Building a bigger enclosure

[Trinacham]

I have wanted to build a bigger enclosure for my chameleon for a while, not only because people on here are telling me to but he also wants to get out all the time, so it must be too small for him. Instead of buying a bigger one (they are hard to find in the UK!) I want to build onto the cage that I already have.

Are there any guides on the internet how to build your own mesh enclosures?

 

[Loribeth]

my husband is building ours. all he is doing is taking 2x4s and nailing them together, make a door with them as well and using a staple gun to staple screen around it. adding a sliding draining pan on the bottom and thats it really. if you look at some of the enclosures on here you can get some great ideas. hope this helps.

 

[lgstang]

my husband is building ours. all he is doing is taking 2x4s and nailing them together, make a door with them as well and using a staple gun to staple screen around it. adding a sliding draining pan on the bottom and thats it really. if you look at some of the enclosures on here you can get some great ideas. hope this helps.

The sliding draining pan is a great idea!

 

[Loribeth]

i got the idea from here. they did a great job. check it out. its like a step by step

https://www.chameleonforums.com/finally-finished-13680/

 

[tryme]

wont that wood get damaged from misting and drippers?

 

[Loribeth]

you paint it with like a waterproof seal. you just paint it on and its clear.

 

[stapleton33]

Cheap, universal, and under a half hour to build

Go to Wal-Mart (or Asda, sure ), grab a roll of mesh screening (not the metal, the fiberglass) and a cheap coffee table (even the bigger ones stay under $50, mine was like $25) set the table up on its end, and staple-gun/glue/duct tape the mesh around the legs. use a tupperwear lid for the very bottom as a sliding catch-all. PRESTO! you now have way more cubic feet for VERY cheap, with all kinds of money left over for plants, food, or anything at all you wanna add. the bonus is the solid table-bottom on the back side makes a great base to add bark, vines, extra live plants all the way up, and for mounting temp/humidity gauges. total for my own 39"x20"x18" chamcage: just under $50 with foliage. lamps and such mount beautifully to the legs, by the by. have fun!

 

[tryme]

stapleton33 have you got a pic of this? your description is hard for me to follow..my imagination isn't that great lol

 

[Loribeth]

i dont see how that would work with a frame on the back and the legs sticking out. and there being all screen and no frame. i dunno but not my kind of cage i guess

 

[stapleton33]

Hi all! This is the cage my husband expertly built and also drew using Paint! I know it's kinda difficult to envisage from an explanation so the pic is below! Comments welcome!

 

[AndrewH]

Hi all! This is the cage my husband expertly built and also drew using Paint! I know it's kinda difficult to envisage from an explanation so the pic is below! Comments welcome!

Looks great! a reminder, a night heat lamp isnt needed unless the temp drops below 60 degrees. A temp drop of about 10 degrees is needed for their metabolism to function properly.

 

[Loribeth]

i dont care fo that design at all. no offense but it does not look very sturdy.

 

[tryme]

how do you open and close it lol

 

[Loribeth]

yeah not my cup of tea. hubby is building one our of 2x4s and screen ill post pics when he gets it done.

 

[stapleton33]

it's more of a cheap fix than a master-enclosure. sorry for the crude drawing. it's wicked sturdy though. and WAY less than the pet store versions or a full-blown project. i just recommnded it to help out the average guy on a budget. when all they need is a tree, lights, and food, spending money on a SCREEN for the tree seems kinda ... more expensive. part of the "expertise" in building it was cleaning and access - you just lift it straight up! that way you can come in under the chams instead of from asbove, clean all the bottom out - or change it completely, move stuff around, etc. and all the lights are up top now. as for the night lamp, it's gone. i got a lot of advice early on about having a changing temp. but thanks for the pointer. pix to eventually follow.