Building my cages.. good news and bad news..

[Trundy]

Well.... I finally found some free time (& energy) to dedicate to finishing my 3 cages..since i'm ordering the misting system this tuesday I figured I should have them ready for when it gets here so I can be running everything a good week or 2 before my Chams come home.. I actually built 2 18x18x36 cages first, and once they were built I figured they'd be too small so I gave those to my youngest son ,( He's psyched I messed up and now he's got some cages from the deal ) and he is going to start planting them in hopes of down the line having his own chams.. but for me they were just too small ... So I started putting together 3 24x24x42 cages.. which are just the right size... Anywho.. Got em cut up and put together to make sure the size was right.. ..Then just had to disasemble & screen them then assemble them for the final time... I am making pretty good progress until I realize I am 1 stupid panel short as far as screen...lol... and now the hardware stores are closed for the night .. So... I'm stuck here being inpatient... the good news is .. I'm almost done.. the bad news is .. I gotta wait until tomorrow... I can't believe my calculations were spot on right up until the last minute... lol .. now I've gotta buy a roll of screen for 1 stinking panel... Ah well... It'll all be worth it soon enough... Well... That's my progress report for this fine sunday evening........

 

[SonTigerPantherCham]

Extra screen means more cages means more chams!!!
That's how I see it anyway!

 

[Trundy]

Extra screen means more cages means more chams!!!
That's how I see it anyway!

Yep... Thats what I was thinking... I don't even have my panthers home yet and I'm already wanting to get a trio of veileds... but I think i'll wait about 3 months and then if it feels right I will ... But I can still start building some baby cages

 

[Ekproject]

See theirs a plus to everything

 

[Justin Ward]

ive got a shit ton of screen left over...maybe i should build some more cages too

 

[Trundy]

Justin... Get on with it man... Youve probably got enough room for a dozen more right?

 

[Justin Ward]

Justin... Get on with it man... Youve probably got enough room for a dozen more right?

actually im drawing up some plans for some racks, so i can invest in more cages...you know what that means but its gonna be a while since i just got outta surgery and only have one hand for a while...at least i will have time to get everything thought out all the way, and dont just jump into it...now i can go do some pricing and explore my options...im thinking of doing something like matt has with the gutter drainage type system

 

[splinter]

Do you have some pics? I build my chameleon cage but have a little problem with escapees. Just couldn't make a good seal on the door because of small curves in the wood. Still thinking on how would I fix that. Thinking on the extra screen, maybe I would make a smaller cage just for feeding. Is that a good idea? Won that stress the little guy? He still young and I build a cage for his entire life so sometimes it takes a while before the crickets pass by him.

 

[Justin Ward]

Do you have some pics? I build my chameleon cage but have a little problem with escapees. Just couldn't make a good seal on the door because of small curves in the wood. Still thinking on how would I fix that. Thinking on the extra screen, maybe I would make a smaller cage just for feeding. Is that a good idea? Won that stress the little guy? He still young and I build a cage for his entire life so sometimes it takes a while before the crickets pass by him.

you could try cup feeding so the feeders cant get out...when i build a cage, i pick out each individual piece of wood, to make sure they are as straight as possible on all sides...it just makes things easier in the long run

 

[splinter]

If I cut the top of a half gallon milk container, can I use that for cup feeding?

 

[Trundy]

now i can go do some pricing and explore my options...im thinking of doing something like matt has with the gutter drainage type system

Exactly... I'm gonna take my time and get more at some point...

I do like the way Matts system was set up...

I'll be building my table w drainage this week sometime.. Going to have 3 cages w 2x2 footprints w screen bottoms all draining to the middle of the table.. will post pics of it when its finished..

 

[Trundy]

If I cut the top of a half gallon milk container, can I use that for cup feeding?

Thats what I used for my Veiled... He always liked it.. I say that'll work great

 

[Justin Ward]

If I cut the top of a half gallon milk container, can I use that for cup feeding?

that will work, if you like chinese takeout, those containers are very versitile...i currently have one of the quart sized containers as a feeding cup, i just used duct tape to put on the outside to make it opaque (if the cham can see the food it can try to shoot through the side of the container and damage their tongue)...make sure you poke holes in it too so it can drain...you dont want your feeds to drown

 

[Justin Ward]

Exactly... I'm gonna take my time and get more at some point...

I do like the way Matts system was set up...

I'll be building my table w drainage this week sometime.. Going to have 3 cages w 2x2 footprints w screen bottoms all draining to the middle of the table.. will post pics of it when its finished..

yeah that should turn out awesome, let me know how it goes...im just taking my time and trying to fit as much as posssible in the given space that i have

 

[Trundy]

Finally done building... now I get to decorate later this week... misting system should be here by early next week.... psyched.... but mostly glad to not be building anymore.

 

[Justin Ward]

Finally done building... now I get to decorate later this week... misting system should be here by early next week.... psyched.... but mostly glad to not be building anymore.

which misting sytem are you going with? the one off of reptile basics?

 

[Trundy]

Yessir.... it was recommended... I did a good amount of research and emailed the owner...and the price was right...seemed like the best option at the end of the day...

 

[JohnnyButt]

Im planning on building a 2x2x4 cage soon
I'm using a utility sink at the moment for drainage
I was wondering if there is a detailed post or pictures of this Matt guys drainage system
and also what is best for framing/screening

Was thinking about water sealed wood and hardware cloth

 

[Trundy]

Not sure there is any pictures of the drainage system... It was a really big system ... The jist was that all cages leaned forward and there was a house type gutter on front that drained to one end..

as far as frame and screen... I used aluminum screen frame and aluminum screen.. Fairly easy... but time consuming since I'm not the best at managing my time..

 

[Justin Ward]

Im planning on building a 2x2x4 cage soon
I'm using a utility sink at the moment for drainage
I was wondering if there is a detailed post or pictures of this Matt guys drainage system
and also what is best for framing/screening

Was thinking about water sealed wood and hardware cloth

he use to breed, and this system was setup for a lot of chams...he actaully has a pump set up in his drainage bin that pumps all the water out of the back of his garage