Huff's new custom cage

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The finished frame attached to the plywood. Isn't the wood grain beautiful? Since tegus are messy, and the metal brackets and round-head screws (I should have used washer-head ones but I didn't know about them then) created a slight gap in the cage bottom, I filled in the gap on the inside with aquarium-grade silicone.


I used 3/4" wide moulding to frame the 1/2" hardwire cloth. I stapled the wire onto the back of the moulding carefully, keeping all the pieces together so they remained at 90 degree angles.


The finished screen.


Here I've attached the screens. I used 5/8" #6 round-head screws on the sides and doors, and 1" #6 washer-head screws on the top (use a counter-sink on the washer-head holes). I highly recommend Spax screws - they're self-drilling (no pilot hole required, but it helps keep it straight) and they don't strip easily. I first drilled a 3/32" hole in the screen frame (I figured the moulding was too thin to just drill a small pilot hole - the screw would crack the wood). Then I drilled a 1/16" pilot hole through that hole into the frame beneath, then put the screw in. The top frame required an extra step with the metal brackets. I had to drill the 3/32" hole, mark the metal below it (I used a toothpick dipped in White-Out stuck through the hole), then used a special metal-drilling 5/32" bit to go through the metal. I then drilled the 1/16" pilot hole and put the screw in. It was a bit of extra effort, but it looks really nice.


The moulding corners don't match up perfectly, but hey, Huff doesn't care. :-) You can see the L-bracket under the screen.


I made the doors out of the 1X2s, with the 2" side facing out. (Use the angle to check the alignment, or your doors might not fit!) I bought 2" L-brackets and used them on the back so they're hidden. I substituted the included 3/4" #6 screws with 1/2" #6 screws to make sure they wouldn't drill through. Always try to think of the little details! Hanging the doors was a bit tricky, but the finished job worked out well. I attached the hinges to the door first, had my hubby hold the door up, marked where the hinges touched, then adjusted to center the door. I had the hubby hold it in the chosen spot, then marked the drill holes. I drilled 1/16" pilot holes (be careful centering such tiny pilot holes or the screws will misalign) and hung the doors. One rubs a tiny bit on the top and the other a tiny bit on the bottom, but the balance is perfect.


Here you can see the door pulls and barrel bolts. I used simple hardware.


I tried to center it perfectly, but stuff happens. There's one barrel bolt for each door (if you want it to look nice use a level on the barrel bolt). I actually attached them upside down, so the locking pin hangs down. Otherwise, if the animal banged on the door, the pin would slide down out of the locking position and escape might be possible.


Butterball models the cage. Note the small L-brackets on the inside door frame.


I hung her UVB lamp from the wire top by the heat lamp and put a couple plastic logs under so she can bask. She seems to like it. Once I make Puff's cage and stack it on top, I'll have to hang the heat bulb on the side or inside. I'll think about that once I finish Puff's cage.


You can see the cage on the right side of the picture. This is just one corner of the herp room. :-P


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