My version of the Crossfire enclosure

[bmjelken]

I liked the design that was linked in the beginners guide to the Crossfire Enclosure. But I didn't care for the way it looked. So I made my own. I used plywood to keep cost down and use as little Pine wood as possible. I prefer the stained or natural color of wood to melamine or countertop style coverings for wood. I could not find the sliding door tracks anywhere and didn't want to order it as I wasn't sure if it would work with my measurements. I DID find aluminum square U pieces - I got four of these and used them as tracks. They are so tight in my wood "sandwich" that I didn't need to use liquid nails.

Some of the things I used in my enclosure - Most of my items were purchased on the 11% and 14% sale at Menards So I got to save a bunch.

1/2 inch plywood
18 inch florescent light fixture from Menards $8
clear light bulb from Menards in a 12 pack

I got the 18 inch light off Amazon - cheapest price I could find. Some of the items suggested here are cheaper on other sites, until you add the shipping. Gotta love Amazon Prime.

Petmountain.com - feed dishes, thermometer, rock cave, and 8 outlet timer power strip.

I am going to add some logs tomorrow. I am going to harvest theme myself and BAKE them in my oven slowly for several hours to sterilize them.

The light fixture in the right corner is an old metal motion detector (minus the detector) - but it holds two - three lights. We put two in, one for the basking light and one for the CHE. The CHE hasn't come in the mail yet - also got it from Amazon.

The flooring is some old leftover linoleum we had. I just cut it to fit - not going to glue it down. I want it easy to remove and clean.

I also didn't like the way the square vents looked on the ends - So I went with all circular vents.

I love to make things with wood - in fact it is my job. - http://www.facebook.com/meganjelken

And I would put up pictures - but I can't figure out how.

 

[Claudiusx]

Sweet I want to see pictures.

You need to upload the pictures to a photo sharing site such as imgur or photobucket and then paste the img code here. It will show up as a picture.

-Brandon

 

[bmjelken]

Thanks Brandon!

4 pictures - I can take more of the outside of the enclosure if anyone is interested. I had the hubby do the wiring - I can do woodworking - not electrical

 

[bmjelken]

More pictures - I found a great piece of wood today in the forest around our house. I scraped all the loose and slightly loose wood and splinters off along with any debris. Then I sanded it as clean as I could get it. I did the same with the small Basking stump in the corner. Then I BAKED them both for 4 hours at 200 degrees. I did this to sanitize them and make sure they were safe for the new baby. I think he and the crickets will love this piece of wood.

 

[eleethesontai]

That's awesome. I was looking to do something similar and not use the melamine cuz it's expensive and I agree that I like that wood look more. I don't know anything about wood work so if I understand correctly alls u did is stain the wood right? Also what do u mean u used as little pine as possible that looks like all the same wood to me?

 

[bmjelken]

The only solid pine in this project were the two boards used for the doors. The rest is all plywood. Some plywood is made with pine, some is oak veneered, other is made with balsa wood. I was told that pine is not good for dragons. But this wood is all stained and then sealed with Bullzeye's Shellac. Shellac is a corn based renewable resource that is hypoallergenic when dry and safe for animals.

If you're going to make one you definitely need to seal the stain. Stain puts off some nasty fumes especially when heated. I let the enclosure sit with all the lights and heater on for 3 full days before we brought Yoda home. I wanted to make sure there were no harmful fumes still lingering.

I think he really likes his cage

 

[Taterbug]

Lovely enclosure, I really like that bit of wood! The top works pretty great as a seed starter, we have done that too!

I have one comment you may want to consider... his UV light looks far away, he should be able to get 6-8 inches from it, preferably when basking. Its probably to late to move it, but you could add some furniture like another branch so he can get up to it. Another option is to use the 3M command hooks and some cut up mesh laundry bag for DIY hammocks.

 

[bmjelken]

I like the hammock idea and want to do that some time.

I could reverse the position of the log and that would get him a few inches closer if he wanted to be.

Thanks Taterbug for all the help these past few days. I appreciate all your knowledge.