Exploring ideas for Darwin's enclosure ....

jsheffield

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Hello TFO,

My plan is to noodle around with ideas for outside and inside enclosures for Darwin through this winter, as he's fine in his current one for now.

For his eventual inside enclosure I'm considering building a wooden 4x8 closed system that'll live on a table.

This morning though, while exploring the www, I found something interesting ... Feed Bunks for livestock.

IMG_7311.jpg

My thought is to use one of these as the base, and top it with ...

IMG_7312.jpg

This, hinged and attached, with cutouts for light and heat.

The final size would be about 120"L by 34"W by 20"H, which seems pretty good, maybe a better fit for my office than 4x8.

Although the finished height of the setup would only be 20", I'm thinking it could work for my redfoot, so long as I could secure the two halves well enough that Darwin couldn't go walkabout.

My local tractor supply store thinks they can order it for me for pickup, which would save shipping costs about as high as the pieces themselves.

Thoughts?

Jamie
 

daniellenc

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How would you access the cage to clean, water, and feed? I'm thinking purely financial here but you'd need to order 2 of the horsefeed bunks so $300 right there and another $70 for the top so $370. You'd need to cut in a door and add plexiglass, hinges, sealant, buy mounts, and other hardware which easily would be another $200. By the time it's all together you'll be spending nearly the same for an AP cage for a lower quality product. Being in New Hampshire Darwin's indoor time makes up the bulk of his life so really since he is a forever pet I'd buy the AP cage and in another few years add another to connect them, or make a second level. I searched high and low for a year trying to find a way to construct an indoor enclosure only to realize no matter what I came up with it was still lower quality than the AP cage and not nearly as function friendly. I figure since it is his forever home why not buy something once that will last forever? Wood warps and rots over time and unless you have the proper tools working with PVC sheets isn't a newbie project. Also, buying PVC sheets and plexiglass, hardware,...........isn't cheaper at the end of the day. Just my 2 cents btw it's a cool idea but I fear won't save much money.

For the outdoor enclosure though check out Tractor Supplies outdoor dog kennels!! I use one 12x10 now and will buy another when he's bigger. They have doors and roofs, are staked down, and made from galvanized metal so they last!!
 

jsheffield

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Hi, and thanks for your feedback, but I think you misunderstood a bit ...

the $150 includes the frame and the tray, the $69 is for the replacement tray ... that'd be all I need for the basic setup ($220, so far).

Beyond that, I'd need hinges for the back, and some form of closure for the front ... I've already got the tools to modify the poly trays.

You make a good point though, about the AP cages ... although a comparably sized one seems in the $500-$700 range, so not really an even match.

I found a nearby farm supply that has a similar feeder for $129, and was thinking that using that as a base, I could then build up a frame to fit over it from wood and plexiglass ... my original thinking came from a desire to avoid building a wooden enclosure for Darwin that will always be humid/damp ...

but maybe with the feed bunk as a base, I could build a wooden frame with some plexiglass for the top half to slide over the feed bunk and keep Darwin from exploring my house.

Anyway, thanks for your feedback, food for thought ....

Jamie
 
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daniellenc

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Hi, and thanks for your feedback, but I think you misunderstood a bit ...

the $150 includes the frame and the tray, the $69 is for the replacement tray ... that'd be all I need for the basic setup ($220, so far).

Beyond that, I'd need hinges for the back, and some form of closure for the front ... I've already got the tools to modify the poly trays.

You make a good point though, about the AP cages ... although a comparably sized one seems in the $500-$700 range, so not really an even match.

I found a nearby farm supply that has a similar feeder for $129, and was thinking that using that as a base, I could then build up a frame to fit over it from wood and plexiglass ... my original thinking came from a desire to avoid building a wooden enclosure for Darwin that will always be humid/damp ...

but maybe with the feed bunk as a base, I could build a wooden frame with some plexiglass for the top half to slide over the feed bunk and keep Darwin from exploring my house.

Anyway, thanks for your feedback, food for thought ....

Jamie
Yes I am confused for sure. The top picture is 60 inches long with the bottom pic 120 inches?
 

Yvonne G

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He may have been using the pictures to show his intent, rather than the actual product he'll buy. I'm sure he'll buy the same size replacement tub to use as a lid, as the bottom tub is.
 

jsheffield

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Yes I am confused for sure. The top picture is 60 inches long with the bottom pic 120 inches?

So sorry Danielle, yes, that was a screengrab ... Both top and bottom would be 120", and there's a local place that has it with the frame for $129, and just the tray for $49.

So sorry for the bad communication on my part.

Jamie
 

Yvonne G

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Jamie: I wonder how deep the tray is. I know, with the lid, it won't matter if the baby can climb out, because the lid will stop him, but I'm thinking that after you add 4" or so of substrate, the sides may not be tall enough???
 

jsheffield

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Jamie: I wonder how deep the tray is. I know, with the lid, it won't matter if the baby can climb out, because the lid will stop him, but I'm thinking that after you add 4" or so of substrate, the sides may not be tall enough???

It's 10" deep, which, when the substrate is added, also gives me pause ...

I think if it was a really good idea, somebody else would already be doing it ... ;)

Jamie
 

Yvonne G

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It's 10" deep, which, when the substrate is added, also gives me pause ...

I think if it was a really good idea, somebody else would already be doing it ... ;)

Jamie
Well, it's cheap enough to give it a try. I must say, though, once I got rid of my plastic sheet covered enclosures and went to the Vision cages, I really love having the glass doors in front so I can see what's going on inside without having to open the lid.
 

daniellenc

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Well, it's cheap enough to give it a try. I must say, though, once I got rid of my plastic sheet covered enclosures and went to the Vision cages, I really love having the glass doors in front so I can see what's going on inside without having to open the lid.
Exactly why I just sucked it up and paid for the AP cage. Making the modifications to provide a door/viewing area required more materials, tools, and carpentry skills I lack, lol. Now if Jaime is handy it's not a big deal. I just have never built anything from scratch so I figured with the learning curve I'd ruin something and have to purchase it again driving up cost. There is a really cool step by step PVC build on here @jsheffield. I also cared about aesthetics so was afraid it'd look a bit unpolished as my first creation.
 

Cheryl Hills

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This is one I used a bed frame to make. Added the wood and plexiglass. Then sealed it as much as I could, holds 90 to 100% humidity.

image.jpg This is another one I did but, keep in mind, this is for hatchlings

5D6E0B53-FD23-430C-BEDE-E8CF90B8978C.jpeg
 

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