Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well my COllard lizard has been jumpingh around for a month now and he has done damage to his nose and I am getting him a larger tank he is a temperoaraliy 20 gallon long right now and he wil be put in a 55 Gallon when its done.Will h stop jumping if I get the bigger tank?

But while your waiting, it might be a good idea to let him out every day for maybe an hour, or until he's tired. That seems to make my guys release all their energy while letting them have fun.
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Collaredkeeper

Its cheap and reliable and takes only about a day to build.
I think I payed 35$ for all the stuff to build mine.

Collaredkeeper Site

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Collaredkeeper

Could you tell me the things you used tony and how you built well Its simple but i jsut wANted to know b/c maybe i have it thanks tony and phil

I'd be very interested in outdoor cage advice also. I want to build one for Issey and Mrs. Miyake. Yes,Issey has taken a wife. We call her Mizzy.She is an aqua flame. pictures will come soon.

1.What kind of mesh is recommended.
2.Wood used.I'm assuming we don't want anything treated with arsenic so beware of wood laying around for a while.Is pressure treated outdoor wood safe?
3.All edges of the mesh should be to the outside of the cage to prevent damage to delicate lizard flesh.
4.Where is the best place to put the door?

Any advice would be so greatly appreciated.

Nice ya got a new Lizzy, hahahahaa LOL
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Eve / PHEve

Hi there,

here are the specs for my pen.

1.What kind of mesh is recommended?
I originally used regular cloth mesh, but the neighborhood cats continually walked on the pen, and jumped on it, while every so often, dogs would put their paws where they din't belong, and rip! there goes the screen. I had to upgrade. I now use 1/4" wire screen mesh. Much sturdier.

2.Wood used.
I just went to Home depot, bought 3 12'x12" pine planks. I treated the wood with a weather seal, and let it sit for almost two weeks. These are the base boards, which form a rectangle. We also bought another 12x12" and a 6'x12" plank, and treated these to prevent warping as well. We cut the 6 footer at an angle to make two slopes. Drilled these to the 12 foot top plank and you have the top of my pen. The lid is comprised of three sections. so 3 4'x6' sections. we stapled the wire mesh under weather sealed 2"x2" pine planks. Use sheers to cut the mesh. Put handles on the two end pieces, and the middle piece mainly stays immovable.

Other things to consider:

-The bottom of the slope had a gap between the lid and the pen itself, so this was remedied with with weather-stripping nailed to the base of the pen.

-The idea of putting a bottom of the pen was briefly toyed with, however it was too much work at the time. I kinda wish I had now, because then my Torts wouldn't have been able to dig out releasing my lizards. We sank the pen 2 inches, to prevent such escapes, but with Tortoises in the picture this was to no avail.

-four Spring-locks were screwed into the pen with the lock portion screwed into the lid. They were placed on each of the four corners. It provided for a very nice hold.

-I had one WC Collared Lizard live in this pen for six years. His health was exemplory, and he fathered a clutch of four eggs. The lizards in general showed a vast improvement in health, eating habits, and personality over indoor housing.

I think that about covers it. I planted wildflowers, and low bushes on one side, made a nice rock pile in the middle (it has over 40 rocks) and sand with old Joshua tree wood on the remaing third.

Hope this helps,
-Phil

I forgot,
The pen cost just under 100 dollars to make.
Kinda expensive, but in my opinion, totally worth it.
the most expensive part is the mesh, so keep that in mind.

yours,
Phil

thank you for your time and great information.

Where do you live? I've thought about building an outdoor cage, but except for a few weeks in the summer, where I live (San Francisco bay area) it doesn't get as hot as I usually keep the collareds' basking area. Though I guess if I put some black rocks in there to soak up the sunlight, those would probably get warm enough.

It's nothing special but it works great. I am not a pro at building cages, explaining either, but this one was sort of simple. I am not sure of the wood.
I Built With
-Four Height wood peices (however high you want)
-Six Length wood peices (lenth)
-Six Width wood peices (wide)
With these I built a frame and Screwed it all together. I built the top seperately.
I then bought Screened Mesh, the kind on window screens(It is like 6$ for a huge roll). I wrapped it taunt around the frame,trimmed, then Stapled. It is very important for it to be tight. After all of that I put a peice of particle board(LxW) on the bottom and screwed it into the bottom beams. After all of that I put some matting in the bottom.
The next step would be to get a long piano hinge (buy at Home Depot for 5$) and screw it on the top and the frame. The last step would be to put some locks on the front so they can't get out.
If you need some more info, Just ask, I am not sure if I covered everything. Its sort of a fun little project.

Collaredkeeper Website

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Collaredkeeper

wow!what a great cage and very sturdy looking. I hope this doesn't sound silly, but how do you get them in it. thru the top.seems like a long drop and then how would you get them out.

Its only about 3 feet tall. Not much else I can say.

Collaredkeeper Site

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Collaredkeeper

Hey there,

Its always better to let a Collared lizard have more space,
but they may not stop jumping neccessarily. I had mine in a 12'x6'x2' pen and those little mugs still jumped. Could be a WC thing though. Thought I'd share. Hope it works for you.

-Phil