building a viv for my cham.. need help!

[foxymiche]

hi all,

seen as i keep loosing the bidding wars on ebay ive decided im going to build my cham a viv. I did hav a flexarium however I dont really like the look of it and it seems very flimsy and im worried it may be too cold in the winter...

anyway... today i went and got all the wood etc i needed to make a frame. I have designed it with a door at the top half so i can still get to him ok and the door is hinged with a lock on the top. the frame itself is 20"x15"x36" so is a good size for him considering he is only 4 months old and approx 4" head to vent.

Here it is so far:

Im going to be mounting my UV bulb on the top as im going to pu a strip of wood running along the top but need a bit of help. The front of the viv is going to be mesh. I have some black mesh ready to staple and glue on.. but do you think i should do wooden sides and back? The reason im thinking of this is because i have alot of branches etc that my cham likes to climb on and these need to rest against the side, im worried they will rip the mesh if its mesh on all sides. Plus my heating is very rarely on in this house (not my house!) so i wanted to make sure the heat stays in his viv and was hoping with 3 wooden sides it might keep him a bit warmer (less draughty).
Also what varnish should i use to coat it? I know it needs to be waterproof and usually use marine/yaught varnish but then is it ok for reptile use?

And just one pic of the gorgeous little guy who is totally worth mummy hammering her fingers on more than one occasion today!

thanks

 

[lyricalmiracle]

if you can afford aluminium/steel mesh that shouldn't break, that's what i've used with no problems. 3 wooden sides will work if you can provide enough ventillation for the viv to dry out after misting etc, maybe put a mesh side at the bottom for more air flow where the water collects - unless you've set up some drainage of course (i have a wooden/mesh viv and i didn't sort any drainage and it's a pain in the arse)

 

[stucoady]

Good to see you are using this forum as well? It's the best site for cham advise if you ask me

 

[bluegoldfish]

aww ur lil guy is well cute, good luck with the building i hope it all works out

 

[littleliz]

Your little cham is lovely! I used yatch varnish (very well aired) with no problems and yes it can work with three sides wooden but an extra vent in one of the solid sides would not do any harm to ensure proper ventilation.