Curtis James
Established Member
Doors closed.
How should I build apollos new cage!?
- Thread starter Curtis James
- Start date
Doors closed.
Curtis James
Established Member
With doors open
Knives2886
New Member
Id keep it all intact as much as possible. i like the look of the trim and everything. so id say on the top doors remove the panneling in the door and replace with screen mesh and on the rest get plexi glass thats the same thickness as the board in the frames and replace with the plexi.
for the inside id wack off the left side of the table tops and keep that small compartment to the right for a mister or w/e else you wanna store in there
*edit* also id look at homedpot at trim to compress aginst the doors to make a tight seal to stop insects from getting out
for the inside id wack off the left side of the table tops and keep that small compartment to the right for a mister or w/e else you wanna store in there
*edit* also id look at homedpot at trim to compress aginst the doors to make a tight seal to stop insects from getting out
misshissingroaches
Member
Knives2886's cage is amazing. i would take a look at that for some inspiration!
Knives2886
New Member
what id do is this. itll keep a really nice look to your cage and give you ventilation at the top, space to keep crickets and wires and pumps ect and lots of room for lights. for the lights id just cut holes in the top and put some screan mesh over the holes and set the lights on top of the cabnet and not in it. itll give you a cleaner look in the long run.
Attachments
misshissingroaches
Member
i would do knives idea but like a little cricket area, area for cricket food, your cham supplements, toys, and cage misters and gear. then find ceative/decrotive ways to label, but this is just me.
Curtis James
Established Member
Thoes are all great ideas kinda what I was thinking. You think I should do plexi glass or all screed on panel? My biggest concern is keeping incest IN cage! And some how to have mister and to have water run down in a bucket/tub/pump underneath.
Knives2886
New Member
Id do half screen just at the top so there is some air flow. I fid it holds humidity the best being ur not demolishing the cabnet you can always play with the arrangment of plexi and screen on the doors to find your optimum choice.
As for the misting and ruining the wood id line the inside with some sort of laminat. I seen sheets of white plastic stuff at homedepoft thatd work great just make a moisture tight seal and caulk the seams. And maybe spray the wood on ur doors with that rubber sealn spray in a can....
And for the isnsects getting out like i said there are many types of door jam seals that you could prefab to make a tight seal on the doors. Main thing here is getting the doors to latch good so the chamels dont push open the doors. Idk any good ideas there but im sure ull figure something good out.
This makes me want to start building my closet into a cage now
As for the misting and ruining the wood id line the inside with some sort of laminat. I seen sheets of white plastic stuff at homedepoft thatd work great just make a moisture tight seal and caulk the seams. And maybe spray the wood on ur doors with that rubber sealn spray in a can....
And for the isnsects getting out like i said there are many types of door jam seals that you could prefab to make a tight seal on the doors. Main thing here is getting the doors to latch good so the chamels dont push open the doors. Idk any good ideas there but im sure ull figure something good out.
This makes me want to start building my closet into a cage now
fluxlizard
Avid Member
Is it made out of laminated particle board or real wood?
If it is laminate- I'd personally skip using it altogether.
That stuff soaks up water like a sponge and expands, becoming weak and never going back to it's original shape...
If it is laminate- I'd personally skip using it altogether.
That stuff soaks up water like a sponge and expands, becoming weak and never going back to it's original shape...
TreeTopChameleons
Established Member
You definitely want to avoid incest getting out into the neighborhood...would really raise some eyebrows!
On a serious note, I would skip the plexi glass idea and just do screen, additionally I would add a screen panel to the 2 sides of your cabinet as well. It is so enclosed you will not need the extra plexiglass for humidity. Also be sure its a solid wood cabinet or you will run into serious problems within a year! Be sure to seal everything, including all cuts, and joints with either a silicon or water sealing product.
Good Luck
Curtis James
Established Member
How about that design? The red is what I would be cutting away. And towards the top screen for lights to sit on and shine through. Also leave water dripper in cubbys to drip down sticks. To a tin? Little trap to a pipe to a bucket.
The cabnit is a all hard oak computer desk it is solid. To keep insects in I will be putting a trim with materials I cut away on inside of door so when it is shut tight seal! (I hate finding crickets in the house!)
Yeah I have been thinking about the plexie glass and screen. I need some more thoughts on that. Do you think it will be humid enough? With all the panels screen? I don't know on that one cause this will be in my living room. The plexi will be easier to see through ten the screen? Idk on the idea yet!
But I'm start the project tomorrow! Wish me luck
Curtis James
Established Member
The design is tough to see but to start off I have a big fake tree I had bought that I'm going to cut up and put in. So a Piece of it up at top for basking and one on right side for climbing and two in bottom/middle for the water to drip down on. And vines running in empty space.
Curtis James
Established Member
Day ones progress!
Curtis James
Established Member
Knives2886
New Member
Looks amazing! Great work. Did you gonwith screen or plexi? I kno people are aginst plexi but i like to use it to hold more humidity. My house is so dry that its hard to control with just screen.
Where do you live? First and foremost.
I already see a lot of people saying to just put some screen where the door panels are now. This is great if you live in a naturally humid place. If however your relative humidity is only 10-20% on an average day, then the screen probably won't do. Many people will make suggestions based upon what they have or what they do. It may be perfect for them, but you need to gather your personal data, and then plan accordingly. I live in Colorado at around 6,000 feet in altitude. The average relative humidity indoors during the winter while the furnace is running is only at about 11%. That is extremely low for the chameleon's needs. I must used a glass enclosure to keep the humidity high enough in there. I have a mist humidifier and a dripper running in the enclosure, and the plants and my chameleon are healthy. If I had a screen enclosure, I would need to run 2-3 humidifiers to keep the air moist enough for her, while making it unbearable for me and probably growing green stuff on the floor and walls from too much moisture.
Bottom line, you gotta do what's right for your home and it's atmosphere in order to make sure your chameleon get's it's needed humidity and temperature. I've seen generalized answers on how to humidify a chameleon's enclosure. They say all you need to do is spray the interior of the enclosure with a spray bottle twice a day. That does not address the relative humidity where you are. In the summer when our humidity level is only 3%, those 2 sprays would barely make it humid enough for maybe 10 minutes. You can't trust generalizations, because what might be good for that guy will not be good for this guy, and on and on. Make your decision based upon the end result being perfect for your chameleon based upon the conditions where you live. Remember to consider Temperature, Humidity, and Air Flow. By the way, it looks like your chameleon could have a great home. One last thing to maybe check into though. Did the maker of that furniture use any chemicals on the wood to repel wood eating insects, and would those chemicals hurt your chameleon?
I already see a lot of people saying to just put some screen where the door panels are now. This is great if you live in a naturally humid place. If however your relative humidity is only 10-20% on an average day, then the screen probably won't do. Many people will make suggestions based upon what they have or what they do. It may be perfect for them, but you need to gather your personal data, and then plan accordingly. I live in Colorado at around 6,000 feet in altitude. The average relative humidity indoors during the winter while the furnace is running is only at about 11%. That is extremely low for the chameleon's needs. I must used a glass enclosure to keep the humidity high enough in there. I have a mist humidifier and a dripper running in the enclosure, and the plants and my chameleon are healthy. If I had a screen enclosure, I would need to run 2-3 humidifiers to keep the air moist enough for her, while making it unbearable for me and probably growing green stuff on the floor and walls from too much moisture.
Bottom line, you gotta do what's right for your home and it's atmosphere in order to make sure your chameleon get's it's needed humidity and temperature. I've seen generalized answers on how to humidify a chameleon's enclosure. They say all you need to do is spray the interior of the enclosure with a spray bottle twice a day. That does not address the relative humidity where you are. In the summer when our humidity level is only 3%, those 2 sprays would barely make it humid enough for maybe 10 minutes. You can't trust generalizations, because what might be good for that guy will not be good for this guy, and on and on. Make your decision based upon the end result being perfect for your chameleon based upon the conditions where you live. Remember to consider Temperature, Humidity, and Air Flow. By the way, it looks like your chameleon could have a great home. One last thing to maybe check into though. Did the maker of that furniture use any chemicals on the wood to repel wood eating insects, and would those chemicals hurt your chameleon?
Lookin Good
I see you have a Little Dripper. Where do you have the water dripping to? Many people let it drip right into a plant, but after a little while that plant will be water logged and the water will overflow from the plant dish. You surely don't want a collection of water in an open jar or dish, or you could end up with a drown chameleon. I posted a few months back, an article about a way to catch the dripped water. It is a Mason Jar, and after taking out the cover portion of the lid, leaving just the ring, I placed a piece of panty hose over the jar opening and then screwed the outer lid ring over the panty hose piece.Now the water can drip from the Little Dripper into that Mason Jar, which is within the planter below. If I put too much water in the dripper for the jar to catch, it will at least overflow into the soil in the planter. It works great, and I don't end up with a swamp in my chameleon's enclosure.
I see you have a Little Dripper. Where do you have the water dripping to? Many people let it drip right into a plant, but after a little while that plant will be water logged and the water will overflow from the plant dish. You surely don't want a collection of water in an open jar or dish, or you could end up with a drown chameleon. I posted a few months back, an article about a way to catch the dripped water. It is a Mason Jar, and after taking out the cover portion of the lid, leaving just the ring, I placed a piece of panty hose over the jar opening and then screwed the outer lid ring over the panty hose piece.Now the water can drip from the Little Dripper into that Mason Jar, which is within the planter below. If I put too much water in the dripper for the jar to catch, it will at least overflow into the soil in the planter. It works great, and I don't end up with a swamp in my chameleon's enclosure.
Curtis James
Established Member
Yeah I went with all screen! It seems to be doing alright or temps and humidity! And yea I do have a little dripper I actually have two there is a cubby on each side of the walls with one inside I then drilled a hole in each one for a hose to go thru and witch then is clamped to a branch witch then drips to bottom of cage into a "disaster pan" with a shower drain at bottom that is piped down to a bucket in bottom storage.
