screen vs. solid bottom??

[lisagr07]

here come a few questions for ya,,

what are the pros and cons of having one over the other?
seems to me the screen is a better idea because it would eliminate standing water from misting or dripping.

can someone explain the usage of a drip tray?? i'm thinking it goes under a screen bottom cage but how do you get the accumulated water out of it without removing the cage???

also why are some chameleon keepers using soil in the bottom of the cages and some seem to just be using a paper product... i thought that the soil would hold moisture thus causing mold problems..

what advantages does one have over the other???

thanks ,,, lisa

 

[Matt1851]

Well to be honest i dont know what i would prefer :\ but what im using is a solid bottom. Its a 16x16 peice of plastic that is removable and i do not use substrait. i have a small tubberware container at the bottom that catches the water from my dripper with a sponge inside and some fake plants just incase someone falls inside and wont drown but everywhere else i have a layer of paper towl that i change every week to dry peices just so it absorbs any water from misting or the dripper and so the water will not leak anywhere

 

[GoFast]

I use 4 tiles that are a hair under 12"x12" each that are just placed there. What is nice about this set up is that whenever there is poop, I simply remove whatever tile he pooped on and wash it. It is very simple....

 

[pssh]

I use papertowels on a solid bottom. I have a few holes drained on the bottom in the middle. I raised the cage and put a tub under it for drainage and I empty the tub once a day. I only use one paper towel under the basking spot because that's where my guys poop. Easy clean up

 

[dakotakleiner]

I have a solid plastic bottom with paper towel over it and a tubber ware container to catch dripping water but the dripping water always gets all over the bottom of the cage from splashing and misting so I have the materials to switch over to a screen bottom which I bought from home depot along with a black cement mixing tub that I drilled a hole in to drain into a five gallon bucket I. Made a stand for all of it I got the idea from mr whellock he's on my friendds list take a look at his gallery his set up seems flawless

 

[lisagr07]

Well to be honest i dont know what i would prefer :\ but what im using is a solid bottom. Its a 16x16 peice of plastic that is removable and i do not use substrait. i have a small tubberware container at the bottom that catches the water from my dripper with a sponge inside and some fake plants just incase someone falls inside and wont drown but everywhere else i have a layer of paper towl that i change every week to dry peices just so it absorbs any water from misting or the dripper and so the water will not leak anywhere

Matt1851 is the 16x16 piece of plastic removed through the door or does it slide out from under the bottom?

oh yeah, i like that you put some artificial plants in the water tub, incase somebody falls in!!! there are all kinds of situations to consider and that's one of them!!!

thanks , lisa

 

[lisagr07]

I use papertowels on a solid bottom. I have a few holes drained on the bottom in the middle. I raised the cage and put a tub under it for drainage and I empty the tub once a day. I only use one paper towel under the basking spot because that's where my guys poop. Easy clean up

pssh, so i guess the holes being drilled in the bottom actually make the solid bottom function like a screened bottom, just not as many holes..
is there really enough water accumulation in the tub to warrent dumping it daily?

thanks,, lisa

 

[lisagr07]

I use 4 tiles that are a hair under 12"x12" each that are just placed there. What is nice about this set up is that whenever there is poop, I simply remove whatever tile he pooped on and wash it. It is very simple....

GoFast, i like the tile idea, it does sound quite easy.. are the tiles set up on screen or a solid plastic bottom? do you use any papertowels for absorption?

thanks,, lisa

 

[lisagr07]

I have a solid plastic bottom with paper towel over it and a tubber ware container to catch dripping water but the dripping water always gets all over the bottom of the cage from splashing and misting so I have the materials to switch over to a screen bottom which I bought from home depot along with a black cement mixing tub that I drilled a hole in to drain into a five gallon bucket I. Made a stand for all of it I got the idea from mr whellock he's on my friendds list take a look at his gallery his set up seems flawless

dakotakleiner, thanks for the input. i'm going to check out your friends set up...
i really think seeing these ideas at work will help me figure out what will work for me...

thanks,, lisa

 

[GoFast]

GoFast, i like the tile idea, it does sound quite easy.. are the tiles set up on screen or a solid plastic bottom? do you use any papertowels for absorption?

thanks,, lisa

I have them on top of the screen. The cage sits on a drainage tray from lllreptile and that drains into a bucket/drawer underneath the stand. So I don't need any paper towels or anything like that. It is literally a 5 minutes,once a week, maintenance set-up


The first pic shows the drain into my bucket/drawer. I can just remove this drawer every couple of weeks to drain it.

The second picture shows the tiles and the black at the bottom of the cage is the drainage tray from lllreptile.

 

[lisagr07]

I have them on top of the screen. The cage sits on a drainage tray from lllreptile and that drains into a bucket/drawer underneath the stand. So I don't need any paper towels or anything like that. It is literally a 5 minutes,once a week, maintenance set-up


The first pic shows the drain into my bucket/drawer. I can just remove this drawer every couple of weeks to drain it.

The second picture shows the tiles and the black at the bottom of the cage is the drainage tray from lllreptile.

GoFast thanks soo much for posting the pics!! seeing your setup really helps me understand the concept much more.. did you also get your cage and stand from lllreptile??
i've been looking at their website trying to figure i it all out, what i need what i don't...

do you have some sort of plastic across the back? is it on the sides also??

thanks again,, lisa

 

[GoFast]

I actually made my screen cage but it is very similar to the lllreptile one. To be honest, unless you can buy the materials in bulk, it is easier and cheaper to buy one from lll.

I do have some plastic on 2 sides just to hold a bit of humidity in. It only runs up 3/4 of the way though. The plastic I used was a home window winterizing kit.

 

[lisagr07]

Thanks for the info... What about the stand? Did you make it also, to fit the cage, or is it spacifically for a reptile cage??

Thanks again,, Lisa.

 

[GoFast]

Nope, I made that too. Its just 2x2s and 3/4" x 4" plywood strips.