longer to purchase the supplies than actually assembling the tube cage!
Do you have a pic of the completed cage? I am having a really hard time visualizing it lol
