Converting Audio Cabnient into Chameleon Cage?

[PhxKarma]

I picked up a large audio tower from a friend, and it's perfect for a chameleon cage, but I have a few questions.

The dimensions of the inside are 45" Tall X 18" Deep x 24" Wide, would this be large enough for a male veiled? Overall it's about 7' tall with a large storage underneath.

The tower is made of a press board with laminate over it, makes it look like a nice hard wood, will this be alright?

The front door has a huge window, which I removed and replaced with screen. I cut out large windows on the sides that leave a 2" border around the side, and the entire back is screen, this should be adequate ventilation right?

I don't have a picture, but it looks like this, except there is a door on the front.

http://images.hayneedle.com/mgen/master:BHI342.jpg

 

[atsutane]

where are you placing the lamps? you might have saved yourself some work if you just cut out the top and put a screen there, along with the front being a screen, the airflow would be similar to the glass terrariums talked about on here with a screen top and a section of screen at the bottom

in the terariums the light will cause convection and fresh air will be drawn in from the bottom as the stale air is expelled from the top.

but with as much as you cut out i think you should be fine... but dont quote me

cool idea none the less

 

[ZippiesPal]

Bad idea bub!

That pressboard is full of glue and other chemicals. Even the sawdust that makes up the panels could be toxic to your pal. That kind of wood does not stand up well to moisture. You will have a lot of moisture in that cage.

There is a Do It Yourself PVC and screen-mesh cage that you could make with Zip ties. This DIY PVC cage looks like a cool project. I think I may make one this summer just because it looks like a cool project.

 

[PhxKarma]

where are you placing the lamps? you might have saved yourself some work if you just cut out the top and put a screen there, along with the front being a screen, the airflow would be similar to the glass terrariums talked about on here with a screen top and a section of screen at the bottom

in the terariums the light will cause convection and fresh air will be drawn in from the bottom as the stale air is expelled from the top.

but with as much as you cut out i think you should be fine... but dont quote me

cool idea none the less

I was considering cutting out the top too, can I use 1 18" bulb, or would say 2 12" bulbs work better? I am using my heat lamps and guages from my previous chameleon.

Both sides will be screen as well, it's comparable to many of the wood enclosures I have seen on here in terms of the amount of screen.

 

[PhxKarma]

That pressboard is full of glue and other chemicals. Even the sawdust that makes up the panels could be toxic to your pal. That kind of wood does not stand up well to moisture. You will have a lot of moisture in that cage.

There is a Do It Yourself PVC and screen-mesh cage that you could make with Zip ties. This DIY PVC cage looks like a cool project. I think I may make one this summer just because it looks like a cool project.

The tank won't be soaked, just the occasional misting, and the dripper going.

These stands have held up for years, there is no exposed areas it's all sealed up, I think it should be fine?

 

[pssh]

Occational misting? You need to mist for 2-10 minutes 2-3 times a day... I use about 18 oz of water every misting.

 

[atsutane]

like i said, sounds fine to me, Zippiespal has a point about particle board, you could use sealer on the aeras you cut to prevent moisture from seeping in, also clean out the inside/ wood areas after they have been treated with a light brillo pad and a mild bleach water combo to get rid of anything that might be sticking around loosely.

and as for the lights it depends on the bulb and where you put it, obviously you will want uvb throughout most of the cage just so you know he is getting enough, and putting a 18inch only on the top (if you cut it out) might not be enough, especially depending on the bulb. i think the repti sun 10 has a range of 20 inches, where as the repti sun 5 has only a range of 12 inches (dont quote me!)

so if you decide to go with 2 12s you could fix each fixture on the sides of the cage where you put the screen but then its a hastle with getting them to stay, and if they drop off (if your cabinet is that high) they will most likely break and thats a 15-30$ bulb to replace :/

and also it would be slightly un nattural to have the light comming from the sides, real plants you put it may grow lopsided due to the constant sideways light unless you turn them...

a bunch of small things if you ask me, but still things to consider.

my opinion, use sealer, go for the two 12 inches, put lamp 1 close to the top of the cage (say 4-8 inches from the top) , put lamp 2 close the "bottom" (below the bottom of lamp 1 by some integer value of inches) on the opposite side of the cabinet , put the basiking light on top close(ish) to lamp 1, have the basking spot at the top of the cage, but keep it sufficiently low (say 6-8 inches down) from the lamp so he doesnt burn himself, and have lamp 1 at about that same height from the top so he gets the most uvb while basking

if you do this, be careful where your mister goes off (if its automatic) cause now the cage has a lot of wires, if your fixtures have their plugs come out of one side of the fixture, mount that side up so in the event of water even getting near or collecting on the fixture, it wont run down to the socket.


- suggestions suggestions suggestions... take it or leave it

 

[Lizardlover]

water would cause the wood to warp over time.

 

[PhxKarma]

I don't mist the wood, just the plant, I have a 3' ficus I am putting in it tomorrow, I am going to seal all the edges with silicon or something, and start misting it, give it a month and see how the wood looks.

If this doesn't work out it I can build a frame out of the 40+ 2x4's I have in my yard.

If what you say about the repitsuns is correct, I think I can manage 2 of the 18" reptisun 10's, but would that be overkill, or should I run 2 5's?

 

[pssh]

Why are you putting the lights in the cage? It is very unnatural to have a light coming from the side as well. Can you imagine the sun shining in your face all day from in front of you?

I would just cut out the top, install screen, and place the lights above the screen. If you have lights in the cage you risk getting them wet (misting) and burning your chameleon. A member on here had a chameleon who's tail was burn so bad it was missing a large portion of it because of the pet store who previously had it.

 

[PhxKarma]

Why are you putting the lights in the cage? It is very unnatural to have a light coming from the side as well. Can you imagine the sun shining in your face all day from in front of you?

I would just cut out the top, install screen, and place the lights above the screen. If you have lights in the cage you risk getting them wet (misting) and burning your chameleon. A member on here had a chameleon who's tail was burn so bad it was missing a large portion of it because of the pet store who previously had it.

I will mount them from the top for sure, not from the sides.

 

[pssh]

Okay, good. If you were talking about UVB lighting earlier then I would go with a 24 inch bulb. How are you battling drainage?

 

[atsutane]

my only concern with only having lights in the top is that not enough uvb or heat to get to the lower levels, that is the only reason i suggested putting the uvb on the side.

IMO if you could go with a reptisun 10 18" at the top and a 12" near the bottom, you wouldnt have to worry about not enough exposure and your cham could crawl around as much as it likes


and for clarification, i was suggesting putting all lights on the outside of your cage!


and it seems like whenever i have time to go do something the sun is shining in my face

 

[pssh]

A 5.0 will work fine, in fact the only time a 10.0 is recommended is with a reptarium because of the mesh. As long as he doesn't have super dense mesh and the chameleon can get close to it a 5.0 will be fine.

 

[justjumpit621]

If you are concerned about the particle board and warping I would line the inside exposed wood with plastic. It will keep in the moisture and protect both the wood and your pet.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Yeah good idea you could line the inside with a cage liner. I think they sell them at LLL.

 

[HecticZ]

my only concern with only having lights in the top is that not enough uvb or heat to get to the lower levels, that is the only reason i suggested putting the uvb on the side.

IMO if you could go with a reptisun 10 18" at the top and a 12" near the bottom, you wouldnt have to worry about not enough exposure and your cham could crawl around as much as it likes

and for clarification, i was suggesting putting all lights on the outside of your cage!

and it seems like whenever i have time to go do something the sun is shining in my face

Yea but you also want to make sure that your Chameleon has an area where he can go and cool off, if he needs to. And if all the tank is light up with heat where would his Ambient Temperature be, Just Basking Spots. I know my Veiled goes down to the bottom of the cage in the middle of the afternoon for about 45minutes. The temp there is around 70 Degrees.

If you do decide to use this, I would personally start developing designs for another enclosure. Particle board does not hold up to Moisture at all. Plus as some one mentioned all the chemicals that are in the particle wood to hold it together.

 

[Syn]

This whole thing seems like a little more trouble than it's worth, in my honest opinion. :s

 

[xanthoman]

why not?

i am sure with a little thought it could work quite well , i once turned a giant 5' tall walnut faced plywood speaker cabinet into 2 - rather large aquariums that i had for years, they held up quite well, i built the speaker cabinet in hs wood shop, but i didnt have the money to buy the speakers, years later i did the conversion in my apt with a skill saw and a drill, all of my friends told me i was nuts and that it would never work. i used food grade polyester resin to water proof the inside. i ended up with two beautiful aquariums that could never have been bought (unless you had them custom made) it was quite rewarding. i had both of them (full of water) for about 5 years and they were still in excellent shape. and with a little maintenance they could still very well be in use today, i eventually sold them for cash needs, i wish i still had them. if stuff like that can be made into an aquarium, it can for sure, be turned into a cham cage. as long as the wood is isolated from the humidity there is no need for it ever to be a problem and there has never been a cham setup that matches the humidity of an aquarium holding hundreds of pounds of water. i remember the dimensions and construction details quite well (and will be glad to share const details with anyone who inquires) each was 5' wide 2' tall and 2' deep, that equates to roughly 145 gallons internal volume (each) thats roughly 1,210 lbs of (heated) water each , lets see a cham cage match that humidity. if you have the time , the motivation and the desire to do it, i say go for it, there will always be nay sayers , that doesnt mean it couldnt or shouldnt be done. c'est la vie, its the xantho way

 

[DJ Richey Rich]

I don't care how you seal it up humidity that a chameleon needs is going to make the glues separate. sounds kind of oaky to me. Have you ever seen when the material when a entertainment center gets wet the top coat bubbles. Why not just make a enclosure that is normal they are probably easier to put together than this project will be and last a very long time.