Enclosure Materials

[Yutahji]

Well Im about to head off to home depot to get some pricing estimates, I have a list of supplies drafted up and any feedback is appreciated.

I'm looking to make a support frame w/ plywood skin essentially. 2 40 gallons will be on top of the tank, so the top is going to be reinfornced with 2x4s. The walls will be 1/4 ply on a 2x4 frame, the top and bttom will be 3/4 ply. The front will have two panes of acrylic, framed with 1/8 trim on hinges for a swing-out window.

I don't know if this has been done before, but my enclosure is going to split in half via window locks, so that it can be broken down and reconnected for moving. Is that feasible? I would have to reseal it every time it was rebuilt, haven't really figured that one out yet...

Planning on a fir frame, either maple or some other hardwood ply. Suggestions? Internal will be sealed with drylok or kilz, which is preferred? I'd like to preserve the natural look of the wood inside, but will be painting the outside.

And finally, is it just easier to make a box using 3/4 ply? I've considered that, but it'd be impossible to get up 3 flights of stairs.

 

[Yutahji]

More questions. With a frame of 2x4s, could I make the walls out of 1/2 ply, or even 1/4 ply? The floor and top will be 3/4 ply.

 

[marydd]

 

[marydd]

What you want sounds kinda like what my uncle is building me. He built it in his garage, took it apart and rebuilt it in the room. Hope the pics help. Not totally sure that he used.

 

[N8bub]

Sounds good except for the 1/4 plywood, way too thin. I think you could get by with the half but I say go big and build it right the 1st time. You will thank yourself down the road.

 

[Rebecca Stout]

half plywood is plenty with that sort of bracing

 

[Yutahji]

Some updates! My boyfriend and I found some 3/4 hardwood ply by the dumpster outside our apartment - the thing is in perfect condition, but we've disinfected it anyway. We just got it cut yesterday, so hoozah, I've got the floor for my enclosure. Someone also threw out an unused frame for what looked to be a potted plant, and the sticker says it's untreated pine. I'm going to be disinfecting it, sealing it, and re-purposing it into a ladder up to a basking platform. One man's trash.

We also decided that window locks would not be super stable as a sealant, so we're going to be using heavy duty bolts on the inside to connect the two enclosure boxes. 2 on each of the walls, in theory it should hold well.

Still trying to figure out the electrical aspect. I'm deciding to go with a cluster basking spot rather than a single bulb. What's a ballpark for a good wattage if I'm using 3 bulbs? The lighting won't be more than 10" above the basking spot. And I'm considering only including one large source of UVB in the enclosure, such as a strip, because it seems like many people agree that the tegu needs to be able to get away from the uvb if they so wish. Thoughts?

 

[Rebecca Stout]

Here are photos and a story as to how our enclosure came about. Lol.
http://wolfystegu.weebly.com/blog/how-much-money

 

[Rebecca Stout]

Remember, I did overkill in mine. With my tegus size, I could've used some 2x2"s in some places etc. Ridiculous sturdy window. Its just I was anticipating this lizard to get twice the size she is. Sigh.

 

[Anthony_904]

Have you looked up melamine cages

 

[Rebecca Stout]

I don't know if there are commercial melamine enclosures. But I do know that its said to not be good to use in building your own. You see one crack, scratch, etc, and moisture will get in. When it gets wet, it disintegrates. It's also extremely heavy.

 

[Anthony_904]

Boa master makes them out of melamine. What you have to do is glue and seal all holes... also have to pilot drill screw holes. And counter sink screws with seal over holes. As long as it is sealed good no worries...

 

[Anthony_904]

Although Rebecca your cage is very nice

 

[Skeep]

The default option for my commercially built cage was melamine, and I wish I kept it honestly instead of "upgrading." Melamine is pretty sturdy, I wouldn't worry about it cracking too easily, though I agree with Anthony's cautions. I also agree 1/4" ply sounds too thin. If you can go to 3/8" it'll be much stronger. For your last question, a box of 3/4" plywood would be much stronger than a 2x4 frame, and simpler to build, but it will be very heavy!

I found that for lights I couldn't predict the wattage in advance, it took trial and error. I wound up using a 160W Powersun and a 150W ceramic heater to get good temps, but my cage is probably smaller than yours. I also had to add a radiant heater in the back to keep temps consistent, and I covered the thing in fleece blankets =)