Daesie11
Chameleon Enthusiast
Thank you guys! I'm really happy with it. I keep going in to his new room (yes, he has his own room now) just to look at it
Custom build; its finally happening!
- Thread starter Daesie11
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Daesie11
Chameleon Enthusiast
Thank you! I just aspire to give Pesto as quality of a cage as No Name has
Hashtag ChamLife
Avid Member
Congratulations! It looks great! It is a lot of work but it is very rewarding. In the end it becomes it's own "bonsai" and plant obsession lol. Oh, and you will never be "done".
I used a China hutch for my build, but I needed 2 cages. What I did for drainage was literally add a drain. I used a 2-1/2" hole saw and I used bath vanity drains. I then screened and the drain with a tighter mesh and added some epoxy to hold it. I'll put a little silicone around the hole and some on the drain and mashed it in there... tighten the fitting and let it dry. My drainage leads to the cabinets on the hutch where I have bins to collect any water.
Edit: I actually just remembered when I was researching drainage myself I came across many different variations. Some use shower curtains with a little slack to create a drain, some use HVAC drip pans (home depot/lowes, PVC pan with a drain hole), there is also some cloth and plastic drainage mats that some people have success with. Hope you find what works
I used a China hutch for my build, but I needed 2 cages. What I did for drainage was literally add a drain. I used a 2-1/2" hole saw and I used bath vanity drains. I then screened and the drain with a tighter mesh and added some epoxy to hold it. I'll put a little silicone around the hole and some on the drain and mashed it in there... tighten the fitting and let it dry. My drainage leads to the cabinets on the hutch where I have bins to collect any water.
Edit: I actually just remembered when I was researching drainage myself I came across many different variations. Some use shower curtains with a little slack to create a drain, some use HVAC drip pans (home depot/lowes, PVC pan with a drain hole), there is also some cloth and plastic drainage mats that some people have success with. Hope you find what works
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Daesie11
Chameleon Enthusiast
The shower curtain is a good idea. The drainage is still causing me a bit of issue. What I did was drill some holes and put little PVC pipes under it which drip in to a trough that directs the water to a bucket. The issue I'm having is actually getting the water to go to the holes, lol. I have a few ideas that I am going to try out and see how it works.
Hashtag ChamLife
Avid Member
So like I'm not trying to be "that guy" ... no offense.
Here's an idea so simple.. add a small block of wood under the front corner of your cage most opposite your drain? The idea is to slope to the drain. Otherwise I'm not sure what your cage sits on but you could possibly shim it such that the drain is in a low spot?
Other than that what you can do is add a "false bottom" layer to your cage that is sloped. Use a 3/4" furring strip and a thin layer or plywood coated in flex seal?
Sorry if this is something you've tried
Wet Vac. I know... Mind blown!
Daesie11
Chameleon Enthusiast
I actually do already have this set up! And it works to slope the water forward to where the holes are, but its sloping forward and outward away from my holes
so yeah, I am on the right track just have to tweak some things to get it just right. thank you for the advice!
Daesie11
Chameleon Enthusiast
I cant wet vac after every misting, Becca!Wet Vac. I know... Mind blown!
but yes, I am considering getting a wet vac so whatever doesnt drain through the holes at the end of the day I can just suck it up. Though with that being said, it is so dry here that theres not much left at the end of the day lol
Well duh not at the end of every day. But then the next day if you have puddles just suck it up with a wet vac.I cant wet vac after every misting, Becca!
Jevin
Chameleon Enthusiast
Well, thanks to @Hashtag ChamLife for helping me ID what the white tray I used for my build was, a plastic drip pan, not sure for what, but so far, I've had no issues with drainage. As for your drainage issues, as I said before, beware of the wood becoming waterlogged and rotting, all the seals in my original cage were good visually, but water managed to seep through the tiniest of cracks. I find with building an enclosure from scratch, the most expensive and tricky part is drainage that is effective, watertight and durable. I hopefully have that in my new enclosure.
Daesie11
Chameleon Enthusiast
I hope I do too
not sure what I'll do if I dont lol
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