Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am going to go get the material to build a custom cage that will fit perfectly on top of my desk. It will be 42" long and 21" deep. It will also have a divider down the middle so each side will be a 21" x 21" square. My Q is how high should I make it? I plan on having a raised basking spot and some ledges in there.

Thanks

Not sure exactly how high to make it up, but leopard geckos don't need basking spots. You shouldn't need to make it that high. I'm sure someone else can cover this more than I can.

I hear from numerous people that leos don't need a basking spot. And although this may be physiologically true, my leos love to "bask" under a red bulb all night. So, I built their enclosure with a shelf as you described. I have attached a picture of our lastest enclosure in this message. This enclosure is 21 inches high.

Think about these things and determine you height:
Are you going to use a lid on the enclosure? If not, you must measure high enough so the lizard cant get out when standing on the upper ledge.
Lighting and hood? your pet(s) should not be able to reach any light bulbs.
And are you feeding crickets? You want to make sure crix can't climb out as well.

Good luck. Please post pics when you are done!

Heres a pic of a custon one me and my dad built. we used corrigated plastic with a wooden frame, it was very inexpensive and easy to do! the most expensive thing was the acrylic piece on the front. I have some more pics on my site (www.freewebs.com/stephsgeckos)

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0.2.0. Leo
1.1.0. WTF
0.1.0. Irish Setter
2.2.0. Holland Lop Bunnies
1.1.0. House Cats
Too Many Fish!

Check out my site ~ www.freewebs.com/stephsgeckos

how do you clean out something like that?

Its all lined with astoturf than can be removed and replaced, and i have small 2" by 2" squares i put in her "bathroom corner" that can be removed and thrown away every few week or so. the plants can all be removed and cleaned. other than that its a pleasure to maintain because the front access makes it all easier to access!
-----
0.2.0. Leo
1.1.0. WTF
0.1.0. Irish Setter
2.2.0. Holland Lop Bunnies
1.1.0. House Cats
Too Many Fish!

Check out my site ~ www.freewebs.com/stephsgeckos

Would 16" be tall enough? It will have a top.

16" should be plenty tall. In those multi unit cages I built, each unit is only about 9" tall. You could have plenty of climbing areas within the 16".

Cool
So each leo is going to have a 21"x21"x16" space. I think I am going to get the wood tomorrow and build it. Would just a screen top be big enough or should I put screen on the sides too? Also what should I put over the wood so they don't get splinters or eat it?

Thanks!

As far as the screen top, you should only need one on the top, all the way across. Maybe find a way to do the hinged thing in the middle of the 2 enclosures? Or even use a piece of corkboard for the back (the thinner wood with the pre-drilled holes)??
As far as not getting splinters, you may want to check into some water based non toxic polyurethane paint (they have it at the bigger hardware stores) or just try to find some wood that is non-splintering. I was at my local hardware store and found some of this stuff that kind of looks like thick desktop material, very smooth. Only thing I'd worry about with that is how waterproof it may be, but with the right substrate, you should be fine there. Good luck, and can't wait to see pics!

Kelly

I was busy today so I will start tomorrow and post pics. Could I use something like repticarpet on the sides? I might just sand it down. I might just use paper towels for the bottom but I am thinking about getting tile instead.