Hello...I currently have a vacant corner that I would like to fill and am trying to make plans for an arboreal wooden/glass cage that's 30x30x60 for my cuban knight anole. He has been living in 40g long tank for about two years now and is desperate for a new home were he can actually climb as high as possible in captivity.
Anyway, I have been looking at some plans, but they just don't suit my needs at all. Ideally, I would like this cage to be exactly 30" in length as it is the only space available (33" to be exact). All of my other habitats are glass aquariums turned into mini-tropical paradises housing a variety of herps and foliage so I have no experience in building anything from scratch. I have never built anything from scratch so it feels like I'm taking a huge risk here but I would really like to give it a shot. Unfortunately, I am concerned about appearance because my home is not my home alone. Because of this, the idea of this giant square box with only a glass front seems like too much of an eye-sore.
I'm looking for a lot of advice.
Ideally, I would like to build the cage so that only the sides against the wall are wood, which means the back and the right side of the cage. I would like the front and the left side of the cage to be clear, preferably with a totally of four entry-ways. Two on the front, top and bottom, and two on the left side, top and bottom as well.
I am also a little unclear as to how the best way to make the base of the cage. I don't know if the back, front, and sides should be built on the actually base, or if the base should be smaller than the actual 30x30 measurements in order for the front, back, and sides to be nailed against the sides of the base. I hope somehow that makes sense to you guys.
Any help on that would be greatly appreciated!
As for the glass openings, I am still uncertain as to the best method. At first I was hoping for two doors per section, kinda like the exo-terras. But then I was reading about sliding glass doors and doors hinged along the bottom of the glass, opening from top to bottom. The sliding glass doors seem to make things easier a bit, but I'm concerned that the humidity will somehow seep into the tracks and then sit there, especially along the tracks that I won't be using on a regular basis. And then from there the humidity seeping somehow into the wood. I'm not concerned about the actual inside of the cage because I'll make sure to seal all that up.
I really like the idea of having two sheets of glass opening like double doors (like the exo-terras) especially if I use the hinges that grasp unto the glass without needing to actually drill the glass. But again, it concerns me that this might leave gaps for crickets to escape through. I'm not sure though as I have never tried. But I'm going from the observation I made on a little entertainment center/furniture I have with similar glass doors and I see how there are some gaps left.
I know and understand it's a huge project, but I have never done anything like this or even close to it before and I'm just hoping to get as much help along the way to make the best possible attempt at realizing this thing.
Any help or input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Fernando
