idea for a drainage system

[John33871]

ideas for a drainage system anyone? i cant find a something good to put under the cage for the water to drain into. im getting my chameleons new home coming, its 24*24*48. i want something that will last and that will work good. ive looked at this but am not sure,http://www.woodyswabbits.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=16&products_id=3042&zenid=f25cd4aa5c4b6817810b394fdd9be159. im looking that will all flow towards the center or to one side. any ideas with this one? thanks for any help

 

[Jerambis]

I was in your position just a little bit ago, and when looking through home depot I found the best tray. It is one of those trays painters use when painting large areas of a house (where you need to use a roller). You can buy these plastic liners that sit inside of the trays that make cleaning really easy. I will post pictures tommorow, but I like them so far.

 

[John33871]

oh man good idea, just what im looking for. i would like to see how you have it. thanks for the idea!

 

[Dave Weldon]

...its 24*24*48. i want something that will last and that will work good. ive looked at this but am not sure,http://www.woodyswabbits.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=16&products_id=3042&zenid=f25cd4aa5c4b6817810b394fdd9be159. im looking that will all flow towards the center or to one side. any ideas with this one? thanks for any help

Howdy,

That Rabbit pan has been posted before and it looks like a really nice, durable, reasonably priced pan. If you do want to use one then the easiest way to get the water to drain is to put a slight tilt under the pan to get the water to go to a corner and then it'll easily drain down a threaded 1/4 pipe-to-hose fitting screwed-in flush to the bottom with a hose into a lidded bucket. I also suggest that you look at putting some small blocks (plastic or acrylic etc.) between the enclosure's bottom and the drain pan to allow for complete drainage and to let the pan's surface dry-out between mistings.

Take a peek at this article:
http://www.chameleonnews.com/watering.html

There's a nice photo of a custom drain pan that'll give you some ideas. Too bad that the bum who made that pan won't go into mass production .

 

[Jerambis]

So this is what I did. I put wood blocks under the cage to raise the front of the cage about 6" and the back of the cage about 7". This tilts the cage forward forcing the water to drain towards the front of the cage. I then added caulking all around the bottom of the cage to prevent water from leaking out (just as a precaution). I then put my plant directly in the center of the cage which bent the floor of the cage slightly toward the middle. Now the water drains to the middle/front of the cage. I then poured water in the cage to see where it began to puddle. Where it puddled is where I drilled my holes, which should be at the middle/front of the cage. I then added the pans underneath with the liners inside which make cleaning extremely easy. Here are some pics...

 

[John33871]

is caulk safe to use with chameleons? i like the idea i might use it

 

[Jerambis]

Yes, after it dries it is hard and rubber like. I would just put the chams somewhere else while you apply it and let it dry. After it dries you can put them back in. The smell is somewhat strong thats the only reason I would move them while you apply and dry it.

 

[John33871]

is there a number of days or just a few yours? ive tried aquarium sealant but that didnt work that great, but ill try the caulk. any brand you recommend? thanks for the help!

also do you ever have any problems with crickets coming out of the holes? im sure you got wire mess under it, but the crickets can get threw mine, lol

 

[Jerambis]

I drilled the holes to be pretty small so the crickets can not go through them. Usually Caulk (any brand caulk works fine) takes at least 2 hours to try, but you should not expose it to moisture for at least another 36 hours. So what I did was feed the chams in the morning, then took them and put them in an extra plant I had away from their cage. I applied the caulk and let it dry for about 6 hours (or at least until the smell is gone). Then I put the cham back in his cage. Then whenever I watered him I was extra careful not to get any on the caulk for 36 hours. If the crickets escape just put mesh over or under the holes.