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Posted by PH Meliss on November 15, 2002 at 15:09:30:
In Reply to: Ozzy's new cage.........problems posted by Iguanamom on November 15, 2002 at 12:54:11:
>>I guess his plan was to do plexi glass on the sides and the poly hardware cloth on the front. First I was wondering is poly hardware cloth the right stuff to use?
Depends on what you're actually talking about. See my Enclosure Materials for what's appropriate and what isn't.
The other thing to consider, when considering using mesh, is the heat loss during the colder months. It might be more cost effective to put ventilation panels in the side walls and top, and make the rest of the sides wood and/or Plexi. The solid material will keep the heat in better…unless you plan on heating the entire room.
>>The next question when I was calling to price plexiglass they said it comes in 1/4 or 1/8 inch thickness, which should I use?
The thicker the Plexi, the sturdier it will be, especially when it has to cover a large area.
>>And by the way plexi glass is way more expensive than I thought. OUCH!
Glass is less expensive, but heavier…
>>The other question I had was he used pine to build the frame, top and bottom, and back wall of the cage. If I just polyurethane it will that be ok? Or would I be better to leave the wood naked so to speak, LOL.
Well, there is some question about pine used as the enclosure wood because of its relation to cedar. While pine's VOCs aren't as toxic as cedar, we really don't know about the long term effects on reptiles housed in poorly ventilated pine enclosures. (See the cedar and pin articles in the Substrates section of my Captive Environment page.)
Regardless of the wood you use, it will do better in the long run when you apply several coats of an environmentally friendly polyurethane. They are widely available at builder supply stores, dry quickly so several coats can be applied each day. Even they are low on the noxious outgassing scale, it is still a good idea to thoroughly air the entire enclosure out for several days before putting the iguana in there.
>>I am going to put a piece of linolium on the floor to make cleaning easier.
Good!
>>Because of lighting I can't use the poly stuff, but then I know you shouldn't use the metal screen either, so what do you use?
The only time uncoated hardware cloth in the roof of an enclosure is a problem is if the temperatures in the enclosure itself isn't warm enough for the species, and so the animal tries to crawl into the heat fixture, thus coming into contact with--and trying to force its way through--the metal mesh. Use thermometers and monitor temps throughout the days and nights and throughout the year, and it shouldn't be a problem.
Or, Install the shelves lower down, and mount the incandescent and fluorescent fixtures on the ceiling. Once you know where they are going to go, you can then use masonite pegboard instead of solid wood in a large rectangular section in the top to provide additional ventilation. To conserve reduce heat loss during the winter, you can just cover some or all of it with another piece of wood or a folded towel or blanket.
>>My hubby and I are off for the next 3 days and I would really like to get this done by then.
It's always nice to know that in these stressful times, people are still capable of dreaming… ;)
>>Oh yeah and I still have to figure out exactly where this monsterous cage is going to go in my sons room.
Maybe you can make a sort of trundle bed, with your son's bed pulling out from under the enclosure… Well, it could happen…!
>>I am planning on upgrading his lighting too, but financially I have to do this a little at a time. I have a feeling this cage will be a work in progress for awhile.
Just so long as he is getting the heating and lighting (including UVB) he needs now. Going too long at too cool temps, no UVB, or improper night time heat sources are going to cause stress and lead to illness, possibly before you get the necessary upgrades done.
One way to reduce costs is don't but stuff at the pet store you can get for less (often significantly so) at hardware and builder supply stores. Some reptile-specific stuff can often be found for less through some of the online herp dry good suppliers, who don't have store overheads to worry about. You'll find a list of some of these suppliers at my Mail Order Suppliers page and here at Kingsnake.com's Cages/Supplies listing.
Even though the new enclosure may be the greatest thing since sliced bread (with chunky peanut butter and bananas :), keep in mind that it's going to be stressful for him. Check out my Change-Related Stress for more information.
Good luck, and let us know how it all turns out!
--
PH Meliss
Iguanas Pet Host for PetHobbyist.com
Herps and Iguanas
Herp Societies/Rescues and Vets
