gideonus
New Member
After much research and work, I'm happy to report that my enclosure is done and I have a new male veiled cham, Mr. Worf (he does indeed look like the Klingon in Star Trek Next Gen).
I started with an LLL Reptile 18x18x36" black all screen enclosure, then made a wooden liner that fits snugly inside the enclosure to allow for vines to be attached. In my research I noted that no one has come up with a good solution for how to attach vines and other things to the cage. Punching holes in the screen, using wire ties, etc. doesn't make for a firm attachment, and looks funky. The idea I had, illustrated here is a "liner" made of 3/4"x 1.25" redwood strips glued and nailed together to make a box frame that fits just inside the enclosure. The key feature are the holes, 1/2" holes drilled all the way thru the wood every 4 to 6" that allow real of fake vines to be inserted in an almost infinite variety of configurations. No glue or other attaching device is needed: simply stick the vine or branch snugly into the hole and you're done.
The wood liner was then primed, given 3 coats of satin oil-base black spray paint, then 4 coats of Marine Spar Varnish, then allowed a week to outgas to ensure that no fumes remain. I took the top off the enclosure and the liner just slips right in and sits right on top of the PVC bottom. To allow the bottom door to swing freely, I notched out the wood to allow for the arc of the swing.
With the liner inserted into the cage and the misting nozzle installed and top replaced, the next step is to install the plants. I used one main plant as the central feature and
I built a stand that is also painted black. Note the large hole in the top to allow water to drain from the cage bottom. Just below is a shelf in the cabinet that holds the collection tray. Below that shelf sits the misting pump and reservoir. Attached to the cabinet door are the timers for the lights and MistKing misting pump.
Sitting on top of the enclosure are three lights: In the back, a 75 Watt incandescent bulb with ceramic hood for basking, in the middle, a Repti-sun 5.0 fluorescent tube (18" wide) for UVB , and in front a regular 18" fluorescent cool white tube for the plants. All lights are set to go on at 8:00 am and go off at 9:30 pm. The misting system goes on 3 times a day for 2 minutes at 11 am, 2pm and 6 pm. Temperature just below the basking light is in the high 80's, but there are plenty of places for Mr. Worf to cool off, and now, when the mister goes off, he stays right where he is, seeming to enjoy the shower.
I use only ZooMed vines in three different diameters for the navigation highway (tying them together makes for a very natural look and easy to manipulate) and only natural plants: A pothos (which Mr. Worf eats readily), a dracena/croton combination in one pot, and a stag fern.
Drainage is perfect: as many others have done, I drilled a bunch of 1/4" holes in the center of the PVC bottom, then placed two heavy ceramic pots on the PVC to create natural drainage. What relatively little water accumulates at the bottom quickly goes into the collection tray.
I should also mention that I covered the back of the enclosure with 1/8" black PVC that fits snuggly against the screen, to prevent the mister from saturating the wall against which the cage is placed. This stiill allows for ample ventilation.
The black cage, black line, black PVC back and black cabinet makes for a very pleasing combination in my office (where all the other furniture is black laminate).
Mr. Worf was purchased from Amazing Blue at the Cow Palace Reptile Show in Daly City on 5/16/09. He was 4 months old then. The first week he didn't eat much, but is now a ravenous eater (silkworms and cricks). He has no problem eating out of my hand, from a cup or hunting in the cage. In just one month, he has grown very noticeably and shed twice. He never snaps at me (hopefully that will remain the case) and seems quite calm. Quite often I let him free range on a Pachira tree I have in my office, but keep a close eye on him. After having lost a female veiled a few months ago, I've learned my lesson that Chams are like infants: don't take your eyes off for even a minute.
All in all, a very content cham. Now I have to plan for his move to a 24x24x48 enclosure within 5 months.
I started with an LLL Reptile 18x18x36" black all screen enclosure, then made a wooden liner that fits snugly inside the enclosure to allow for vines to be attached. In my research I noted that no one has come up with a good solution for how to attach vines and other things to the cage. Punching holes in the screen, using wire ties, etc. doesn't make for a firm attachment, and looks funky. The idea I had, illustrated here is a "liner" made of 3/4"x 1.25" redwood strips glued and nailed together to make a box frame that fits just inside the enclosure. The key feature are the holes, 1/2" holes drilled all the way thru the wood every 4 to 6" that allow real of fake vines to be inserted in an almost infinite variety of configurations. No glue or other attaching device is needed: simply stick the vine or branch snugly into the hole and you're done.
The wood liner was then primed, given 3 coats of satin oil-base black spray paint, then 4 coats of Marine Spar Varnish, then allowed a week to outgas to ensure that no fumes remain. I took the top off the enclosure and the liner just slips right in and sits right on top of the PVC bottom. To allow the bottom door to swing freely, I notched out the wood to allow for the arc of the swing.
With the liner inserted into the cage and the misting nozzle installed and top replaced, the next step is to install the plants. I used one main plant as the central feature and
I built a stand that is also painted black. Note the large hole in the top to allow water to drain from the cage bottom. Just below is a shelf in the cabinet that holds the collection tray. Below that shelf sits the misting pump and reservoir. Attached to the cabinet door are the timers for the lights and MistKing misting pump.
Sitting on top of the enclosure are three lights: In the back, a 75 Watt incandescent bulb with ceramic hood for basking, in the middle, a Repti-sun 5.0 fluorescent tube (18" wide) for UVB , and in front a regular 18" fluorescent cool white tube for the plants. All lights are set to go on at 8:00 am and go off at 9:30 pm. The misting system goes on 3 times a day for 2 minutes at 11 am, 2pm and 6 pm. Temperature just below the basking light is in the high 80's, but there are plenty of places for Mr. Worf to cool off, and now, when the mister goes off, he stays right where he is, seeming to enjoy the shower.
I use only ZooMed vines in three different diameters for the navigation highway (tying them together makes for a very natural look and easy to manipulate) and only natural plants: A pothos (which Mr. Worf eats readily), a dracena/croton combination in one pot, and a stag fern.
Drainage is perfect: as many others have done, I drilled a bunch of 1/4" holes in the center of the PVC bottom, then placed two heavy ceramic pots on the PVC to create natural drainage. What relatively little water accumulates at the bottom quickly goes into the collection tray.
I should also mention that I covered the back of the enclosure with 1/8" black PVC that fits snuggly against the screen, to prevent the mister from saturating the wall against which the cage is placed. This stiill allows for ample ventilation.
The black cage, black line, black PVC back and black cabinet makes for a very pleasing combination in my office (where all the other furniture is black laminate).
Mr. Worf was purchased from Amazing Blue at the Cow Palace Reptile Show in Daly City on 5/16/09. He was 4 months old then. The first week he didn't eat much, but is now a ravenous eater (silkworms and cricks). He has no problem eating out of my hand, from a cup or hunting in the cage. In just one month, he has grown very noticeably and shed twice. He never snaps at me (hopefully that will remain the case) and seems quite calm. Quite often I let him free range on a Pachira tree I have in my office, but keep a close eye on him. After having lost a female veiled a few months ago, I've learned my lesson that Chams are like infants: don't take your eyes off for even a minute.
All in all, a very content cham. Now I have to plan for his move to a 24x24x48 enclosure within 5 months.
