drainage

[davieb769]

i recently ordered the biggest 24x24x48 screen cage from lllreptile and for the life of me cant figure out a good drainage system. when i had a smaller screen cage i had it sittin on top of my wooden desk, and when i switched over to the bigger cage i noticed mold was growing underneath the cage on the wood. any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[jannb]

You need a pan under your cage to catch the water.

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy Dave,

There have been a number of threads regarding interesting drainage ideas and solutions over the past year or two. There doesn't yet seem to be a one-stop perfect answer to drainage for the 2x2x4 enclosures but there have been a few keepers who have actively pursued the manufacture of a purpose-built drain pan made just to fill the typical chameleon keeper's needs. I don't think anyone has "cracked" the cost vs. quantity nut yet to get them made for a reasonable price in the quantities that our marketplace demands .

Start here:
http://www.chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=73

https://www.chameleonforums.com/enclosure-stand-16326/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/draining-system-13311/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/custom-molded-drip-trays-8334/

http://www.woodyswabbits.com/index....d=3042&zenid=f25cd4aa5c4b6817810b394fdd9be159
http://www.martinscages.com/products/supplies/pans.htm
http://www.pointerhillcagesandpetsu....html?osCsid=ce848f5796d84dba330bfa6d35deb515

 

[DJnSoCal]

With a pre-fab habitat, this suggestion may not work as well for you, but here is one:

On our habitats, we form-fitted a piece of Plexiglas on the bottom of each cage that is concave. This was easier than I though it would be by using a wooden mold around the edges and popping it in the oven for a few minutes. The center sags creating a nice area for water to pool. At the bottom, we drilled a small hole and attached a drain tube to it and into catch reservoir. Believe it or not, the drain tube doesn't need to be very large (we just use the regular 1/4 inch tube that the mist system is also on). I was worried it would become clogged or not enough, but since the plant pot is on top of it, no debris seems to get into the hole to clog it... just water. During regular cleanings, I make sure the tube isn't blocked. So far, no problems at all. It sure is nice being able to drip and mist as much as we want and not having to worry about pooling or standing water.

We used the same idea on an aluminum pre-fab cage. We placed a piece of weather stripping along the inside edge of the cage and set the bottom back on top of it. When you put the plant pot in, the bottom bows slightly. We drilled a drain hole there... Even though it was not heat molded like the others, the pressure from the plant is just enough to bow the plastic bottom where the water drains and everything flows out nicely.

EDIT: I was typing when Dave gave you all those great sites... same information, more or less.

 

[davieb769]

has anyone tried using a MESSCATCHER?

 

[Syn]

With my cage from LLL, I have it propped up on a plastic crate (for added height) so it will drip into a storage big, normally it evaporates, or I suck all of the water up with a towel/sponge.