Reptibreeze XL

[Calypso]

So I got a Large Reptibreeze right before it got cold to put the guys outside to enjoy some of our Southern sunshine. The cold never let up before I could use it. Well my girlfriend got me the XL now for Xmas, and I'm not sure how to set it up with all my current accessories. I need to put in my mister lines and thermostat. Also, how would I go about putting in a fogger? Am I going to have to cut the cage? I have a mesh screen cage right now that basically just has all the pvc pipes broken.

 

[Calypso]

I also need to figure out how to catch the water on the bottom. I saw on LLL Reptile they have a water tray that looks pretty sweet. Also, what do y'all use to hang the vines?

 

[CarlyMK]

I use flat thumb tacks from the outside to keep the vines in place, just make sure none of them are sticking up through the vine so you're guy doesn't hurt himself. A clear coat of nail polish will keep the tacks from rusting. Hope this helps

 

[Umberlee168]

I just got an XL myself and was worried about temperature control but I was just finally able to accurately check temps today and they were WAYYYY higher than I thought they would be. I don't have a misting system, just spray by hand and have a dripper for water which I aim so that the drips (hopefully) land in one of the pots for the plants below. I used twisty ties like the kinds that close up bread loaves to tie the vines around my branches.

 

[Calypso]

I also want to put my fogger on it. I'm guessing just kind of get it stuck on there some how. I'm thinking I'm going to put a wooden support above the cage to attach some fasteners to use it as a support. I'll put pics on here when I set it up. The mister is the one thing I'm the most confused on how I'm going to do it.

 

[Calypso]

Has anyone tried to drill j hooks through the supports? I figure if the screws that are holdin it together work they should too. I'm goin to try to just have my dogger spraying from the top.

 

[Calypso]

So just got my cage, and thinking ill take it to Lowes where they do window screening. I figure they may be able to put reinforced holes on the cage where I want to put mister lines, fogger etc. Should be awesome if it works. Will post pics.

 

[Calypso]

FINALLY got cage done over the weekend, and I have to say it looks awesome! Here's some pics of how I got around the rigid cage.

So this shows the holes I drilled into the top of the cage. Since it sits on the sides of the cage, the edges of the top make it perfect to drill thru for easy install of mister lines. I used a quarter inch aluminum bit. Be careful and take your time. It could be very easy to slip off and really mess it up.


I found the green, rubber coated, steel, garden fencing at Lowes. However since I wanted it to A) give me something to attach things and hang the decor, but also to B) make it a little harder for Zeus to use the steel screen to climb thus preventing any nail injury; so I offset a second layer across the first to give me a nice grid pattern of about square inch squares. Let me tell you how EASY this makes setting up all the vines. At the same time let me warn you how LONG it takes to actually do something that seems too simple.



I shaved the edges of the clipped wires with a steel file to prevent any pokes. I then zipped tied the upper and lower edges that overlapped to connect the two pieces, as well as zip tying the side edges. This not only makes the whole piece much stronger and less likely to bend, but also helped flatten it out. As a little tip I put the cut pieces inside he box the reptibreeze came in, and them place a couple hundred pounds on top across the box using an over turned coffee table. I let it sit there for a few days, and it still had a bit of bend. I would give it more weight and more time. By bend I mean it came in a roll and wants to roll up FYI



We then attached the screen to the cage using steel wire every 3 inches or so. You're going to need a partner as one will have to hold up and thread the wire thru as the other ties the wire. Takes a bit of team work, but the final product is awesome.


We started at the top and worked our way down. Flattening the screen against the cage the best we could to allow it to lay nice and flush. As we went down we went from left to right in straight lines tying first the edge on the cage's bar. Then by pressing or hands together on each side of the cage were we able flatten and attach the middle against the cage's screen. We had three zip ties in each line across it, and 4 lines staring from the top where we attached every three inches to the bottom. We separate the lines going down by separating the cage into quarters about every 12 inches.

 

[Calypso]

It actually came out better than we thought. Plus, it really strengthens the cage as a whole. You can feel it as soon as you pick it up. Be sure to clip the extra wire that is poking out from the steel ties.



Then adding the mister lines was a piece of cake.



The hardest one was actually the one that was located closest to the hole.



The lines run seamlessly behind the mesh we made.





Well that's that. If you have any questions let me know. Ill try to get some pics of the finished product on here.

 

[Calypso]

And finally here is my finished product. I love it so much. The benefits over the mesh cage keep becoming evident. I feel like a new chameleon owner all over agin.


Side


Front

 

[Calypso]

I still haven't figured out how to get my hygrotherm cable into the cage. If anyone has any ideas I'm all ears.

 

[KaydeesChams]

i use the fuzzy pipe cleaners from the craft section at walmart to hang my vines on the screen they work great!

 

[Calypso]

Lol that's funny because I had hundreds I found I was about to use. I wasn't sure how dirty it would get though. Thatswhy I went with the steel wire.