Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone,

After some tampering in Google Sketchup, I created this design for my Mali Uro's future (or soon to be built) cage setup:

The cage is 5'W x 2'D x 18"H.

In the cage I will place a basking or halogen flood bulb on the left and right for heat and a ReptiSun 10.0 UVB Linear Tube will be placed in the center.

The sides, bottom, back, and top will be made of 1/2" plywood sealed with a water-based sealant.

The front will be made up of two pieces of glass. (to slide)

I will also include two vents on the left and right side of the cage.

How do these parameters sound?

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Carl

Size is good, lighting ideas are fine, those UVB type bulbs decay much faster than MVB's do, so they need replacement more often. Just be very careful about the materials you use. Oak ply or formaldehyde free melamine are pretty much the only acceptable forms of wood I know of to build an enclosure for a Uro. Because of the excessive temperatures, almost all softwoods, pine, cedar, will all emit toxins that could be potentially hazardous. Not to mention anything put together with any for of formaldehyde glue is potentially deadly.

Definitely seal the inside of the enclosure so that any moisture you may have in the enclosure doesnt get into the wood and allow it to warp over time.

Thanks for the reply,

I'm not using a MegaRay bulb because of the intensity of the light, the cage is only 18 inches high and the bulbs will be placed inside the cage, not on top.

I will be using oak plywood for the cage material and the wood will be sealed .

Do you have any suggestions on creating my own cage background?

Thanks again,

Carl

Man, I wish I had the skills to attempt something that nice!!! Good luck. The size sounds great, and the set up sounds very easy to access and service. I noticed the light fixtures in the figure pointing to the sides. You may want to opt to put ceramic sockets at the top of the cage and have the lights pointing straight down instead of at an sort of angle. There was an interesting article recently in Reptiles Magazine about the importance of light placement. Better to shine directly from above as it can lessen eye damage and is more natural if I remember the article correctly. I wouldnt have even mentioned it otherwise, because the enclosure looks cool IMO!!

Thanks for the reply,

About the light fixtures, I was using Google Sketchup and the flood light fixtures were the only models available for use. (kind of like a default) Thus, I used those, but don't worry, they won't be that kind of light fixtures.

I'm thinking of a fixture like one of these.

Thanks for the input though.

Carl

Those fixtures you linked to will make the light too close to your basking spot... You want the flat ceramic fixtures.

If you are going to build your enclosure, why not go taller? Adding 6" will allow you to use a flat ceramic fixture and have the bulb pointing straight down which is better for the Uro.

Also, if you are going to use sand down the road as a substrate, it will get in the sliders of the glass windows and its a pain in the butt to clean out and screeches worse then fingernails on a chalkboard. You might consider doing pull open front doors instead.

You may want to look into track lighting and increase the height of the enclosure.
The track lighting allows you to change the lighting locations after a period of time without a major overhaul. The sand does tend to screech in the tracks, especially if your substrate level is higher than the track. To reduce this, change the height of the lowest rail. It will also deepen the substrate. For animals that dig a meter deep, nine foot long tunnel system, with a burrow, extra depth on substrate is helpful.
Just a thought.
Good luck
E

>>Those fixtures you linked to will make the light too close to your basking spot... You want the flat ceramic fixtures.
>>
>>If you are going to build your enclosure, why not go taller? Adding 6" will allow you to use a flat ceramic fixture and have the bulb pointing straight down which is better for the Uro.
>>
>>Also, if you are going to use sand down the road as a substrate, it will get in the sliders of the glass windows and its a pain in the butt to clean out and screeches worse then fingernails on a chalkboard. You might consider doing pull open front doors instead.

I wouldnt even go that fancy, just the plain old flat ceramic fixtures you find in attics and older homes. No where to point but down, and I am sure they are quite a bit less expensive then the swivel models. Plus, not sure what those swivel models are rated for. I know the ceramic fixtures can handle quite a bit of wattage and heat without burning up/out.

Most of the flat ceramic fixtures are under $2 and some handle as much as 500 watts. Probably your best option

Thanks everyone for replying to my post,

1. I have recently changed my plans to include front-opening doors instead of sliding doors. This will allow for easier access and also less substrate problems. There will also be a stopper to block sand from coming out of the cage.

2. Yes, I was thinking about using flat ceramic fixtures. Can anyone post a link as to what kind of ceramic fixtures you recommend? How tall are these fixtures?

3. As for the height of the cage, I'd like to keep the height at 18 inches to allow for expansion later on, however, I could switch to 20 inches. If I use a flat ceramic light fixture, how far from the bottom can it be placed? My uro still needs basking space. If the fixture is not too tall, I might stick with the 18 inch height.

I'm only placing one halogen, one linear fluorescent, and one CHE in the tank.

What do you all think?

Thanks again for the replies,

Carl

I have no link to pictures of the ceramic fixtures, but they are VERY easy to find at Home Depot, Lowes, or any hardware store that sells electrical. They are only about three, maybe four inches tall. The base is round and flat with holes to screw onto the surface you want them to go on. My uro tank is only about 18 inches tall, but my dome light is on top of the screen. Less cage height generally also means less bulb wattage needed to get the basking temps up high enough.

Thanks again,

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to hang a Zoomed ReptiSun 10.0 UVB 36" Linear Bulb inside my enclosure?

I was looking at the pre-made terrarium or aquarium hoods but firstly, they are expensive, and secondly, they may not fit inside my 18"H cage. Can I use the commercial linear fluorescent fixtures that are sold at places like Home Depot and Lowes?

Thanks for the help,

Carl

What do you think about this light fixture?

Thanks,

Carl

The ones at home depot or lowes are only about 2" thick and work perfectly for an 18" high enclosure... I use them in mine for my CHE.

You can find really cheap tube light fixtures at www.reptilesupply.com. I got a 30" one for only $29.99.

Thanks for the reply,

I will definitely use flat ceramic light fixtures for my halogen and my CHE.

What do you think about these Fluorescent Tube Light Fixtures? Can I use these for a ReptiSun 10.0 UVB Linear Fluorescent Bulb?

How long of a linear bulb do you think I need for a 5 foot long cage? I was thinking of a 36" bulb because I will still need the room on the left and right for two flat ceramic light fixtures.

Thanks again,

Carl