Good parts for homeade enclosure? Screen/frame

[Mvtt70]

Hi I'm wondering where I can get some supplies online to make something like a homeade reptibreeze incase I get a 2nd chameleon, I'd like to not need another $150+ cage if I can build my own. If anyone knows some good stuff to use for the screen and frame I'd appreciate it thanks.

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

You can always design your own with chameleon-safe wood for the frame, and you can buy rolls of screen with different widths of the actual screen. You'd just need all the components to put it together in the way that you want, like screws/nails, hinges, latches, etc. You can find this stuff pretty much anywhere like Amazon, Home Depot, Lowe's, Walmart, and probably any other home improvement store.

 

[JoshOfTheJungle]

The cost of supplies is going to be over $150. I have a dozen chameleons and after the second XL cage I decided I was going to try to build my own. A fully screened cage is gonna cost about $12 per side for the screen brace. You’ll need about 20ft of screen which will be another $20. You’ll have to buy hinges $5 and a latch $4, and extra corners for the bracing because you won’t have enough with the $12 kits. You’ll need spline $10 and a spline tool $5. I built a hybrid cage with the bottom foot as waterproof board on all four sides and only made screens for the top, door, and left side, and boarded the bottom and right side and it costed just about the same in material as all screen. Don’t bother building something if the size you want is already on the market, I.e. 4x2x2. You can find them used on Fb marketplace or Craigslist/OfferUp for about $80 all day and I just saw a 4x4x2 that I’m getting this weekend, for $100. Save the time and energy and just buy an already built cage, my friend.

 

[nick barta]

Josh of the Jungle speak great truth!

 

[Ramrod]

Building your own enclosure is nice as you can get the size and shape you want. Also you have the pride and satisfaction of doing something that came out of your mind and not a mass produced item off the shelf. BUT it is not going to be cheap. I have built 3 different enclosures and they all cost more than one already built. Unless you want something that is not offered to the general consumer (size,shape,ect.) I would stick with production items.

 

[cwnannwn]

Hi, Josh is right.

But if you do it in bulk you it does drop the price.

For example, you can get all of this from amazon.

2x 20 piece screen frame - 55.79 x2
2x Screen spline - 9 x 2
100 x corner pieces -30
1 tool -5 bucks
Hinges- 15
Locks-14
screws-9
rivets-15
local
screen material

72x60-36.00


I own all the tools.

All total you get 3- 2x2x4 cages for about 345 bucks.

Which are 7/16x 3/4 inch frames, not your 1/4x 5/6 standard frames, why more robust.

You can customize it anyway you want. But it will not be cheaper.

 

[SourGrape4u]

I built this which is better built than the ones you can buy but they cost about 150 to make each.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I built this which is better built than the ones you can buy but they cost about 150 to make each.

What did you use for the framing? Can't tell if it's angles or channels, and my eyes aren't good enough to see if those are screws or rivets.

Nice job!

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I agree that DIY seldom saves any significant money, but you can get exactly what you want, and usually better quality than pre-fab.

You really don't want to know what I spent on building my beardie box...

 

[SourGrape4u]

Predrill then bolts and nuts