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Post by Brujah on Apr 8, 2004 21:09:02 GMT -8
Thanks in advance for any ideas/help We were giving this cage with our new ig 2 days ago... and yes its wire mesh ...thus where my question comes in... Would it be ok to put clear plastic on the insideso she cant climb on it?? plus i think it will help with keeping the temp and hum up (Im sure anyone that has/had an open cage knows that can be a pain..lol) I also will be adding climbing items soon, until i can build her something new. Are the closet shelves that are plastic coated alright to use? This will all be a short term fix till i can build something else (which im sure Ill have plenty of questions about also.. thanks.... Blain
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Post by Brujah on Apr 8, 2004 21:12:06 GMT -8
opppsss forgot to ask about the tree inside. I dont know if it was sterilized or not... how can I do this?? or is it a bad idea to use real limbs?
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Post by SurvivorSteph on Apr 8, 2004 23:10:25 GMT -8
I've seen people use the wire covered closet shelves before, you just want to make sure there's nothing that's even potentially harmful to her.
There's also a debate over real or fake limbs. Everything's debatable, it seems. There are dangers of "bugs" and such from real wood, but the options in real looking fakes is minimal and expensive. Sand blasting it I think would probably be your best bet.
Any suggestions, guys?
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Post by Merlin on Apr 9, 2004 4:04:04 GMT -8
If by plastic you are talking about the thin plastic sheeting that comes in a roll it won't work. The ig will shred it. Something like plexiglas or acrylic that is solid will be fine. Since the branch is already there it should be ok. I used natural wood for my climbing area. I put it in the bathtub full of hot water and scrubbed the daylights out of it with a good stiff brush. I did still have some small borer type insects that showed up for a while but nothing to bother the ig,.... other than to fly around in the cage.
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Post by mar on Apr 9, 2004 7:25:06 GMT -8
Playing with cages is almost as much fun for me as playing with my iguana.
I theory is to provide a lot of climbing options. He lives in there so it may as well be as interesting a place to climb around as possible. They are creatures of habit but that does not mean that only use one or two ways to get up and down.
For climibing toys exployte your hobbies and intrests and use them as an excuse to learn something new.
I am a woodworker and have access to a shop so some of my climbing toys are ladders -- hockey stick shaft sized sides with 1/4" dowels between them. For this you only need a drill press, tape measure, and pencile.
I have been learning how to sew for my ig cages too. I have a few 2x4s and PVC pipes wrapped in fabric as climbing toys.
I have a ladder built out of palstic mesh and bamboo. Cut the mesh to the size that you want it then zip tie it to the bamboo. You can get 1" bamboo rods about 6' long at garden centers of home depot for about 99 cents.
Mark
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Post by Brujah on Apr 9, 2004 16:13:14 GMT -8
Thanks you 3 for the info..Just wanted to update a little. I think for her main basking spot im gonna use the angle shelf supports with a 1x12, and use the metal shelf for the ladder to get to the basking spot...and got a yard of material tonight to cover it with. And on mar's suggestions I couldn't find the mesh at wal-mart... but i did find some sign stakes that im gonna cut up and make another ladder. I have driven myself crazy since yesterday brainstorming on which way i want to do it...lol Just a matter now on getting in there and seeing how it will all go together now... I'll keep ya updated and get some pics when I finish... I think im gonna do the back outside in clear plastic just to keep the humidity up... temp is looking good now if i can get it to hold some moisture....
Blain
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Post by mar on Apr 9, 2004 17:17:26 GMT -8
I don't know where you are in the country but summer is sneaking up and heat and humidity are going to become easy for a little while.
For heat I use a flood light on a thermostat and it does fine. Some use much more expensive ceramic heat emitters (CHEs) but I have not had good luck with them. Both CHEs I have used died after a season and I can buy a blue flood light for $3.99 and have it last just as long or longer.
To help with humidity you could use lighter weight plastic stapled on the out side of the wire. Shredding of the plastic would be minimal and he could climb the wire still. I am not a fan of having more than 50% of a cage being plastic though. The combination of high humidity, wood, and heat in a mostly sealed area is begging for trouble -- mold, mildew, ig respiratory infections, rotting wood. If you were to staple some light cotton cloth (like an old bed sheet) around part of the outside it will slow down the drafts, insulate heat, and provide a humidity solution. By misting your ig a few times a day over spray and dampen the cloth well as it dries it keeps the cage humidity up. The walls of my cage are only fabric and this method allows me to keep nice high humidity.
If you are going to use this cage for more than a month you will also want to put a door up top. This is the easiest way I see: Make the whole front top the door and have it hinge along the top to fold up. Then put a hook and eye at the bottom to hold it down.
Mark
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Post by Brujah on Apr 9, 2004 19:14:10 GMT -8
Mark are ya psychic.. ;D..I have some plastic that ya use for concrete, and I was just gonna cover the back and leave the sides open... this also helps so that when i mist the cage i dont get the whole wall...lol And I was already planning the top door.. kinda hard to get her out when shes up there.. puts ya at tail level... Were in Orange county NY..so its still cool here...think the high today was 58.. and I wont have to use much for heat when summer gets here cuz we dont use an AC in that room, so the temp and hum wont be a prob cept maybe at night... still gets cool in the summer...And i have a timer already just havent hooked it up till Sat. gonna do the plastic and climbs and maybe door Sat too.. So Ill let everyone know how it goes tomm night...
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Post by mar on Apr 9, 2004 19:43:29 GMT -8
Up until recently I have been in Traverse City, MI. I know how the cold is. More years than not my mom was coaching my brother's soccer team on Mother's Day with snow in the air. Just checked the weather forcast for TC and there is the chance of snow for the next five days.
Just wrapping the bottom 2 or 3 feet will help stabalize temps a lot as you essentially block the coldest drafts.
Mark
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Post by Merlin on Apr 10, 2004 7:02:50 GMT -8
I would strongly suggest that you cover all the wire with the plastic inside. I can't tell exactly what type of wire you have on the cage (old monitor!) but the standard use hardware cloth or even worse chicken wire is notorious for catching on igs toes and breaking them or even cutting them off! You will have do deal with providing ventilation but the wire is something to be avoided
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Post by Brujah on Apr 10, 2004 8:18:21 GMT -8
Yeah Merlin its the bad mesh... Im gonna put up something to keep her off of it..(I didnt build the cage. so ill just have to upgrade it a bit till I can build a new one). Do ya think the clear vinyl on a roll would work?It felt very heavy. or i may just put up almost like lattice on it just to keep her off the mesh. I might have a hook-up on some free plexi also... and if that comes through ill just do it that way and leave some vents in it.. Any other ideas anyone?
Blain
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Post by Merlin on Apr 11, 2004 9:33:34 GMT -8
What I used for vents in Zok's enclosure are the little plastic drain covers for drainage pipes. They are about 4 inches wide and have a series of louvers. There is a flange that allows them to be easily glued to the side of the wall.
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Post by Brujah on Apr 15, 2004 6:50:59 GMT -8
K i finally got the cage somewhat done, so i figured I'd show ya how its going... Notice that miss kitty is interested in the cage as well...lol still working on some other ideas just havent had time to mess with em yet...Are the ladders ok or should i add a step or 2??
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Post by Lyn on Apr 15, 2004 7:34:53 GMT -8
It looks great!...I would watch how she climbs up the ladders and make your decision that way...she must be so excited to have a nice shelf to lay down on....great job...Lyn
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Post by mar on Apr 15, 2004 8:00:08 GMT -8
Nice looking little cage you have there.
The ladders look to be about correct for the likes of my ig. Bob likes them just higher than the top of the shelf or branch. I think it is so he knows where they are without looking down over the edge. But Lyn is right the only judge of that is Jade.
As a note: I had the same type of top door and when you hold it open prop it up by the frame or you will pull the mesh away from the frame. I ended up screwing a hockey stick shaft to the front corner of the cage frame extending above it and putting a hook on it to hold the door open vertically.
From the resolution of my screen and the pic that looks like the better steel mesh to use. Where the wire crosses is there a node? If there is this is welded mesh and not terrible to use. Or where the wires cross is it twisted together or just woven, if this is the case it is the bad screen.
Mark
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