Going all out on a Cage. Please make sure I do it right!

[rjp322]

So I have a 2 year old Beardie that I have had ever since he was a baby and he has been in a 40 gallon breeder due to me having lack of space for anything bigger. Well I am moving in 3 weeks and space isnt an issue. I want to go all out and make sure he has the best home possible but want to make sure I do it right. He is quite the fatty so Im hoping he will lose some weight in a bigger cage too. So onto what Im getting

Pretty sure Im ordering from CustomCages (http://www.customcagespage.org/) and here is what Im probably getting. Please comment on everything I am gettting so I make sure Im doing it right since Im spending ALOT of money.

60x24x24 cage. Not sure if Standard or Deluxe yet, Deluxe has glass sides instead of solid. Thoughts? Too much Cage? 48x24x24 better?

500w rated Incandescent Porcelain Lamp Kit (One for his basking light and one for the other side of cage for a lower wattage bulb to help maintain good temps in the cage)

Pearlco 150w heat emitter. (Never had one of these, but Im assuming this replaces my night heat light I have)

48" fluorescent fixture/48" Repti-sun 10.0 (No questions here as I know this is the best

Substrate - they offer a pretty cool vinyl. May go with that. Have always used something much softer though and comfortable for him. I refuse to use Sand or Walnut or carpet or anything like that so comments are appreciated on this one.

Is there anything else? Pretty sure all of this can be installed directly inside the top of the cage.

Probably going to order the matching stand too but there are no pics on the wesbite, emailed them yesterday waiting to here back on pics of it. Hoping they will work with me a bit on pricing too since this order is going to be huge. Right now its probably around ~$1000 or so and I am ok with that. If someone else builds these though and can do what Im looking for Im not against changing the plan and going with something else.


Thanks for the help guys and please please comment on this. I want my beardie to have the best home possible which is why Im dropping all the cash but I dont want to buy something wasteful ya know. I will be sure to post pics of whatever I end up getting.

 

[sunvaar]

do you, or does anyone you know, have any experience with woodworking? Because you can build this same enclosure for 1/4 the price. You can even find plans online. And you wouldn't have to worry about shipping

 

[rjp322]

I have considered it for sure and I can possibly do it. Im just not sure how nice it would be compared to this one. From what it sounds like their customer service is great and if you have a problem it is fixed immediately

 

[sunvaar]

this should help you out:

http://www.freewebs.com/crossfireenclosures/

 

[rjp322]

Yeah I have seen that and the majority of plans. Not something Im really interested in as I dont have the time. Thanks though. Im more interested in hearing comments on my original post and not an alternative unless it can ship to me already assembled

 

[rjp322]

Actually I just read that the owner of CustomCages passed away a few months ago so I have no idea if they are still making cages. I called the number on the website and just got a busy tone so I guess I am once again in the hunt for a cage

 

[halffrozen]

Where are you located?

I don't really want to tell you how to spend your money at all.. but I can say that you could saves tons doing it yourself... or even hiring a handyman to build the tank/stand combo in one for you cheap... just saying.

You can get almost everything but the feeders, beardie and enclosure from petmountain at cheap prices too!

 

[rjp322]

Located in Northwest Indiana. I guess Im just afraid of it coming out not looking great. Ive looked on Craigslist and stuff and there is just no one posting saying they build cages

 

[halffrozen]

I was not ans still don't consider myself to be a handyman of any sort. haha

But I have made fish tank stands in little as a few hours, it all comes down to planing and mapping things out.

Since your budget is rather large, you could opt for using L-Brackets and those things speed things up greatly! And are much better for structural integrity.

I would go for a all in one kind of tank/stand..

If you are fixed on ordering a close to fully assembled enclosure and stand, you MUST be cautious of it breaking in transit... and that isn't something I would want.

If you want a dis-assembled unit, look into boa masters... they have DIY kits that are VERY sleek and very nice.

 

[rjp322]

Id love a one of a kind stand type thing but Im not even sure what I would buy to convert it to something like that

 

[halffrozen]

A simple rectangular enclosure would be easiest... You could do what I do if you don't want to deal with hinges and go for a ANA stand style type...

Super dark, but this was when it was a fish tank(75 gallon) that is around 700lbs. lol on a stand I made over night! lol

 

[rjp322]

Think I may have CageCompany build me a 5x2x2 cage. Id mount the UVB light in the tank and then have all the other lights on top of the tank and get the canopy to cover it. Not sure if I want glass sides or woods sides yet. Id love to do a foam rock background eventually so Im thinking glass would be pointless since I may cover it anyways

 

[jturner82]

I am currently in the process of making my cage out of an old, 5 ft solid wood dresser. My total has been a little over $600! I will post pictures of mine when it is complete so you may get an idea from it! I am currently waiting patiently for UPS to deliver my hot wire foam cutter so I can finish this project. They are holding me up, because the custom foam BG is the only thing I have left to finish!

 

[halffrozen]

I spent around $200-$300 on my stands... and those used much more wood. haha. Odd.

 

[rjp322]

Ended up working out a deal with thecagecartel.com The guy could not have been nicer, chatted for about 45 minutes on what I wanted. He is building me a 5x2x2 cage with furniture grade wood. All of the lights will be installed directly installed in the cage. Hes building a matching stand also and on top of that he is building me one of those custom foam rock basking spots to go in the tank. Will definitely post pics and a better review whenever I get it sometime towards the end of this month