New cage is finally here!

[Heika]

Hey,

I was so inspired by your dad's creation that I am tempted to try and make a similar cage but I have a couple questions that I am not able to figure out from the pictures.

1) What size/what type mesh did he use on the cage and where did he get it? Is it small enough to contain roaches and crickets, or do you only feed by cup?

2) What type of pan or sink did he use to line the bottom? Where did he get it?(I went to Lowe's today to see if I could find something like that, but only found a shower bottom or laundry sink, both of which don't look as shallow or as small in dimentions.)

3)Is the top portion of the cage afixed to the underlying pan, or do you just use the weight to sit it on top for easier cleaning?

4) Is the metal bar your cham is seen on just a perch or is this part of a misting system? Do you have an in home automated misting system?

Thanks,
Matthew

Hi Matthew!

Sorry, I have been out of town for the weekend. Thanks, it is a great cage.

It was actually my uncle who built it for me... I purchased the supplies, and drew up a basic picture of what I wanted. He took off with it!

I ordered the mesh online from a company on the east coast. It is plastic mesh used for fish pond stuff. I like it.. it hasn't melted from the lights yet, but I am using lower wattages right now because it is warmer in the house. It still remains to be seen if it will withstand higher temperatures. The size is 8 mesh.. approximately 1/8" by 1/8". Roaches can't get out of it, crickets haven't chewed it, blue bottle flies are too big to squeeze through the holes, as are superworms.

The pan is a washing machine drain pan. It is large.. 32" by 30". I actually bought it first, and the cage was built around it to fit it. I bought it at Home Depot in the appliance department. It has little drain hole guides that you can cut out and use on the edges, but I wanted the drain in the middle. My uncle built the cool drain on it with the fittings that were included with the drain pan and a section of PVC pipe.

The top sits inside of the pan, and can be lifted off for cleaning.. although I haven't done that yet. I just use a cleaning rag and wipe out debris from the plastic tray. Cleaning is a cinch with this new cage, much nicer than the old one. It is not bolted down or anything.. the weight is plenty to keep it from moving. It sits flush on the tray too, so no feeders can escape.

That actually isn't a metal bar. It is a piece of bamboo. I have several running from one side of the cage to the other, and use screws to hang them from the screen.

Yes, I have an automated watering system.. a DIY one that I built with a garden sprayer, a water sprinkler timer, water valve and tubing. It works really well for one chameleon cage.

Heika

 

[MWheelock]

Thanks for the response

Thanks for responding.

I knew it looked familiar and I have actually been losing sleep trying to figure out what that was. A washing machine drain pan. . .I was totally looking in the wrong section at the hardware store.

I am going to build an enclosure for my vet office that will require an automatic mister so I don't have to constantly run out of rooms to spray and keep the humidity up for Manga. Of course this provides the problem of run-off. . . You and/or your uncle cleverly figured out how to deal with this issue with the base drain pan and the collection bucket.

At this point I haven't decided what mesh to go with the enclosure. I have a few companies sending samples of wire and plastic mesh to help me decide. I'm not even sure I might not have an internal large diameter mesh for climbingwith an external metal screen just to keep the insects in.

If you still happen to have the url address for that east coast company that provided the 1/8" mesh I would really appreciate it. No rush.

Now that you've had the set up for a little bit, is your design lacking anything that you might have added?

Thanks,
Matthew

 

[Heika]

Thanks for responding.

I knew it looked familiar and I have actually been losing sleep trying to figure out what that was. A washing machine drain pan. . .I was totally looking in the wrong section at the hardware store.

I am going to build an enclosure for my vet office that will require an automatic mister so I don't have to constantly run out of rooms to spray and keep the humidity up for Manga. Of course this provides the problem of run-off. . . You and/or your uncle cleverly figured out how to deal with this issue with the base drain pan and the collection bucket.

At this point I haven't decided what mesh to go with the enclosure. I have a few companies sending samples of wire and plastic mesh to help me decide. I'm not even sure I might not have an internal large diameter mesh for climbingwith an external metal screen just to keep the insects in.

If you still happen to have the url address for that east coast company that provided the 1/8" mesh I would really appreciate it. No rush.

Now that you've had the set up for a little bit, is your design lacking anything that you might have added?

Thanks,
Matthew

I wish I could take credit for the design.. but lots of folks have a similar setup as mine, and I am afraid I stole the idea, slightly improvised for my needs. There is a guy on another forum who showed pictures of a reptarium sitting in a washing machine drain pan, and I thought.. oh, how perfect!

Things I would change.. one thing I would do different is the height of the cage. There is not a whole lot of clearance to get lights and stuff on top of the cage, and if I had to do it over again, I would make the cabinet section 6 inches shorter. I still worry about this screen, although I am overall very pleased with it. I can't say I would choose a different type, but I really wish that cages.net would just sell screen because it is perfect. In your searching, if you happen upon coated aluminum in 8 mesh, please let me know. I searched high and low for some.

Here is the website of the place that I ordered the screen from:http://www.pondtechnology.com/ When I ordered it, they had it on their website, but I can't find it now. I called them to place the order because they don't have an online shopping cart. There is one other place that sells it, but they were going to charge something like $50.00 for shipping. The cost was a little less per foot, but the total was much less through the company I went with.

I am in the planning stages of my next 2 cham cages, but am going to use 2 of these pans instead for a side by side double cage: http://www.havahart.com/store/produ...3407&mscssid=E21SFQJMKS1J9PUDNH37NVUTWBPKFESA

Heika

 

[zinc99]

is this the pan? Thats been the hardest part of biulding the new cage the drain.

Internet ID 162534
Brand Oatey
Model # 34067
Color/Finish White
Material High Impact Plastic
Length 29 In.
Width 27 In.
Height 1.75 In.
Application Washing Machine
Type Plastic Washing Machine Pan
UPC CODE 038753340678

Or maybe this pan its 24"x24"
http://www.shop.com/op/aprod-p32187315-k24-g4-~24+drain+pan-nover?sourceid=13

 

[ei489]

Great Cage

Fantastic Cage. Your Uncle did a great job. It has all of the extras of a nice apartment .

Nice chameleon as well.

What are the dimensions of the cage?

Good Luck

 

[Heika]

is this the pan? Thats been the hardest part of biulding the new cage the drain.

Internet ID 162534
Brand Oatey
Model # 34067
Color/Finish White
Material High Impact Plastic
Length 29 In.
Width 27 In.
Height 1.75 In.
Application Washing Machine
Type Plastic Washing Machine Pan
UPC CODE 038753340678

Or maybe this pan its 24"x24"
http://www.shop.com/op/aprod-p32187315-k24-g4-~24+drain+pan-nover?sourceid=13

Hi.. sorry, I am not sure how I missed your post. The top one is the one that I am using in my cage, I think. It is very similar looking to that one, anyhow.

Heika

 

[Heika]

Fantastic Cage. Your Uncle did a great job. It has all of the extras of a nice apartment .

Nice chameleon as well.

What are the dimensions of the cage?

Good Luck

Thanks. The base is 24" tall, 33" wide or so, and 32" deep. Approximately, anyhow. The screen section is about 30" by 31", and is 5' 4" tall. It also has wheels on it that make it a couple inches taller. Kind of weird dimensions, but they are based almost completely on the size of the pan.

Heika

 

[arcorl]

Heika,

I really like the custom cage.

Now that you have it, how do you clean the bottom of the cage? Do you remove the cage to get to the drip pan or simply wipe it off as needed?

Thanks,
Rick

 

[MWheelock]

Cage Height

Heika,

You had said that you might have the height of the cage a little lower if you could change anything about your new cage. How high is it right now?
I'm thinking of having my cage's total height 82" (6'10")-------

40" wide/front and 25"deep/long. (I decided to go with the larger cement mixing pan.)

I have 8' ceilings. Do you think a 14" clearance for the ceiling is enough for manipulating lights and such?

On a seperate subject- I am raising the dubia roaches. I've had them for 3 weeks right now and think I'm doing everything I'm supposed to. Ventilated warm (90F) moist, dark environment. Plenty of roach food and veggies. I started with 100 mixed roaches but am down to 95 total (have not used any as feeders) 5 have died off. How long until they should be having offspring? Did you have loss in numbers before they started to propogate?

Thanks,
Matthew

 

[Will Hayward]

My cages for panthers are 3 feet high. I raise them 8 inches from the ceiling. I find that unless you have a planted bottom for the cage, they will not descend often enough to the lower parts of the cage. Also I find that I am able to microclimate with smaller cages.

Female panthers are in cages that are approximately 18"x18"x36" and males are 24"x18"x36". Use what works for you.

 

[Heika]

Hi Matthew,

My ceilings are 8 feet high also, and I have maybe 6" of clearance. I can just barely get a dome light up on top, and there is no room to move the light away from the cage. In fact, the first dome light I tried was too deep to fit up there. So, the temperature has to be adjusted completely by the wattage of the bulb.. which is more difficult. Yes, I think 14" is plenty of room! You could even raise your basking light up 8" or so from the top of the cage if needed.

About the roaches.. I found my first blaptica dubia carcass just the other day. It was a very large female, and I am guessing that she probably died of old age. I am not sure what is going on for you, Matthew, but to my knowledge, I have never had an adult die prior to this female. (With the exception of the ones that I have fed) I did accidently drown a nymph when I was filling the water crystal dish. I didn't realize it was in there when I poured the water in.

It took a while for mine to start reproducing, but my first batch was pretty young. I didn't even have any males that had wings yet. I think I didn't see my first nymph for about 3 months. If you have adults, it should be a shorter period of time... like, any day. Have you sifted around in the substrate and checked for them? Mine tend to hide in it. The only thing different that I am doing is maybe moisture. I keep mine under a 25 W red fish tank light for heat, and the only moisture that I supply is from the water crystals. I don't check the temperatures very often, but I have seen them range from the 70's on the outer area of the container in the winter to about 110 on the egg crate directly under the light just a few days ago. Nothing seems to affect them.. if that female died of the heat, she is the only one that did.

How are you keeping them hydrated? If it is only with the veggies, you might want to try some fruit. Mine really seem to like watermelon. Or, you might want to give water crystals a shot too. I keep a chick feeder dish in with them and just add water when they dry up. I do change them once in a while when they look dirty, but roaches are amazingly clean and they last a long time. I order mine off of ebay, dry, by the pound. One thing I have noticed that makes me think it is appreciated is that, when the crystals are dry and I pour water in, many of the adults will come out from whereever they are and actually drink from the dish. I also see nymphs and adults regularly walking on the crystals, presumably taking moisture from them. Anyhow, I see this behavior even when there is fresh fruit in the cage.

Heika

 

[MWheelock]

CageHeight

Will,

Thanks for the info. I know it sounds like a big enclosure, but I plan to have multiple tiers of foilage in pots with various additional branches and basking areas. I have a misting system on its way (Promist) and I plan to have heat lamps, uv bulbs and some plant lights. I realize Manga will probably hang out mostly on the top, but I'd like to have a terrerium like setting with orchids and airplants if possible so that I like looking at it all the time. It will probably be a @#$%&!!! to microclimatize, but what the hell?!

Heika,
Thanks for your feedback. I am presently building the base, since I kind of have a specific set-up in mind that no one seems to provide for sale (and your uncle's not building for customers yet). But I've decided to have cages.net special order the top section of the cage (their cage minus the bottom) which will sit on top of the base (I weenied out trying to build something myself that is professional looking for the top part).
The bottom section (right side) cabinet 5 gallon water bucket and misting pump/system, (left side) roaches (so my staff doesn't have to know they are out.

With the depth of the cement bowl, I think the height of the interior cage itself will be @ 60inches (5foot). I'll try to take pictures during assembly and the final results. Hopefully it will look somewhat reasonable.

Talk to y'all later.
Matthew

 

[AP711]

That is a spectacular cage. Your uncle has inspired me to do some DIY!

 

[Brad]

I am in the planning stages of my next 2 cham cages, but am going to use 2 of these pans instead for a side by side double cage: http://www.havahart.com/store/produ...3407&mscssid=E21SFQJMKS1J9PUDNH37NVUTWBPKFESA

Have you ordered these pans yet? They seem to be the perfect size and somewhat inexpensive to alternatives I have found online. While searching the internet for drainage solutions, I found a lot of options being marketed as flood tables\trays. I am trying to finalize my cage plans in hopes of finishing by next weekend.

 

[Heika]

Hi Brad,

I haven't. I really want to see them "in person", and keep meaning to get down to the feed stores in town and haven't had the opportunity to yet. I have slowly been gathering supplies for the new cages, but don't plan to actually have them built for.. oh, a while. I don't really have the time to take on new chameleons at the moment, so it may be a couple of months before I order in the pans. I think they look perfect too! I have asked around about them, and have been told they are heavy molded plastic. That is what I am looking for.. something tough.

Heika

 

[Chamomile T]

I really am stunned at how nice it turned out! Thanks!

I bought the screen online. It is 8 mesh plastic fish pond screen. So far, so good... its visibility is really good. Now, I just need to see how it will hold up.

Heika

Hi Heika,
It has been over a month since you got your beautiful new cage and I was wondering if you are still happy with the 8 mesh plastic screen?? If it is holding up well I think it would make a great solution to the screen/mesh debate. Do crickets escape because the holes are larger than screen? (anymore than the usual amount of runaways )

 

[Heika]

It has been over a month since you got your beautiful new cage and I was wondering if you are still happy with the 8 mesh plastic screen?? If it is holding up well I think it would make a great solution to the screen/mesh debate. Do crickets escape because the holes are larger than screen? (anymore than the usual amount of runaways )

I am happy with the screen. It hasn't torn or burned through. There is a small amount of warping directly below the heat lamp, but it is minimal. I am not going to give it a full seal of approval yet, because I still haven't put anything higher than a 60 watt light bulb up top. I may not go any higher than that.. it still worries me! BUT.. crickets don't chew through it, it is easy to clean, and it easily supports the weight of the bamboo rods I have running from one side of the cage to the other, supported through the holes in the screen by a screw run into the end of the bamboo.

Today was my first cricket mass escape in a long time, and it was from the new cage. I added a new batch of crickets to a few left from a previous order.. and about a hundred of the crickets were too large to feed to the pygmies. They were a little small for Spencer, but at a half an inch, I figured he would make the effort to eat them. I put about 25 of them in his cage. Unfortunately, quite a few of them found their way out of the cage through the bottom where the cage meets the tray. After taking a closer look, there is a plastic rectangle cutout on both sides of the tray at the edge. It leaves enough space for a small cricket to escape, but not an adult cricket. For some reason, most of the escaped crickets find their way to the bathtub anyhow, and they are pretty easy to just.. spray down the drain.

Basically, I think the screen itself is darn close to being perfect so far. Only time will tell if it is sturdy enough to last. Ask me again in a year?

Heika

 

[Will Hayward]

Off topic:

The crickets looks for moisture apparently, bathrooms have tons of moisture, and moreso the bathtub. Once I dropped a box of 1000 large crickets on the floor- yes open. I'd say about 200 crickets escaped me, that night I laid out a few heat lamps, and a few trays of water. Both sources attracted the crickets and I probably collected almost 100 this way in the first night.

 

[Heika]

Good tip, Will. It has happened to me a couple times, and once was REALLY bad. I lost almost a thousand, and they were ALL over the house. It took forever to see the end of them, although the cats and dogs helped out quite a bit.

Heika

 

[Will Hayward]

At least they only live 8 weeks or so.