And so it begins...

[Ninkylou]

Today marks the start and hopefully finish of the set up of my new Cham area. I am off to Lowes to find a hole saw to do my drainage, but here is a list of what I have and I will try to chronicle it in pictures. Video w/ sound might be better because I'm sure there will be some cursing.

Equipment:

1 - 24 x 48 " Children's activity table with plastic top. (this allows me to have it a bit lower to accommodate my vertically challenged self.
2 - DIY 2 x 2 x 4 enclosures with drainage trays (one currently set up)
2 - Shower drains that I will plumb to the drainage trays (this is what has me the most worried, messing this up)
2 - 5 gallon pails for collecting waste water
Risers for plants - need a few more (Lowes hopefully)
1 Aquazamp Raindome system with 2 Raindomes
Lots - Live plants all repotted with a mix or organic soil, playsand and activated charcoal. Looking to get another Pothos or two that has more vine growth. The new one I have to replace the one with root rot is pretty skimpy and I don't have one for Darrio's enclosure. I will see what's at Lowes otherwise go to Fred Meyer or Ikea.
Foam sheets to cover plant pots to keep Ziggr from him soil eating fetish...
Lots - curly willow branches to replace dowels as perches
1 48" -Zoomed Combination fixture - accommodates 1 48" tube and 2 incandescent bulbs
1 - 48" Reptisun 10.0
2 - house incandescent bulbs
2 - dome fixtures
2 - 5500k LED bulbs for plants
Lots - Reptivines
White vinyl shower curtains for outer cages and visual blocking
Velcro stick on strips for the vinyl
Dowels for supporting hanging plants
thumb tacks for supporting branches
Fage yogurt cups for feeding cups
Small Zip ties

1 - RB Ambilobe, spoiled rotten - Ziggy
1 - BB Ambilobe, spolied rotten - Darrio

Also Resin cabinet that will house all of my feeders. Currently an assortment of crickets, Supers large and tiny, Dubias, Hornworms, Reptiworms and some Mealworms that I can't seem to get rid of. I would like to get some silkworms but the last ones I ordered (not from a sponsor), were a mess and I got like 3 alive…they were all mashed into the food and were dead.

I'm sure I have forgotten something, but I will take pics as I do things.

Getting the plumbing done is my biggest concern. If I mess up cutting the table or the drainage trays I'm pretty screwed...

Wish me luck!!

 

[Ninkylou]

Progress..It has been a hard road..

So as always nothing goes quite the way I plan. My vision far exceeds my skill in these projects, but I am almost there. A few mis-cuts, lots of crazy-glued fingers, and language that would embarrass a sailor..

Here are pics from this AM. Ziggy has been a trooper through it all.

More plants to install, Vines and branches etc.

 

[Ahyriah]

Looking good! Excited to see it all finished with them in there loving it.

 

[Ninkylou]

Looking good! Excited to see it all finished with them in there loving it.

You'll have to come by and see it in person!

 

[melble68]

Looks great. I've got my eye on a DIY cage w/ pan for the winter months here in FL.

Look forward to see more plants and vines. Thumbs up on the work so far.

 

[Ninkylou]

Done for now LOL

So here are the pics of my somewhat final product. I have a few things I am working on to cover the gap between the pan and the screen and will post pics of that later today.

I wanted to use more of the curly willow for horizontal branches but found it did not hold the tacks well. I might need a longer support. Also in b=my brilliance to get the enclosures on the table, I lashed them together with floral wire, so of course now I can't get between them to even put tacks there…sigh….

I would love people's opinions. I think it needs more vine coverage at the top but in Ziggy's enclosure the pothos has not grown out. In Daario's I need to drape those vines a bit. I am trying to let him settle in a bit before I mess around too much more.

I am wondering if I should use different hangers, and raise both of the pothos up some so they start closer to the top of the enclosure. Thoughts?




The plants at the bottom are more there to keep them away from my grazing cat… Still deciding what to do with.

 

[melble68]

You could either raise the pothos up, or just wait for them to grow a bit, and have them "vine" up towards the top and then back down. I'm curious about the green shieldy stuff you used on the plants. Tell us about that.

 

[Ninkylou]

It just craft foam that I cut into circles and placed like an Elizabethan collar. Ziggy is a dirt eater, but my main reason was to try and divert some water from the soil of my middle plants. there is only so much drainage one can accomplish I thought this might help.

 

[Ninkylou]

I'm done…for now

Well the project is as finished as its going to be.

One thing I did that I am really happy with is to take 8" fiberglass vent screen and wrap it around at the bottom of the cage, I attached it with dots of hot glue. This allows feeders that has fallen to the bottom to grab onto the screen and climb back up, and I am hoping reduces feeders (Dubias in particular) from going down between the drainage pan and the screen. I tested it out by tossing a few crickets in the bottom of the cage and poof up they went.

I placed some fake reptivines in the top of both enclosures until the pothos grows out to add some shady but warm areas.

Still a bit of an issue: water is not draining well to the middle…I have raised the outsides of the enclossures but still not going to the middle. I bought a squeegee to assist if there is standing water.

In Ziggy's I put a piece of screen over the drain. I left Daario's open. I want to see which works better.

So here are the final (for now) pics.



The mesh skirting around the drainage pan

 

[SaintJimmy]

Beautiful cages, nice table setup. Seriously this is awesome