Bird cage enclosure?

[Kaizen]

Anyone out there using a large bird cage as an enclosure? I only ask because I saw a nice 3x3x5 for like 80$ today, and thought to myself, ‘why the heck don’t people use these instead of 300$ Cham specific enclosures. I suppose it has to do with escapee bugs, but what a price difference.

 

[snitz427]

Bugs probably play into it, but my guy could probably squeeze out of my sister’s bird cage

 

[Peeps101]

Anyone out there using a large bird cage as an enclosure? I only ask because I saw a nice 3x3x5 for like 80$ today, and thought to myself, ‘why the heck don’t people use these instead of 300$ Cham specific enclosures. I suppose it has to do with escapee bugs, but what a price difference.

I’ve never seen a cham enclosure that’s over $200. You can find really good ones like 24x24x48 for just $70-$80

 

[krikinit]

I got my reptibreeze xl from amazon for $85 delivered.

 

[Carlton]

Anyone out there using a large bird cage as an enclosure? I only ask because I saw a nice 3x3x5 for like 80$ today, and thought to myself, ‘why the heck don’t people use these instead of 300$ Cham specific enclosures. I suppose it has to do with escapee bugs, but what a price difference.

The true "cost" ends up being what you need to do to make it functional for a creature it wasn't designed to house. A, $80 bird cage that is larger than an $80 reptile enclosure could be a relatively good buy, but don't forget that you will need to modify it; may need to make a screen cover to keep the cham from getting caught up between the bars and to keep loose feeders contained. You might not like the resulting appearance if you aren't very crafty. You might need to make a false bottom for the slide out tray to set the plant pots on... you won't be able to slide it out to clean it with a bunch of plant pots sitting on it. In fact, getting large plants through the doorway (often bird cage doors are small) might be a problem. If the metal galvanizing, stainless finish, or other metal fittings aren't good quality things may rust fairly soon due to all the misting you'll do.

There's nothing "officially" wrong with using a bird cage for a cham. Whether its a bargain or not depends on how much effort you are willing to make it work. I've used garage sale parrot cages as outdoor basking enclosures. One thing about bird cages....many of them are much larger than herp enclosures available at most retail shops. I always prefer cham cages that are larger than the sizes usually available...one big reason I tend to build my own or have them built. A big macaw cage or an Iguanarium could create a very generous living space.

 

[Kaizen]

Yeah, I wasn’t thinking of using one myself, as my crew has their own custom enclosures in the greenhouse. I just noticed a lot of people using small cages for economic reasons, and thought this might be a viable alternative. Anyways, thanks for the reply; I appreciate it.