finally my new custom cage is done!!!!

DarkRapture

DarkRapture

New Member
so here is what i used/stats for my entire habitat:

*HEIGHT is 6' 2" total, with the enclosure part at 5' 1", 30" WIDE and 25" DEEP.
*1" X 2" CEDAR - sealed with 4 heavy coats of water based POLYURETHANE
*1/2" PLYWOOD - base
*2" X 4" SPRUCE - for the legs
*VINYL FLOOR TILES - slate coloration (bathroom stuff!)
*3/8" FLOORING UNDERLAY PLY - smooth stuff, used for shelf
*7/8" O.D. VINYL TUBING - used 5 12" lengths in bottom for drainage
*13" X 20" BASIN - to collect H2O runoff (underneath cage)
*WOODEN DOWEL, 2 HOOKS CLEAR SHOWER CURTAIN W/ HANGERS - used at the back for H2O runoff/over spray
*6 X 1 1/4" SILVER HINGES - 3 doors
*2 DOOR HANDLES
*BLACK ALUMINUM SCREEN - all sides and top
*SET OF 4 ANGLE BRACKETS - for each door
*2 SPRING-LOADED MAGNETIC AND 2 REGULAR MAGNETIC LATCHES
*KITCHEN & BATH SILICON (clear) - stuff cures in 24 hours! its great!
*2 CLAMP LAMPS: 1 75W INFRARED SPOT, 1 65W PLANT SPOT
*24" REPTISUN 5.0 WITH ALUMINUM REFLECTOR (currently using a 48" zoomed reptisun 5.0 because i had an accident LOL. new one is ordered :p)
*DIGI THERMOMETER - with min/max memory
*HYGROMETER
*6' TALL FICUS BENJAMINA - yes it actually fit in there with a little persuasion
*24" tall SCHEFFLERA
*3 30" BAMBOO
*12" FICUS
*4 SILK PLANTS
*RIVER ROCKS - used to cover the coconut fiber potting substrate (plants re-potted in it)
*A DOZEN OR SO DRIFTWOOD STICKS
*BLACK ASIAN-STYLE BOWL - for feeding (contrasts great against dusted buggies!)
*ZAP STRAPS - some with the screw holes to affix stix, silk plants...


it took a lot longer that i had expected to do everything - as these things always do... i had a lot of washing to do and rinsing, to make sure that no chemical exposure is risked. the polyurethane cured for about a week before i used the silicon and laid the floor tiles. i soaked the driftwood in the bathtub with OXY bleach powder and rinsed the heck out of it after (about a 30 min hot shower!) as most were too long to fit into the oven. i used a bleach/dishsoap solution to wash down all the plants. the main plant has been in my house pesticide free for about 5 years but i still washed it anyways (dust 'n stuff, you know).

i am very happy about the shower curtain on the back and think that it looks great as it is clear. the dowel is perfect to clamp the lamps onto... the 2 basking spots are at 94-96F and directly in between is 87F. the temp at the top outskirts is 79F ambient temp is 77F close to the top and 72 near the bottom. humidity is at 55% in my house (i live in vancouver and it rains a LOT here), 60-65% in his cage and goes up to about 80-90% during mistings.

i mist 2-3 times a day using a garden pump-sprayer with boiled/partially cooled water - so it's luke warm at 6" away. the sprayer is the best invention! no spitting!!! i am going to set up a dripper next weekend so i have the reassurance that he can get to water when i go to work. i will also eventually get a timer for the lights. at the moment i get up at 6:30am so his lights go on about 6:45 and go off about 7-8ish pm.

so what do y'all think? i love it, i know my lil dude likes it too he doesn't seem pissed or stressed about the transition either :) sorry if this is a really long post with the pix, but i'm so excited about this! it is the most elaborate and planned out cage i have ever built. i am no carpenter but i am ok at math and it seems i did this quite well! i cut each piece of everything with my skillsaw and hand saw, and predrilled all my holes. i may be a tiny girl but i sure can do stuff! lol i'm so weird sometimes, listen to me ramble!

and now, the pix :D

the top with my lights...
100_3922.jpg


front view:
100_3925.jpg


bottom door and vinyl flooring (if you look really close you can see my little holes i have for the drain tubing)
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg242/darkrapture13/100_3926.jpg

both bottom doors open
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg242/darkrapture13/100_3927.jpg

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg242/darkrapture13/100_3928.jpg

magnetic latches
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg242/darkrapture13/100_3929.jpg

top door open
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg242/darkrapture13/100_3933.jpg

shelf with feeding dish
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg242/darkrapture13/100_3936.jpg
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg242/darkrapture13/100_3939.jpg
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg242/darkrapture13/100_3948.jpg

Marley is getting ready for bed... so cute :p
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg242/darkrapture13/100_3943.jpg
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg242/darkrapture13/100_3945.jpg

spring loaded magnetic latch
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg242/darkrapture13/100_3947.jpg

side view...
i really hope i'm not boring anyone to death out there! lol:D
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg242/darkrapture13/100_3950.jpg


so whatdya think?????? i love it hehe
 
You keep your kid in there? J/K I like the shelf idea, never thought of that... Only thing I wouldn't like at my place is the tiny top door.If it were mine i would have made the middle door big enough for both, but Overall it looks great I think...nice job and good looking Cham as well...
 
very nice!! I'm really liking that 3 door idea so you don't have to open the whole thing depending on what you're doing in the cage.

and there's nothing quite like nice natural wood grain to add some warmth to a room, you must be proud to have that on display (I know I would!), especially when people come over and are like 'wooow where'd you get that?'
 
LOOKS VERY NICE! I cant wait to start building mine. Im going with chris andersons plans but modify a little to fit my needs. I am laid off for winter so I am low on cash. I am the sprinkler man.

Again looks great.
 
I like the cage, and I especially like the shelf for the food bowl. The shelf seems much more convenient than tying a bowl to the side or trying to fit it into the vines/branches.
 
Ren said:
You keep your kid in there? J/K I like the shelf idea, never thought of that... Only thing I wouldn't like at my place is the tiny top door.If it were mine i would have made the middle door big enough for both, but Overall it looks great I think...nice job and good looking Cham as well...
Click to expand...

lol! ok i have a bedroom for my child not a cage - even if it does look so great! hehe

i thought about doing a big main door but this one is great cuz i use it for the mistings and dont have to worry about opening the whole cage to do it. i think that it's less intrusive :) i did however, need to put in a support beam and i figured that it was the best place because of my tree in there. i also thought about just making the bottom 2 doors bigger but i kinda like the mini door i think that it completes the whole look and feel of the cage.
i think he's so cute in there :p
 
Zoey said:
The cage is Awsome. :) Bet you had a fun time building it :)
Click to expand...

yes i did! the part that sucked was the silicon because the fumes are so strong! and the other hard part was waiting for it to be finished! but now that it's done i think that i can enjoy it much better :)
 
Electric said:
very nice!! I'm really liking that 3 door idea so you don't have to open the whole thing depending on what you're doing in the cage.

and there's nothing quite like nice natural wood grain to add some warmth to a room, you must be proud to have that on display (I know I would!), especially when people come over and are like 'wooow where'd you get that?'
Click to expand...

i had originally planned 2 doors but it worked out better for me to have 3. Marley is always at the top so i can get in there to mist from the top door... i put his food in through the middle door and when i squeegie the water and clean poops i use just the bottom door. its great and so convenient!

as far as it being a showpeice, our friends have been getting an earfull about how cool and big it is... then they come over and are just as impressed as you had assumed! it gives me such a sense of pride in the work. i kinda think of myself as artsy and it feels nice to get all the praise :). i have never used cedar before - always spruce or pine - but i am glad about my decision to keep it natural without colored stain. :D
 
cainschams said:
LOOKS VERY NICE! I cant wait to start building mine. Im going with chris andersons plans but modify a little to fit my needs. I am laid off for winter so I am low on cash. I am the sprinkler man.

Again looks great.
Click to expand...

thanx!!! hehe sprinkler man.. so do you design your own misting systems? might be a way to make extra cash in the slow season.. but i don't really know a lot about the industry. it is truly rewarding to build your own! hope you have fun!
 
spatulars said:
I like the cage, and I especially like the shelf for the food bowl. The shelf seems much more convenient than tying a bowl to the side or trying to fit it into the vines/branches.
Click to expand...

thanx! the shelf was fun to make too! i just went to town with the jigsaw and made it all wavy n stuff. it also serves as dual purpose for a dry place that Marley can escape to during mistings if he really doesn't feel like getting wet. it definitely helped when i was adding in branches!
 
Reven said:
Very impressive! So when can you make one for me? haha
Click to expand...

thanx!!! uh well... about that, i think that you live kinda far away.... it's definitely something that i could mass produce if i had a miter saw and table saw, but it takes quite a while when its just me and hand tools... lol
it would be fun though!
 
tryme said:
looks brilliant...on your tube is that just tinfoil strapped to create a reflector?
Click to expand...

thank you!!
yup it sure is!
i used the heavy duty suff, folded it a couple times to make it sturdy and the right width, and then used a little piece of wire to affix it at the ends. i made sure to curve it and fan it out enuf so that he is getting reflection even at 160-180 degrees (well, i can guess that its close to 160). always use a reflector of tinfoil/metal - even if you're using a hood to maximize reflection :). easy, huh?
 
DarkRapture said:
thanx! the shelf was fun to make too! i just went to town with the jigsaw and made it all wavy n stuff. it also serves as dual purpose for a dry place that Marley can escape to during mistings if he really doesn't feel like getting wet. it definitely helped when i was adding in branches!
Click to expand...

First of all, great cage! I like the shelf idea, too. You could put a pothos or other tendril type plant on the shelf and let it hang and grow down. That would be great!
 
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