Modifying a Zen Habitats cage?

[HypercolorChameleons]

@PlanetRemulak just be patient.

 

[ccclcl]

Do you have to reach out directly and ask to buy the 2 x 2 screen as a part? This time yesterday, I had kinda decided against going with Zen. This changes things for me again as it would be a lot easier to fit a screen into the bottom frame and seal it than it would be to add a drain, which I had originally planned on doing.

Personally I used the website chat feature and they got an email to the right person going. But I'm kind of asocial with making phone calls

 

[PlanetRemulak]

@PlanetRemulak just be patient.

Thank your for that, and will do! I got hung up on a timeline with the addition of a second cham, but the breeder isn’t exactly on my back about when to ship him yet, either. I’ll try Dale again in a few days if I don’t hear back.

Personally I used the website chat feature and they got an email to the right person going. But I'm kind of asocial with making phone calls

I feel this entirely. Having to make phone calls provokes anxiety on a whole other level lol

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Ok thanks.

I'm doing some experimenting with putting water on the unsealed edges of the panels to see how they react. The more I look at the material that I showed in my picture, it doesn't seem to be particleboard or wood, but I can permanently dent it with my fingernail. It does seem so far like it might be a waterproof material and it is dense enough. Not "foamed pvc" from what I an tell.

That describes sheet PVC. It is a foam (compare it to a PVC pipe).

One other minor piece of annoyance is that the panels don't fit tight in the channels on the square aluminum tubing, so I'm pretty certain there will be some shake and play to them once assembled.

The strength of the enclosure comes from the frame. IDT it'll be a problem, but if it is/becomes one, a light bead of silicone should seal any gaps.

On another note, I have already reached out to Zen about replacing the PVC floor panel with one of their aluminum screens as used in the top. They wouldn't replace it in the original enclosure kit I ordered, but they will sell a standalone screen as a part and I'm waiting on a price quote. If their price is too high I'll probably go have a custom screen made up to use on the top, and use the one reinforced aluminum screen that came as the top for the bottom. I know there was other discussion of interest in that possibility so I'll post an update when I get the quote from Zen.

Update: just heard back from Zen and their part--aluminum screen that is the top, but can used as a bottom--is only $33 shipped. So I'm definitely going to go that route and call this done!

Have you given any consideration to what will go under the floor screen? I have ceiling egg crate under my screen floor to support the weight of plant pots, etc. Depending on the weight placed on it, you may need some additional support under the grid—small blocks of wood, plastic, etc. will usually do the trick.

This can be done using the flanges, or on top of them.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Thank you so much for the link! The cage walls may not be entirely PVC, but Zen Habitats are still an attractive option. As far as plant/vine/branch mounts go, it probably just makes more sense to buy DS ledges outright. Doing so will likely cost a lot less in the long run than it would to buy all the crap needed to make your own.

Up to you, but "all the crap" isn't really that much, and every alternative I've checked into has cost less.

• Ledges — $52
• dowel lattice — $24
• aluminum stock supports — $10.50
• vinyl lattice — $17
• ceiling egg crate lattice — $17 per panel
• square tomato cages — $13
• goat fencing — ~$10

 

[PlanetRemulak]

Up to you, but "all the crap" isn't really that much, and every alternative I've checked into has cost less.

• Ledges — $52
• dowel lattice — $24
• aluminum stock supports — $10.50
• vinyl lattice — $17
• ceiling egg crate lattice — $17 per panel
• square tomato cages — $13
• goat fencing — ~$10

I get where you’re coming from. Some of the above pricing is accurate based on where I live, some of it isn’t. The other issue is limited availability of materials (living in a rural area is a huge bummer).

I’d be outfitting 6 cages walls total. Coated goat wire will run me more than $60 (assuming the $10 price point is based on one 24 x 48 panel). I wouldn’t want to use anything galvanized, and coated wire tends to cost more but that’s just me. My local Home Depot doesn’t have any ceiling egg crate available, I’d have to drive out of town to go get it (so then I‘d be figuring in gas). Ace Hardware can order six 24 x 48 panels for me and have it sent directly to the store for $124, sales tax included. Two sets of dragon ledges with shipping and tax will run me 124.98. I haven’t been able to find any square tomato cages locally, but they will cost me quite bit less than DS ledges, even if I order them online. Just personal preference here, but ive got a lot of heavy hanging plants so I’m not yet sure how I‘d make that work. Aluminum stock runs a little more here than $10.50 ($12-14). Getting enough flat bar and angle for 2 cages will run me around $130. My wonderful Home Depot also doesn’t have enough aluminum flar bar in stock at the moment, and Ace Hardware doesn’t have enough angle. I guess I could make a day out of running from one store to the other (and it would certainly be fun), but I wouldn‘t be saving myself any $.

Cheapest options so far are square dowel lattice, tomato cages, and vinyl lattice by far. Getting enough lattice to outfit two cages would cost me just under $40, so really this is just turning out to be a very long and roundabout way of saying you’ve convinced me to use vinyl lattice. No need to thank me for the reading assignment, by the way lol

Do you think vinyl lattice could be bolted into the frame like ceiling egg crate?

 

[PlanetRemulak]

That describes sheet PVC. It is a foam (compare it to a PVC pipe).


The strength of the enclosure comes from the frame. IDT it'll be a problem, but if it is/becomes one, a light bead of silicone should seal any gaps.


Have you given any consideration to what will go under the floor screen? I have ceiling egg crate under my screen floor to support the weight of plant pots, etc. Depending on the weight placed on it, you may need some additional support under the grid—small blocks of wood, plastic, etc. will usually do the trick.

This can be done using the flanges, or on top of them.

View attachment 319129

I can only speak for myself here, but to remedy the issue of plants sitting on the cage bottom, I had planned to use 24“ flat straps or angle bar, screwed into the cage frame on the left and right sides as anchor points for wooden slats. The center plant/plants would then be sitting on the slats. Hopefully this will work the way I think it will. Keeping stuff off of the bottom of the cage would make cleaning so much easier

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I’d be outfitting 6 cages walls total. Coated goat wire will run me more than $60 (assuming the $10 price point is based on one 24 x 48 panel). I wouldn’t want to use anything galvanized, and coated wire tends to cost more but that’s just me.

The $10 was for coated wire on 3 sides.

My local Home Depot doesn’t have any ceiling egg crate available, I’d have to drive out of town to go get it (so then I‘d be figuring in gas).

You can just go to (or call) the service desk and have it delivered to your closest store.

Ace Hardware can order six 24 x 48 panels for me and have it sent directly to the store for $124, sales tax included. Two sets of dragon ledges with shipping and tax will run me 124.98.

By my math, that's a wash.

I haven’t been able to find any square tomato cages locally, but they will cost me quite bit less than DS ledges, even if I order them online. Just personal preference here, but ive got a lot of heavy hanging plants so I’m not yet sure how I‘d make that work.

It's a bit early in the season for tomato cages, but Spring is coming.

Aluminum stock runs a little more here than $10.50 ($12-14). Getting enough flat bar and angle for 2 cages will run me around $130.

The $10.50 is for a 96" length of the most expensive option (bar, angle, channel).
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbil...C-Channel-with-1-16-in-Thick-800547/204273936
One length should cover the 2 sidewalls with 2 lengths ea., so 2 cages should run around $31.50 (including back walls as well). IDK how you get $130.

My wonderful Home Depot also doesn’t have enough aluminum flar bar in stock at the moment, and Ace Hardware doesn’t have enough angle. I guess I could make a day out of running from one store to the other (and it would certainly be fun), but I wouldn‘t be saving myself any $.

Again, you can go to the service desk and have most items delivered to the store for free—no obligation.

Cheapest options so far are square dowel lattice, tomato cages, and vinyl lattice by far. Getting enough lattice to outfit two cages would cost me just under $40, so really this is just turning out to be a very long and roundabout way of saying you’ve convinced me to use vinyl lattice. No need to thank me for the reading assignment, by the way lol

Do you think vinyl lattice could be bolted into the frame like ceiling egg crate?

I should have read all the way to the end.
Yes, you can screw or wire the lattice to the frame.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I can only speak for myself here, but to remedy the issue of plants sitting on the cage bottom, I had planned to use 24“ flat straps or angle bar, screwed into the cage frame on the left and right sides as anchor points for wooden slats. The center plant/plants would then be sitting on the slats. Hopefully this will work the way I think it will. Keeping stuff off of the bottom of the cage would make cleaning so much easier

That's an idea.

Currently all my plants are on the floor, but I've never had an issue with cleaning.

 

[crosscutts]

Jesus can I just say that is coming out incredibly nice so far? I cannot wait to see this thing finished! Also still in complete agreement with you on Dale’s products. I’ve yet to come across any other commercially available enclosure as dialed in to cham needs as his are.

Well I completed it it’s about 98% I still have to put the doors on but outside of that here’s the link to the whole build
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/habitat-build.185779/

Hope I did that right

 

[PlanetRemulak]

Well I completed it it’s about 98% I still have to put the doors on but outside of that here’s the link to the whole build
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/habitat-build.185779/

Hope I did that right

That is gorgeous!! What an awesome set up!

 

[PlanetRemulak]

The $10 was for coated wire on 3 sides.


You can just go to (or call) the service desk and have it delivered to your closest store.


By my math, that's a wash.


It's a bit early in the season for tomato cages, but Spring is coming.


The $10.50 is for a 96" length of the most expensive option (bar, angle, channel).
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbil...C-Channel-with-1-16-in-Thick-800547/204273936
One length should cover the 2 sidewalls with 2 lengths ea., so 2 cages should run around $31.50 (including back walls as well). IDK how you get $130.


Again, you can go to the service desk and have most items delivered to the store for free—no obligation.


I should have read all the way to the end.
Yes, you can screw or wire the lattice to the frame.

You deserve some sort of award for sifting through all of that.

I‘ll double check on supplies. Eggrate and lattice seem like the most solid options, and with both, there would certainly be more than enough anchor points for branches and plants.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

You deserve some sort of award for sifting through all of that.

Thanks, but... I have an enclosure too.
When I see/hear good ideas, I collect them for future projects.

 

[PlanetRemulak]

I'm doing some experimenting with putting water on the unsealed edges of the panels to see how they react. The more I look at the material that I showed in my picture, it doesn't seem to be particleboard or wood, but I can permanently dent it with my fingernail. It does seem so far like it might be a waterproof material and it is dense enough. Not "foamed pvc" from what I an tell.

One other minor piece of annoyance is that the panels don't fit tight in the channels on the square aluminum tubing, so I'm pretty certain there will be some shake and play to them once assembled.

On another note, I have already reached out to Zen about replacing the PVC floor panel with one of their aluminum screens as used in the top. They wouldn't replace it in the original enclosure kit I ordered, but they will sell a standalone screen as a part and I'm waiting on a price quote. If their price is too high I'll probably go have a custom screen made up to use on the top, and use the one reinforced aluminum screen that came as the top for the bottom. I know there was other discussion of interest in that possibility so I'll post an update when I get the quote from Zen.

Update: just heard back from Zen and their part--aluminum screen that is the top, but can used as a bottom--is only $33 shipped. So I'm definitely going to go that route and call this done!

This is so very frustrating to me. I was genuinely considering going this route myself when I asked Zen Habitats this question..

I was wondering if an additional screen top - the same aluminum screen top that sits at the top of the 24 x 24 x 48 cage and holds the lighting - can be ordered separately as a spare part? I would need two of them

And got this response:

We do not sell any spare parts unfortunately.

hmmm

 

[ccclcl]

This is so very frustrating to me. I was genuinely considering going this route myself when I asked Zen Habitats this question..

I was wondering if an additional screen top - the same aluminum screen top that sits at the top of the 24 x 24 x 48 cage and holds the lighting - can be ordered separately as a spare part? I would need two of them

And got this response.

We do not sell any spare parts unfortunately.

Well that sucks, I guess I got lucky. Another option I considered is having a window screen fabricated to the dimensions of the Zen screen top. This can be done for pretty cheap by many local home hardware stores from my understanding, or for a little more by online retailers. You could then use the screen top that comes with the Zen as the bottom (due to the benefits of the reinforcement it has), and use the window screen that you'd have made as the top.

My second screen from Zen should arrive tomorrow so I'll get some pictures posted as the build progresses.

 

[PlanetRemulak]

Well that sucks, I guess I got lucky. Another option I considered is having a window screen fabricated to the dimensions of the Zen screen top. This can be done for pretty cheap by many local home hardware stores from my understanding, or for a little more by online retailers. You could then use the screen top that comes with the Zen as the bottom (due to the benefits of the reinforcement it has), and use the window screen that you'd have made as the top.

My second screen from Zen should arrive tomorrow so I'll get some pictures posted as the build progresses.

Awesome! I’d love pics. I did reach out again and they said they’d see what they’d do, or at the very least provide me with the top screen dimensions so that I can have something fitted. Great suggestion, btw!