1st beardie -- 1st diy cage(w/pics) -- looking for feedback

[EAGLES]

Hello all!
About a month ago I bought a baby beardie.
I had considered one before, but took the plunge after tearing down my large saltwater reef tank.
Since I had the stand still after my sell off, I decided to use it as my beardie's enclosure.
I understand some consider a large enclosure a bad thing for a young beardie....but I 'never' feed him in there, he is removed to a small sterilite bin for cricket feedings.
It is 67" x 18" x 23.5"h internally. Using a ReptiSun spiral bulb(75w) for UVB in the large reflector and a 75w ZooMed heat basking lamp in the smaller black reflector next to it. The warmest spot is actually on the ramp's higher incline section but he likes the driftwood more. The warmest spot reaches 106F.
The floor is textured porcelain tiles.(with DAP kitchen and bath caulk which has MicroBan)
The interior is coated with four coats of kilz2 primer/sealer.
The exterior is stained with two coats of a walnut colored water based stain.

I am looking for feedback on my 1st build....please excuse the cracked acrylic ....I have 2x 1/4" glass on order as well as a c-channel type track.
I am still considering a fake rock wall along the back.

I am wondering if I did anything wrong or if there is anything I could improve upon?
Also, what type of handle do you guys adhere to your glass doors for sliding?

 

[renich]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Congrats on the baby.

My first comment is that the coil bulbs are not good for bearded dragons. They have been linked to eye issues. You need the tube bulb. ReptiSun 10.0 is the best on the market right now. Dragons need a high level of UV...

 

[EAGLES]

He does get direct natural sunlight for 2-4 hours 3-5x a week as well.

Is it 'all' spiral lamps, or did a few types from certain manufacturer's have issues in the past?

 

[Pogie]

Hi,

Looking good. Congrats on the new addition.

Also, what type of handle do you guys adhere to your glass doors for sliding?

I used to have glass pebbles at the bottom corners fixed with double sided adhesive tape, but found them causing me to not be able to pass the two glass doors over each other when cleaning, leaving a strip of glass on each door dirty after a while, so I removed them and now I use little suction cups that I can remove when I want and leave on when I want.

Like these

 

[EAGLES]

Inexpensive and simple....love it!
I've seen those handles that are kina opaque in pictures but didnt see them in my Lowes or H.D.

Is this a good track for 2x - 1/4" glass? Or will it not work for any reason?

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2275

 

[li]

Looks good. Two concerns...the heat light. Looks close to the spot he will sit. If he hits that he will burn himself. Can you put the lights on a mesh cover on top of the tank? Also all the sealants in the tank, can they withstand the heat in there. You don't want to have problems with fumes. And..as already mentioned your uvb...the best on is the reptisun 10.0. They coil ones don't give off enough uvb.

 

[EAGLES]

Looks good. Two concerns...the heat light. Looks close to the spot he will sit. If he hits that he will burn himself. Can you put the lights on a mesh cover on top of the tank? Also all the sealants in the tank, can they withstand the heat in there. You don't want to have problems with fumes. And..as already mentioned your uvb...the best on is the reptisun 10.0. They coil ones don't give off enough uvb.

The basking lamp creates a baskign temp of 106F at the hottest point, no more. It has been setup this way for ~3.5 weeks and I took great care in using a proper digital therm. to make temperature marks.ter viewability of the enclosure as well.
The top of the enclosure is 3/4" wood-solid. This is why I had plastic and will now be using glass sliding doors on the front. This allows for better viewability of the enclosure as well.

Are you speaking of the white kilz2 primer/sealer or the caulking on the floor?

 

[li]

I am not concerned about the heat output, 106* is good. I am concerned if he tried to reach or climb to the dome that he will burn himself on that.

Both of there sealants were my concern. As long as they can withstand the heat, they are fine. Just be sure. I am far from any type of carpenter or anything like that, lol!

What about ventilation...I don't see anything, do you have any in there?

The inside looks wonderful though.

 

[EAGLES]

I am not concerned about the heat output, 106* is good. I am concerned if he tried to reach or climb to the dome that he will burn himself on that.

Both of there sealants were my concern. As long as they can withstand the heat, they are fine. Just be sure. I am far from any type of carpenter or anything like that, lol!

What about ventilation...I don't see anything, do you have any in there?

The inside looks wonderful though.

Oh, ok, I misunderstood. He cannot physically reach it yet....but I will keep that in mind as he grows quickly and adjust accordingly.
the Kilz2 has been documented being used by others with success, I have seen no issues with it at least yet, no fumes or peeling.
The acrylic Kitchen caulk I am completely UNSURE of. It seems good so far, but I don't know....
Ventilation was holes in the acrylic, but after the glass goes in I will be cutting and installing a vent on either side of about 6"x 10". There is also a round hole up top in the back right where I run my power cords through which is ~4" in diameter.

 

[li]

I would go online and check out the ingredients and precautions of the kitchen caulk. You really need to be sure it is okay to keep in there with the heat.

Glad it is coming along though. Like I said, the set up looks wonderful.

 

[EAGLES]

caulk:
http://www.dap.com/product_details.aspx?BrandID=25&SubcatID=26

Kilz2:
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...ping-_-googleads&locStoreNum=4108&marketID=68

 

[Craiger]

Considering the caulk is in a "cured" state, I can't find anything on the MSDS sheet stating whether or not it out-gases. However, I did find this...

Repeated or prolonged exposure may cause skin, respiratory, kidney and
liver damage. Prolonged and repeated skin contact may cause irritation and possibly dermatitis.
A mixture of diisodecyl phthalate and diisononyl phthalate has been tested in a two-generation toxicity study in laboratory
animals. No effects on reproductive parameters were seen. However, a small but statistically significant increase in early
offspring mortality was seen at high oral doses. The significance of this to humans is uncertain.

Granted, this HAS to be in the liquid state before it's finally cured, but the following warning causes me great concern that it could actually out-gas. And if so, the above warning would be of GREAT concern to me.

Conditions To Avoid: Excessive heat and freezing.

Personally, I'd steer clear of that stuff.

I'm being called by my wife....so I gotta go. I didn't get a chance to look at the Kilz2, but the name bothers me. LOL!

 

[EAGLES]

Considering the caulk is in a "cured" state, I can't find anything on the MSDS sheet stating whether or not it out-gases. However, I did find this...

Repeated or prolonged exposure may cause skin, respiratory, kidney and
liver damage. Prolonged and repeated skin contact may cause irritation and possibly dermatitis.
A mixture of diisodecyl phthalate and diisononyl phthalate has been tested in a two-generation toxicity study in laboratory
animals. No effects on reproductive parameters were seen. However, a small but statistically significant increase in early
offspring mortality was seen at high oral doses. The significance of this to humans is uncertain.

Granted, this HAS to be in the liquid state before it's finally cured, but the following warning causes me great concern that it could actually out-gas. And if so, the above warning would be of GREAT concern to me.

Conditions To Avoid: Excessive heat and freezing.

Personally, I'd steer clear of that stuff.

I'm being called by my wife....so I gotta go. I didn't get a chance to look at the Kilz2, but the name bothers me. LOL!

Dang, so i need to pull it all up and grout? I did this to avoid grouting, haha.
Anyone with info/advice concerning Kilz2?

 

[staylor]

My vet told me with building a viv I should put the vent on top not the side. Many people have the vents on the side but in his 30+ years of being a herp vet and owner, he has found vents on top are more effective then vents on the side.

 

[EAGLES]

My vet told me with building a viv I should put the vent on top not the side. Many people have the vents on the side but in his 30+ years of being a herp vet and owner, he has found vents on top are more effective then vents on the side.

Good to know....makes sense as venting on top would allow heat to escape. Perhap side and top, side for incoming air and top for ventilation of heat ??

 

[staylor]

I was thinking about that too. I was thinking there should be some sort of vent near the bottom(does not have to be very big) and the vents at the top so there will be good air circulation.

 

[renich]

Sorry, I've been away, but it looks like Lisa answered your question - all coil bulbs are bad. You need the tube. ReptiSun 10.0 outputs the most UV light currently. Dragons need a lot of UV light.

 

[EAGLES]

Any thoughts on the caulk and the Kilz2 ?

 

[renich]

I'll be honest. I've never built a viv. All the folks who posted have done this successfully. I've used Kilz on my walls and know it is very strong.

As Craig pointed out, you'll need something that can withstand the heat.

 

[Craiger]

GE II Silicone for adhesive and grout for tiles.

I still haven't had time to look into the Kilz2. Sorry. But I certainly wouldn't keep my beardies on that caulk. I'm afraid you might have to rip it out and redo it.

I did a LOT of homework while building each of my enclosures. They took several weeks, if not months, to finish. I researched the MSDS sheets of anything I didn't know was safe. If it was iffy, I tossed it out and kept looking for something until I found a safe product.

I've been in engineering for over 20 years and am well familiar with MSDS sheets. There should be something out there for the Kilz2 if you want to take a look at it. If anything jumps out at you (out-gassing at certain temps), prolonged exposure to heat and it's affect on humans/animals, breakdown temp (when the substance starts to corrode or breakdown to the point that it could be ingested), etc. Pretty much anything that might jump out at you and be a cause of concern. If you don't like what you're reading, toss it.

That's my suggestion.

Just keep in mind, when reading MSDS sheets, there are usually multiple sections for products who's properties have a curing process. There's usually data on the product in the liquid state and data on the product after it's cured. A lot of times, once it's cured, harmful properties no longer are an issue. Like most silicone, for example. It can pretty harsh when applying it. But once it's cured, you're good as golden.

Oh...and hey EAGLES, I forgot to welcome you to the forum. So....welcome, dude! I, too, was a fishkeeper for 20 years before getting into reptiles. For the record, I love reptiles a LOT more!

I look forward to your future posts. I like that you're a builder/craftsman.