Building an outdoor enclosure

[joneill]

Hi, I have a 1 year old male veiled chameleon and would like to build him an outdoor enclosure. He is a big cham and I want him to have lots of space and be comfortable and happy. I have looked through the Enclosures forum but most threads are about indoor setups.

This is what I have to work with. I want to build something on my front verandah (aka porch) which is tiled. One side is obviously part of the house so it has a brick wall and the other 3 sides are open. There is a roof so rain and bad weather won't pose a problem. I was thinking of building a mesh screen enclosure that had castor wheels on the bottom so that I could move it out into full sun or clean around/underneath if I need to?

Any suggestions or advice would be welcome. Also I am a woman (and a very capable one at that) so if the guys (or gals ) could steer me in the right direction with regards to materials needed and a basic description of how to put everything together, that would be great. I have put together a couple of things and even made my own wooden dog kennel so have some know-how, just wanting to brainstorm. I really want to do this project and give my cham the best home I can so tell me your ideas please!

 

[Fearaffect]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/cage-making-supplies-how-32843/

Hope this helps.....

 

[joneill]

It sure does, thank you! Since my cage is going to be approx. 2mx1.2mx1.2m what would I use for the base that would be strong enough to hold weight of 4 or 5 potted plants and also waterproof? Or would I have to fix support batons underneath? And how many castor wheels would I need for base area of 1.2mx1.2m?

 

[Fearaffect]

It sure does, thank you! Since my cage is going to be approx. 2mx1.2mx1.2m what would I use for the base that would be strong enough to hold weight of 4 or 5 potted plants and also waterproof? Or would I have to fix support batons underneath? And how many castor wheels would I need for base area of 1.2mx1.2m?

Water proof in that water wont leak out??or wood wont rot? thinking you'd want water to drain out.....
As far as support, build the bottom as described....adding a few extra screws to add stability. The bottom, Id use 3/4inch melamine. You're gonna have to buy side tape(the type made for melamine) to water proof it though OR you can get a sheet of PVC/ABS plastic of roughly the same thickness and that would be 100% water proof. If you use thinner material, I would add a support down the middle. Not sure what a baton is....lol...sure its just a different term for something I know of.....What I would do it just have 2 potted plants(ficus) and then 3 potted plants(pothos((sp?)) or similar) hanging from the top down mid-way.
As far as castors, just 1 at each corner of cage. Use a heavy duty type though...no plastic housing..steel or aluminum would be best and make sure they are the locking type....can you imagine you cage rolling down the street???
Anything else, feel free to ask....

 

[AZJ0SH]

Are you familiar with woodworking at all? Building an enclosure is complicated, and requires an abundance of power tools. Plus you have to factor in support beams if you plan on using 4-5 potted plants, at least a few crossbeams. Then you need to figure out what kind of wood to use, and then what you want to coat it with. You can use a low VOC acrylic waterproof or use a mix of stain and urathane sealer.

Not trying to steer you off the build, it's just a lot of work, and without experience cutting/measuring/building with wood you might get in over your head.

Another option would be to use simple PVC pipe, using a mix of corners and straight tubes, then cover all the sides with a screen/mesh, it's not as sturdy and would require some sort of base (maybe a table from goodwill?) and would be much less expensive.

 

[chameleonoobie]

Home Depot, as well as other places, sell washing machine pans that would be a perfect base for chameleon cages. They are sturdy 30” x 32” white polypropylene that includes a drain fitting. Google “washing machine pan” to get an idea. Sounds just about the right dimensions to make a nice cage, too.

 

[joneill]

Are you familiar with woodworking at all? Building an enclosure is complicated, and requires an abundance of power tools. Plus you have to factor in support beams if you plan on using 4-5 potted plants, at least a few crossbeams. Then you need to figure out what kind of wood to use, and then what you want to coat it with. You can use a low VOC acrylic waterproof or use a mix of stain and urathane sealer.

Not trying to steer you off the build, it's just a lot of work, and without experience cutting/measuring/building with wood you might get in over your head.

Another option would be to use simple PVC pipe, using a mix of corners and straight tubes, then cover all the sides with a screen/mesh, it's not as sturdy and would require some sort of base (maybe a table from goodwill?) and would be much less expensive.

I do have quite a lot of tools, even power ones (yeah baby!) but maybe I will try the uPVC pipe option first just to get a feel. BTW, how do you attach the screen/mesh to a circular plastic tube?

 

[Fearaffect]

Thin plastic coated wire.......should be able to get it at a craft store....if you have those where you live.....

 

[joneill]

I suppose that cable ties will also work?

 

[Olimpia]

I don't think it's that hard at all! I just built myself a 1.5 x 1.2 x 1 meter cage using only a power drill and a hand saw. As long as you have a drill bit to pre-drill holes and a driver bit to get screws in, you're good to go. Measuring is the tricky part, but I have a math dyslexia so anything with numbers is tricky for me!

I wonder if you would be inspired by the base of my "cage?" I essentially built an open rectangle, using a 1/2" sheet of wood at the bottom, covered that in waterproof PVC plastic (like to line showers) with a drain in the center, and then used bars to support the weight of the plants.

Above it was used to hold a free range. Then I built a cage that sits on the edge of the table (so it's not secured, but it works just fine inside), and this is what it looks like now as a large cage.

 

[jdog1027]

I don't think it's that hard at all! I just built myself a 1.5 x 1.2 x 1 meter cage using only a power drill and a hand saw. As long as you have a drill bit to pre-drill holes and a driver bit to get screws in, you're good to go. Measuring is the tricky part, but I have a math dyslexia so anything with numbers is tricky for me!

I wonder if you would be inspired by the base of my "cage?" I essentially built an open rectangle, using a 1/2" sheet of wood at the bottom, covered that in waterproof PVC plastic (like to line showers) with a drain in the center, and then used bars to support the weight of the plants.

Above it was used to hold a free range. Then I built a cage that sits on the edge of the table (so it's not secured, but it works just fine inside), and this is what it looks like now as a large cage.

Does the upper screened in portion just lift off of the base you have built, or is the top picture just a shot of the cage in the process of building?

 

[Olimpia]

Does the upper screened in portion just lift off of the base you have built, or is the top picture just a shot of the cage in the process of building?

The top photo was the table working as a free range stand, but now yes, I built a cage frame (without bottom) that sits on top of the table I already had. So it lifts right off and can be disassembled when I need to move again. I wanted a big cage now but I didn't want to destroy the possibility of using the table alone one day as a free range again, so I wanted something that would just sit on it for now.

 

[joneill]

Wow, Olimpia, that is a stunning setup!! Your cham must be in heaven! It has def given me a couple new ideas. And since chams love height, I will also use/make a table with a cage attached to the top part. This way I can clean underneath the enclosure with ease. How did you attach the plastic lining to the table? And btw, what plants are you using in the pictures? I really like the overall effect. Am looking at getting an ambanja towards the end of this year and I think he/she will feel so comfortable in a similar environment.

 

[Fearaffect]

Heres a link to a better pic of the bank of cages....

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f....100818956329.101402.708966329&type=1&theater

Notice the white hose on top of cages......patio mister hooked up to faucet....40ft with 20 nozzles

 

[Olimpia]

Wow, Olimpia, that is a stunning setup!! Your cham must be in heaven! It has def given me a couple new ideas. And since chams love height, I will also use/make a table with a cage attached to the top part. This way I can clean underneath the enclosure with ease. How did you attach the plastic lining to the table? And btw, what plants are you using in the pictures? I really like the overall effect. Am looking at getting an ambanja towards the end of this year and I think he/she will feel so comfortable in a similar environment.

Thanks! Attaching the sheet was a huge pain, and I had to use a second pair of hands for that part. If I remember correctly we nailed it to the center first, where we had a drainage hole cut out already. Then we pulled it tight on the raised sides of the table (to create a slant towards the middle) and took (I don't know if you can see them well in the photo) bars of wood that would act as ledges for the plant support grill bars, and nailed right through the plastic and the bar, using the bar to help keep things tight. It was tough because someone had to hold the bar against the side, pinching the plastic between the table and the bar, while another person tried to nail quickly.

But it's worked out really well. All other drainage tables I'd built always ended up rotting, regardless of how much waterproofing I did with sealants. Plastic is plastic so it keeps the water from ever touching the floor.

I am only using pothos and ficus in that cage, but I picked them in different color variations so it's more interesting. And then a fake orchid or two!

 

[lisagr07]

I don't think it's that hard at all! I just built myself a 1.5 x 1.2 x 1 meter cage using only a power drill and a hand saw. As long as you have a drill bit to pre-drill holes and a driver bit to get screws in, you're good to go. Measuring is the tricky part, but I have a math dyslexia so anything with numbers is tricky for me!

I wonder if you would be inspired by the base of my "cage?" I essentially built an open rectangle, using a 1/2" sheet of wood at the bottom, covered that in waterproof PVC plastic (like to line showers) with a drain in the center, and then used bars to support the weight of the plants.

Above it was used to hold a free range. Then I built a cage that sits on the edge of the table (so it's not secured, but it works just fine inside), and this is what it looks like now as a large cage.

Olimpia,, you have absolutely the best indoor "enclosure" i have ever seen!!! looks like a mini free range!!!!!
do you have a "build" thread that we could look at? if i can't FR Stanley i'd love to have something like this for him!!!

 

[Olimpia]

Olimpia,, you have absolutely the best indoor "enclosure" i have ever seen!!! looks like a mini free range!!!!!
do you have a "build" thread that we could look at? if i can't FR Stanley i'd love to have something like this for him!!!

Yes, there's this one here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/my-new-huge-diy-cage-65271/ I didn't include any during-construction photos but it's a super easy cage to build. I did it alone on the floor of my apartment lol