Built my own cage.. First time, with pics

[Zegg]

Just decided to build my own cage and see how it turned out and try and save a few bucks. Plus friend PMed me wondering what I did so figured i would post here to maybe give a person wanting to build there own a few ideas i dont know? took maybe 3 hours-5 hours with HD shopping and not really knowing what I was doing to fully, make a list in my head, plan in my head, shop randomly, construct and complete cage. Not to bad for not really putting anything on paper or never building a cage before.


Obviously first was the Plan/Materials

Plan was look at some pics of a window screen frame type cage..

Next was just go to HomeDepot and just start adding things up in my head what I might need.

lol.. better to actually draw and write everything out... for example.... bought small bucket of selftapping #8 3/4" screws of 250 count for 12 bucks, when I think I used 30. I use these screws all the time to no biggie, but its the tray of 250 of 1 3/8" i paid 12 bucks for and have no use for at the moment. Or like buying 8 84" window screen frames when I used 5, no biggie cause I plan on making another cage soon.

Seems to me if you dont buy in bulk such as screws or screen material etc might just be worth buying one from somewhere else. Yeah I only spent with materials used $35 but spent a total of $90 bucks... but pretty much have enough material 2 build 2 more enclusures minus window screen frame connectors which are cheap. so pretty much 18 bucks if I want to make another cage same size or $30 for a 24x24x48 cage for my second cage. So as long as I make my second or even 3rd cage the savings are defienntly there, if you only need one make sure you plan out what materials you really need and only get what you need.

Frist I planned on getting a Juvy Panther, so enclosure is 17x17x25, and with plans of building an adult cage in the future and possibly maybe making or helping out a friend with making one as well. so thus why buying lots of extra materials. part of the $95 bucks includes different types of mister/fogger heads for irrigation and greenhouse but thats not really part of making the cage.

Well anyways here are the Pic's, lets see if I can get them in order.

Need a few minutes to get pics up.....

 

[Zegg]

Only tools used was a drill, measure tap, hacksaw, pencil.

First was building construction the bottom frame to make out the full dimensions of the cage, well length and with, ended up being around 17x17, dotn remember exactly what the measure ments were since I just made it on the fly and had no real "paper" plans down on PAPER.

Then was mimicing the same thing for the top.

then made the sides and back. sides had to be cut 7/8" i beleive shorther in length (not height) to compensate for widtdh of the window frame. Thus why they are laid out middle beign the back, and left and right being the sides

Connecting them all together, and laying them out

Used masking tape to dry fit everything together to make sure everything was a proper fit, had to trim bottom front 1/4" cause I measured wrong, atleast I made it to long.

Once I was happy with pre-fitting, predrilled holles for screws

Screened all frames and door kept it laid out so i knew what went where, might be good to mark everything before taking apart.

Started Screwing everyting together

Looks like a tight fit to me?

Done!!! after adding hinges and rescreening the door twice!!!, screened it to tight and was "warping" the door frame

Left over scrap of window frame... using 5 x 84" window screen frame.

Also since it was my first cage i buit also siliconed all seams to make sure it was bug proof, or atleast try and make sure no small crix could get out. so far no 1/4" crix have even come close to getting out.

 

[Jsiddens]

Sharp looking cage. Really looks great!

 

[summoner12]

Nice job! Very cool to see someone make their own cage!

 

[Jamelon]

whoa! sweet cage dude! im planning on making my own cage for the chameleon im getting in september! going out to pick up the materials either today or tomorrow, mine is going to be made out of wood though so its going to take a little longer, but ill make sure to get some pics up of my progress when i get started and you can all let me know what you think

 

[Action Jackson]

Good Job! The hardest part of building that type of screen cage is screening the frames. That's what has kept me from making any like that. Are you going to keep it inside or out?

 

[clayw]

Hey Jason, looks good I just picked up all my supplies about an hour sooo Ill be putting it together tonight. May need some more framing though. I only picked up 3 pieces so we'll see. What did you make the cuts with?
-Clay

 

[Zegg]

Sharp looking cage. Really looks great!

thanks!!

Nice job! Very cool to see someone make their own cage!

Yeah always liked looking at pic lol of what people did rarely ever read the "plans" lol

whoa! sweet cage dude! im planning on making my own cage for the chameleon im getting in september! going out to pick up the materials either today or tomorrow, mine is going to be made out of wood though so its going to take a little longer, but ill make sure to get some pics up of my progress when i get started and you can all let me know what you think

Thinking of making a wood one if I end up with more than just this one cham. Wood takes a lot longer, gotta seal it and everyting really well... atleast applying the screen is a lot easier with wood.

Good Job! The hardest part of building that type of screen cage is screening the frames. That's what has kept me from making any like that. Are you going to keep it inside or out?

Thanks, Screening the frames is the hardest thing for sure, to loose doesnt look good, to tight and they warp, ended up doing the door 3 times, for some reason just ended up being to tight everytime and warping the door.

Also ended up rescreening the top cause I wasnt even thinking, needed aluminim screen on top and first just screened everything with the standard fiberglass screen

After the first couple times, have had to rescreen our windows quite often not to bad, worst part it when pressing the spline down and you slip and "cut" the screen on the inside of the frame, specially when you dont want crix to get out lol.

Going inside

Hey Jason, looks good I just picked up all my supplies about an hour sooo Ill be putting it together tonight. May need some more framing though. I only picked up 3 pieces so we'll see. What did you make the cuts with?
-Clay

Yeah sorry when you pmed me was thinking I could give a 2 or "extra" frames I bought sorry about that. Made cuts with basic hacksaw. Just try and go slow and add some wd-40 to the blade. I wanted a tigth fit so everything had to be almost exact. If you plan on siliconing seams proly wouldnt be such a big deal.

I found that the crix love the plastic connectors(hollow) side... I would put these towards the outside of the cage. and smooth side of the connectors towards the inside.

 

[clayw]

No worries. I need to go back anyways, I miscoutned and grabbed one pack less of the elbows than I actually needed. So ill just pick up a couple more frame pieces also.

 

[iloveoveralls]

looks professional. I just made a 24x24x48 cage too today. but mine is made out of wood. I think more cham keepers should make their own cages. its much much more cheaper and fun.

 

[tdotcham]

nice, I didn't think of doing this until I had already made my cage out of wood, it definately looks good tho!

 

[Zegg]

Ive dealt with wood before and hate the amount of time it takes for staining and seaing etc.. built my own fish tank stands, so decided to go this route....

Only thing I woudl really like to do is double frame around the door, just so it seals better, but so far no 1/4" crix have even come close to getting out, just seems more secure.. plus just going aluminum screen right off the bat, much better imo

so any updats clay??

 

[clayw]

haha I just got home, had a date tonight with my girlfriend for our one year. we went out to dinner in costa mesa and ate at Habana, I just got home so Im breaking into it all right now. I should have it done by tomorrow evening after work, Ill put up some pictures.
-clay

 

[Zegg]

???? clay... waiting to see a trapazoid or something.....

 

[clayw]

HAHAHA no no. I just got done working on it a little more. I have it mostly framed out...buuuut I miscounted and ran out of frame. I need another 78" of framing and ill be done. I did what you did, got all my pieces (that i could) cut, assembled, and taped together, it looks pretty good! the last thing I need to do is screen it all together and built the bottom frame, and get a little more for the door.
I still need to screw it all together, what size screws do you think I should get? and what size drill bit did you go with?
Im pretty sure yours looks nicer than mine, not that I screwed it up or anything, but i like yours. I am however going with aluminum mesh all the way around.
I went 17x17x24
-Clay

 

[Zegg]

HAHAHA no no. I just got done working on it a little more. I have it mostly framed out...buuuut I miscounted and ran out of frame. I need another 78" of framing and ill be done. I did what you did, got all my pieces (that i could) cut, assembled, and taped together, it looks pretty good! the last thing I need to do is screen it all together and built the bottom frame, and get a little more for the door.
I still need to screw it all together, what size screws do you think I should get? and what size drill bit did you go with?
Im pretty sure yours looks nicer than mine, not that I screwed it up or anything, but i like yours. I am however going with aluminum mesh all the way around.
I went 17x17x24
-Clay

i USED 8 X 3/4" SELF DRILLED ZINC PLATED SCREWS, damn caps.... if you can find 6 x 3/4" screws would be better


Using #8's the "8" part of 8 x 3/4" leaves little room for error when drilling,

 

[Zegg]

They looked like this and have plenty extra lol.. like I said bought a few extra supplies lol

 

[clayw]

ok so i wont pre drill then. thanks for those photos

 

[Zegg]

ok so i wont pre drill then. thanks for those photos

No predrill with a smaler drill bit than the screw, makes everything line up that much easy and after screening makes less of a chance of the driver/drill when screwing in slipping and putting a huge hole in the scree.

 

[clayw]

will do. did you ever get your auto mister running?