Need Help With My Cage Please!!

[CrazyChameleon5]

Ok i have a 24(h)x18(L)x12 (Deep) Screen cage it has the pvc plastic at the bottom i am having a hard time with drainage right now i have the reptile carpet at the bottom to help soak up excess water but i don't want to deal with any bacteria forming and i don't want to have to use a ton of paper towels sooo... I was thinking of building a wood frame to go under the cage just a simple 12(H)x18(w)x12(d) like a table but with a hole in the middle to put a bowl under. i was also going to drill a 2 inch hole (maybe smaller) in the bottom of the cage and cover it with screen. do you guys think this will work and be good for draining? I also want to caulk around the bottom of the cage where the pvc is to keep the water from leaking out on the sides will this be safe for the cham? do i need to wait a certain amount of time before i put her back in? Also any suggestions where i should put her till i have it done?. any suggestions would be great thanks in advance.

 

[CrazyChameleon5]

Anyone? i am going to go get the stuff in an hour i could really use some input please.also is compressed wood ok to use for the frame?

 

[Aquaseafoam]

I think that will work great, thats what a lot of people do in fact.
I don't know how supportive the pvc plastic is, so you might want to use some extra wood to run across the bottom to support the weight of the plants so the plastic doesn't bow- if you think its going to flex. Again I don't have any experience with pvc plastic sooo....
I don't know about the compressed wood. If you use untreated lumber you may want to use a couple coats of paint and or clear varnish to protect it from the water. Is the caulk really necessary with the drain? It probably wouldn't hurt the came, but if the feeders chewed at it before he ate them???
Do you have a box or bucket or something big enough to put him in with a plant while you work? Or just set him on a plant in a room, unless you think he'll sneak away!
good luck!

 

[Justin Carl]

go and get like a kitty litter box of something. then but screen over the top of it with a cross beams(wood) ontop to support your plants. then slide it into your cage and it can catch all of your water.

 

[SierraNevada]

This was easier.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

It will be a good way to experiment with a drainage system and work out the kinks for the big enclosure.
I wouldn't do the caulking...it won't be necessary.
You want the weight of a potted plant to flex the bottom a little....making a dip that will direct the excess water to the hole you drilled...that pretty much keeps water away from the sides.
I have never found it necessary to create any kind of drainage....I will say the reptile carpet is a bad idea. You need the enclosure to COMPLETELY dry out...(Bone Dry!) between mistings and any substrate will make this difficult.

-Brad

 

[CrazyChameleon5]

great ideas thanks, ok so i was going to make a table 12 inches high with a back and 2 sides and have a top piece sit about 11 inches high with a round hole about 4 inches to attach a funnel from the cage to drip to the bowl the top sits an inch down from the sides and back for support so the cage can't be knocked off, and have a 1 inch hole in the pvc. i think it would work and also keep the support since the bottom of the cage will be sitting on the wood itself? My main concern is if i can use caulk to seal the sides inside the cage so water can't get out on the edges is this safe for the cham? also i was thinking of using Particle wood to build the stand out of is this ok to use for the cham? you guys are awsome thanks so much for the help

 

[CrazyChameleon5]

It will be a good way to experiment with a drainage system and work out the kinks for the big enclosure.
I wouldn't do the caulking...it won't be necessary.
You want the weight of a potted plant to flex the bottom a little....making a dip that will direct the excess water to the hole you drilled...that pretty much keeps water away from the sides.
I have never found it necessary to create any kind of drainage....I will say the reptile carpet is a bad idea. You need the enclosure to COMPLETELY dry out...(Bone Dry!) between mistings and any substrate will make this difficult.

-Brad

Oh thanks Brad!well right now i have a cup as the drip and i live in Utah so i am having a hard time keeping humidity in there and i am to afraid to keep the cup i have catching the water in there. I had to cover the back and one side of the cage with plastic wrap because the humidity and heat wasn't keeping up there is sitll the front and one side for ventalation. i am going to get a plant today and i hope this helps with everything. with having to keep the dripper going there is a lot of water and i am just worried i am not doing something right. i see the point about the caulking and thanks that will be perfect i won't need to use it!

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Just to make sure you understand...
If the cage sits on a frame that does not have a wood "support" bottom, the weight of a potted plant in the enclosure will make the center of the pvc bottom (where your hole is drilled) lower than the sides and no water will even get to the sides.
No caulking needed.
If you must make this harder, I would caulk with silicone and let it cure for at least 24 to 48 hours before exposing the chameleon to those fumes.

-Brad

 

[CrazyChameleon5]

This was easier.

sorry i am not quite sure what i am looking at lol (newbie here)

 

[Brad Ramsey]

I am in Denver (we may actually be a bit dryer than you are).
I don't worry about humidity much.
At least 3 mists a day and complete dry out time in between each one.
I don't use any plastic or drainage system. I don't have anything wrapped around the cage, or a humidifier.
Just the dripper and hand misting.

-Brad

 

[SierraNevada]

sorry i am not quite sure what i am looking at lol (newbie here)

You are looking at a super duper...one of a kind....fantastic...unbelievable...amazing... piece of PVC bottom of a cage with wood trim to keep stray water in.

I thought of all kinds of drainage ideas and such...and it was just easier to trim the bottom. There shouldn't be so much water to need drainage in my humble opinion. My chameleon gets plenty of drinking water and humidity without any issues with too much water collecting on the bottom to need a complex drainage system.

The only time I have a decent amout of water down there is when I water plants...so when I do that, I just paper towel the excess.

 

[CrazyChameleon5]

I am in Denver (we may actually be a bit dryer than you are).
I don't worry about humidity much.
At least 3 mists a day and complete dry out time in between each one.
I don't use any plastic or drainage system. I don't have anything wrapped around the cage, or a humidifier.
Just the dripper and hand misting.

-Brad

Brad i pm'ed you thanks

 

[CrazyChameleon5]

You are looking at a super duper...one of a kind....fantastic...unbelievable...amazing... piece of PVC bottom of a cage with wood trim to keep stray water in.

I thought of all kinds of drainage ideas and such...and it was just easier to trim the bottom. There shouldn't be so much water to need drainage in my humble opinion. My chameleon gets plenty of drinking water and humidity without any issues with too much water collecting on the bottom to need a complex drainage system.

The only time I have a decent amout of water down there is when I water plants...so when I do that, I just paper towel the excess.

Oh ok i see! I guess i just didn't understand the whole misting thing i have been reading the forums non stop and when i keep reading 15-20 min misting i was like whoa lots of water!! And the dripper seems to add a lot of water to the bottom maybe i am doing it wrong? IDK sorry if it all sounds dumb i am new at it and only want the best for my cham

 

[SierraNevada]

Oh ok i see! I guess i just didn't understand the whole misting thing i have been reading the forums non stop and when i keep reading 15-20 min misting i was like whoa lots of water!! And the dripper seems to add a lot of water to the bottom maybe i am doing it wrong? IDK sorry if it all sounds dumb i am new at it and only want the best for my sham

Yea...I know. People kinda go nuts with the water.

I try to remind people that chameleons are 1. not aquatic, 2. the screen cage purpose is defeated if never dries out because of constant misting/watering/dripping, 3. it doesn't rain 4-5 times a day anywhere in the world consistantly and misting that often all year round is not consistant with their natural habitat in the wild, 4. chameleons need to drink from dropletts on leaves, not be showered in a 5 times a day rain storm, 5. humidity is not crucial and can be solved with a room humidifier, rather than mistings.

I solved the "dripper problem" with a Habba Mist. It's a glorified dripper. It will spray and drip every 12, 6, or 3 hours from 15 seconds to 60 seconds.
The regular drippers people have will drip drip drip all day until you turn it off. Kinda a pain.

Reptiles also get moisture from their prey. You have to work hard to get your chameleon to become dehydrated....it's actually easier to keep them hydrated than the latter if you are keeping them in the right husbandry conditions.

With over 3 decades of reptile keeping...my motto is "keep it simple".

Just my .2 cents.

 

[CrazyChameleon5]

Thanks everyone i think i got a little over excited haha K i am not going to build an elaborate system lol i decided to keep it simple. i now have a better understanding, you guys here are awsome i am so glad i found this site. I think she will be happy and healthy in the cage i have set up i just have to add the plant and a cover to the bowl at the bottom how simple is that! Thanks again to everyone for their help

 

[So Pirate55]

Without of a frame up under the bottom of the cage, how much weight could one of those 1/8 inch pvc bottoms hold? I'd be worried about the bottom not support the weight of a potted plant.

 

[Dean Pulcini]

I keep my cages on a slight incline and the water drains into a gutter system then into a bucket.

 

[nightcrawler]

i got one of the pvc plastic bottoms and i just put items under it. it sounds weird at frist but it works out fine. i drilled 5 like one fourth holes in the middle so the water will drip out and i put a funnel under it to collect the dripping water and drip it in my bucket. i have my cage on a old wood shelf and that is on a microwave stand. the microwave stand is 22in long and about 16-18 in wide. the shelf is about 16-18 in wide and about 26 in long. i just put my plants pots in the middle and it is stable and fine. no tipping or swaying. the back has like 4 in haning off. there is like 3/4 inch between the shelf and the pvc and when you put your pots in it makes an incline. i put my heavest pot really close to the holes and work my way out. with the water on the sides i just put pencils or pen casings around the rim of my cage on the little shelf that the pvc bottom goes on and that inclines it a bit. then i put some small but large enough rocks under the outside base of the plants causing them to incline more to the center. just a little incline on the outsides of the cage and plant pots makes all the difference. i have a plastic shower curtain on the back of my cage to not get the walls wet or my spiderman pictures wet. i dont have any problems with humidity becuase of my turtle tank and fish tank.