Drainage issue in cage. Suggestions wanted

[Bonginator]

I have 2 potted plants in my screen cage 18 x 18 x 36 reptibreeze cage and am using my mistking to mist and rain every 2 hours for 30 seconds.

I drilled 5 holes in the middle of the cage for drainage.

The pots are now saturated with water so when I mist, I get a small pool of water around the base of the bigger pot and the crickets are drowning in it when I put them in for feeding (hoping for non cup feeding). I put a paper towel under it to wick moisture temporarily but it's not a long term solution. Too high maintenance.

Any suggestions for improving the drainage and keeping water from pooling under the pots or on the base of the cage?

I am losing too many crickets.

 

[Gavinsons]

Get a tupperware container the cage will fit in, a shallow one. dril a hole for a plug or hose running to a bucket and drill the plastic bottom with a bunch of small holes. be sure to prop up the cage an inch or two so it is not sitting on the bottom of the plastic container.

 

[Bonginator]

Get a tupperware container the cage will fit in, a shallow one. dril a hole for a plug or hose running to a bucket and drill the plastic bottom with a bunch of small holes. be sure to prop up the cage an inch or two so it is not sitting on the bottom of the plastic container.

So you are suggesting I remove the plastic bottom entirely and just have mesh below? I have holes in the bottom now but it just doesn't drain.

 

[addicks]

Drill more holes all over the bottom.

Small enough crickets won't escape.

I used perforated pvc sheet and cut it to size.

http://http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A16414291%2Cp_n_feature_twelve_browse-bin%3A6878197011

 

[Sticktongue]

There are a lot of drainage idea on the forum, just do a search for drain system or something like that and you'll find a lot of threads.

The easiest way is to have the cage on a shelving unit of some sort. If its wood, drill a 3" hole or so and line up the draining holes from the cage with it, and have a bin underneath to catch the water. I always used plastic or metal so i didn't have any worries about mold. But, its preventable with wood if you do it right. You can do this several different ways, but this should give you some ideas of how to proceed.

 

[Gavinsons]

So you are suggesting I remove the plastic bottom entirely and just have mesh below? I have holes in the bottom now but it just doesn't drain.

no, just drill a bunch of holes in the plastic bottom white piece. small enough your crickets wont get out. then sit the cage in the plastic container. on my new cages i bought a transmission drain pan and built the cage around them and used plastic light diffuser material, it's a plastic grid 5/8" thick on top of the drain pans and covered it with filter fabric. like the stuff you would use in the garden to keep weeds out. works great.

 

[JlaPinska]

sounds like you are doing everything right . if it's not draining through the holes you drilled it's because the plant isn't heavy enough to cause any bowing. i have a giant ficus in mine and it took a few days before it bowed enough to drain. now it drains fine into the bin underneath. do you have rocks on top of your plants?? try to center the weight of the plants over the holes and weigh them down more with rocks if you haven't yet

 

[Bonginator]

sounds like you are doing everything right . if it's not draining through the holes you drilled it's because the plant isn't heavy enough to cause any bowing. i have a giant ficus in mine and it took a few days before it bowed enough to drain. now it drains fine into the bin underneath. do you have rocks on top of your plants?? try to center the weight of the plants over the holes and weigh them down more with rocks if you haven't yet

Thanks. Yes, I have rocks in my plants. I drilled a few more holes yesterday underneath the plant and will see if this improves things. Thanks for the more rocks suggestion.

 

[Pharaoh2015]

What do you have your cage on now?
What if you used a screw to compress the center farther down so the water moves away from the plants to your holes then to your bucket or drainage collection device.

 

[Bonginator]

What do you have your cage on now?
What if you used a screw to compress the center farther down so the water moves away from the plants to your holes then to your bucket or drainage collection device.

A medium size pothos and a smaller chameleon safe plant. Both have rocks in them. The pothos is heavier as it sits under the rain dome and gets the most water. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Carlton]

I have 2 potted plants in my screen cage 18 x 18 x 36 reptibreeze cage and am using my mistking to mist and rain every 2 hours for 30 seconds.

I drilled 5 holes in the middle of the cage for drainage.

The pots are now saturated with water so when I mist, I get a small pool of water around the base of the bigger pot and the crickets are drowning in it when I put them in for feeding (hoping for non cup feeding). I put a paper towel under it to wick moisture temporarily but it's not a long term solution. Too high maintenance.

Any suggestions for improving the drainage and keeping water from pooling under the pots or on the base of the cage?

I am losing too many crickets.

Sounds like the suggestions for bowing the cage bottom will help a lot. You could also lay a piece of window screen over the drainholes to help the crickets climb out of the accumulated water.