my new cage so far

[Midnighthwk]

should i do the screen on the inside or outside and should i use some type of plastic or plywood with a shower curtin for the floor.
the inside is 29''d x 37''w x 68''t outside is 29 1/2''x38 1/4''x72''

and should i just stain it and try to make it so u cant see the staples from the screen or use trim or paint the outside to match my room

and sry i forgot to take pics when i was making it to show u the steps. i just played it by ear

 

[Midnighthwk]

double post
didnt want to edit

 

[Chamero]

I would use plastic chicken wire for the floor. Its more durable and strong enough to hold plants.
You may want to use shower curtain for the back of your cage though instead of screen. Since you live in if Oregon you might have a hard time keeping humidity up during winter.

 

[Marc10edora]

Yeah, if it is going against a wall, you might want to consider putting some sort of backing to protect the wall from water/humidity. Also, what are you going to do about draining water? Water drainage is the most important part. I did this poorly with my first cage and it resulted in an epic fail! I had drain water leak all over my rug when I got home.

 

[Midnighthwk]

humidity in winter isnt a prob, the sidethe cham will be in my room the humidity is 40% floor lvl - 70% head lvl.
the bottom 4 inches is for the drainage then its the floor when i deside what i want as the floor.
and my walls are water resistant / waterproofer under the paint. i got lots of live plants and other aquatic pets in my room.

i need to spend some time to get to know the functions of this site

 

[kaylie]

With mine, I screened inside on the door so the front looked better, and outside everywhere else. You don't have extra space on the inside to secure the screen... How would you do the corners? Actually, looking at mine now, I don't see how you'd be able to screen the inside at all, screen would have to overlap... If you want to hide the screen edges on the outside, put some trim over it.

 

[Midnighthwk]

that sounds good kaylie. and i do have the tools to put it on the inside but not the skill to make it look how i would want it. just an apprentice
i think i will go the easy way and put the screen on the outside, now to deside on the floor, and if i want to paint it to match my room or stain it and use a acrilic or polyurethane finish.

ps: what age should i wait for my cham to be before putting him in the new cage? it will be done in a 2-3 days, and rdy for cham in 7-10 days. i get over protective about fumes and how sturdy it is. but right now ever joint can easy hold 215 lbs
he is going on 5 months this this week

 

[GoFSU]

Nice cage.

 

[Midnighthwk]

does anyone think thats a bit overboard?

 

[RJDragons]

I think its great, wish i was good at building stuff like that!!!!!your gonna need about 2 hours to find him though hahah. How much did it cost you to build a cage that big?

 

[Midnighthwk]

I think its great, wish i was good at building stuff like that!!!!!your gonna need about 2 hours to find him though hahah. How much did it cost you to build a cage that big?

so far about 70$ but i already had some screws left over and i took apart the stand i made for his old cage for the rest of the screws.

u can go to a construstion site and ask them if u can use some of thier scrap wood or buy some.

i used 11 8' 2x3 1.25$ each (13.75$)
waterproof / stain 9.95$
putting the polyurethane on today 9.95$
i got 2 rolls of screen 13.75 each might not need both rolls 36''x25'
2x drains 0.98$ each
plastic i had left over from painting the house, floor 38x30 3/4'' plywood scraped from a construction site
staples to hold screen i got years ago so dont know what they cost now
drain "pans" using left over draws from remodeling the kitchen. cant wait till kitchen is done. 2 weeks havnt been able to cook. gas getting hooked up today
box of screws is like 6-10$

but in all for the size if i spend less than 100$ its worth the time and efort to me over spending like 500$ to get a premade one or a bogger one like the one i am using now. it cost be 80$+tax and its only 24x24x36
the first one i was talked into was exoterra 12x12x18 78$+tax
so glad i am back in oregon, no more sales tax


i thought about just getting 4x slidingglass door screens and 2x window screens and srewing them together but i would still have to worrie about my kitty knocking it over to play with crickets in it.
i love my kitty (chomper 11), if one of my small pets get out she will find it and start howling to let me know where it is. she doesnt hurt them or try to eat them.
i got pics of her laying there letting my turtles crawl on her and 1 of my beardie hitching a ride on her, cant find it right now or i would post it. when my turtles are in thier summer pond she would sit out there and " protect " them. old apt we had hawks and raccoons and they have tryed to catch my turtles but my cats protected them. but 1 day a hawk got 1 of my kittys :*( he was 11 when the hawk got him (Fritter) R.I.P
no hawks here though and big dogs on 3 sides of the backyard so i dont have to worrie about the raccoons here

 

[kaylie]

I would use a latex paint, color of your choice. I used polyurethane and it took so long to cure I was going crazy waiting- cham can't go in there while the wood still has the polyurethane smell. I did a search after my coats were on and read moderator Brad (I think) recommended latex paint because you can move the cham in the next day. But seeing as he's 5 months, I might wait (in that case you choose what coating to use). Mine is almost 7 months and I sometimes feel he is just a bit too small for his 2x3x4.5 foot cage.
However today, I noticed he's looking so much bigger. My baby's growing up

 

[Marc10edora]

Yep, latex paint is the way to go. Use an outdoor latex house paint. When it dries, it will be like a plastic coating.

 

[Midnighthwk]

Yep, latex paint is the way to go. Use an outdoor latex house paint. When it dries, it will be like a plastic coating.

all thats left if to finish the floor so it drains right and put the screen on
most of the things in my room are latex painted. my walls (green), dresser (purpleish black), bed (purpleish brown), chest (black)

i just got done putting a 2nd coat of polyurethane on. and i was already planning on waiting at least 8 days min before bringing it inside to see how i want plants in it and around 2 weeks before i bring it in the same room as cham.

i really dont understand why i am having such a hard time picking his name. ever other pet was named within 3 days max.

i should have the screen on tomorrow and post updated pic's
dont look at the doorframe too much, i crowned one of the sides the wrong way so its not perfact. but i dont care enough about a 1/8'' dif to try and take it apart ti fix

 

[jpm995]

That's a great looking cage cham, but you should have made it higher as the humans head is almost at the top. They like to jump sometimes and he could hurt himself.

 

[Midnighthwk]

when its in my room the top will be about 7 1/2 feet up. and my guy used to jump. i havent heard or seen him jump in 2 1/2 weeks. and since i got the extra roll of screen i was thinking of using it to make a moss pillow for padding on the floor. i just finished the cage, just waiting for the floor seem to cure then test the drainage again then i will post some pics.
not the best screen job i have dome on something but for going by what poped in my head i like it.

i think i will name my lil guy Kazuma

 

[Midnighthwk]

sry about the double post.

99% done with new cage for Kazuma
just need the faceplate for the drawers

and note to self. when taking measurements to make sure it fits in the door, just the door doesnt work when there is a 1/2'' doorstop on both sides.
my thinking was "ok 30 inch door, i will make the cage 29 1/2 deep"
frount door is 36, garage door is 34 so why is my bedroom door only so much smaller. old apt the frount door was 36 and the bedroom doors were 34 :*(

but its ok i needed something to keep me from putting the cage in my room too soon.