That's fantastic! You should be very proud, you obviously put alot of thought and effort into it.

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Hard to notice, gleaming from the sky
When you're staring at the cracks
Hard to notice what is passing by
With eyes lowered

"The Leaving Song"- AFI

0.0.1 Mali Uromastyx (Spike)
1.2.0 Bearded Dragons (Hercules, Megora & Eeyore)
1.0.0 Bi-color Flame Point Himalayan (Koda)
1.2.0 Children (Dimitri, Mercedes, and Mariah)

As I am new to the whole Ig experiance I have a build question. I looked at the cage on here but was curious as to if in your all's opinion an enclosed cage or a wire mesh cage is better to use. Seems a wiremesh cage would have problems with heat and humidity...but would be a lot lighter and cheaper to build than one of plywood and plexiglass. But a plywood/plexi would be easier to heat and keep humidity at a constant lvl in.

I myself perfer wood and glass that is fully insulated. But I keep my place pretty cool (55-60). I have no trouble keeping them warm with the enclosure I have. It is a chore to move with it though but not impossible.

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Jan. 25, 1963 - Sept. 10, 2006 (R.I.P)

cool! Your ig is going to be really happy!

I prefer solid sides on my cages but that does not mean you have to use wood and other rigid materials. I have a PVC framed cage covered with solid walls made of canvas. I keep the temps proper with only 180 W of light bulbs and think my cage is lighter and cheaper than if I had used hardware cloth/mesh. I can also take my cage apart to fit in a duffle bag for my many moves each year.

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~ Mark

MAR, there is nothing under the newsprint. It is just my floor. I had a board cut out for it, but then in the end I called the minivan company and they were all booked and I just couldn't carry it anymore so I had to dump it on the street!

But its cool as the floor under it is all sealed I have considered not having any newspapers even.

By the way, I just found a shop that custom makes trees!!!!! Yes, you tell them how the branches should be angled and they make one for you, with a floor stand so it stands up right! And they're pretty cheap too.
However, my ig is freaked out enough as it is, so I don't want to make any changes to the cage for at least a few months. If only I had found that place earlier. THey cater to parrot owners.

It depends on what the floor is. Tile or linolium should be fine but any type of wood should be protected. You can go as simple as vinylized picnic-table cloth or outdoor tarp tucked under the edges of the cage and trimmed.

Stick with at least one layer of newsprint in there. As the ig grows the mess will. The newprint will absorb some of the water and keep it from spreading. As it spreads and hits the base of the cage the water will wick along the bottom edge of the cage making a ring which is nearly impossible to clean without lifting up the cage.

I have a vinyl tarp as the bottom of my cage and the edges lift up about 15 cm along all edges to mate with the wall. This tarp is essentially a soft tub now. While my ig is tub trained I don't have to clean it out daily but when he goes in the cage newsprint makes it so much easier to clean.

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~ Mark

Very, VERY nice job on the cage!! I do have a couple of comments, however (nicely... ;D ).

The UVB tube - you need to have this within 6"-8" away from the ig. Any farther than that and the UVB drops so dramatically that the benefits of the UVB are lost. A merc vapor will be perfect for that setup! The Mega Ray EB can be set at 12" and still give the right amount of UVB.

Where is the basking bulb? You need one for heat, but am I missing it? Am I also missing the thermometer? I don't see one in the basking area...or anywhere.

Your water is fine and so is the food. Zair doesn't eat nearly as well if I put his food on the bottom of the enclosure. It has to sit on the basking shelf making sure it's not under the lights so it lasts longer. You might put an additional spot for water on one of the lower shelves.

Overall...you did a fantastic job... . You should be very proud of you.

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Veronica
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Exotic Animal Rescue of Henry Co.
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It has 3 thermometers and a basking lamp that is hard to see in that picture.
I have since added a mercury vapor lamp. THanks.