My first cage (building)

Welcome, glad to see your putting a lot of effort towards your chameleon and I'm curious to see how it will look! Gunna be a sick enclosure for sure.

edit- even though your in FL I'd recommend looking at a cool mist humidifier. I'm in St. Augustine and was having trouble getting humidity above 40% even with a mister, dripper, and sprayer. Then, I found one online for 25 bucks and it settled at 65% which is perfect.
 
oh thats cool! what was the brand? oor any "cool mist humidifier" and yea i am i want to make it perfect for "Esme" finaly got her a name and all=) i wouldnt have gotten this far or known as much without the support of this community and the wonderful people in it again thank you
 
O.K here's my idea for drainage. I have a "Crane" drop humidifier and it works like a charm, but any kind will work as long as it's cool mist.

Use that wire mesh for a filter to stop leaves and poop by attaching it to the center portion. Then, rig a tarp so water centers and poors into a bucket. Also, cover the open spots with wood panels or plastic panels that look like wood. It would give you a good place to store a spray bottle and other tools that come in handy. I have my chameleon's cage over a file cabinet and it's chock full of stuff. However, you will greatly reduce the size of the cage which shouldn't be a problem as your chameleon will want to get as high up as he/she can.

IMG_0416-1.jpg
 
i would be careful putting the lights inside of the cage, you dont want your cham to climb on the lights and also you want to keep them as far away from your water source as possible (can cause electrical fire, or it might break the bulb inside your enclosure)
 
would a tarp work? and the wire mesh to filter i would just wrap it around those wood pieces and all then the tarp with a bucket underneath right? and maybe the heat lamp can be above the cage in the little area above it sitting on it and the hole i would cut out i an cover in mesh then the uvb light can just sit in the dome and i would cover that with the mesh
 
yes..i would either drill large holes ( like dinner plate size, on the tops) so you can put mesh on the ceiling, and mount the lights on the outside top of it..more room left inside too..as for the drainage..the tarp would be fine, preferable one thats say a brown color, and use a sheet of mesh for the floor (that will hold the poo's from going in the drainage system and clogging it..)..so far its goin good..also look up home made enclosures on google im sure you will see some pics of others to help give some more options\ideas..and as for the backing..you can still use the mesh, but get some painters plastic (its in rolls, and you can get it pretty thick) well you can staple the mesh on like regular, hen to increase or keep humidity you can staple some of the plastic to the back and sides ...
 
sdheli420 said:
yes..i would either drill large holes ( like dinner plate size, on the tops) so you can put mesh on the ceiling, and mount the lights on the outside top of it..more room left inside too..as for the drainage..the tarp would be fine, preferable one thats say a brown color, and use a sheet of mesh for the floor (that will hold the poo's from going in the drainage system and clogging it..)..so far its goin good..also look up home made enclosures on google im sure you will see some pics of others to help give some more options\ideas..and as for the backing..you can still use the mesh, but get some painters plastic (its in rolls, and you can get it pretty thick) well you can staple the mesh on like regular, hen to increase or keep humidity you can staple some of the plastic to the back and sides ...
Click to expand...

alright that sounds good i was thinking besides the mesh for the flooring that hard metal mesh that could support a plants wieght like a very stable no flexable mesh you know?
 
Shrilly said:
alright that sounds good i was thinking besides the mesh for the flooring that hard metal mesh that could support a plants wieght like a very stable no flexable mesh you know?
Click to expand...

that may work..if they need some support you can screw in two squraed pieces of wood in an "x" under the mesh floor to give added stability..or even mount hooks on the frames of the inside of the cage just above the mesh floor and hook the pots of the plants to them...keep goin..its lookin good so far!
 
sdheli420 said:
that may work..if they need some support you can screw in two squraed pieces of wood in an "x" under the mesh floor to give added stability..or even mount hooks on the frames of the inside of the cage just above the mesh floor and hook the pots of the plants to them...keep goin..its lookin good so far!
Click to expand...

thank you i cant wait to post pics of it! its sanded in the bad spots right now and ill put stain and finisher on them in the morning and on the rest and caulk the gaps and places like that so water doesnt seep in
 
So here is where we are putting finisher on it! i went to lowse and bought harder mesh wireing for the mid section and 2 metal flat support beams i dont know if i should drill it to the structure or make notches in the wood big enough to fit the metal pieces anywhere here is my girlfriend doing some work after she watched me work hard for about 2 hours!
 

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Ever since I first saw this thread I thought what an amazing enclosure, not a cage but a great piece of furniture.
Thank you for the idea!
I love the color with the stain
 
Hey, didnt have time to read the entire thread, so am not sure if the issue has been addressed yet...

In your picture you have the heat light on the right and UVB in the middle. Keep in mind that the chameleon cannot tell the difference between the lights and will go for the heat.
Since he will primarily be under the heat light, he will not benefit from the UVB at all. I had a similar issue with my first chameleon where I had the two lights separate. You will have to move the UVB to the same spot as the heat lamp so while he basks he receives UVB. Otherwise, he wont get enough UVB.
Something to keep in mind.
 
SonTigerPantherCham said:
Ever since I first saw this thread I thought what an amazing enclosure, not a cage but a great piece of furniture.
Thank you for the idea!
I love the color with the stain
Click to expand...

Thank you for the interest and I am glad to share this experience to prompt people to try their own ideas. And as for the lighting details i will have to look into that keep in mind the UVB will be bigger. And in the middle of the cage allowing ( I am sure) adequate coverage of the beam to cover the entire cage
 
wow, this is a fantastic idea! new idea for me for advanced woodshop this year :)!!! and by the way! it looks great and im sure your little buddy will be suuuper happy in that :)
 
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