Here is the deal with the drain, use a rigid sink type drain or a p.v.c/ a.b.s french drain, both are cheap and easy to istall.

Use a small layer of 3/4-1-1/2 inch drainage rock, available at any material yard, just use enough rock to cover the bottom of the cage. Over that you can use a screen cloth or even the cheap weed sceen, then dirt on top of that. The rocks will provide an area for moisture to seep out of the dirt and drain out of the bottom, this will be minimal drainage but it will save you much work in the long run....again ask me how I know!

I have never had a problem with them digging through the cloth or messing with the rocks, of course most of my monitor enclosures have a full 24" of dirt depth so that may be a factor.

With out a drain you will eventually be removing that dirt, with one you may never have to change the dirt, for me it's worth the minimal effort up front.

As for FRP, the main problem with it is improper istallation and seams that are not sealed well. Even when properly installed the glue will eventually fail and moisture will get into your wood causing rot. FRP works no doubt but in my opinion it is not worth the hassle- hell, I have a really nice table saw set up with a 10' table all around and it is still a pain to cut/seam well, plus it makes the enclosure look like a bathroom, not very aesthetically pleasing to me but to each his own.

When prepped well the epoxy seals like a charm does not wear out, can stand up to the claws of large monitors ( dogs, pigs etc) and can still be painted over, and it's a heckuva lot cheaper than FRP.

Your idea about plexi is great- I build my nest boxes with a plexi sheet in front covered with a hinged solid door, that way they are private but I can just open them up and check moisture/temp levels and look for eggs, works like a charm.

I'll throw up some pics of some of this stuff later today, just gotta finish up some electrical work in my reptile room, right now it looks like a robot threw up in there!

Cheers,

Ben

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