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Post by trogdor1084 on Mar 12, 2004 8:50:16 GMT -8
Hi everybody, In the very near future, as in this weekend, I plan on beginning the wonderful task of building my new ig a brand new, much larger enclosure. This is the first time I'm attempting to do this, so I was wondering if anyone had any tips or advice that I could use I'm kind of stumped, like which materials would be the best to use? I pretty much know the dimensions have to be HUGE. My budget is close to 400 dollars. Is this realistic for me? Or should I plan to spend more? Any input and advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance! -Lyndsey
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Post by Tesa on Mar 12, 2004 9:30:33 GMT -8
Well, there are lots of good plans to be found on the internet. I would suggest drawing out plans, and making sure you consider light and heating arrangements beforehand. I'm sure some people here will come up with some tips for you.
I can tell you that I used pegboard for mine. It came in 8x4 sheets for 6 bucks each. We used 2x4's for the frame and plexiglass for the front doors. Ended up with a 6'x8'x2' cage for around 150 bucks.
btw....Welcome to IZ!!
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Post by trogdor1084 on Mar 12, 2004 9:46:57 GMT -8
Wow, I'm really interested in the pegboard, especially since it was 6 bucks a sheet! Where do you find that, at Home Depot or another store like that?
Thanks again!
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Post by Tesa on Mar 12, 2004 9:49:02 GMT -8
The Ace Hardware store here in my town carries it. Lumberyards will have it also. (the price is what caught my attention too)
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Post by BELLAIRE on Mar 13, 2004 7:02:47 GMT -8
The best encloser that i know of is a spare bedroom or a half of a spare bedroom and if you can not do that and can not let it free roam the best i found is a 6ft x 6ft by 4ft wide and that 6ft tall 6ft long and 4ft wide depend on how nice you want to make if it can run anywhere from 150.00 to 600.00 no one said these guys were cheap......
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Post by Yoda on Mar 13, 2004 8:21:45 GMT -8
;D I just had a blast ...building Yodas Lair... and one thing I would say is just try not to build a big boring BOX.. Give your Iguana enough ledges /shelves and somthing to do in there... I see so may people building a box with 1 basking ledge or log...Try and provide a comfy place in three different temperature zones....Your Ig will be much happier with a few different areas to sretch out vertically...Maybey you can get some Ideas from what I have done... James and Yoda
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Post by BELLAIRE on Mar 13, 2004 8:30:39 GMT -8
Nice encloser Yoda has it seem to look very cosey for your guy
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Post by Yoda on Mar 13, 2004 8:42:21 GMT -8
Yoda came from a 30 gallon fish tank with Wodchips on the bottom and eating frozen veggies to this new place after learning from Tesa and Dom...( Thank You guys) at this very site...The enclosure was a bit of a Brain Storm I had after I realized just had to do somthing now and I needed to build somthing that would sit in my immediate living space and look decent ... I wanted to have as big of a veiwing area and somthing that would hold huumidity but not soak up water and lead to mold and mildew problems.. As you can see the main Enclosure is a Shower Stall.. The Issue I now had was I really didnt have much area to install shelves ...so I built a "Iguana Tree" from PVC pipes ... It has worked out great and Yes Yoda Just loves his place... James and Yoda
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Post by BELLAIRE on Mar 13, 2004 10:34:30 GMT -8
Well that is good for you and with people like Dominick and Tesa here i am sure you will learn alot I have Been on GIS and been reading there for along time and it does seem Dominick knows what he is taking about Well Enjoy and nice to meet you
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Post by prism_wolf on Mar 18, 2004 12:01:12 GMT -8
James...the cage really is great. What did you use to wrap around, or put around, the pvc to make it look like it does? It sure doesn't look like pvc, though the shape is definitely there.
$400 is a good amount of cash to spend Lyndsey. If I was to make another one I think I would use a melamine board...the paneling used for bathrooms. It's waterproof and easy to clean and disinfect. It's about $11 a sheet, but to me the extra cost would be worth it.
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Post by Yoda on Mar 18, 2004 15:04:13 GMT -8
Prism_wolf
I used astroturf ...(indoor/outdoor)
F.Y.I
I am aware of the issues with possible ingestion of tiny peices of carpet , however I was super dilligent when putting it in to make sure there is no loose fabric..( all edges are trimmed /hemmed and sealed).and it gets a vacum cleaning regularly.
James and Yoda
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Post by prism_wolf on Mar 19, 2004 18:58:47 GMT -8
lol...I wasn't going to say anything about using the astroturf. Remember...I still use it too on my shelves. I think it looks great...and the easiest way for the ig to climb up for sure. I'd use it! I may, but with smaller pvc.
I have a very small...say 3'W x 4 1/2'T x 1 1/2'D enclosure for the small foster. I'm having trouble with shelving and support with those dimensions and I think using a smaller pvc with that kind of shelving would work great...with the astroturf.
I use real branches now, but I don't like the lack of real support they give.
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Post by Yoda on Mar 20, 2004 6:25:05 GMT -8
I only wanted to ensure all readers of the post that I have taken this possible problem into consideration , As with any type of material inside a Iggy's Enclosure it is important to consider that Iguanas like to lick every and Taste everything so I inspect the Enclosure daily to ensure there are no small peices of material hanging loose ... The pvc works great..Your Imagination is the limit ..the possibilities are endless with all the different angles and fittings and pipe sizes available. James and Yoda
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Post by Herpmom on May 13, 2004 18:03:03 GMT -8
I'm not able to see Yoda's enclosure? I really want to.
Nevermind.....as soon as I made the post, the picture showed up. It's fantastic !!
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Post by Cyndi on May 17, 2004 9:36:14 GMT -8
I'm kinda late, but we used showerboard on Kyo's enclosure. Got a discontinued, plain white tiled 4x8 board for $4. a sheet. Two walls are all showerboard, and the other two and door are showerboarded half way up, with plexiglass/screens at the top. Our local hardware store cuts plexiglass for you, so I asked about remnants. They had three perfect pieces that I got for about half price. The same with the hardware cloth.
I think that the whole cost of the 6' x 5' x 3' enclosure (excluding lights) was less than $150. (that was lumber, linoleum, glass, shelving and hardware).
I hope that by the time she outgrows this, one of the kids SHOULD be in college, and she can have their room ;D
Cyndi
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