Help building my own enclosure

[smba310]

So I'm going to build myself an enclosure, and I have some questions to make sure I don't screw things up. What type of wood would be best to use? Is there anything I should do to the wood and screen to make it safe? What can I put on the back/sides so that I'm not going to get water sprayed all over the wall? Is there anything else I should be cautious of while planning this build? Thanks!

Yes I did post this in the part of the forum that's meant for this stuff, but I got 0 responses there, so I thought I'd try it here.

 

[GregJD]

I was thinking about building my own, but for the money, I could just buy a Zoomed Reptibreeze XL. I think a lot of people either wind up doing that, or modifying one. I don't know that for sure, it is just my guess.
If you're doing it for fun, or to have custom dimensions, you should coat it with a water seal that is pet friendly, I think they have that on the labels, but I would Google it.

I've heard cedar is bad, but I haven't heard any other building woods that are.

I've seen people use trash bags on the wall-side of their enclosures, I just have mine sitting a little but away from the wall. My gang likes to look out the window, so I moved them a safe distance from the wall to keep the spray off and get behind there and clean if need be.

One caution I found out when I was looking at building my own: get coated mesh. Feeders can eat through the plastic and get out, and metal bothers chameleons' hands, so it must be coated. Also, make sure the holes are small enough for to keep the feeders inside. This was why I gave up, but I'm not creative enough to come up with my own design, so it was going to look just like a Reptibreeze. I've seen some pretty cool builds, but nothing I could do. Good luck!

 

[Graves923]

Im not much of a wood worker but I would use something that can withstand the constant misting and moisture that is present in chameleon cages.

I, personally, used sheet metal angle stock and house window screen to build my chams cage. I also made an outdoor enclosure from PVC pipe and garden mesh so I could put my cham outside in the summers and not have to worry about him wondering off somewhere lol.

 

[smba310]

I was thinking about building my own, but for the money, I could just buy a Zoomed Reptibreeze XL. I think a lot of people either wind up doing that, or modifying one. I don't know that for sure, it is just my guess.
If you're doing it for fun, or to have custom dimensions, you should coat it with a water seal that is pet friendly, I think they have that on the labels, but I would Google it.

I've heard cedar is bad, but I haven't heard any other building woods that are.

I've seen people use trash bags on the wall-side of their enclosures, I just have mine sitting a little but away from the wall. My gang likes to look out the window, so I moved them a safe distance from the wall to keep the spray off and get behind there and clean if need be.

One caution I found out when I was looking at building my own: get coated mesh. Feeders can eat through the plastic and get out, and metal bothers chameleons' hands, so it must be coated. Also, make sure the holes are small enough for to keep the feeders inside. This was why I gave up, but I'm not creative enough to come up with my own design, so it was going to look just like a Reptibreeze. I've seen some pretty cool builds, but nothing I could do. Good luck!

Thank you for your help! Do you know where can I buy coated mesh and water seal? I'm assuming Lowes should do

 

[KamaKamaChameleon!]

Mahogany Maybe FOr The Wood Cause That's What I Used For 24x24x48

 

[GregJD]

Home Depot, Lowe's, maybe Ace. That's where I priced mine. In our area, Sherwin Williams runs lower priced seals and coating than the hardware stores, but I don't know if it's that way everywhere.

 

[Harry The Cham]

Logs, twigs, leaves (dead or alive) are all great. Petsmart sells a lot of good options for enclosures

 

[Harry The Cham]

This is my enclosure

 

[Harry The Cham]

Put the leaves on the back of the screen to avoid getting water on the walls. Good luck making a cage keep us posted