Building a new Cage for my daughter's 1.5 year old.

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Power5

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Godzilla has been living in his 40 gallon since birth, so he is accustomed to a lot of space. Going to build him a large house. I am moving to a larger house, so he will have tons of space to have a big cage. Going to build it out of 3/4" MDF I think. Maybe melamine. I do not want it to be white though, so will probably make it out of MDF. Here is my concept drawing. This will be 72" wide to give him plenty of running room. Then it will be 24" deep and 24" tall. I am going to enclose a light room on top. Between the light box and the lower section will be a screen so air can vent out the top sides. I am going to mount the lights to the top panel and put a hinge on the back so if needed I can lift it up to replace bulbs. Sliding 1/4" Plexiglass windows in front sitting in aluminum channel. The windows will be able to be taken out without any disassembly. I am going to build a 2 drawer stand to support it. Total height of the unit will be about 66" tall. That is 19"t legs and 10" deep drawers. I have all the parts drawn out in CAD so it is time to go buy wood and get started.

full


I have all the parts drawn out, but image uploader is not working at the moment. Will try later.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
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For the image uploader just refresh the page. Sometimes you have to do it once or twice to get it to work. Looking forward to seeing the rest of what you've come up with.

I do have a few suggestions though.

1. I'd make it out of ¾ ply instead of MDF. MDF is extremely heavy plus I hate working with it. Ply is much better in every aspect IMO.

2. For your sliding doors, I'd look into using glass instead of plexiglass. Or at least use lexan. Plexi will scratch up like no ones business and that will really draw away from how nice your build is going to be.

3. The light box area, I would nix the screen idea and just opt for hanging/mounting the lights to the top.
In a 24 inch tall tank you are going to need to have a decently strong uvb bulb. The strongest bulb out there, the Arcadia 14% would need to be around 15 inches or so from the basking site if it was mounted above a screen (screen cuts output) that means you'll need an almost 10 inch tall basking surface. That's pretty tall.

And there really is no reason for a screen across. At 24 inches tall your dragon shouldn't be able to get too close to the lights anyways.

I just re read and I might have misunderstood you when you mentioned screen. But I typed too much I dont feel like deleting it all lol.

If you're talking ventilation on the sides, well just ignore that lol. I will say you might need to add a bit more ventilation than the two side vents. At least that's been my experience. Wood is a good insulator. But, you can always add more ventilation, harder to undo. So best to start with less and work up to what you need once you've got lights running.

Good luck with the build. Will you be building it yourself?

-Brandon
 

Power5

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Tried refreshing closing chrome blah blah, multiple times. I will try again.
Mdf has a good paintable surface, was the only reason I said it. I guess I can get furniture plywood for the smooth face. Yeah, this beast is going to be very heavy. I wanted to give him the ability to climb. I am going to put real rocks stacked up for his basking spot so I can build him a spot that is close to the UVB. Thank you for letting me know they do not go as far as the light goes. If I can get glass cut I may go that route. If not I can use lexan. Plex is super cheap so I could just cut 2 sets for the price of lexan. I will look into all options though. Screen was really just because all cages have screens. I had planned on mounting uvb and basking bulbs to the top panel anyway, so I can lose the screen. I just like that it gives a dust buffer. I had planned on a vent in the light section and the screen would allow the terrarium to get the same air flow. The ventilation on the top allows the lighting to breathe heat and allows godzilla to get some air. I can easily add more vents to the back of needed.
Biggest thing is I want to have replaceable back graphics. On my current store bought glass cage, I simply added some channels to the back and printed some large format graphics for the back. So I can simply slide in a new graphic for him to give him some diversity. Not quite sure how to do this with a wood box. I guess I can add another piece of Plex to allow me to slide in graphics to the back and side.
 

Claudiusx

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I actually designed my tanks around what my local home depot had in regards to glass sizes. I found that to be the easiest method. My store caries 3 or 4 different sizes and they are cheaper than the lexan. I originally was going to go Lexan until I saw the price of the pre-cut glass lol.

You can definitely get some high grade ply. If you have a hardwood dealer near you you can get some really nice ply. You might not even want to paint it LOL.

In my builds I only painted the insides.

Then yeah, I would definitely ditch the screen idea. The finer the screen, the more UV it will be blocking.

Ventilation wise, I would just build to plan. Get the lights all set up and let it run for a few days to see what temps are getting to. If getting too hot, you'll probably do well to add some small vets near the bottom (probably the back for aesthetics) that way you have convection happening.

Not sure I can offer any advice on the graphics, but I'm sure you'll figure something out.

Are you using the user image uploader page, or are you trying to upload with the XIMG button? If so, unfortunately the XIMG button only allows you to upload for the first time. Once you have something uploaded it gets rid of that option. Hopefully thats a feature that gets fixed soon.
You can upload more photos using this link:

https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/
Then when you press the ximg button, all of your uploads will show up. Alternatively you could just copy and paste the XIMG code from the userupload page.

Im looking forward to seeing what else you've got.

I usually draw up all my plans on graph paper and sketchup free. Definitely nice to have it built in a program like that so you can get an idea for dimensions and cut lists.

-Brandon
 

Power5

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Original Poster
Not sure why I was able to upload the first image but trying to upload a 5mb jpg just sticks at 100%>
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hmm weird. What browser are you using? I usually have no trouble when I use chrome.

-Brandon
 

MrSpectrum

Gray-bearded Member
I agree with plywood over MDF or Melamine, as the latter two tend to outgas, and if they get wet (cage cleaning, water spills, plant misting/fogging, etc.) they may disintegrate. I used 3/4" Baltic birch to build a 5'x2'x2' (because it comes in 5x5 sheets) and I probably should have used 1/2". I forgot that 3/4" weighs 50% more than 1/2". :oops: It takes both DW & myself to move it one side at a time (~300lbs.)

Hardwood plywood also allows more finishing options. I used urethane on most of it, but painted the ceiling & upper walls sky blue to simulate... well... sky!

I also recommend glass over plexi. When I priced it out, custom cut 1/4" plate was le$$ than plexi; Lexan would have been even more. Also, shop around for glass; I found quite a price difference ($38-$100 ea).

I don't recall your mentioning floor/substrate, but many of us recommend ceramic or stone tile. Large tiles (e.g. 1' x 2') can be laid flush, don't need to be grouted, and can be removed if necessary. I put a layer of vinyl shelf liner underneath, taping any seams & edges to prevent/stop leaks.
 

Power5

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Original Poster
Right now Godzilla lives on sand. I am going to make a dirt, clay, sand, mix for him to be able to dig around in. I am thinking of doing a 50/50, so he will have some tile floor and some sand if he wants to dig. I was able to get uploads working. I am planning on making the unit detach from the drawer stand and I will also have the top light section disconnect. So that is one reason for the top separator, to keep it rigid when apart, I will just not put in a screen.

Here are the drawings, not sure if they are going to be high enough resolution. I had to make it smaller for the upload to work.
https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/18782/full
107240-5677865739_small.jpg


Day we brought him home. He was the active one running around the cage at petsmart.
107240-7199397222_small.jpg


Here is his reaction to seeing the picture from the OP of his new home. :lol: He is not quite as active anymore. Unless there is a critter to eat.
107240-3413499496_small.jpg
 

MrSpectrum

Gray-bearded Member
If he's a male, he doesn't really need to dig, and there is some risk of impaction due to ingesting particulates.

Choosing The Best Substrate for a Bearded Dragon
The Best (And Safest) Substrates for Bearded Dragons

Also, a rough tile/stone floor will help keep his nails "trimmed", saving you that unpleasant task. :wink:

Regarding ventilation, I used four 4" round vents high on the back wall, and mounted a thermostatically-controlled ultra-quiet muffin fan behind the one at the hot end. It works like a dream, keeping his hot end at 88-90°, and his cool end at 80°
 

Power5

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Original Poster
I am thinking of going bioactive. That is what this mix will be used to create. So Godzilla will have real plants to eat from. Again, I am thinking to have it be half and half. So tile on his hot half and the sand/soil/clay bioactive mix for the planted cooler side. With a 6 foot wide enclosure, I can make the bioactive side whatever it needs to be to hold plants and cleanup critters.
 

MrSpectrum

Gray-bearded Member
Power5":2hm6z9qs said:
I am thinking of going bioactive.
I think many of us have thought about that. You might ask for opinions, or search the archives; it's been discussed exhaustively. The consensus, IIRC, is that it's not the best idea for reptiles who need arid habitats.

I currently have 15 plants in the enclosure (all beardie-safe) without being bioactive. All but one are succulents, and the soil is protected by large (too large to eat) pebbles. This helps cut down on adding humidity, and dissuades from digging up and destroying plants (which they're more likely to do than eating them). You can search that as well. I went in knowing he'd likely destroy any plants, so I have multiple extras on-hand, but I've been lucky; he's tasted/nibbled everything, but eaten none. A couple are in need of replacement because he likes to stomp all over them, jump down onto them from his perch, etc.

Even with 15 plants, I'm having trouble maintaining humidity above 30% (aiming for 30-40%) so I may add a few more non-succulents--most likely edible herbs.
 

Power5

Member
Original Poster
15 plants!!! Wow. i am thinking of starting small with the bioactive section. I can then expand the section to hit the humidity needs and how much of them he eats. You say he doesn't eat your succulents? Which ones do you have in there? Can you link me to your build post if you have one? My guy definitely likes to cause a ruckus. Came home yesterday and all of his bowls were buried under sand.
 

MrSpectrum

Gray-bearded Member
Here's my build thread, but I haven't updated it in quite some time (like before I got the baby dragon).
There's a pic of most of the plants; all have grown and others added. The stairs on page 4 didn't work out, nor a few other ideas, but the plants are fine, including 3 different colors of Tillandsia (air plants).

I know I have 3 Lithops, but they're together in the same pot, so I count them as one. One of them is beginning to sprout.

I don't recall all the other species offhand, but most came off this list:
Aeonium (Several Varieties)
Schlumbergera
Haworthia
Haworthia Truncata (Horse's Teeth)
Echeveria (Some also called Hens & Chicks)
Echeveria setosa (Mexican Firecracker)
x Pachyveria (a hybrid between Echeveria and Pachyphytum)
Lithops
Sempervivum ‘Hens and Chicks’
Sedum morganianum ‘Burro’s Tail’
Lace Aloe (Aloe aristata)
Hawarthia (Several Species/Varieties–Research
Gasteria verrucosa

I would advise verifying their safety for yourself. There are also many other candidates.
bearded dragon safe succulents

I also have some basil in there. It's currently the only non-succulent, and most herbs are safe, but verify individually.

Here's a pic of him stomping on the plants:
full

The basil is in the gray plastic pot. One of the tillandsias is overhead in the wall.
 

Power5

Member
Original Poster
He looks proud of himself. :D I am very interested to see your finished setup. I read through your entire build thread. It was very lacking in pictures. :D
 
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