need help building a cage!!

[yodathepanther]

me and boyfriend are planning on making a cage for yoda, something bigger and nicer looking & it seems like a very fun thing to do for your reptile! but we arent sure of everything we need and the exact process if any of you have tips on what to get or videos to watch with tips please give us any feedback you could! We need to know what we need to purchase in order to make the cage/the process

 

[jamest0o0]

Well you need to first think about what material you want to use. People most often use wood, but it can also be done with other materials like pvc.

 

[Tucklander]

YouTube has some great DIY videos, one person converted a curio cabinet into a chameleon enclosure. I’m going to be building an enclosure too, so I hope a lot of people chime in. I need the advice too, good luck

 

[yodathepanther]

Well you need to first think about what material you want to use. People most often use wood, but it can also be done with other materials like pvc.

i am leaning towards maybe a black wood to have a nicer look but if i hear other materials are better i would obviously reconsider but i think black wood has a nice touch

 

[Tucklander]

Just an idea my younger brother had: to darkly stain the wood, and then use a marine grade varnish to keep it waterproof. I’m going with a darker stain, that hardly shows any wood grain through... That’s the material I’m leaning towards...

 

[yodathepanther]

we want to build a cage with the dimensions of
36" L X 24" W X 60"H so three feet long, 2 feet wide, and 5 feet tall? do u think these dimensions are good, either way this would not be a forever home we plan on making bigger ones and putting a new one in that in the future

 

[Tucklander]

That’ll actually be very suitable for a permanent enclosure, but you can go bigger if you like. 2x2x4’ is pretty standard for an adult enclosure so your going bigger than that...lucky Cham!

 

[yodathepanther]

That’ll actually be very suitable for a permanent enclosure, but you can go bigger if you like. 2x2x4’ is pretty standard for an adult enclosure so your going bigger than that...lucky Cham!

ahh thats so nice to know!! we want him to have a big range to roam and feel cozy he loves exploring & we think the cage itself is just so pretty to look at so why not have the nicest one right

 

[Tucklander]

ahh thats so nice to know!! we want him to have a big range to roam and feel cozy he loves exploring & we think the cage itself is just so pretty to look at so why not have the nicest one right

Yes I very much so agree and I also do not want a humdrum permanent enclosure either, my guys currently in a reptibreeze Cham enclosure but it’s so plain looking. I mean I’ve made it cool looking on the inside, and added all the essentials for him. But yeah that enclosure itself is rather plain. It’ll be awesome to have something both greatly functional and appealing to the eye as well.

 

[yodathepanther]

Yes I very much so agree and I also do not want a humdrum permanent enclosure either, my guys currently in a reptibreeze Cham enclosure but it’s so plain looking. I mean I’ve made it cool looking on the inside, and added all the essentials for him. But yeah that enclosure itself is rather plain. It’ll be awesome to have something both greatly functional and appealing to the eye as well.

agreed! in my more recent post you can see yodas cage, he also is in a reptibreeze cage and i agree with you our interior is so cute and he loves it but we want a bigger better look on the outside! i wish u luck with ur cage as well

 

[Tucklander]

Can’t wait to see what we come up with. The great thing with Chams is their enclosure has to have so many essentials, you end up building a replica rainforest almost...it really appeals to my artistic side. Good luck with yours as well. Keep us updated.

 

[KRGEE21]

I am in process of upgrading my quads cage. Ordered a large atrium from dragonstand that should be here in a couple weeks. Basically I just built a stand/drainage out of some left over lumber from work, and used a natural color varnish. Excited to build out the cage when it finally arrives. Does anyone have recommendations for foam products? I would like to add a couple of boulder features for inset ferns/mosses.

 

[timw1]

Does anyone have recommendations for foam products? I would like to add a couple of boulder features for inset ferns/mosses.

You can use Great Stuff made by Dow and available at all the big do it yourself stores. After it dries you can cut it and shape it if needed. Then you can spread a layer of silicone over it and dust it with something like peat moss or coco fiber to make it look natural.

 

[timw1]

I have some pics of my homemade enclosure in my album. https://www.chameleonforums.com/media/albums/ambanja-dube-and-where-he-lives.6246/ Unfortunately I did not take pics during the building process.

 

[Mchartier]

Does anyone have recommendations for foam products? I would like to add a couple of boulder features for inset ferns/mosses.

You can use Great Stuff made by Dow and available at all the big do it yourself stores. After it dries you can cut it and shape it if needed. Then you can spread a layer of silicone over it and dust it with something like peat moss or coco fiber to make it look natural.

I have used the Great Stuff for my dart frogs in the past and also the Great Stuff Pond and Stone. I recommend the Pond and Stone over the normal GS. The Pond and Stone is made waterproof and is safe for fish and animals as it is, and cures in 12-24 hours depending on temp, and is a black/charcoal color. The normal Great Stuff doesn't do well with the humidity and breaks down, also light makes it rot and crumble which is why people coat with silicone and then add like coco bedding to the wet silicone. The extra cost on the Pond and Stone outweighs the time and effort of coating the normal GS with silicone.

 

[KRGEE21]

Thank you for the information. Sounds like the Pond&Stone is the way to go. Thinking I might try a test run with it, and get some stone textured spray paint to give it a natural look.

Sorry for hi-jacking your post Yoda