Reptile & Amphibian Forums

for an adult panther would a 36Hx24Wx24L or a 48Hx24Wx24L be better? and could i build one cheaper then i could buy one using the PVC mesh?

dennis
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compasscreek backcountry adventures

48" high is better, as long as you can fill the higher space up with plants or vines, if not then 36" is alright. PVC mesh is pretty expensive, but depending where and how you get your materials to build, it will definately be cheaper than buying a pre-made cage. You could check around and see if someone has a used one for sale that would probably be the equivalent of what you would be spending anyway.

-Brock

Dennis,
I just built a 48Hx24Wx24L cage out of cedar this weekend for $50 including ½” galvanized screening (hardware cloth), hinges and latches. I couldn’t find cedar 2x2s so I had to use a couple of 2x6x8’ and rip them to size on a table saw.

Greg White, NJ

Dennis-

48Hx24Wx24L or bigger will be needed. Yes you can build one cheaper then buying one if you have the time and tools to do so. I spent about $50 per cage that I built. Pre-made cages the same size at the lowest price I could find was $100 for an aluminum all screen cage (I don't like the reptaruims, but they may be cheaper). Hope this helps!
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John @ Chameleon Paradise
1.1 Ambilobe Panthers
1.1 Nosy Be Panthers
1.1 Sambava Panthers
1.2 Rhampholeon uluguruensis

I usually think the bigger the better, especially as you have more space to create microhabitats that you might need as your house climates change by season. Every time I've built a smaller than ideal cage I ended up needing to enlarge it for some reason (such as to accomodate a humidifier, better plants, more lights, to give a frustrated sulky cham more space, etc). As for cost, I've spent much more than $50 and much less. A lot depends on the good tools and time you have at hand to do a more professional job. I even went to a local landfill and found 4 perfectly good aluminum screen doors to make a huge cage with. All I needed to do was add top, bottom and hinged door with cable ties and hinge assemblies. It was great! A lot of my cages get their start from other things like portable greenhouses. I hate building frames from scratch so I roam around 2nd hand stores, garage sales, surplus hardware, and landfills for ready made frames from other structures like furniture. One of the most beautiful cages I ever saw was made from a glass/wood built-in shelf unit salvaged from a demolished high school chem lab. The simplest cham cage I've seen so far (and probably the cheapest) was made from a tube of hardware cloth with oversized plant saucers/trashcan lids for top and bottom.