ok so i was looking thru online blueprints to build a real home for my cham and toss the reptarium, and well long story short i couldn't find any acceptable designs for what i wanted to do, so i started from scratch. chameleonnews has some good ones but they were way too large. also i took some inspiration from this design here http://members.cox.net/vetteman527/build_4x4x2.htm by taking the wide cage w/ divider concept. i do think it's pretty lame that they don't include any drainage in those as well 
one key reason to upgrade from the reptarium right there. but i also wanted a cage design that could easily knock down and be lightweight for the inevitable moving that it will be doing, and that's just not practical for a wood frame cage. so i took the construction style from this knock down iguana cage http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/9008/pvccage.html and added a real base with drainage.
so onward to what i actually did do, i made the base/tray from wood, 4x1.5ft with 1x4 pieces. then i used 1x1 pieces along the long inside ends of my frame to hold in the floor. i installed these on an angle so the floor pitches forward and to one side for drainage. used a piece of 1/4 thick ply for the floor and added another 1x1 brace under the center for extra stability. then i just lined the floor and inside/outside edges of the base adhesive back laminate floor tiles and sealed the edges with silicon. drill a drain hole/install drain and several small holes around the top edge for attaching the pvc and the base and it's done.
the rest of the cage is made from pvc framed panels and plastic mesh attached with lots of plastic tie wraps, doors secure with velcro grippers just like the iguana cage. the front 2 panels are made with the only 4 T fittings i used (32 elbows) so the top half is door and half is just panel.
now theres a finished, really large habitat. a little too large maybe.. well no, but i'm dividing it anyway. the end dimensions are 4ftx1.5ftx3ft... so between the 2 front panels i cut a notch in the base into which will fit a sheet of plexiglas, leaving a 1/8in gap at the bottom so water can flow to the drain. the pvc sheet is cut to fit, including corner notches for fitting around the pvc and base. drill a few holes on the sides / top for plastic ties to hold the divider in place, paint it green so 2 chams cant see each other, and we are finally complete.
i havent finished getting the feeder put back together or placing all the plants and vines and whatnot, and i still need a male cham but more or less complete anyway
one key reason to upgrade from the reptarium right there. but i also wanted a cage design that could easily knock down and be lightweight for the inevitable moving that it will be doing, and that's just not practical for a wood frame cage. so i took the construction style from this knock down iguana cage http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/9008/pvccage.html and added a real base with drainage.so onward to what i actually did do, i made the base/tray from wood, 4x1.5ft with 1x4 pieces. then i used 1x1 pieces along the long inside ends of my frame to hold in the floor. i installed these on an angle so the floor pitches forward and to one side for drainage. used a piece of 1/4 thick ply for the floor and added another 1x1 brace under the center for extra stability. then i just lined the floor and inside/outside edges of the base adhesive back laminate floor tiles and sealed the edges with silicon. drill a drain hole/install drain and several small holes around the top edge for attaching the pvc and the base and it's done.
the rest of the cage is made from pvc framed panels and plastic mesh attached with lots of plastic tie wraps, doors secure with velcro grippers just like the iguana cage. the front 2 panels are made with the only 4 T fittings i used (32 elbows) so the top half is door and half is just panel.
now theres a finished, really large habitat. a little too large maybe.. well no, but i'm dividing it anyway. the end dimensions are 4ftx1.5ftx3ft... so between the 2 front panels i cut a notch in the base into which will fit a sheet of plexiglas, leaving a 1/8in gap at the bottom so water can flow to the drain. the pvc sheet is cut to fit, including corner notches for fitting around the pvc and base. drill a few holes on the sides / top for plastic ties to hold the divider in place, paint it green so 2 chams cant see each other, and we are finally complete.
i havent finished getting the feeder put back together or placing all the plants and vines and whatnot, and i still need a male cham
but more or less complete anyway
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