Wooden cage design
I have been building wood frame chameleon cages off and on for 16 years. Let me share some cage building tricks that will save you time and money.
1) The basic frame should be 2"x2" (which is actually 1-1/2"x1-1/2"). You can use 1"x2" (which is actually 3/4"x 1-1/2") for the door frame and midrails on the 3 sides and the door, but it is too small for the frame.
2) The wood and the flooring are in available in 8 foot lengths, so the actual cage will be a shy 2 feet by 4 feet, which will use all of the 8 foot length. Pick out STRAIGHT stock only.
3) Wood screws are the best connection devise, and if you predrill a pilot hole, you will prevent split wood. Nice to have 2 drills available, one with the phillips head bit, and one with a drill bit. Most of the cage will need 2 inch screws, I get the gold ones in a box @ Lowes or Home Depot.
4) The best floor I found was a white hardboard floor (seen in business bathrooms on the wall, it is shiney and has smooth bumps on it-about $25.00 a 4'x8' sheet), but I have only seen it in 4 by 8 foot sheets, so you will have 3/4 of a 4'x8' sheet left over. I have Home Depot/Lowes cut it to size on their panel saw, it is worth the 50 cents a cut!
5) Buy Aluminum Screen in a 4 foot roll (another reason to be under the 48 inch height on the design), remember each 2'x2'x4' cage will take 10 feet of screen when you include the top. Buy a 25 foot roll for your project. I staple the screen on the outside of the cage, and then cover the staples with 3/4 inch wood window lathe. I secure the lathe with 3/4 inch brad nails, regularly gold to match the wood screws.
6) The door will need to be hinged, and the opposite back edge on the door needs to be shaved down to get a snug fit when you close it. Buy a handle for the door, wood moves with water and temperature changes, you do't want to be fighting getting the door open.
A 2'x2'x4' cage built as listed above should cost in the neighborhood of $100.00 in materials, but your next cage will use the excess flooring, screen,
screws, staples and brad nails. My first cage took over 9 hours to complete, after the first few, I got the time down to 6 hours.
A couple of points to consider are that wooden cages tend not to be as effective in cricket containment as screen cages. If you don't have the tools to build the cages, or finance to buy the initial materials,it is pretty frustrating. Wood and heat lamps are a recipe for a fire, so suspend the lights above the cage, do not lay them on the top. I have found curious cats and dogs can bump the lights off the screen and...well you get what I mean. I had the opportunity to replace carpet in the room...wife was NOT happy.
I would suggest you set the cage on a dresser or cradenza, it will be too unstable if you build it with legs to the floor.
Too bad you don't live in the Northwest states, I am going to sell my latest chameleon cage I built to use for my Mellers chameleons, it houses 2 chamleons (plywood seperates the 2 halves), it is 74" long by 17" wide by 47" high!
Good building to you, enjoy he process.
CHEERS!
Nick Barta
Puyallup Washington
