Home-made enclosure

[Sarahhh]

Hi there! I’m planning to have a go at building my own enclosure for my panther chameleon. He seems to be out-growing his current enclosure and I love a DIY project! I’m just wandering if anyone can give me advice on what to use/ where to get supplies etc (UK). I have a plan of how I’d like to do it, but I wouldn’t want to make a mistake with materials and risk upsetting him! Are there certain types of wood that are better? Should be avoided? Suitable wood sealant? I’d love to have a chat with someone who has had experience of making their own!
Thanks in advance!
Sarah

 

[Beman]

Hey there use the search function in the forum to pull up other build threads. This will give you a ton of info.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Hi there! I’m planning to have a go at building my own enclosure for my panther chameleon. He seems to be out-growing his current enclosure and I love a DIY project! I’m just wandering if anyone can give me advice on what to use/ where to get supplies etc (UK). I have a plan of how I’d like to do it, but I wouldn’t want to make a mistake with materials and risk upsetting him! Are there certain types of wood that are better? Should be avoided? Suitable wood sealant? I’d love to have a chat with someone who has had experience of making their own!
Thanks in advance!
Sarah

Hi Sarah,

It's a rewarding experience.
This search may help: diy chameleon enclosure supplies UK
Might have been a better title for this thread too—to catch the eyes of UK members like Pickle-cham, Flick boy, but here we are.

One of the first decisions you'll need to make is whether you want to go bioactive or not, because it may effect your enclosure design & construction.

Next may be size. If you haven't already decided, I like this site for help figuring out enclosure size:
http://www.anapsid.org/enclsize.html

Then type of enclosure, which will depend partly on your local climate conditions & weather, and humidity levels to achieve & maintain for panthers.
The 2 main choices are screened or hybrid (solid sides, back, & door(s), screened top & panel beneath door(s)).

I can't emphasize enough using live plants only. Live plants help increase and maintain humidity.

If you use wood, I would stick to hardwoods (deciduous) and avoid softwoods (conifers). You can use conifers for framing, but try to get clear pieces rather than knotty—you're trying to avoid sap containing VOCs—and I would seal any wood with multiple coats of water-based polyurethane, both for that reason and to avoid dry-rot.

Other framing choices include aluminium, PVC, ABS, and probably one or two that escape me ATM.

 

[Sarahhh]

Hi Sarah,

It's a rewarding experience.
This search may help: diy chameleon enclosure supplies UK
Might have been a better title for this thread too—to catch the eyes of UK members like Pickle-cham, Flick boy, but here we are.

One of the first decisions you'll need to make is whether you want to go bioactive or not, because it may effect your enclosure design & construction.

Next may be size. If you haven't already decided, I like this site for help figuring out enclosure size:
http://www.anapsid.org/enclsize.html

Then type of enclosure, which will depend partly on your local climate conditions & weather, and humidity levels to achieve & maintain for panthers.
The 2 main choices are screened or hybrid (solid sides, back, & door(s), screened top & panel beneath door(s)).

I can't emphasize enough using live plants only. Live plants help increase and maintain humidity.

If you use wood, I would stick to hardwoods (deciduous) and avoid softwoods (conifers). You can use conifers for framing, but try to get clear pieces rather than knotty—you're trying to avoid sap containing VOCs—and I would seal any wood with multiple coats of water-based polyurethane, both for that reason and to avoid dry-rot.

Other framing choices include aluminium, PVC, ABS, and probably one or two that escape me ATM.

Thank you so much! Great advice, thank you! I’m slowly building up the materials and continuing to work on my design. I’m now trying to work out if there’s going to be much difference between using welded mesh or woven mesh for the side and front panels... apart from the hefty price difference!!

 

[ERKleRose]

Thank you so much! Great advice, thank you! I’m slowly building up the materials and continuing to work on my design. I’m now trying to work out if there’s going to be much difference between using welded mesh or woven mesh for the side and front panels... apart from the hefty price difference!!

It depends how you feed your cham and if you don’t mind any bug escapees

 

[Sarahhh]

It depends how you feed your cham and if you don’t mind any bug escapees

Oh I am definitely not up for bug escapees! My biggest problem is unfortunately the price... unless I’m looking in all the wrong places. I can get a 6m roll of welded mesh for £50 or it’s £50 per metre of woven!!

 

[ERKleRose]

Oh I am definitely not up for bug escapees! My biggest problem is unfortunately the price... unless I’m looking in all the wrong places. I can get a 6m roll of welded mesh for £50 or it’s £50 per metre of woven!!

I can’t help with prices or anything since I’m in the US, but by woven mesh, do you mean aluminum Insect screen?

 

[Sarahhh]

I can’t help with prices or anything since I’m in the US, but by woven mesh, do you mean aluminum Insect screen?

There are different metals to choose from, I’ve been looking at stainless steel... but yeah they are advertised for use as insect or pest screens!

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Oh I am definitely not up for bug escapees! My biggest problem is unfortunately the price... unless I’m looking in all the wrong places. I can get a 6m roll of welded mesh for £50 or it’s £50 per metre of woven!!

Are you sure that isn't backward? AFAIK, welded is more expensive than woven.
For that matter, most folks I know of (and mfrs for that matter) use aluminum window screen.
There are many threads discussing screen, mesh, & materials in the archives (search function).
I read through them when I designed an enclosure (that I didn't wind up building ).

 

[Pearl Fields]

There are different metals to choose from, I’ve been looking at stainless steel... but yeah they are advertised for use as insect or pest screens!

Pretty sure you have to be wary unless you have a solarmeter because different meshes let different amounts of Uvb through, and the most common uvb reccomendations are used with aluminum screen.

 

[ERKleRose]

There are different metals to choose from, I’ve been looking at stainless steel... but yeah they are advertised for use as insect or pest screens!

Stainless steel or aluminum will be best. Make sure whatever screen you order isn’t one of those micropest stopping ones, but one with bigger holes.

 

[ERKleRose]

Pretty sure you have to be wary unless you have a solarmeter because different meshes let different amounts of Uvb through, and the most common uvb reccomendations are used with aluminum screen.

Yup, 1,000% agree! @Sarahhh a Solarmeter 6.5 will especially be needed with a DIY build (it is still preferred to have one even with a name brand commercially bought cage)!

 

[Pickle-cham]

Meshdirect.co.uk, black aluminium woven mesh. A DIY project is likely to cost more especially if all the wood working tools are required that being said you can make it exactly the size you want.

 

[Sarahhh]

Meshdirect.co.uk, black aluminium woven mesh. A DIY project is likely to cost more especially if all the wood working tools are required that being said you can make it exactly the size you want.

I have literally just come across this option! I hadn’t thought to look at the insect screens because I wasn’t sure the holes would be big enough. This one is 1.36mmx1.36mm. Is that wide enough?

 

[GrayMadder]

Meshdirect.co.uk, black aluminium woven mesh. A DIY project is likely to cost more especially if all the wood working tools are required that being said you can make it exactly the size you want.

Especially treating all the wood so it's water proof and won't rot from the moisture of your misting and humidity at night.

 

[Pickle-cham]

I have literally just come across this option! I hadn’t thought to look at the insect screens because I wasn’t sure the holes would be big enough. This one is 1.36mmx1.36mm. Is that wide enough?

The reptibreeze mesh is 16 holes per inch one way & 20 holes per inch the other way i will try to work it out now

 

[Pickle-cham]

Perfect

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

The reptibreeze mesh is 16 holes per inch one way & 20 holes per inch the other way i will try to work it out now

There are all kinds of window screen mesh; standard (US) is 16 x 18 (the size of my window screens).
The screen that blocks tiny insects is 20 x 20. I've seen up to 4 x 4.
The mesh in a DS enclosure is 14 x 18, which is slightly larger holes than standard window screen.

 

[Sarahhh]

@Pickle-cham @ERKleRose @Beman @Klyde O'Scope @Pearl Fields ,
Thank you so much for your advice!! Here is the enclosure I have just finished making... What do you think!?

I don’t know if it’s clear to see, but the fake plants at the back are just for show... they actually in bruise a Perspex screen, so I won’t be losing my panther or any bugs in there! I’ve also got a few tacks hidden around there for me to attach his usual vines to when I set it up properly! I have bought some massive live plants to go in there and tomorrow’s job is to get it all put in place!
Sarah

 

[ERKleRose]

@Pickle-cham @ERKleRose @Beman @Klyde O'Scope @Pearl Fields ,
Thank you so much for your advice!! Here is the enclosure I have just finished making... What do you think!? View attachment 293157
I don’t know if it’s clear to see, but the fake plants at the back are just for show... they actually in bruise a Perspex screen, so I won’t be losing my panther or any bugs in there! I’ve also got a few tacks hidden around there for me to attach his usual vines to when I set it up properly! I have bought some massive live plants to go in there and tomorrow’s job is to get it all put in place!
Sarah

AMAZING!!! It‘s so gorgeous, and I’m so jealous! Definitely keep us updated! And great idea on the background!