Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Right, I'm planning on getting an uromastyx (probably maliensis or ocellatus), and I've done plenty of research (including reading many threads on this site) and, while many of your brands are unfamiliar to me (as I live in Europe), I have some experience with carpentry and am fairly confident that I have a realistic plan in mind. I just have a couple of questions about the specific design of the cage but mostly I'm just after confirmation that my plan is sound.

I'm planning to build 142cm x 52cm x 50cm (LxWxH) - that's about 60" x 20.5" x 19.5". The bottom, back, and sides will be wooden, while the top will be part wood, part mesh. I believe that a good hardwood like oak or maple is recommended. I'm not sure about what artificial boards are suitable (plywood, MDF, etc) and although I know that some are susceptible to warping with damp, the uromastyx likes a nice hot, dry environment so this shouldn't be a problem. I'd like to keep the cost relatively low, if possible.

I understand that ventilation is important, and I'm planning to have two wooden panels at either end of the top - about 52cm x 40cm (about 20.5" x 16", with the gap of 65cm (25.5" between them being covered with mesh. The panels will be hinged at the ends for access to the cage, and the right-most panel will have a hole for the basking light. The UVB strip will hang from hooks at the inner edge of either panel, and can be easily removed for access.

On the front of the cage, I would of course have a viewing window - either glass or something like acrylic. I am aware that glass is better (against scratching and heat, and for general longevity); any other thoughts on this? It would be the entire 142x50 size of the front. I would seal the edges of all joins in the tank with silicon. Is this an appropriate material?

Finally, both the UVB and the basking lamp would be connected to a 3-socket timer, which would switch them on and off on a predetermined day/night schedule. Any recommendations for length of day/night cycle would be welcome. I am also planning to fit a dimmer switch inline for the basking lamp, as I'm sure it will take some experimentation to find the correct temperatures/heat gradient for this cage.

Well, that seems to be about everything (I'm not going to go into the details of the furnishings, I'm only concerned with the physical structure of the cage itself at this point). Is there anything I'm missing, or any other hints/advice/criticisms/questions? Thanks in advance!

I would consider building the cage a bit taller. Not much but enough so the cage does not look short if you use a deep substrate, which I would if I were to keep Uromastyx again.

To keep costs low for a Uromastyx cage, I would recommend melamine. In Europe it goes by a few different names, including plastic coated chipboard. It's the stuff that IKEA cabinet boxes are made of.

Absolutely use glass instead of acrylic.

I'm not sure if I understand your basking light arrangemnt, but it sounds a bit complex for a Uromastyx. I would just mount the lights to the ceiling of the cage and access them from the front door. Sliding doors tend to be cheaper to build than hinged doors, but build what you prefer.

Regarding photoperiod, I would ask on the Uromastyx forum if you have not already.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.1 Lampropeltis triangulum multistriata

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

Thanks for the reply. Regarding the light arrangement, the idea was that I would not have front access - the main glass pane on the front would be fixed in place, and maintenence/cleaning/access would be from above (removable central mesh, hinged side panels). Of course, it occurs to me that I would have to remove the mesh/light(s) every time I needed to clean or feed, so you're right that it's a bit clumsy, but I'm not sure how I would do the front as I had originally wanted an aquarium-style single pane of glass, rather than several pieces as per the door style. However, I will give it some thought. I probably have overcomplicated the whole getting access thing.

Incidentally, your comment about the deep substrate - how deep would you make it, by choice? I've seen some strange numbers, everything from 2" to 8". The latter sounds like a lot, to me, but I suppose 2-4" sounds reasonable. This is something that I haven't found a lot of advice on, so far.

If it were me and I was building a Uromastyx cage I would build it to hold 8" of substate, possibly more. Or I would at least build it so the substrate dam was easily removed and replaced so that you could adjust as you developed your own ideas and preferences about how to keep them.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.1 Lampropeltis triangulum multistriata

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

Right, cage is built - I've chosen variable substrate depth through the use of artificial scenery, and also I have a seperate layer which I can put in if I decide it's too deep after all.

The only problem now is, I tried a 100w bulb and it's too far from the 'ground'. Air temps are great (nice gradient from 35'C to 25'C, hot end to cold end) but it isn't making a basking spot. I'm going to upgrade to an Exo-Terra 150w basking spot lamp, says it focuses 35% of the heat to a basking area which should mean that with the 50w increase, ambient temps should stay the same. Any other advice on lighting/heating a terrarium this size and shape?

I'll be posting pics soon... (as soon as I transfer them to the computer and resize them a bit).

You could also try a Pearlco or another type of Ceramic Heat Emitter. They get much hotter than light bulbs of the same wattage. Halogens also get hotter. Not sure what you have available in Europe.

I would have a slight preference for having a light bulb for a heat source as in my opinion the more light you provide for a Uromastyx the better. Assuming, of course, you're not getting into the super powerful lights such as metal halides. Even they have their place but more caution is required.

I would provide light intensity with either externally ballasted mercury vapor bulbs or with 48" (about 122 cm) fluorescent light fixtures. Again, not sure what you have in Europe.

I look forward to seeing the pictures. You might start a separate thread so everyone sees them.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.1 Lampropeltis triangulum multistriata

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

Okay, here's the new thread with a link to my photos:

http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=1616346,1616346

It's not there.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.1 Lampropeltis triangulum multistriata

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

How strange, because I posted the new thread, then visited it and just cut and pasted the URL. Oh well, here's the link anyway:

http://www.filecore.net/zenphoto/Terrarium/Construction/

The album is not yet finished (still don't have the uromastyx, either) but it's approximately in the right order and they're all commented and you'll get the idea. Sadly I didn't take any photos of the earliest stages but you get the idea, and anyway it's very similar to the Crossfire one (below). Also, the substrate is a lot deeper now than in those photos.

Comments (here or on my album) are most welcome. Only the name and captcha fields are compulsory on my own comments section. My inspiration for this project came mostly from the following projects (rock sections from the first, construction ideas from the last):

Bearded Dragon Custom Cage Design
http://708designs.netfirms.com/custo...customcage.htm

Crossfire Enclosure
http://www.freewebs.com/crossfireenclosures/
filecore's custom terrarium project

Your link must break some Terms of Service Rule that Kingsnake has. That's just a guess.

Cage looks good. Maybe try another post with pictures posted with image tags.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.1 Lampropeltis triangulum multistriata

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

Incidentally, a lightbulb question: I have established that 100w is too little (gets perfect ambient temps but no basking spot), and I have two choices of 150w bulb: halogen, and 'basking lamp' bulb, which focuses 35% more heat to the spot area. Which of these two should I go for, and is there a massive difference between them?

Thanks!

There is a lot of variation with halogens so I just can't say for sure. I can tell you that most 150 watt halogens will get A LOT hotter than a standard 100 watt incandescant, at least based on bulbs available in the US.

Halogens also tend to concentrate the heat more directly.

I'm afraid you're just going to have to pick one and see how it works.

I have to say I've never been a big fan of the bulbs than focus the heat more, whether they be halogens or reptile specific, especially for heat loving species like Uromastyx. There are sitations where they work well but every situation is different.

Again, you're going to have to try some things and see what works.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.1 Lampropeltis triangulum multistriata

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

I guess bulbs in the US and elsewhere are pretty much the same - so either a 100w halogen (which is probably not good, if it doesn't focus heat, because my ambient temps are fine, it's the basking spot that's the problem) or the 150w basking spot light. I guess I'll go for the latter then; my terrarium is big enough, and with the 100w bulb, the ground barely reaches 30'C (~85'F), when it should probably be closer to 50'C (~120'F).