Solid Wood Back or Screen?

m1ndless

m1ndless

New Member
I just started the frame of my cage, and I was thinking since I will be misting, should I use wood or plastic for the back instead of screen?

I was thinking of using screen, then placing a plastic liner behind the enclosure against the wall so the water can drip down and collect at the bottom? I had an idea for it to drain into my tub for the dripper drainage, but I was not sure if I just should use something else for the back instead?
 
m1ndless said:
I just started the frame of my cage, and I was thinking since I will be misting, should I use wood or plastic for the back instead of screen?

I was thinking of using screen, then placing a plastic liner behind the enclosure against the wall so the water can drip down and collect at the bottom? I had an idea for it to drain into my tub for the dripper drainage, but I was not sure if I just should use something else for the back instead?
Click to expand...

i have plastic walls on two sides and the bottom to contain the misting, it is the way to go, plenty of airflow and no water mess or hanging plastic everywhere. i would recommend it to everyone. make two sides and the bottom out of plastic/plexi sheets and drill a few holes in the bottom, it would make the cage perfect to put in a corner and look good without the mess!
 
My enclosure is going in a corner, so maybe I will make the back and one side plastic, but that would just look odd.
 
How big

How big is your enclosure going to be? The bigger, the more costly PVC or ABS plastic sheets are. Wood is inexpensive and you can coat it with a marine type sealant that is safe for pets and won't harbor bactieria. But if you can get the PVC or ABS plastic cheap go ahead. It will be easier to clean every once in awhile.
 
I am really glad this was asked because I was going to ask the same thing. :) Here is the "design" I drew up for our new cage. (Please forgive the drawing I did it by hand and then had to take a picture of it cause my scanner is on the fritz).


l_28afb7f22dcb4db6b888e717207b67d2.jpg


Steve,

Is there a specific brand of sealant that is safe? How will I know that it is safe for pets?
 
Oh wow, I had no clue. Thank you very much. Up in the top right corner we are planning on putting a mister. My husband wanted the waterfall for the "effect" lol.

He wants to know if the volcano that is a fogger thing is as prone to bacteria as the waterfall?
 
Some chameleons don't like foggers and it will stress them out, but all chameleons like misters. HerpMist, ProMist, and MistKing are the best. Personally I'm getting a HerpMist once my guy gets a little bigger. He's a little over two months and I just use a spray bottle to mist the cage. I've used Habba Mists in the past and I've found it works best unplugged sitting in my attic.
 
I wouldn't use any foggers or waterfalls at all. If you have an automatic mister that comes on 3 times a day for about 2 minutes each time you'll be fine. Mindless, I think if you put plastic on the back and two sides in the corner it would look great sitting in a corner. Just make sure whatever material you end up using doesn't have a reflection.
 
Excellent. Thank you both so much. Sadly the local pet stores around here push those two items on you. I was planning on having a mister so I will stick with that and use the extra money we would have spent on those fogger things to buy a better mister.

I was thinking about using PVC sheets as the flooring and back ground. I will put it on a side too like you suggested to keep the water in.

Right now I am using one of those presurized hand held misters. I cant tell if she likes it and isnt fond of me being that close to her cage or hates it and me being next to her cage. lol
 
My buddy

My buddy says it is a 2 part epoxy paint made by Sweetwater and once it is cured it is 100% safe, non toxic and water proof. The only downfall it is 70$ a gallon; however, if you plan on making more enclosures it would be worth it. One gallon 250 sqfeet.

If you choose plastic, go here and look at the ABS stuff. It can be costly.
http://www.eplastics.com/Plastic/ABS-Textured-General-Purpose-Plastic-Sheet

I checked home depot and lowes for sheets of plastic and they do not sell anything like these sheets. I am not trying to tell you what to do or where to go, just giving you some suggestions. I was going to do the same thing and it eventually got costly. Good luck man!
 
RachelRiot said:
Oh wow, I had no clue. Thank you very much. Up in the top right corner we are planning on putting a mister. My husband wanted the waterfall for the "effect" lol.

He wants to know if the volcano that is a fogger thing is as prone to bacteria as the waterfall?
Click to expand...

anything with free standing water will be a resivoir for bacteria. there are some keeper who use a humidifier to the same effect and my guess is that because it is out side the cage no fecal material can get into the water source and contaminate it. I don't see why a fogger couldn't serve the same purpose out side of cage.

Nice over all design though.

OPI
 
If you want to use a waterfall. Maybe you could get an water cleanser that wont harm the pet. I'm sure there is organic solutions you could use to keep the water cleaner. Then again the water would still have to be changed often from the things going in and out of it. Maybe you could build a wire mesh dome around the waterfall. Your plans look great.
 
http://http://www.modernplastics.com/index.php your plan is awsome. I would stay away from water fall. a good drip system with the drainage in your pic will be way more sanitary. I have read a lot of posts that say chams poop in waterfalls. mine pooped in drip catch container like it was toilet. I removed it and put in drainage system now i can mist as much as i want, turn drip system on 24/7 and no standing water. on the negative side i have to remove poop with paper towel and clean area with steam cleaner on daily basis. I am lucky Morken poops like clockwork i know when it is time to cleanup. exposure to fecies can cause uncureable disease. see health forums. you can get plastic sheet shipped from this place cheaper than most and it is grade AAA. I used there .65 lexan for 16'ft burmese cage cause he would break plexi glass. he is now 23'ft and lexan is holding up fine. they sell as small as 12"x12" too.
 
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most sealents are safe after a period of cureing. 100% silicone should be cured for the longest time 72 hours is usualy enough, if sealant is not solid all the way through it can outgas toxins. avoid latex it tends to mildew. i am carpenter i like lexel it has good adhesion, dries fast. I have used it on three of my oscar tanks. never a problem. my cham cage has removeable plastic liner so i didnt use any on it.http://http://www.sashcosealants.com/Home_Improvement/Lexel.aspx
 
If you're looking for cheap plastic for the back or sides, use Core Ply, its a corrugated plastic sheeting used by sign shops. Your local plastic supplier should be able to get it for you. Its light weight, you can cut it with an exacto knife. It doesn't provide much structural strength, but it gets the job done.
 
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