The duplex is complete

[ncosper]

3 weeks of work, several hundred bucks spent (not including the chameleons), and a whole lot of late nights went into this cage. I think everyone that builds a cage sees the flaws where everyone else doesn't seem too, but overall I am very pleased with the result. I tried to really not leave anything that I would have wished I'd done in the beginning for a later date. I also decided to do everything from scratch, the cabinet, drainage, everything.

I intended on doing a full how-to on the cage, but as the nights grew longer and longer the less and less went into the journal. And as the new house came on the market (I'm a Realtor), the camera went to work and missed a huge check on construction. Right now I am only going to post the completed shots, but I'll get around to posting some of the construction pics soon.

Here is what went into this. I used solid poplar hardwood for the cabinets, front doors, and thin shelving. I intend to build a roof to cover the cans at some point.

Dimensions are 24" front to back, 41" left to right, 48" (of cage) top to bottom. Left cage is about 24", right is 16" (1" due to divider). It will cage an adult pair of Ambilobe panthers.

I used 2x2's for most of the framing, some 1x2's.

I used fiberglass screen as I intended to exclusively cup feed.

Lighting is two can lights (60 w halogen bulbs), painted black, two 18" fluorescent reptisun 10.0's.

I have a mistking nozzle for each side, I also plumbed in two cents from a coolmist humidifier. These blast right down on the pothos plants and seem to work great.

I used coated hardware cloth 1/4" for the bottom screening area, this is above the poop tray. Below this cloth is the poop tray, a removable screen that holds the poop .

Below the poop tray is that drainage. I cut 4 angular pieces of 1/4" plywood so it angled down. Added a drain at the low point, then added a full bucket of thinset mortar to the drainage. It setup and is not concrete. I then sealed it with a mortar/grout sealer so that it shouldn't every have problems.

Between the two sides is 2"x 1/4" poplar pieces that create a guide for a screen that has sunscreen in it. I am going to sew a second layer to the sunscreen so that it has basically 0 visibility going through it. This screen is removable from the top so that when breeding needs to occur it should be a quick and easy process.

I used a slot router bit to create the channels throughout the wood frame. This allowed me to use a spine for the screen and give a much cleaner look to the finished project. Although I had to use staples on the side doors and front doors, a virtually stapleless cages looks great, I think.

I used a minwax ebony stain for color. I then sealed it with 4-5 coats of water-based polyurethane.

I added plants today after a wash and replant. 2 Hibiscus, 2 Shefflera, and 2 pothos plants, 1 of each for each side. I am considering some bamboo dowels, but I don't know if they will be necessary as the cages are comfortably full.

Let me know what you think, and if I should change anything (thats still changeable) I will do so!

The Poly looks better than this, camera angle was a bit funky

Closeup of bottom of cage, pooptray system, and drainage, all on top of the cabinet

 

[ncosper]

reserved for the construction photos

 

[Julirs]

It looks great-but I would not put lights inside a cage.

 

[SliK JiM]

It looks really nice mate! Your plan looks like it's paid off! Personally, I'd add a large ficus in each side to really fill it out!

This is not a comment against your work, as it's something that keeps stumping me in my plans, but did you give any thought to hiding the staples that hold your mesh in place? I think I'm going to have to staple my mesh in place, but I REALLY don't want to see the ****ers, so I'm trying to think up ways of covering them to make it look neat! The only thing that seems like a good idea is to make a groove around the inside edge (only a small one) then staple the mesh in there then either use a silicone sealant (which would take ages to work in and may be really tricky) or a putty (of some description, but I don't know which would be the best to use as it'd have to deal with water and other adverse conditions!) to cover the staples and fill the groove in neatly!

Does that sound like it would work? Any ideas or suggestions?

 

[Goggles]

Slik
I did screen panels so if they get damaged you can easily remove one panel.
A router to counter sink around the edge so the screen is flush with wood and those little plastic turn latches almost like on the front door of a screen cage.

Terry

 

[Pure]

From what I could see it looks nice.

Your pics are huge man. You need to go in an reduce them. Your second cage pic, just the cage barely fit my 15 inch screen!

Sorry mate, I post large pics too but dang, try to keep them in screen.

 

[Pure]

Googles, and Jim,

Don't make it soo hard on yourself. Staple the screen to the inside of the cage, or get some molding and nail it over the staples, cut the corners at 45s, it looks 100 times better.

 

[joeandsoph]

Wow that's great =D

 

[ncosper]

Jim,
I wish I could find a nice ficus to fill it out. The only ones locally that are big enough are about 70 or 80 dollars each. Until I find something cheaper there are no ficus trees in the plans .

As for your plan I would do something like pure mentioned. Its a lot easier to add something thin and wood to cover the row of staples than to cut a groove redetermining the staples location. The only reason I didn't add something like that to mine is because the front doors sit flush against the frame. There was no room, but it also makes the staples unnoticeable unless opened. The side doors could use something like that, but those staples are set on a 1x2 which borders 2x2's so they are very slightly noticeable.
Good luck with yours. BTW how long have you been planning your project? LOL! I think you were planning before I started

It looks really nice mate! Your plan looks like it's paid off! Personally, I'd add a large ficus in each side to really fill it out!

This is not a comment against your work, as it's something that keeps stumping me in my plans, but did you give any thought to hiding the staples that hold your mesh in place? I think I'm going to have to staple my mesh in place, but I REALLY don't want to see the ****ers, so I'm trying to think up ways of covering them to make it look neat! The only thing that seems like a good idea is to make a groove around the inside edge (only a small one) then staple the mesh in there then either use a silicone sealant (which would take ages to work in and may be really tricky) or a putty (of some description, but I don't know which would be the best to use as it'd have to deal with water and other adverse conditions!) to cover the staples and fill the groove in neatly!

Does that sound like it would work? Any ideas or suggestions?

 

[AJA]

Wow..nice job. I would remove the stickers from off the plants, it looks tacky....

 

[tburgcris]

What I do Jim is build the frame, then I staple on the screen, and then I put trim around the cage to cover up the staples. U can remove the trim and replace the screen if it gets damaged.

 

[ncosper]

Wow..nice job. I would remove the stickers from off the plants, it looks tacky....

Was that the giveaway that I'm a guy? lol. I took those at about 1 in the morning and stickers were low on the priority list at that time of night. They are off now, I agree they look very tacky!

 

[SoCaliSon]

It looks great-but I would not put lights inside a cage.

This is the biggest flaw with your design. You really want to have the lights out of the cage, so there is no way for the cham to access it and burn them selves. My chams would climb right up that wire to the fluorescent light. What if you have a shatter?

 

[dondeb562]

This looks great! Aside form the lighting in the cage as was already said. I especially love the prison food tray doors on the sides! hahaha!

 

[ncosper]

This is the biggest flaw with your design. You really want to have the lights out of the cage, so there is no way for the cham to access it and burn them selves. My chams would climb right up that wire to the fluorescent light. What if you have a shatter?

Hadn't thought about a shatter. I'll think about a protection from it and put something in there to help protect in that event. I've never had a light shatter but I've heard of it happening. The current positions don't allow the chams to get anywhere near the basking bulbs and actually I have plans (just not yet implemented to have the hanging plants hang from a dowel, thus preventing access to the fluorescent lights as well. My biggest concern, thanks to the post is shattering, which I believe I can fairly easily incase with screen to prevent that possibility.

thanks

 

[ncosper]

This looks great! Aside form the lighting in the cage as was already said. I especially love the prison food tray doors on the sides! hahaha!

Prison trays, LOL! I really don't know how much I will use the doors, but I figured it would be incredibly easy to cup feed through those. I also figured it might be a little less stressful and much more consistent. When that door opens food, when the big door opens its something else...

 

[alhickabee]

It's not the bulb shattering that you should be worried about, glass would get inside the cage with a screened top. It's the cham burning him/herself on the bulbs that you want to be concerned about. Even getting too close to the UVB bulb can result in serious burns. Use the same screen to partition the lights from the rest of the cage. (Remember UVB doesn't pass through glass or regular plexi) That way you don't have to tear the top off of the cage. Of course with this design you lose the ability to fine tune the basking temp with the distance of the lamp. Otherwise the cage looks fantastic

Hadn't thought about a shatter. I'll think about a protection from it and put something in there to help protect in that event. I've never had a light shatter but I've heard of it happening. The current positions don't allow the chams to get anywhere near the basking bulbs and actually I have plans (just not yet implemented to have the hanging plants hang from a dowel, thus preventing access to the fluorescent lights as well. My biggest concern, thanks to the post is shattering, which I believe I can fairly easily incase with screen to prevent that possibility.

thanks

 

[ncosper]

It's not the bulb shattering that you should be worried about, glass would get inside the cage with a screened top. It's the cham burning him/herself on the bulbs that you want to be concerned about. Even getting too close to the UVB bulb can result in serious burns. Use the same screen to partition the lights from the rest of the cage. (Remember UVB doesn't pass through glass or regular plexi) That way you don't have to tear the top off of the cage. Of course with this design you lose the ability to fine tune the basking temp with the distance of the lamp. Otherwise the cage looks fantastic

Yeah currently with the hanging wires from the pothos are the only places that they could get near either light. There is basically nothing to grip onto from the screen to get within 6" on the smaller side probably 12" on the larger side. I really designed the light configuration with that heat issue in mind, not the potential shattering, obviously. As soon as I fix the hanging on the pothos, which after looking around a bunch I think I am going to use a 3 point wire hanging system from the wood frame posts. It will then keep it in place, and not provide any access to the top of the cage.

 

[SliK JiM]

I remember people discussing the lighting before but I thought you were going to put one of those wire safety things over them?

Honestly, I've been planning this for at least 3 months now. I had some exams recently so I've not been able to focus on much else other than them! I should start the build this coming week though! Finally.

I thought about sticking something over the staples to cover them, but couldn't find anything that'd really do it. What do you all suggest?

 

[ncosper]

I remember people discussing the lighting before but I thought you were going to put one of those wire safety things over them?

Honestly, I've been planning this for at least 3 months now. I had some exams recently so I've not been able to focus on much else other than them! I should start the build this coming week though! Finally.

I thought about sticking something over the staples to cover them, but couldn't find anything that'd really do it. What do you all suggest?

What changed my mind about wire safety things over the lights is the incredible ease they would provide for a climbing spot. If I left them bare, without a wire cover then if they are out of reach, they are safe from burning at least with direct touch. If the cover is on, the cover would have to be huge to keep them far enough from the backing light which would defeat the purpose of having them mounted as they are. s long as I can be sure the chams cant get near the lights I don't think I will have any trouble.

Good luck when you do finally end up putting something together! I got in deep with this project. The last project like this I did was 9th grade woodshop! lol. That was like 17 years ago so needless to say I was figuring things out as I went.