New enclosure!

[woodson28]

Hey everybody, i received my new cage yesterday & just wanted to share with you guys how its coming along. Its 39"x23"x20" from cold blooded enclosures, its ABS plastic & weighs 20lbs. Heres some pics.. i had to install the heat fixture, but it was very simple. here's Dexter sleeping while i get his new home together.. im going to get tile as substrate, paper towels for now. I made him a slate ramp/deck/hide & hes getting his hammock soon. Temps are 106-108 on his basking spot & he eats in a separate container so im not worried about feeder hiding spots. Easier to keep clean, especially once the tile goes in. he seems to like it.. oh & my wood pillars that hold up the deck are glued together with safe glue (no fumes) so its very stable. & slate pieces are held to wood pillars with velcro strips so theres no chance of it falling. What do you guys think?

 

[Josh]

Looking good! I like the simplicity and your dragon seems to be loving it, which is most important!

 

[gilliesexotics]

Hi, the cage looks great and your dragon is very pretty.

 

[gunkle]

nice cage. I also am a fan of simplicity inside.

 

[woodson28]

He was so lazy in his smaller tank & hes very active exploring everything since hes been in this one. I also put in a vertical ramp for him to look out & watch everything. He slept there last night & hung out there alot today so i think he likes it.. Its wedged in there pretty good.. he also spent some time under the ramp, in his hide area but i think ill go back & get a bigger piece cut so he has more area to hide under.. i love decorating their cages lol & i love watching them enjoy it!

 

[woodson28]

I really want to get the matching slate tile for the floor, but its harder to clean poop off of it than the smoother/slippery-er tiles.. What do you think?

 

[Bushmaster11B]

What watt bulb are you using? Is it the only heat bulb in there? How thick is the plastic? And if you don't mind, how much was this bad boy? It looks different from the others on their website. I'm interested if it is saving you on electric bill in the future too. Let me know Woodson. Thanks!


Slate and River rock are a bit harder to clean. I find using a brush for nails works good.

 

[woodson28]

Hey Bushmaster.. Ok, its on the site for $226, but they get you on extras.. $60 shipping, $23 uvb fixture install, $25 for the heat fixture, & an extra $15 to get it in white. So its right about $350 total (without locks for sliding doors) (he cant open em anyway)..
Im using a 50 watt bulb, yes its the only heat in there & its working great, temps are 106-108 basking & 88-90 cool side.. 86 in his lil hide area..
The walls are pretty thin, its a very light cage (20lbs) but really sturdy.
& i haven't had it long enough to get a new electric bill yet.. & not sure id notice a difference since i still have 4 standard glass tanks set up as well. Once im completely transitioned into these & have no more glass tanks, im hoping to notice a big difference.
Im going to decide on his tile today & have it cut to fit his cage.. Its alot easier to clean the slate with these sliding doors as opposed to reaching in from above in an aquarium thats on top of a dresser.. So i may go with the slate.
I searched ALL over the net & saw so many different types of tanks/cages.. Everything had 1 thing wrong with it that made me decide against it. I ended up choosing between these & your standard melamine cages.. Im going to have 6 cages total & the weight of the melamine made my mind up to go with these & i couldn't be happier. On their site, this cage is on page 2 & the pic attached to the 39x23x20 is of some other size, idk why..

 

[Bushmaster11B]

gloss slate tile should work and be easy to clean. Remember tile for homes are built to be easy on maintenance. On the cage, would it be easy to drill some more holes for ventilation? That's a bit too hot for my BD's comfort. The main reason I want to try one of these is my house is 62-64 degrees everyday, even in the Winter. No thanks to my Wife. I rather freeze then hear her complain! LOL, I'm married to a Hot Blooded Italian with attitude. It doesn't always work in my favor, so I crank up the wattage in Aries enclosure. I am currently running:

Day-
40W incandescent (for heat and lighting)
50W halogen flood light (main basking light)
15W 10.0 UVB tube light

Night-
75W Black light bulb on a Thermostat set to 70 degrees (this is temporary until my 60W CHE comes in the mail)

Everything is on a timer too except night heat source.

 

[woodson28]

Gloss slate, got it. At my lowe's they only had 2 slate options, both are rough texture. The cage would be extremely easy to drill more holes. What temps are you shooting for during the day? Im good with no lights at night being in southern California. Stays nice & cozy, should be cooling down soon.

 

[Bushmaster11B]

Aries loves it around 103-105 and I'm in Texas so it does get hot like Cali but my house is like Montana! LOL! During the winter, it get's cold here with snow. But again, my house is a freezer (thanks Wifey).

 

[woodson28]

Got the tile in today.. Here's how it looks.. i put his little fleece blanket in his larger hide area in case the slate gets cold at night. going to put a hammock in the back right corner & its done.. What do you think?

 

[Bushmaster11B]

I like it a lot Woodson. Good thing you got a white cage too. It helps keep true UVB from being absorbed. I'm jealous to be honest. How much did the tile run you? And where did you get it? If you had to cut it, how do you cut tile? I ask because I have a stripper pole in the middle of my enclosure (to support my 60" TV). I would monitor your temps now since the tile is in there. Do a day reading and a night reading with a thermal gun.

 

[woodson28]

Thanks! I got the tile at Lowe's.. I bought 7 individual slate pieces, it was about $13. They cut it for me there.
Ive been pretty ocd about checking the temps. The temperature here is cooling down. Im thinking about going to a 75watt bulb .
Oh, so i asked about gloss slate, they only had regular slate but showed me a gloss seal i can apply myself. I didnt know if it would be harmful so i left it plain & ill deal with the clean up.

 

[Bushmaster11B]

Good choice on not doing the seal. At least you can take the tile out and scrub it when there is a mess.

 

[woodson28]

Ya i dont mind so much now, its so much easier to clean with sliding doors in front. Im ordering another cage like this one tomorrow. I like it alot.

 

[Bushmaster11B]

Share the wealth bro. Jeeze that's a lot of money

 

[woodson28]

Lol.. Love my dragons.

 

[Bushmaster11B]

hey Woodson, I bought some tile yesterday. You inspired me!

 

[woodson28]

Oooh thats a nice piece! I like it! Thats going to look awesome, make sure to post some pics when its done!