Bearded Dragon Custom Made Cage?
Hey i want to make a cage for my bearded dragon, Rex, and i want it remarkably big. what is safe and what is not? any tips or anything? links?
Your bearded dragon can get lenghts of up to 6'. So nothing extreme just make certain it has plenty of room to get around. Custom made enclosures are watertight!
Here are a few links to step by step tutorials... The Crossfire is amazingly popular and pretty easy for people who are beginners at wood work.
http://www.freewebs.com/crossfireenclosu...
http://708designs.netfirms.com/customcag...
http://redtailboa.net/forums/how-tos-tut...
http://www.timelessspirit.com/enclosure.
http://www.arbreptiles.com/cages/tips.sh...
Also, http://www.beardeddragon.org has an Enclosure subdivision and even a DIY section in the forums where lots of those have posted step by step instructions and lots of photos for you to build your own idea.
Basically, build it out of Melamine or hardwood plywood (like birch or oak). Regular plywood is chips of wood glue and pressed together. The glue can emit fumes when exposed to high fry (as it would be under a basking light).
If you use sealer or paint, water base is the safest for your pet, but always let it air out a few days in the past introducing an animal to the area. If you can smell any paint fumes at all, don't let your dragon surrounded by it yet.
A lot of people make tremendously nice and unique looking enclosures from old pieces of furniture or cabinet, etc. Just make sure everything is CLEAN and sealed, etc.
Best of luck!
And the entity who said dragons get 6' long obviously has no model what he's talking about...
Answers: What is safe as in size or building materials? My custom enclosure are sealed plywood and plexiglass. You can pretty much build as big as you want, though with a beardie I'd do more floor space than height. Here's a great step-by-step birdcage plan that would be great for a beardie, including materials list and cutting diagram, for a finished enclosure of 4x2x2. You can logically alter the plans for whatever size enclosure you wish to build, but this is a great starting point.
http://myreptileplanet.com/showthread.ph...
id says its pretty safe