Ideas and critique please on new cage

VeiledChams

VeiledChams

Avid Member
IMG01286-20110911-2225.jpg

Sorry for the pic being on the side.

I got a pretty cool idea of 2 cages on my desk from ikea (cheap so who cares if I mess up). They'd be about 12x12x24"

The left side (if you turn your head to the right lol) is the one I am doing now. I cut a hole for the UV light. I'm using a repti-glo coil bulb and no basking bulb as this will be for montanes and my room keeps at about 75 degrees so inside there it'd be warmer.. On the back I have plexiglass. I'm going to try to make a nice screen door and possibly another hole at the top for more ventilation. Any ideas on how I can make a drainage?

I should also mention that I'm going to keep an Ellioti in the left one, any ideas of another cham breed I could keep on the right one? It'd have to be montane.
 
get rid of the CFL uv light and go with the tried and true linear tube florecent UVB lights

as for drainage, you might be able to get some plastic bathroom paneling and line it with that and just have the bottom sloped to a tray in the back like a gutter that will drain into a bucket?
 
Kodos2150 said:
get rid of the CFL uv light and go with the tried and true linear tube florecent UVB lights
Click to expand...

And why would I do that?
If you mean to say that they are bad for the chams, you'd be wrong because only the Repti-sun CFL's were bad but have fixed the problem. I am using a repti-glo and have used the same ones on other chameleons and works just fine.

And drainage, I was thinking of something like that, and giving the plastic some sort of funnel shape towards a hole. Its kind of hard though.
 
I can't really see the bottom, I have an iPad and the whole picture turns lol, is the bottom wood right now?
 
suzi said:
I can't really see the bottom, I have an iPad and the whole picture turns lol, is the bottom wood right now?
Click to expand...

All around, except the back is wood. I want to cover it with something to protect it from the excess water but that it wont ruin the desk.. what could I use?
 
the last info i have seen about the CFL is that they are not as good as the tube lights, if i am behind on the times i will go back and do more research on the subject and i do hope that i find that you are right. But both of my reptile vets despise the CFL UVB lights and favor the MVB or the tube lights depending on the species of reptile. On a personal note, i hate the repti-glo CFL's, i tried using those and they both crapped out about a month after i got them and even the replacements i had crapped out after about a month. i probably got a hold of a bad batch or something....
 
Kodos2150 said:
as for drainage, you might be able to get some plastic bathroom paneling and line it with that and just have the bottom sloped to a tray in the back like a gutter that will drain into a bucket?
Click to expand...

i edited my earlier post, you may of replied to me as i was doing that lol
 
Kodos2150 said:
the last info i have seen about the CFL is that they are not as good as the tube lights, if i am behind on the times i will go back and do more research on the subject and i do hope that i find that you are right. But both of my reptile vets despise the CFL UVB lights and favor the MVB or the tube lights depending on the species of reptile. On a personal note, i hate the repti-glo CFL's, i tried using those and they both crapped out about a month after i got them and even the replacements i had crapped out after about a month. i probably got a hold of a bad batch or something....
Click to expand...

Just because there was a bad batch of CFLs doesnt mean all are bad. My repti-glos have worked just fine. I also give my chams plenty of natural sunlight when I take them out, so they get an extra boost. Of course I am always watching out for signs of something going wrong with my chams, so if I had seen anything bad with the CFLs I would have witched over. I have tube lights too, so I can replace them if I see that the CFL isnt working.
 
suzi said:
Yup I think 2 would do it... Now for the fun part, picking out a Cham for the other cage!!!!!! :p:D;)
Click to expand...

Hahaha yeah.. I also got a good idea for drainage that im going to try out.

As far as chams, i'm going to have the Ellioti i recently got which i have in a small exoterra for now.. But for the other cage i need another montane species that requieres little space.. Idk what though. I feel like jacksons are too big (the xanths) and i'll never find a meru around. If i'm lucky and find a johnstons i'll take it for sure..aside from that, i need options!
 
from what i have read, i would heed the warning on the CFL bulbs. though the bulbs that were known to cause sickness in reptiles were recalled, (mostly; i have heard of people buying bulbs that were still being sold after the recall) they still don't appeal to me like the tubes do. i've read on the forum before that the CFLs aim all the UVB into one spot, which is not really correct as in nature UVB is everywhere. as long as the fixture you're using has a reflective sheet (like metal or aluminum) the tubes offer a broader range of UVB, while keeping the amount of rays putting out at a normal level. it just makes more sense to me; doesn't mean that CFLs don't work. i work with a guy who uses a CFL on his panther and he is around 8 years old; and then he has a female who has a reptisun 5.0 tube and she looks perfect. so really you should research the bulb that you want to use before you use it. if it hasn't been said before i'll repeat it; reptisun 5.0 tubes are probably the best bulbs for chameleons on the market, as they are able to provide the most accurate amount of UVB compared to the sun, and nothing beats the sun haha :D.

i forgot some stuff! haha

as far as drainage, not sure. are "what would be bottoms" plastic? if so i've drilled most of my cage bottoms to combat with the amount of time the misting system goes off. maybe try that? and as to what chameleon on the other side; if you can find a Trioceros montium that is small enough, that would be really cool haha. or maybe a species of Kinyongia? let us know what you come up with.
 
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Thanks for the ideas!

I got the waterproofer and will be doing that tomorrow. I also got a really good idea for drainage. I got 2 pieces of plexiglass that I had laying around and I put them into a V shape at the bottom (the angle with the horizontal isnt that big, but big enough for water to slide down). The water will fall towards the center and fall through a hole into a container below the enclosure.

I have also given some thought to what chameleon I can house in there.

For sure I will house my ellioti female in the left cage, but for the one on the right I'm keeping my options open. I'd prefer a montane. Any suggestions?

I got the exact measurements of the cage"

15.25x13x27 (weird dimensions)
 
Cool. Keep us posted. If done well this will be the coolest desk ever and will result in getting zero work done at the desk!:D
 
Seeco said:
Cool. Keep us posted. If done well this will be the coolest desk ever and will result in getting zero work done at the desk!:D
Click to expand...

That is what I am afraid of hahaa. but whatever, I'll having some company while doing homework.. stinkin' physics -_-
 
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