Look what I found!

[Aziara]

Thought I might post this, in case anyone else is looking for pretty cage ideas. It's 46.5" long x 24" wide x 35" high. I'm gonna put a sheet of plexiglass to replace the wire and put in some vents, also remove the wire overlay on the floor and coat the whole thing in polyurethane for safety and ease of cleaning. It's on clearance for only $104 with free shipping!

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ware-Premium-Plus-Rabbit-Hutch/17701601

Here's a picture of the exact same hutch all redone as a bearded dragon cage: (not mine, but it's how I got the idea)

 

[BeardiesandBaseball]

Pretty cool! Good luck in doing that stuff.

 

[Aziara]

It just came in! Very solid construction, with good long screws. I'm currently trying to figure out if I can make the plexi side openable... It would be nice to access the entire cage from both the front and top.

 

[rdoyle225]

Following

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[andrewed1]

You could do it with glass sides and make it a front sliding

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[Aziara]

You could do it with glass sides and make it a front sliding

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I am definitely considering doing this, though I would use plexiglass instead--I have a toddler who likes to bang on things, and this will be right at chest high for her (Not that I'll let her bang away and freak out my critter, but there's always that minute when you walk out the room and they do exactly the thing they shouldn't...).

I ran a test with the basking light yesterday, and I got it all the way to 103° F, even with the wire... I understand that making styrofoam/grout sculptures hold heat even better, so I may not need to seal it up so much. Is there any problem with using a wire wall, other than ventilation? The space between horizontally is 3/4", so would a small dragon be able to get his head through?
I did buy a dimmer for the basking area too, so if wire is troublesome for some reason, I could always dim it to a proper temperature after putting in the plexiglass. (it's a 65w incandescent indoor flood light, so it is dimmable)

 

[Hdrydr31]

I am definitely considering doing this, though I would use plexiglass instead--I have a toddler who likes to bang on things, and this will be right at chest high for her (Not that I'll let her bang away and freak out my critter, but there's always that minute when you walk out the room and they do exactly the thing they shouldn't...).

I ran a test with the basking light yesterday, and I got it all the way to 103° F, even with the wire... I understand that making styrofoam/grout sculptures hold heat even better, so I may not need to seal it up so much. Is there any problem with using a wire wall, other than ventilation? The space between horizontally is 3/4", so would a small dragon be able to get his head through?
I did buy a dimmer for the basking area too, so if wire is troublesome for some reason, I could always dim it to a proper temperature after putting in the plexiglass. (it's a 65w incandescent indoor flood light, so it is dimmable)

I would worry about feet getting stuck personally..

 

[Aziara]

I would worry about feet getting stuck personally..

Ok, then looks like I'll be getting the plexiglass. I may return the pack of 65watts for some 45watt bulbs, if the prior test was accurate.
I did also notice that the air OUTSIDE the hutch was warm too, so with the plexiglass, my AC won't have to fight the heat lamp, lol.

 

[Aziara]

It's done! I'm getting my little one on Saturday. So excited!
Ended up going with 1/4 glass, not plexiglass, after looking at it at the glass shop. It's so thick, I doubt it will break from anything less than a direct hammer hit. No worries about scratching/fogging up over time, like I would have with plexi. I do have to polish off little curious fingerprints, however
The terrain is extruded styrofoam covered with tinted Drylok, so it has a rough, sandy texture without having any loose pieces, somewhat similar to the zoomed desert mat. I should get a closeup of that.
The plants are from Hobby Lobby, I shopped through their faux succulents, testing the tips of the leaves by pinching them with my fingernails and trying to 'bite' off a piece. Any that dented or felt like they would maybe break off got put back on the shelf. I only got ones that showed no change from that test.
There's more ventilation than it looks, as the top lid is propped up by about 1/4" all the way around. I may end up propping it a bit higher, as the cool side occasionally climbs to 85 degrees, though it is usually lower at 80 - 83. Is this harmful? I likely will be unable to get it colder than 80, as my house is about 78 - 80 degrees. Hot side is about 90 - 93, and hot spot has a surface temp of about 105-107 degrees.
The UVB is a 22" Arcadia T5 HO. Heat lamp is just a 65w incadescent indoor floodlight.
First picture is the outside, then the inside with the wooden ramp down.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Very nice!! I love it, I think the only thing would be the temp on the cool side..I wonder if you lower the wattage in the flood light you might be able to decrease it some more.. They really do need the temp drop physiologically so their bodies can get that "re-boot" at night and mimics a more natural climate. Also by giving more ventilation will also help aide in that, and will also lower the possibility of increased humidity once your little one is there and food is in there...Typically viv's have vents on the backside or on either side as since hot air rises and you have the lid raised you need to replace the hot air and get circulation going..

But I love the ramp and it really looks nice!

 

[Aziara]

^I forgot to mention, I have a dimmer plug on the heat bulb, so it's probably running at 45-50w. It looks like night time temperatures get down to mid 70s when all the lights are off... It might get a little lower than that as winter comes along. I'll keep an eye on it, to make sure it doesn't get down below 65. If it does, I'll get a CHE.
There's gaps around the wood ramp, and the area with the glass isn't square, so there's spaces on either side of that too, for cooler air to get pulled in. I may still put in a vent on the cool side.

 

[BeardedHippy]

I would definately put the extra vent in, low down on the cool side. It looks really good though, nice job!

 

[ArsenicPanda]

It's done! I'm getting my little one on Saturday. So excited!
Ended up going with 1/4 glass, not plexiglass, after looking at it at the glass shop. It's so thick, I doubt it will break from anything less than a direct hammer hit. No worries about scratching/fogging up over time, like I would have with plexi. I do have to polish off little curious fingerprints, however [emoji14]
The terrain is extruded styrofoam covered with tinted Drylok, so it has a rough, sandy texture without having any loose pieces, somewhat similar to the zoomed desert mat. I should get a closeup of that.
The plants are from Hobby Lobby, I shopped through their faux succulents, testing the tips of the leaves by pinching them with my fingernails and trying to 'bite' off a piece. Any that dented or felt like they would maybe break off got put back on the shelf. I only got ones that showed no change from that test.
There's more ventilation than it looks, as the top lid is propped up by about 1/4" all the way around. I may end up propping it a bit higher, as the cool side occasionally climbs to 85 degrees, though it is usually lower at 80 - 83. Is this harmful? I likely will be unable to get it colder than 80, as my house is about 78 - 80 degrees. Hot side is about 90 - 93, and hot spot has a surface temp of about 105-107 degrees.
The UVB is a 22" Arcadia T5 HO. Heat lamp is just a 65w incadescent indoor floodlight.
First picture is the outside, then the inside with the wooden ramp down.

Hey do you mind maybe explaining how you made the sliding glass door? I really would like to make something like this for my beardie[:

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[Aziara]

Hey do you mind maybe explaining how you made the sliding glass door? I really would like to make something like this for my beardie[:

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Not at all!
I bought this track. There are cheaper ones, but I really wanted it in black, not almond.
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Foot-Plastic-Sliding-Track/dp/B001DT4PC6

Here's the best deal on the little finger groove stick-on handles for the glass. So much easier to open than trying to get your fingernails into the gap!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DS4CX0K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here's the lock:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VH88614/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm not good at understanding an explanation without pictures, so I found this tutorial helpful. Just skip down to where he starts talking about 'glass runners'. I did however, skip the part about using the excess runner for the sides. I also cut the plastic with a dremel, so much easier. The measurements are in metric, (it's a UK site), I used 1/4" glass. To determine the width of the glass pieces, measure the width of the door space, divide by 2, then add however many inches you want the glass to overlap in the middle.
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/habitat/470803-how-build-your-own-wooden.html

A few extra things I had to do, since I was starting with a hutch:
Used wire cutters to remove the prior wire.
Used wood patch to fill in the side grooves that the wire used to sit in--then stained and sealed. I didn't bother filling in the top or bottom grooves in the wood, I'll never see them again.

 

[ArsenicPanda]

Not at all!
I bought this track. There are cheaper ones, but I really wanted it in black, not almond.
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Foot-Plastic-Sliding-Track/dp/B001DT4PC6

Here's the best deal on the little finger groove stick-on handles for the glass. So much easier to open than trying to get your fingernails into the gap!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DS4CX0K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here's the lock:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VH88614/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm not good at understanding an explanation without pictures, so I found this tutorial helpful. Just skip down to where he starts talking about 'glass runners'. I did however, skip the part about using the excess runner for the sides. I also cut the plastic with a dremel, so much easier. The measurements are in metric, (it's a UK site), I used 1/4" glass. To determine the width of the glass pieces, measure the width of the door space, divide by 2, then add however many inches you want the glass to overlap in the middle.
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/habitat/470803-how-build-your-own-wooden.html

A few extra things I had to do, since I was starting with a hutch:
Used wire cutters to remove the prior wire.
Used wood patch to fill in the side grooves that the wire used to sit in--then stained and sealed. I didn't bother filling in the top or bottom grooves in the wood, I'll never see them again.

Thank you so much!!! I'll definitely come back and post some pics when I get mine done. Its gonna be awhile but hopefully its well worth the wait. [:

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