How do I create drainage in a small Reptibreeze cage?

NolaGirl

NolaGirl

New Member
My fiance and I received a baby Veiled Chameleon from LLL Reptlie 2 days ago. We have small Reptibreeze cage with a PVC bottom. I searched through this site to see how other cham owners solved the drainage issue. We decided to buy a bathroom vanity combo to put the enclosure on top of and a bucket inside of the cabinet to collect water that drips from the drilled holes inside of the enclosure into the sink, then into the bucket below. We drilled holes in the pvc bottom and put plastic porch screening over the small holes to prevent the feeders from escaping. We turned on our Little Dripper to see if this strategy would work. The water is barely dripping through the drilled holes. The water is basically just pooling around the holes. Can someone PLEASE help me out? How can I get this water to drain? :confused:
 
Have you put in a pot with a plant? That should drain the water by making the plastic bottom sag.
 
I have a 16 inch Ficus plant inside of it. It doesn't create enough weight to make a dip in the bottom. I even have some smooth rocks inside of the pot to cover the soil. I don't know what to do.
 
alternate would make a larger hole and cover it with screen then put a small wooden frame where the plants will be supportted. i also use tiles to cover the bottom so it can pool underneath but as soon as new water come old gets push out and is constantly moving.
 
I'm afraid to keep cutting into the bottom. If that strategy doesn't work either, I'll be stuck with a destroyed enclosure floor.
 
best option might be to drill a hole in the one of the corners. plug the other holes with something and then make the cage kind of tilt. You should only need a little over an 1/8th of an inch tilt to make the water collect in one corner and drain from there instead of the center.
 
I wonder if I can get a replacement top panel, which is screen, from Zoo Med. I could just remove the PVC bottom and replace it with the replacement screen panel.
 
Why are these cages made with a PVC bottoms? It is known that chameleon enclosures need drainage to ensure the animal's health. I ordered this enclosure online and had no clue that there was a PVC bottom and that I would have to "rig" something up for drainage and hope for the best. Finding a way to catch the water isn't the problem. That's a piece of cake. It's getting it to actually drain that's the problem. Uggghhh! I may just have to buy a new enclosure with a screen bottom. :(
 
WHat I did was drilled some holes in the bottom on the PCV. I sat the cage on a wire type stand and sat a bucket under it to catch the water. I drain the water daily. Works! easy, cheap! :cool:
 
What i did was buy a wire rack set my cage on top and replace the bottom with a metal wire mesh that doesnt rust(to prevent bugs and my cham from walkin out the bottom) this way wherever the water lands it goes into a rubbermaid tub.
on the underside of the wire rack i made a v out of pastic to make sure all the water goes in the tub (because the cage is wider than my rubber maid) funny cause i used the old bottom of the cage cut in half to do so.
hope this helps i also got some pics to help visualize what im talking about lol
 

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You shouldn't worry about the water seeping through...My cage does the same thing and eventually the water will start to go through the holes. I suggest removing the mesh so it's easier for the water to seep through.

And for the feeders escaping through the holes, they'll basically fall into the bucket of water :)

I'd suggest cup feeding your cham so this becomes a minimal issue.
 
Thanks, you guys! I figured it out. I removed the PVC bottom and just put my terrarium screen under the enclosure. It sits on top of a lavatory. The water drips right through the terrarium screen, into the sink and drains into the bucket inside of the cabinet below. It's working great. :D
 
Nice! I got the idea for my set up from someone on this forum. The lavatory combo (includes the sink) was pretty cheap. It was $45 at home depot. :) It looks nice and neat and works really well. I can also store things inside of the cabinet.
 
I did a similar thing, I put Orion's enclosure on top of a cabinet, drilled a concave shaped hole into the pvc with a 1/4" tube running into a plastic bottle underneath. The pothos and hibiscus plant weigh down the middle of the pvc board and out the water goes! A little gets left behind but can easily be soped up with a paper towel.
oh yeah, there is a small wooden frame I made that fits right underneath the enclosure, probably helps the pvc sag more. :0
 
Nola - I love your idea with the vanity. I too have been pondering a setup that will drain water as fast as it falls off the plants and vines. I'm somewhat obsessed with dead water in my viv's and at this point in time I don't have a drainage system at all, but a handy, chameleon dedicated 'wet vacuum' that I use to suck up the water on a daily basis. Its a royal pain in the ass until I get my new cages.

I hate to be a pain in the arse, and I know this is the 'enclosure' section of the forum but I wonder why you only have one light for your baby? And the one light - what is it for? Basking or UVB? I would hate to see Tesla become ill from a) no basking light therefore not enough heat and, b) no UVB which will affect her health and eventually cause MBD.

Either way, you should think about your lighting requirements next...but yes! great job on the vanity!!
 
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