Cheap Enclosure ideas?

[Renn]

I have been perusing the enclosure forum for hours...I found things here and there. But I need in the simplest terms just to build a cheap as possible enclosure.

Kabuki is finally well enough for me to upgrade him into his bigger cage now. But my husband was laid off and we literally have nothing. Barely making ends meet. I do have colony of feeders set up for Kabuki so no feeding issues. But he definitely needs a bigger place.

I was thinking of maybe doing a very simple cheap wood frame and enclosing it with screen but every type of mesh I find doesn't look like it'd stand up to heat and I don't want a fire on my hands. Other than putting hardware cloth on top and door screening around it I can't think of anything else. I thought of using pvc pipe too but I think it's more expensive than wood.

Something pretty is not my priority at the moment. I want him to be comfortable. He still seems to hate every arrangement I make in his cage. He is rarely climbing, and most times clawing at the corners of the cage or digging in the plants. So I think he's ready for something bigger.

I got him some plants but pulled some out when he seemed too overwhelmed by them, and I put some sticks and vines, but he still doesn't seem pleased and I think maybe the enclosure is now too small for him, and with this heat the smaller enclosure is keeping in a lot of heat, I've been having to mist him all day and leave the door open. The heat lamp is off and all.

Thanks for reading.

 

[ChiefRedman]

I have been perusing the enclosure forum for hours...I found things here and there. But I need in the simplest terms just to build a cheap as possible enclosure.

Kabuki is finally well enough for me to upgrade him into his bigger cage now. But my husband was laid off and we literally have nothing. Barely making ends meet. I do have colony of feeders set up for Kabuki so no feeding issues. But he definitely needs a bigger place.

I was thinking of maybe doing a very simple cheap wood frame and enclosing it with screen but every type of mesh I find doesn't look like it'd stand up to heat and I don't want a fire on my hands. Other than putting hardware cloth on top and door screening around it I can't think of anything else. I thought of using pvc pipe too but I think it's more expensive than wood.

Something pretty is not my priority at the moment. I want him to be comfortable. He still seems to hate every arrangement I make in his cage. He is rarely climbing, and most times clawing at the corners of the cage or digging in the plants. So I think he's ready for something bigger.

I got him some plants but pulled some out when he seemed too overwhelmed by them, and I put some sticks and vines, but he still doesn't seem pleased and I think maybe the enclosure is now too small for him, and with this heat the smaller enclosure is keeping in a lot of heat, I've been having to mist him all day and leave the door open. The heat lamp is off and all.

Thanks for reading.

I ran across this last week, I think he said he spends roughly 80$ Which is the cheapest Ive found, also have you checked the classifieds? I see cages on there all time going for sale, sorry if this doesnt help much!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnNl5IMXFCI

 

[Renn]

I ran across this last week, I think he said he spends roughly 80$ Which is the cheapest Ive found, also have you checked the classifieds? I see cages on there all time going for sale, sorry if this doesnt help much!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnNl5IMXFCI

I've seen that one. His cages are really nice. I'd think for 80 though you can buy them premade I believe? Nothing like homemade though, definitely makes it much more special and customized.

I've got like a maybe 10 dollar budget...and that's really scraping the barrel. It's pathetic I know. I've been purusing CL, and there's someone on there selling their jacksons as well as extra enclosures but they want 100 for just the enclosures.

 

[Lpsouth1978]

$10 is basically an impossible budget. What part of Colorado are you in? I have most of a roll of aluminum screen that I can give. It should be enough to cover most if not all of an enclosure. I have also made a small PVC enclosure. The cheapest way I can find would be to use PVC. It looks like you could get all of the pipe and fittings at Lowes for less than $20. Assuming the mesh I have is enough to cover it, you would have a finished cage ready to use in just a few minutes. I would just hot glue the mesh to the PVC and done. Depending on what part of Colorado you are in, I would be happy to help you build one. I already have the tools (PVC pipe cutter, glue gun and sticks, and mesh) I would even be happy to go to the store with you guys to get the supplies. It would basically look like the one below, just bigger and with mesh instead of hardware cloth.

 

[Carlton]

I ran across this last week, I think he said he spends roughly 80$ Which is the cheapest Ive found, also have you checked the classifieds? I see cages on there all time going for sale, sorry if this doesnt help much!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnNl5IMXFCI

I think wood would be cheaper than pvc. Hot gluing things to pvc doesn't always work anyway (been there done that!). Flex the pvc a little and your glue points may just pop loose. Zip ties might work but you'd need quite a few.

Wood lathe frame, staple fiberglass window screen to the frame. Or, go to a thrift store and look for windowscreen panels and zip tie them together. Use scrap 2x4s or other lathe from a thrift store. Use hardware cloth for the top under the lights. You will want to make sure the lights are raised up off the wood slightly to disperse heat.

Can you borrow a big bird cage from anyone? You could add windowscreen over the whole thing if the bar spacing is too wide. And, that will contain the feeder insects.

 

[Lpsouth1978]

As you can see, I actually used zip ties on my PVC cage they are cheap, so you would have to add a couple of dollars to the build. You may save a couple of bucks on a wood frame cage, but it also absorbs water, and takes forever to dry unless you seal it well, which takes more time and money. Hardware cloth is a great choice but it can be expensive, especially if you have access to free aluminum screen.

 

[Mike Fisher]

I've got like a maybe 10 dollar budget...and that's really scraping the barrel.

Speaking of barrels how about this: A 55 gallon plastic barrel with cutouts for hardware cloth. Make sure it was only used for food, no chemicals. The industrial look may not go with your decor, but it can get the job done if you do it right. Way cheaper then PVC with all the fittings you'd have to buy.

 

[Renn]

Thanks guys for all the replies!

I didn't think I'd gotten any replies as I'd been checking it and I think my internet is being all wonky.

I live in Colorado Springs, CO so if you were ever in town I'd be happy to get some hardware cloth.

I realize today how completely atrocious my 10 dollar budget is. There is NO such thing as a cheap enclosure unless you get one for free. Which I guess I knew. I always try to cut corners and save money when making enclosures but it never really works out.

Honestly we didn't expect to pick up Kabuki, it just kind of happened when we went to get those tarantula rescues, and he was almost dying so we wanted to help. Since I had a small amount of knowledge about chameleons in general and since I'm a veterinary nurse I wanted to help and figured we might be able to. Otherwise I would NEVER get an animal on impulse...for the record. We learned that lesson a long time ago when we used to rescue varanids...Sure I'll take in your nile monitor, black throat monitor, savannah monitor, bearded dragon, etc...It turned into an overwhelming event and kept us broke pretty quickly.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I will look into those things, keep an eye out on cl for pvc or ask around.

We went to home depot to price things out, I left because they were unhelpful and snarky. Then we went to lowes which I like better. Priced the pvc pipe and the fittings to about 35 here. The netting is what was like 20 dollars, so I can't afford any of that right now.

I literally just got a phone call while typing this from my mom who is huge into making things and has been working on their beehive, so she has some extra stuff. I think she's going to help us build him a cage.

Tonight we actually picked up some stuff from a woman whose chameleon died. She offered me his cage, but I think I know why he died..it was basically a rabbit hutch with a board plank in it with a heat lamp on top. She had a big dripper, calcium with d3 and normal calcium, vitamin spray, tropical mist humidifying spray?(never heard of this, should i even use these sprays?), and some spagnum moss in a baggy. I'm not sure about using the sprays, I don't even know how I'd use the vitamin spray. I think it's for iguanas maybe.

Here's a pic of the spray and cricket gel bites, I normally use just good veggies for my feeders, not sure if I want to use it or not..Thoughts?
View attachment unnamed.jpg

Thanks again for all the responses. This forum is just the best one out there, so much awesome information and great knowledgeable people with constructive criticism. I haven't really seen any nasty elitist comments or mean attitudes on here, unlike another forum base that I used to frequent.

Thanks chameleon buddies.

 

[Renn]

Btw, that barrel idea is ingenious as well.

My inlaws have a bunch like that for the feral cats on their property and their farm dogs.

 

[Renn]

I also do have an old birdcage, but it would not work for a chameleon. We'd considered using it when we first got Kabuki but the way the door is, very tiny opening, and how it's setup, there'd be no way to access the enclosure at all and I didn't want to alter it.

 

[MardiMay07]

$10 is basically an impossible budget. What part of Colorado are you in? I have most of a roll of aluminum screen that I can give. It should be enough to cover most if not all of an enclosure. I have also made a small PVC enclosure. The cheapest way I can find would be to use PVC. It looks like you could get all of the pipe and fittings at Lowes for less than $20. Assuming the mesh I have is enough to cover it, you would have a finished cage ready to use in just a few minutes. I would just hot glue the mesh to the PVC and done. Depending on what part of Colorado you are in, I would be happy to help you build one. I already have the tools (PVC pipe cutter, glue gun and sticks, and mesh) I would even be happy to go to the store with you guys to get the supplies. It would basically look like the one below, just bigger and with mesh instead of hardware cloth.

I REALLY loved this idea! My questions are, when you went to Lowe's, are they able to cut the pipes there/do they sell them in different lengths?
Also, how did you end up doing the door so that it swings open on one side? I noticed you used zip ties for most of it but wondered what you ended up using for the door.

Thanks!

 

[junglefries]

I know you are in a rush and times are tight. But, have you driven around a day or two before trash pick up. Being summertime, there is a lot of remodeling. You could even go to some house remodels and explain your purpose to the crew. Look for window upgrades. With a two week adventure, you may be able to get everything you need for a great cage.

 

[Lpsouth1978]

I REALLY loved this idea! My questions are, when you went to Lowe's, are they able to cut the pipes there/do they sell them in different lengths?
Also, how did you end up doing the door so that it swings open on one side? I noticed you used zip ties for most of it but wondered what you ended up using for the door.

Thanks!

They can cut the pipes for you or you can use a hack saw, or pipe cutter. If you don't mind a taller cage, Lowes had the pipe in 5' lengths or Home depot has it in 2" lengths, though it is cheaper to get it in longer lengths. I cut mine down to make it 4' so that the screen fit with out having to double up or anything. For the door, I just drilled a hole through the pipe on the frame and door, put a bolt trough them and used a lock nut on the bolt. I also used a few washers between the two pipes to keep a little clearance between them. Here is the cage I just finished for my smallest girl. I just moved her in last night and so far she seems to love it.






And here it is with my other (Reptibreeze) cages.

 

[MardiMay07]

They can cut the pipes for you or you can use a hack saw, or pipe cutter. If you don't mind a taller cage, Lowes had the pipe in 5' lengths or Home depot has it in 2" lengths, though it is cheaper to get it in longer lengths. I cut mine down to make it 4' so that the screen fit with out having to double up or anything. For the door, I just drilled a hole through the pipe on the frame and door, put a bolt trough them and used a lock nut on the bolt. I also used a few washers between the two pipes to keep a little clearance between them. Here is the cage I just finished for my smallest girl. I just moved her in last night and so far she seems to love it.






And here it is with my other (Reptibreeze) cages.

Great thanks! I really like the idea of building it rather than buying and paying for shipping. I went over yesterday and priced everything, and it came out to like $30-35! Like a quarter of the price of a huge cage!

My only other question is...if I make it 24x24x48', (they said they could cut the pipes for me) is the door pipes. What do you think the measurements would need to be? The same as the outer pipes, or a little shorter?
And in the photos it looks like you poked the zip ties through the screen to attach it all? Like with the extra side pipes it seems that way.

 

[Lpsouth1978]

You will want to cut each pipe a little bit shor otherwise it will actually be bigger than 24x24x48. For example, rather than making the tall pipes 48", cut them to 47". The elbows will make up for the extra inch. If you use t's in the middle like I did then cut rash piece at 23".

For the door, you will need to cut everything a bit smaller yet. If you cut them the same length the door will simply close against the front of the cage rather than inside the cage. This would be fine except you would need to figure out a hinge mechanism for it. It really is easier if you have a way to cut the pipe at home.

 

[Devokid]

Tonight we actually picked up some stuff from a woman whose chameleon died. She offered me his cage, but I think I know why he died..it was basically a rabbit hutch with a board plank in it with a heat lamp on top. She had a big dripper, calcium with d3 and normal calcium, vitamin spray, tropical mist humidifying spray?(never heard of this, should i even use these sprays?), and some spagnum moss in a baggy. I'm not sure about using the sprays, I don't even know how I'd use the vitamin spray. I think it's for iguanas maybe.

Here's a pic of the spray and cricket gel bites, I normally use just good veggies for my feeders, not sure if I want to use it or not..Thoughts?
View attachment 99345

Thanks again for all the responses. This forum is just the best one out there, so much awesome information and great knowledgeable people with constructive criticism. I haven't really seen any nasty elitist comments or mean attitudes on here, unlike another forum base that I used to frequent.

Thanks chameleon buddies.

Do not use them. Veggies are a much better way to go. Those orange cubes provide little to no benefit to your chameleon.

 

[CitrusHigh]

I saw a video on youtube where a guy actually made a chameleon cage out of an outdoor garbage can and mesh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4zdAuCr8ts

Good luck!

 

[MardiMay07]

I saw a video on youtube where a guy actually made a chameleon cage out of an outdoor garbage can and mesh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4zdAuCr8ts

Good luck!

Oh my God. Awesome thank you.

I can just build one by looking at the photo, but have to sit and think/tinker with the door mechanism.

Maybe what I'll do is just build the back end of the cage first, and then measure exactly what the door lengths should be

 

[Lpsouth1978]

Oh my God. Awesome thank you.

I can just build one by looking at the photo, but have to sit and think/tinker with the door mechanism.

Maybe what I'll do is just build the back end of the cage first, and then measure exactly what the door lengths should be

That is exactly what I did. That is why there is no door in those first pictures. Here is a shot of the hinge I came up with. You can see that it is just a bolt with a lock nut and a few washers used as a spacer. I hope this helps.

 

[MardiMay07]

That is exactly what I did. That is why there is no door in those first pictures. Here is a shot of the hinge I came up with. You can see that it is just a bolt with a lock nut and a few washers used as a spacer. I hope this helps.

Awesome! That'll work!

Do you have latches on the other side by the handle to keep the door shut or does it end up doing it on it's own?