Tk chameleon shooting gallery

[Kamikaze Chameleon]

Hey all so i just bought a shooting gallery for my guy from tk chameleons.... i didn't realize how cheap these things are... kind of disappointed ? I could've MADE a better one at half the cost. Does anyone have issues with escaped feeders from these things? Its mainly the crickets i worry about, seems like they could hop out pretty easily if they wanted.

 

[jacksonchamnew]

They came up with design and had it mass produced in China or something. Crickets can jump out. Wish it had magnets like original design.

 

[Beman]

LOL I freaking love this feeder run. I have tried many and this is by far one of my have to buy items. I have a cricket jump out rarely. They will stay happily on the screen. When attached properly nothing can climb out between the run and the screen either.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Got a 3D printer or know someone who has? From what I've seen, it wouldn't be too hard to replicate—but sturdier & more escape-resistant. Hold da phone....
Yup, somebody uploaded a pattern to Thingiverse! ?

 

[bbyoda]

The only non flying feeder that's ever escaped from mine is a Surinam roach, because they can climb plastic and are escape artists in general. But my cham loves them so he eats them up quickly.

Of course flies and moths will fly out but I stun my black soldier flies in the fridge first and put them in there. Sometimes he eats them right then, sometimes they fly out and he eats them later.

You could definitely create your own - I started with some handmade ones but they all looked like crud and had issues. I've not had any issues with the shooting gallery.

 

[Kamikaze Chameleon]

Got a 3D printer or know someone who has? From what I've seen, it wouldn't be too hard to replicate—but sturdier & more escape-resistant. Hold da phone....
Yup, somebody uploaded a pattern to Thingiverse! ?

Woah!!! I didn't even know that was a thing thanks for sharing!! So i can download blueprints and have someone print it for me? Yeah i need one with magnets too cuz I'm switching over to the dragonstrand with the acrylic front so the tk one will be useless to me unless i somehow build it into my cage?

 

[jacksonchamnew]

Woah!!! I didn't even know that was a thing thanks for sharing!! So i can download blueprints and have someone print it for me? Yeah i need one with magnets too cuz I'm switching over to the dragonstrand with the acrylic front so the tk one will be useless to me unless i somehow build it into my cage?

Reptibreeze made acrylic front and now Dragonstrand?

 

[jacksonchamnew]

Got a 3D printer or know someone who has? From what I've seen, it wouldn't be too hard to replicate—but sturdier & more escape-resistant. Hold da phone....
Yup, somebody uploaded a pattern to Thingiverse! ?

How much are the 3D printers? Can you do this at home?

 

[Kamikaze Chameleon]

Yea but its optional

 

[Beman]

Its not that difficult to retrofit it if you need to.... go to your craft store and get corrugated plastic. about $3 bucks. Then get the plastic needle point canvas sheet. about $3 bucks... A hot glue gun and strong magnets... Might want to get super glue gel though for the magnets. The humidity will cause magnets to pull away from hotglue IME. Hot glue the plastic needle point to the corrugated plastic... Hotglue the shooting gallery back to the combo corrugated plastic with needle point plastic. Then you have one solid piece... Cut away any excess if you haven't already. Super glue the magnets to the corners on the back of the corrugated plastic and then place and attach with magnets on the outside... Done.

 

[MissSkittles]

I love my Shooting Gallery. The crickets stay put and don’t jump out. The only feeder that has escaped is bsfl...they squirmed their way thru the bottom. One of these days going to run a line of hot glue to help prevent that.

 

[Lil’ Sneak]

We only occasionally have a cricket jump out... And I agree, they are cheep, pretty sure they’re just a green food service to-go-container with a hole cut in it... We get white ones from Chinese take-out all the time! It does work good though.

 

[Cipher]

Good to see 3D we have other members with 3D printers. I’ve been searching for STLs to print for my setup.

 

[MissSkittles]

One of the newer members recently posted a pic of their own made version of a shooting gallery made from a take out food container.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Woah!!! I didn't even know that was a thing thanks for sharing!! So i can download blueprints and have someone print it for me? Yeah i need one with magnets too cuz I'm switching over to the dragonstrand with the acrylic front so the tk one will be useless to me unless i somehow build it into my cage?

It doesn't work quite like that. What you download (usually) is either a file of code with an .STL suffix (which contains commands known to—and can be read directly by—3D printers, or a 3D drawing readable by 3D drawing software, that can be converted to an .STL file.

Adding magnets would involve taking the design back to the 3D drawing software, modifying it there, converting that to an .STL and printing. Either that or attach magnets in a manner similar to what
Beman described.

Re: Beman's method, I'm not sure if the corrugated layer is necessary or not. ?‍
I can envision doing it with just the plastic canvas (which I can't get locally at either national craft chain, and one sheet would cost the same as 12—already looked for it for making my own feeder run cup ). But not having actually seen & felt this canvas (I'm going to re-use screening off a cricket shipping box), IDK.

Did any of this make sense? I just got up from a nap.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Reptibreeze made acrylic front and now Dragonstrand?

Yeah, all the cool kids are doing it! ?

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

How much are the 3D printers? Can you do this at home?

Answering the second question first, yes, that's the general idea of that hobby, which can get as—or more—expensive as this one. IME, most hobbies are bottomless money pits.

As to cost, how much do you want to spend? Realistically (I got into it a couple years ago for a time) you can pick one up for around $300-$1000 not including shipping, or... (wait for it...)...build one yourself from a kit or from scratch. Many 3D printers come KD or as kits anyway.

Then be prepared to spend more time (and money) tinkering, updating it, and keeping the dang thing running than you actually spend printing anything. And printing anything takes forfreakingever (hours to days). Lots of waste, too. Fortunately, the most popular plastic used is PolyLactic Acid (PLA) which is difficult to recycle, but it's made from plant starches, so it's biodegradable.

Investigate carefully and thoroughly, young Padawan!

I think I may be starting to wake up now. ?

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

One of these days going to run a line of hot glue to help prevent that.

Silicone (GE #1) should work too, and won't separate from the magnets with humidity.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

We only occasionally have a cricket jump out... And I agree, they are cheep, pretty sure they’re just a green food service to-go-container with a hole cut in it... We get white ones from Chinese take-out all the time! It does work good though.

Hey, we had "Chinese" take-out just the other night! ? Num-num-num-num-num!
I think the containers are still in the dishwasher...

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Good to see 3D we have other members with 3D printers. I’ve been searching for STLs to print for my setup.

Do you... fondue?

I built a Prusa from the kit. It's sitting in a box next to the beardie box collecting dust. ?
If I had it to do over, I think I'd build a CoreXY from scratch.