Ace's New Cage

[frankie-gush]

So Ace is about 8 Months now, and i decided it was time to let him have his bigger cage I was very suprised by the difference in size between an 18x18x36 and a 24x24x48

Once again i decided to put the Green Garden Fencing around the Whole cage (thanks to beeze for the Idea) Took me a whole morning to cut it to size and Fasten It on.

I Used this Small Green Garden Wire (i believe its Tomato Wire) to Tie it to the Cage

Resting on Its Stand, which is a 4 Tier B&Q Grow House. The 24x24x48 fits perfectly.

Fitted the Trusty MistKing in the corner, It seems to spray so much better in the bigger enclosure for some reason. I was going to install 2 Spray Heads, hence the T-Junction, but decided the One was enough.

The Finished Product, I used a 6500k Daylight Tube alongside a UVB Tube, and Ace seems to be showing far nicer colours, a much brighter Green, and seems to be happily checking out his new place.
Shower Curtain is behind the Cage, but is blocking out the window, so i'm on the lookout for a Clear one.
Its a newly decorated room, so i put the waterproof sheet down on the floor just incase there were any water mishaps, but the setup worked for me in the old cage, so hopefully no problems.

Will Post Some Pics of Ace soon.

 

[lisagr07]

very nice!!!
i see that you cut and attached the green poultry fencing prior to assembling the cage.. sounds like a better idea than what i tried to d, assemble the cage and then add the fencing!! i ended up not using it in my small cage, 16x16x30, i feared my baby might get between the two meshes.. but on his larger enclosure i'm going to add it... before assembly!!!!

by all means, please post pics of the setup as you make the switch over.... i'm in the put together process and being a visual person the pics help me out alot!!!!

lisa

 

[frankie-gush]

very nice!!!
i see that you cut and attached the green poultry fencing prior to assembling the cage.. sounds like a better idea than what i tried to d, assemble the cage and then add the fencing!! i ended up not using it in my small cage, 16x16x30, i feared my baby might get between the two meshes.. but on his larger enclosure i'm going to add it... before assembly!!!!

by all means, please post pics of the setup as you make the switch over.... i'm in the put together process and being a visual person the pics help me out alot!!!!

lisa

Yes, i attached it before building the cage, i added it after building on the old cage, and it was a nightmare trying to reach. Learned from my mistakes

He's in there now, gonna leave him for the day to become accustomed to his new home, but will take some pics in the next couple of days

 

[lisagr07]

how do you have the horizontal branches secured to the cage?? lisa

 

[frankie-gush]

They are fitted tight, and slotted between the green mesh so they cannot move or slide, i did use drawing pins on each end in the old cage, but i don't think theres any need, so eliminated them, and had no problems.

The wood is a mixture of Bamboo, and wodden dowelling of different sizes.

I have lots of fake vines, but decided not to use them for the time being, he can get around his cage fine, and they are a pain to put in & wrap around plants etc.. If i was to put them in, i would fasten them to the green mesh with small cable ties, or the green wire.

 

[lisagr07]

They are fitted tight, and slotted between the green mesh so they cannot move or slide, i did use drawing pins on each end in the old cage, but i don't think theres any need, so eliminated them, and had no problems.

The wood is a mixture of Bamboo, and wodden dowelling of different sizes.

I have lots of fake vines, but decided not to use them for the time being, he can get around his cage fine, and they are a pain to put in & wrap around plants etc.. If i was to put them in, i would fasten them to the green mesh with small cable ties, or the green wire.

ah!!! the green mesh has numerous benifits!!! i hate trying to "plant/vinescape" a small cage ... heck, i don't even have him yet but i can't wait until Stanley is ready to move up to a bigger one!!!!
thanks,, lisa

 

[lisagr07]

what are your thoughts about the plants being set up in stands instead of sitting directly on the floor of the cage? to help decrease water collection, more air circulation?

 

[frankie-gush]

ah!!! the green mesh has numerous benifits!!! i hate trying to "plant/vinescape" a small cage ... heck, i don't even have him yet but i can't wait until Stanley is ready to move up to a bigger one!!!!
thanks,, lisa

Yes, it has many uses, my guy grew so quickly, i was gonna keep him in the smaller cage for another couple of months, but it seemed benficial to move him up now. I don't remember any of my previous chams growing so fast lol but im sure they did. You'll be moving to a bigger cage in next to no time

what are your thoughts about the plants being set up in stands instead of sitting directly on the floor of the cage? to help decrease water collection, more air circulation?

I have the plants on stands for ease of cleaning under them. Its hard and awkward to lift a Big Plant when it's in the cage. The smaller plant is no problem, as i can just lift it out. Also Insects cannot hide under them without me seeing them, they love dark places.

 

[eZiO]

Very nice setup =] Where did you get such small plant stand though? I can only find HUGE ones.

 

[frankie-gush]

Just from a local Garden Centre, they has Large & Small ones

 

[Marty]

Nice set up. Few suggestions though:

1. Cover the reservoir with something that doesn't let light through. The proximity to the window is a bit concerning. You may start getting algae and sludge growing
   
2. I would put the pump on the ground. This way it won't resonate on the reservoir, esp when near empty. Also, in case you run out of water, you may or may not have an issue with it priming on its own. Pump is self priming, but the check-valve in the nozzle will make it harder for the pump to pull water in (blessing in disguise). Having it on the ground, gravity will help it prime.
   
3. You may want to secure the tubing with zip ties as much as possible. You'll avoid any rattling and movement of the tubing, which your chameleon may not enjoy. You will also make the system virtually silent.
   

other than that, peachy

 

[lisagr07]

Very nice setup =] Where did you get such small plant stand though? I can only find HUGE ones.

yeah, that was my question also.

i went to three different garden centers and all they have are 12" plus tall...
i think they're a great idea, in that it gives the feeders less places to hide plus more opportunity for water to evaporate from under the plant...
i may have to surf the web th see hat i can find.. lisa

 

[frankie-gush]

Nice set up. Few suggestions though:

1. Cover the reservoir with something that doesn't let light through. The proximity to the window is a bit concerning. You may start getting algae and sludge growing
   
2. I would put the pump on the ground. This way it won't resonate on the reservoir, esp when near empty. Also, in case you run out of water, you may or may not have an issue with it priming on its own. Pump is self priming, but the check-valve in the nozzle will make it harder for the pump to pull water in (blessing in disguise). Having it on the ground, gravity will help it prime.
   
3. You may want to secure the tubing with zip ties as much as possible. You'll avoid any rattling and movement of the tubing, which your chameleon may not enjoy. You will also make the system virtually silent.
   

other than that, peachy

I clean out the reservoir weekly, but i'll put a bin bag over it for the time being, moving house hopefully soon, so the setup is only temporary.

The Pump has been fine just sat on top, but i've laid it on the floor for now, i do eventually plan on fixing it perminently.

The Tubing is Ziptied all the way up the Frame the Cage is sat on, doesn't move at all, and is almost silent.

Thanks for the suggestions Marty

 

[beeze]

Nice lookin cage. You did a great job on it! You guys gonna love it!

 

[Marty]

Excellent! Glad to know all is working fine. Also, as a safety precaution, you want to make sure that your drain reservoir is larger than your misting system reservoir. It's always a good practice to design things so in case of a failure you won't have too much trouble....Hopefully that will never happen, but it's better to be on the cautious side.

 

[frankie-gush]

Nice lookin cage. You did a great job on it! You guys gonna love it!

Thanks Beeze, loved your idea

Excellent! Glad to know all is working fine. Also, as a safety precaution, you want to make sure that your drain reservoir is larger than your misting system reservoir. It's always a good practice to design things so in case of a failure you won't have too much trouble....Hopefully that will never happen, but it's better to be on the cautious side.

I don't keep the misting reseroir too full usually (just a couple of days worth), and the drain reservoir will hold a couple of weeks worth of mistings, so all is Good.