ChameleonMom
New Member
I have been wanting new enclosures for my veiled's - their cages were sadly inappropriate for their body size, especially Isis who is turning 1 in November and growing big and fast. After much discussion with my hubby he decided that any cage I could buy - he could build better! Sure enough, 3 weeks after he began, so he finished!
The cages are identical wood/screen - 20"x20"x36" and are made of white pine which has been stained with an edible oil that I use to stain/oil my kitchen island/butchers block. The screen is coated aluminum. On the bottom hubby has put a 1" block of insulation on top of the wood, with the insulation having been sanded into a very gradual concave shape with a hole in the center for drainage. On top of the insulation he has glued linoleum down and then caulked around the floors' outer edges so it is completely waterproof.
I have always had drainage issues with my chams in that I didn't have any! On a daily basis I would haul out my chameleon dedicated 'wet vac' and suck out the water and wipe out the debris. I made things harder on myself than they needed to be so I asked hubby if he could solve this issue and come up with a system that would provide me with some much needed drainage. Having said that, I also needed drainage that wasn't 'open' in our house as I have a 4 year old son who will get into the water no matter how many times you say NO! To solve this issue my hubby 'altered' the cabinet that previously housed Isis' cage. The cabinet is wide enough to house both new enclosures AND provide a closed off area for a drainage system!
We only got things put together late this afternoon before taking my son out trick or treating, but I am SO happy! I'm going to spend the day tomorrow 'tweaking' things and watching my chams for any problems with the move to their new homes - I'm hoping the luxury of more space doesn't throw them off too much!!
The cages are identical wood/screen - 20"x20"x36" and are made of white pine which has been stained with an edible oil that I use to stain/oil my kitchen island/butchers block. The screen is coated aluminum. On the bottom hubby has put a 1" block of insulation on top of the wood, with the insulation having been sanded into a very gradual concave shape with a hole in the center for drainage. On top of the insulation he has glued linoleum down and then caulked around the floors' outer edges so it is completely waterproof.
I have always had drainage issues with my chams in that I didn't have any! On a daily basis I would haul out my chameleon dedicated 'wet vac' and suck out the water and wipe out the debris. I made things harder on myself than they needed to be so I asked hubby if he could solve this issue and come up with a system that would provide me with some much needed drainage. Having said that, I also needed drainage that wasn't 'open' in our house as I have a 4 year old son who will get into the water no matter how many times you say NO! To solve this issue my hubby 'altered' the cabinet that previously housed Isis' cage. The cabinet is wide enough to house both new enclosures AND provide a closed off area for a drainage system!
We only got things put together late this afternoon before taking my son out trick or treating, but I am SO happy! I'm going to spend the day tomorrow 'tweaking' things and watching my chams for any problems with the move to their new homes - I'm hoping the luxury of more space doesn't throw them off too much!!