Pics and info on Bugatti's custom cage!

[alchemy]

Hi all,

Thank goodness for this site and forum! After reading, and reading, reading, and questions, etc, I put together what seems to be a great cage setup for my recently acquired ambanja panther "Bugatti"... a few people may remember some pics of the cage unfinished, but here it is in all its glory . Thanks to all who gave me great opinions and assistance!

The specs include...
-2x2x4ft cage section...3 screen sides. solid floor tilted to rear to drain water into bucket underneath. solid back wall. 1/2 pvc screen top to allow uvb and uva to pass thru properly.

-Canopy top to cover the uva and uvb lights, the dripper, and humidifier pipe.
-No substrate, just 1 large hibiscus plant and plenty of vines.
-Base section, for storage of items and where the water collects into a big hydroponics-made bucket.
-sealed with primer, and painted with black latex paint, inside and out.
-Humidifier sits behind cage and pipes upward to the canopy and expels from there.

and here are the pics... enjoy
cage - http://home.comcast.net/~jlazaris/custom_cage_01r.jpg
cage open - http://home.comcast.net/~jlazaris/custom_cage_02r.jpg
cage closeup - http://home.comcast.net/~jlazaris/custom_cage_03r.jpg
cage and bugatti - http://home.comcast.net/~jlazaris/custom_cage_04r.jpg

 

[jbfromsc80]

sweet cage!! Do you have construction pics?

 

[alchemy]

sweet cage!! Do you have construction pics?

Thanks bud, unfortunately, I did not keep a camera handy during the construction process. Only one of the times I decided to use my camera phone to share a pic and its the one in my gallery...heres a link to that https://www.chameleonforums.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=1681&c=3&userid=1168

Jim

 

[Vegas Chad]

Holy crap that is VERY nice ... I want one!!! Cages like that make it alot easier to display a cham in your hope in a main area like a living room or such because they look so nice. I would not want to put a plane ol' screen cage in my living or public room just cuz its ugly; however something like that I would love to display! VERY nice work...

 

[alchemy]

Holy crap that is VERY nice ... I want one!!! Cages like that make it alot easier to display a cham in your hope in a main area like a living room or such because they look so nice. I would not want to put a plane ol' screen cage in my living or public room just cuz its ugly; however something like that I would love to display! VERY nice work...

Haha, thanks bud... The main reason I built it was because commercial cages dont have any drainage systems and I found my old cage to be a pain in the a$$ because of that. It's been so nice with the drain system! Thanks for the comments.

Jim

 

[Vegas Chad]

When you make a kit for them sign me up for one Dont happen to live in Nevada do ya?

 

[alchemy]

When you make a kit for them sign me up for one Dont happen to live in Nevada do ya?

hahaah, i'll keep you posted if i make a kit, but im quite far from you....im in maryland


Jim

 

[Vegas Chad]

damn, I always have that kind of luck... I could weld and waterjet out a nice cage however a 200lb cage might be a PITA... Wood is one of them things I have yet to master, I usually mess up the chop sticks when I break em apart.

 

[alchemy]

I could weld and waterjet out a nice cage however a 200lb cage might be a PITA... Wood is one of them things I have yet to master, I usually mess up the chop sticks when I break em apart.

hahah, waterjetting would be a wild way to do it. I'm not a woodworker, I just put my dads tools to good use. I built it in his basement and brought it home.

 

[Marc10edora]

what did you use for the floor?

 

[rcagosto]

That is a super fly cage man. I was shocked at how nice it is. Lol. You have skillz man lol. If you have a blueprint for you should pass that down lol. Beautiful cage.

 

[alchemy]

what did you use for the floor?

Marc10edora, I used a sheet of lexan for the floor, and a sheet for the back. Both of which are sealed and coated with an "orangish" latex paint, and are silicone sealed around the edges where they meet the wood.

rcagosto, thanks for the comments. The buildup felt like a never ending story, but how could I forget? If it wasnt for my brother-in-law, who was dedicated to it day after day, and encouraging me to put just "that many more" time into it, I might still be working on it today. So he gets some of the credit for "skillz" too

...let me know if there are any other questions

Jim

 

[lele]

The specs include...
-2x2x4ft cage section...3 screen sides. solid floor tilted to rear to drain water into bucket underneath. solid back wall. 1/2 pvc screen top to allow uvb and uva to pass thru properly.

Very nice work! Is his interior space a full 4'?

 

[alchemy]

Very nice work! Is his interior space a full 4'?

Thanks lele, the interior space is really close to a full 4ft....my weird math ended up making it like 3.9 or so

Jim

 

[Porky1961]

That is an awesome setup. Very impressive.

MARK B.

 

[Marc10edora]

How much did that hibiscus tree cost you? I've been having a hard time finding one. All I can find at the stores are small plants.

 

[alchemy]

Thanks for the comment Mark...

Marc10edora, I got the hibiscus from my local Home Depot...they had plenty of them on hand and cost 17.99 for one....it fills up the space really well and the branches are quite hardy! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Jim

 

[FaunaBgirl]

Yep.... a thing of beauty. Well done!!!

 

[moviemanmania]

WOW! Very nice. Very cleanly built!

 

[Marc10edora]

The design is very nice. I would suggest one thing though, since it worked for the cage I'm building now. You could spackle and paint over the staples on the frames. This would make it look better and offer a safer seal with the screen. Bugs shouldn't be able to squeeze through after that and you won't have to worry about your chams toes getting caught on the staples.