Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So as i'm leaning toward a Uromastyx as my next pet and i'm trying to figure out the best kind of enclosure. I'm looking to build my own enclosure for the first time. Not much of a DIY guy but hey, i want to learn. Anyway, i'm wondering whether an open top cage would work at all. I figure it would make a few things much easier. Building it for one could be made much easier, cleaning it, and of course an easy way to view the Uro from above it i place it on the ground. The only thing i'm worried about is heat. I live in Los Angeles so it doesn't get cold at all but i'm still not sure how easy it would be to retain heat. If i had a 4'x2'x2' open top cage would it be possible to attain the right temps? Would the mercury vapor bulbs be good for that? Would i need multiple heat bulbs? Any suggestions would be great. Temps in my house probably never get below mid 60's and are mostly in the low 70's. In the summer it can get pretty warm in here as well. Or should i just stick with closed top? If so, what kind and wattage bulbs should i be looking at for the same dimensions (4x2x2)? Thanks

well hey there LA man, i am a san diego gal so i know how nice the weather is and my uros really appreciate it

i have an open top lid and i have no problems at all maintaining the temps. i never use heat in the winter and the temps have been fine but since i don't use air in the summer, i sometimes have to cut down on the cage heat. i just use good old flood lights from the home depot and a UVB light (just remember with the UVB lights they need to be able to get within 12 inches of it for it to be effective) i have a higher watt one to get the basking temp and a lower watt towards the cooler side to keep it from getting too cool.

the only true difference in the diminsions of our cages is that yours would be alot taller. mine's only 13 inches but that is because helga cannot live on sand because of her slowly healing feet and she cannot climb since she has no back toes so everything has to be ground levelish. the only thing that might keep you from maintaining your temps is the height, since heat rises to begin with. but the amount of sand you use and the types of decorations you use could also affect how close they are to the lights
cages really are about trial and error
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

Well, I'm halfway between in OC! I've got a 3 glass tank at home and I just put a 4' in at work. I think the other dimensions are 16" wide and high. Both have been converted to solid tops as the sliding screens are really a huge pain to access the animals through. I made measurements and had Home Depot cut the main dimensions from a piece of plywood, then moto-tooled a cutout for the heat, light, cords, and a large access opening for a flip-lid instead. The wood will cost $8-$15 depending on what you require, a pair of cabinet hinges ($3), an hour of your time. All you need is a measuring device, moto-tool and bits (~$70), a pencil, and a screwdriver.
Each unit has a 150W emitter, hitting basking temps of 130-145 high up on a piece of wood, and cool side near 80.

I also don't use heat/AC throughout the year. I may change the heaters to a lower wattage for the summer months, but I've never been through a summer with animals, so it'll take some asessment. I'll try to upload pictures this week.

The Sudanese I just got really seem to like it. The male has turned into a complete horn-dog in less than a day of residence!

Thanks for the replies! SO do you think 24" is fine or too high? Not sure what kind of substrate i'm going to use yet. Sand or bird seed. I read at Deer Fern Farms that bird seed is actually really good, like plain old millet seed. That sounds nice considering how much sand weighs. Those 50 lb bags of play sand feel more like 100 lb sometimes. But then again, they only recomend 1/4' deep substrate. Just so i can get an idea of where to start at, what wattage bulbs are you using on each side of your enclosure Jeune18? I don't want to have to keep picking a bulb and trying to return it because it's too hot/cold.

i think it is a 90 watt and a 50 watt. the lamps are on and too hot to touch or i would really look but i am pretty sure that is it. the only thing with the floods is that they have one center spot that gets really hot but i have that positioned off to the side of the rock. i don't really like that one spot but the temps are so good throughout the cage however i am going to play around here in a little while and see what a lower watt does. this cage is still relatively new (i got it towards the end of last semester but then we went home for a month for winter break) but they seem to like the set up because they are warm and frisky eating machines
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

I have a rather large cage at 3' x 5' by 22" tall. I needed one this big because I have an egyptian uromastyx. My cage is open topped, however I have a plastic screen over the top and some rigid foam insulation to cover about half of the top. I've found that if you cover too much of it you increase the humidity. With most uros, you want your humidity to be low, around 30% to 40% is optimal, although 50% is okay. If I were you I'd try it open and then cover it if you have too. Try to figure out a way to make either your lamp hight adjustable or the basking areas adjustable (pieces of plywood or bricks under the basking rock/tile work fine. That's cheaper than buying different wattage bulbs to get it right. If you go 24" high, you'll probably need at least a 100W halogen or 125W incandescent heat light for basking. Those are what I have in my cage. I also strongly recommend getting one of those $25 infrared temp guns advertised here. Mine works great. Don't guess temps. Get them right and check them periodically. As stated previously it's all trial and error. But it's a good idea to have the tools to make it work right. Sorry for being so long winded, just speaking from experience on this topic.

One more thing off topic. I use wild bird seed, primarily millet (without sunflower seed)for my mulch and it works great. No worries of impaction, and if they eat it, it just goes through. You can do the same shallow depth as sand, and it's not as heavy or dusty.

good luck!
Craigo

Both my enclosures are open top and maintain good temps. One is 4x2x2 and the other is 4x1.5x1.5. I wanted good ventilation and not trap the heat in and in effect, eliminating a cool area.

Jim
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2.1 - Rocky, Runako, and RoxyIII (my care sheets)