Show me your (Individual) baby cage setup!

[CasqueAbove]

If you diy you can cut weight. You can use lighter material like plastic in some parts.

Even just glass you can separate them with different materials.

My current plan is to design a long and high cage, it will have slots where dividers can be inserted. This will allow cages to be expanded or divided depending on current needs . My space is limited, so I must be creative and have duel purpose.

 

[cyberlocc]

If you diy you can cut weight. You can use lighter material like plastic in some parts.

Even just glass you can separate them with different materials.

My current plan is to design a long and high cage, it will have slots where dividers can be inserted. This will allow cages to be expanded or divided depending on current needs . My space is limited, so I must be creative and have duel purpose.

Ya IK if I diy I can cut height, but I lose the ability to change cages if needed. Im stuck with what I have, where my current plan is more modular.

I also need ALOT of cages, and alot of those are small. Which just leads to more issues lol. So 2 walls, will be covered in glass tanks, its the long walls, so 25 feet long.

Babies in the center of the room to create 3 isles. The center baby cages will have cages on both sides, so a 24 inch deep Island in the middle of the room. So if I got with the Exoterra 12x12x18s, for all baby cages, we are talking 90 vivariums, figure 35lbs per vivarium so thousands of pounds in the center of the room. Not sure how well that will play out lol.

It will be 3000lbs in the middle of the room. I would probably need to rip out the floor and pour concrete to make that work lol.

The vivs that are on the walls, are not double deep, and while they are still about half the weight or a little more, they are also against load bearing walls, and I will screw there racks to the wall for more weight support.

But for the babies, 3000 lbs on the center of the room, even across a 20 ft span, I am not sure that's going to work very well.

 

[jannb]

How tall are those tubs? How long do you keep them in said tub? Where do they go after that?

Im not allergic to money, or saving it I should say . I thought about building a rack system, that holds tubs like that.

Splitting them up, becomes more of the concern, but I am sure a tub exists for that too.

The tubs are 12 inches high and the first couple of weeks I keep 10 or so babies in each tub and then I go to 2 to 4 per tub depending on how they get along. Around 6 to 7 weeks they go to small cages and small free range trees. I rotate them around so they all get some outside cage time.

I love the tubs for when they are little because you can interact with them better. I hesitate to pull them out of a cage but they come flying out of the tubs. Watch this little video to see how friendly they are and eager to to get on me and out of the tub.

 

[kinyonga]

I meant to tag you @jannb

 

[cyberlocc]

So another hurdle, I am having now.

Exoterra said they will not sell to me. Unless I have a commercial space, and retailers are saying they will not be able to accommodate an order of 45 tanks. Kind of amazed, that no one wants to seem to want to move product.... One place will sell me 45, but they are in Cali and are refusing to ship them to me. So rock and a hard spot.

A large margin of Exoterra retailers, carry 1 or 2 tanks a time. I am trying to buy 45.... Are they stuck on stupid? Like in what world would a business not allow someone to spend a crap ton of money on their product lololol?

 

[CasqueAbove]

So another hurdle, I am having now.

Exoterra said they will not sell to me. Unless I have a commercial space, and retailers are saying they will not be able to accommodate an order of 45 tanks. Kind of amazed, that no one wants to seem to want to move product.... One place will sell me 45, but they are in Cali and are refusing to ship them to me. So rock and a hard spot.

A large margin of Exoterra retailers, carry 1 or 2 tanks a time. I am trying to buy 45.... Are they stuck on stupid? Like in what world would a business not allow someone to spend a crap ton of money on their product lololol?

Seriously ? I would be like ok valued customer, I can only order 5 at a time, but I will do it 9 time for you. If I had my own little shop, a customer like you, I'll hep you carry it in your house.

 

[cyberlocc]

Seriously ? I would be like ok valued customer, I can only order 5 at a time, but I will do it 9 time for you. If I had my own little shop, a customer like you, I'll hep you carry it in your house.

Oh they will do that.

The problem is, they want to freight ship orders of 5 at a time. So they want 300 dollars for shipping every time they send me 5 cages for 200 dollars. I am trying to get an entire pallet at 1 time. Freight shipping does not vary much by the pallet, whats important is the liftgate and the base price. IE its 275 to ship 5 tanks, and its 375 to ship 45 tanks.

Im not trying to pay thousands of dollars in shipping to retailers that are already overcharging me anyway.

(The shipping numbers were guesstimates, one place did want 350 though, to ship 5 at a time, Reptile Supply CO, I just asked if I can have picked up by my own freight carrier, they are also realistic priced. to ship 45 tanks from them to me is only 387 is the quote I got. )

Joshs Frogs had a bunch of tanks the other day, but sold out all of a sudden, I am not sure if they will fight me over their free shipping or not, and I have a 20% discount code lololol. However even with the discount and free shipping, they want double reptile supply for each tank, so I am still losing big.

I also looked at protein cages, I prefer those over exos, as they are 18 deep and fit on racks. The issue there is they have apparently closed down, and have some really bad reviews with dendroboard, apparently they ripped a bunch of people off, IDK, I tried to email them and it says that email address doesnt exist.

 

[CasqueAbove]

Oh they will do that.

The problem is, they want to freight ship orders of 5 at a time. So they want 300 dollars for shipping every time they send me 5 cages for 200 dollars. I am trying to get an entire pallet at 1 time. Freight shipping does not vary much by the pallet, whats important is the liftgate and the base price. IE its 275 to ship 5 tanks, and its 375 to ship 45 tanks.

Im not trying to pay thousands of dollars in shipping to retailers that are already overcharging me anyway.

(The shipping numbers were guesstimates, one place did want 350 though, to ship 5 at a time, Reptile Supply CO, I just asked if I can have picked up by my own freight carrier, they are also realistic priced. to ship 45 tanks from them to me is only 387 is the quote I got. )

Joshs Frogs had a bunch of tanks the other day, but sold out all of a sudden, I am not sure if they will fight me over their free shipping or not, and I have a 20% discount code lololol. However even with the discount and free shipping, they want double reptile supply for each tank, so I am still losing big.

I was thinking more of a local shop, that is already getting them at whole sale and shipping is just part of the store. For a small shop, this would be an opportunity. I was thinking they may have weekly limits.
I ran a shop for a while in 2000, this is where it is coming from. We could have done this for you. It might take 9 weeks, but I would just order 5 each shipment. Do you have a local shop? not big box small business.

 

[cyberlocc]

I was thinking more of a local shop, that is already getting them at whole sale and shipping is just part of the store. For a small shop, this would be an opportunity. I was thinking they may have weekly limits.
I ran a shop for a while in 2000, this is where it is coming from. We could have done this for you. It might take 9 weeks, but I would just order 5 each shipment. Do you have a local shop? not big box small business.

Ohhh lol, ya no I live in a small town. My local shop wants 150 for a 12x12x18, while they are 40-80 online lololol.

Exoterra said they dont sell Wholesale?? Then how do these dealers get their tanks??? that makes zero sense lol. They would rather sell or 2 vivariums a year, to my tiny local pet store, where no one buys them, but refuses to sell me 45 at one time? Like what planet did these people learn how to do business?

 

[cyberlocc]

build custom cages or settle for Reptibreeze Nano and attach corrugated plastic on the sides and back of each..

The more I turn this round and round in my brain, this is seeming like the best option. If I do a 42 inch rack, I should be able to fit 4 per shelf, and have 5 shelves high, so 25 cages per shelf.

Is that tall enough though. We still have not got an answer lol,

@kinyonga @jannb is that tall enough for Panther babies till 4 months. I will have larger cages for after 4 months, but for the bulk, for the 4 months I need something till then.

I know the bins, but Panthers are just a, because I have panthers anyway, so might as well. My main reasoning for getting the cages, and breeding is Carpets and Minors, and they breed more often, so they will use the cages more. In that respect, from what I have seen, for Minors, individual caging is a must, from what I am saying they are extremely violent, and cannot be raised in groups.


So nano breeze, 10x10x12, for panthers till 4 months? (thats likely plenty for the smaller Minors and Carpets). So with that I can still do about 18 (maybe more) 16x16x20s, for ones that are bigger, or get over the 4 months mark.

 

[snitz427]

Can you build something custom out of greenhouse film? It’s a thicker, clear material. Not quite as transparent as glass or acrylic, might even give enough of a visual barrier while maximizing brightness.

Since you’re dealing with small animals and babies I would think the likelihood of them tearing through it is low. Would cut weight and you could buy like a 20’ sheet of 4 to 6 mil for $20-$30. Build your own frame and door and attach the material… Screen the roof, done.

 

[snitz427]

Greenhouse Clear Plastic Film Polyethylene Covering Gt4 Year 6 Mil 12ft. X 25ft. by Grower’s Solution https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BM8HHKK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_GGlOEb95229EA



That’s twice as thick as contractor trash bags (can get thicker if needed)... You’d need to puncture this with force and/or a sharp edge to break through it.

 

[cyberlocc]

Can you build something custom out of greenhouse film? It’s a thicker, clear material. Not quite as transparent as glass or acrylic, might even give enough of a visual barrier while maximizing brightness.

Since you’re dealing with small animals and babies I would think the likelihood of them tearing through it is low. Would cut weight and you could buy like a 20’ sheet of 4 to 6 mil for $20-$30. Build your own frame and door and attach the material… Screen the roof, done.

I dont care that its clear or not. For the chams, I would rather its not.

The issue is, the amount of work, that is involved in such a plan. We are only discussing chameleons cage atm, on the other side of these are gecko cages, some of which should be the same size, some of which should be half that. So we have to make doors, we are talking 200+ doors, 100s of dividers in what would be a "Bookshelves" soil bins have to be built to hold the soil and plants.

Thats why I am leaning to find an easy to modify commercial option, rather than trying to DIY something.

What would I do with the greenhouse film? the Structure wouldn't stay like that, I would need structural supports after the fact

 

[cyberlocc]

Oh thats a film, I dont get it? what I do with that lol?

 

[snitz427]

Oh thats a film, I dont get it? what I do with that lol?

I don’t see how assembling a bunch of screen cages will take much more time than just cutting and screwing a few dowels to make a frame. Screw or staple the film to the outside - done.

PVC sticks are available in one by one sizes, or wood. The PVC film could act as your walls… The same as your acrylic but cheaper.

Maybe I’m not following correctly… But at some point I thought there was mention of creating screen cages or using acrylic. This can be attached to whatever frame you were going to attach the screen or acrylic to. It is transparent but slightly opaque.

 

[cyberlocc]

I don’t see how assembling a bunch of screen cages will take much more time than just cutting and screwing a few dowels to make a frame. Screw or staple the film to the outside - done.

PVC sticks are available in one by one sizes, or wood. The PVC film could act as your walls… The same as your acrylic but cheaper.

Maybe I’m not following correctly… But at some point I thought there was mention of creating screen cages or using acrylic. This can be attached to whatever frame you were going to attach the screen or acrylic to. It is transparent but slightly opaque.

I was talking about spiting premade cages with acrylic, or putting that white plastic bathroom stuff between the screen frame pieces when i assemble the screen cages, and then splitting them.

After that,putting the cages on wire shelf racks.

Building cages from scratch,structure and all, would be extremely complicated and time consuming. Cant use film for the floor, or the outer walls, In am not sure i would trust that film for anything tbh, but maybe im not understanding what you are talking about.

Would then need screen tops, and would need them stackable, so would need to raise the floor of the next above that.

Then small screen doors, that I would have to make 1x1. Would have to drill out the hinges, and the locks, ect ect ect.

I do not know that I am envisioning what you are saying very well? I do not understand what your idea is?

Building something like this (This is the Dragonstrand Nursery)

From that greenhouse film and PVC is going to be extremely complex, time consuming and likely more expensive than buying a premade option.

Each one of those cages is 6x15x15, building something like that, is very complex and expensive, and time consuming (which is why it costs so much). Thats why we were looking at the premade options like the 10x10x12, the 8x8x12, and they are small, but that is what it takes.

Its a matter of finding the best balance, of size, to ease, to accommodation.

 

[snitz427]

That’s more or less what I was envisioning... on a cheap and less complicated scale lol. Obviously you can make it as complicated or simple as needed.

I guess it varies by person. I’m all for DIY, and if I can DIY a better solution that’s what I personally lean towards. I think about how to modify my cages and bug enclosures all the time. The greenhouse film would be sturdy, especially for babies and small species. I think I could throw something together quickly - sometimes I am a bit too ambitious, sometimes not. Time has a value, as well, of course.

I guess Im not following what you want. You want the glass cages, but they are hard and expensive to source, and the weight is an issue. A manufactured kit still requires some time to assemble, and customize.

Your goals are weight savings, high humidity, substrate tray, and size/scalability, right?

 

[cyberlocc]

That’s more or less what I was envisioning... on a cheap and less complicated scale lol. Obviously you can make it as complicated or simple as needed.

I guess it varies by person. I’m all for DIY, and if I can DIY a better solution that’s what I personally lean towards. I think about how to modify my cages and bug enclosures all the time. The greenhouse film would be sturdy, especially for babies and small species. I think I could throw something together quickly - sometimes I am a bit too ambitious, sometimes not. Time has a value, as well, of course.

I guess Im not following what you want. You want the glass cages, but they are hard and expensive to source, and the weight is an issue. A manufactured kit still requires some time to assemble, and customize.

Your goals are weight savings, high humidity, substrate tray, and size/scalability, right?

Pretty much . If there was a 12x12x18 screen cage, we would be set. And I might end up with 16x16x20, and split them, that is my current Idea.

As for the "walls" I will just use the plastic stuff that olimpa used to use, I use it for my QTs, its like PVC, but very thin, white, cheap (I think a sheet, so 4x8 was like 15 bucks) can be cut with scissors, and then attached to the cages. My QT, I screwed it in like DS cages, that didn't work so hot, as it messed with the doors and such, this time I will likely just cut to fit inside and silicon it in.

There is still other mods to do though, that are hard with screen. I would need to divide it in half, with something. It also only has 1 door, so that will leave 2 chameleons open to escape when its open instead of 1. I would still have to get a substrate tray made, and then figure out a way to keep feeders out of that.

So in that essence, glass is easiest. I can silicon in a divider and I am done. or with the 8x8x12 I done have to do anything. I am not sure 12 is tall enough, and would like a tad more front to back space though.

 

[cyberlocc]

Also seems that I got a bad weight for the 12x12x18s, the issue of sourcing is still an issue though, but they only weight 16lbs.

So with 9 to a 3ft rack, its like 150lbs. Thats not terrible, but it might cause a problem over time. I will have to see how the Joists run.

Honestly I might just tear out the floor and concrete that sucker!!!

 

[JacksJill]

Not my picture but this seemes like what you are trying for
https://www.chameleonforums.com/thr...jacksonii-babies-pictures.148258/post-1263103