I just switched my young uromastyx from a 'Lizard Lounge by Oceanic Systems' (the earlier high-end model 70 gallon with canopy) to a Sterilite bin with wheels and the same approximate foot print.

Oceanic Systems 70 gallon Lizard Lounge purchased new (6 years ago) with stand, canopy, and some lighting: $500

50 gallon Sterilite bin with built in lighting (wired by myself) plexiglass viewing panel and dimmer switch for heat control: under $40

Here's how it breaks down:
Bin: $12
Dimmer: $11
Plexi Panel: $3.50
Two porcelain incandescent fixtures with junction boxes and 12' cords: about $7-8 in total.

So that gives us a grand total of around $34-35 and if I had been willing to try wiring a dimmer in-line with one of the light fixtures I probably could have done it for $30 on the dot. I already had a halogen bulb and compact fluorescent, but those would only add an additional $10 to the price.

The Reward: Due to the blue non-reflective sides of the enclosure and the fact that we can only see her/she can only see us when we uncover the viewing panel on the top of the cage, she has already calmed down over the past 24 hours of being in there and has been basking, exploring, eating, and not displaying any of her prior bad habits (glass dancing, bumping into the enclosure walls, and other problems associated with glass tanks and certain species of reptiles). Also, it takes less than half the wattage to attain the appropriate basking spot and ambient temps. I can heat and light the entire enclosure using under 50 watts and still get a basking spot of up to 150f surface temp.

I am just glad that I have already seen such great improvement. Now I don't really know what to do with the old enclosure. Since I don't really want to use it for reptiles anymore I may put in some grow lights and soil and grow some reptile food in it throughout the winter.

Once she outgrows this enclosure I will probably try a similar setup with a 100 gallon plastic stock tank which I can purchase for about $55, or if I build a new red-footed tortoise enclosure I can just take his 100 gallon stock tank.

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• Lizard enclosure on a budget (wow) - -Ryan-, Sat Feb 21 18:27:56 2009