Gecko Condo!

[Ratman667]

Currently, I have six leopard geckos divided between five tanks. I have no room for myself, so I decided to consolidate my leos into one organized package.

At first, I thought about building a rack, but I like to watch them move around at night. Plus, those bins seem too small to me.

What I decided on is what I like to call Gecko Condos. It's six cages in one. I built it to fit neatly on top of my dresser. Let me rephrase that, I'm building it to fit on top of my dresser.

Here is what I have so far:

(No it isn't crooked, it just looks that way.)

(For laughs)

The exterior dimensions are: 19x36x36

And the interior dimensions are: 15x15x10.

For those who think that is too small, it calculates to roughly 9.75 gallons.

The outside will be skinned in oak plywood and the inside will be skinned in 1/8" water resistant particle board. The floor will be removable tile.

I am thinking of using heat tape, but I'm not sure on the size I need or how I will attach it.

The doors will be hinged wood with a lexan window.

I'll put up more pictures as I get more done on it.

 

[gitrdone0420]

I love it so far! Put more pics up of what you finished on it today! I cant wait til its done! Then I can get more leos and put them at your house =P lol <3

 

[Ratman667]

I can't wait for it to be done either. I just smashed my finger with a hammer...

 

[Ratman667]

I got some of the skin on today. I have to trim a few pieces Monday before I can get any more done.

Here are a few more pictures of what I have:

Imagine there is tile on the bottom and this is what the inside will look like.

Left vs. Right

After I get all the big pieces knocked out, I have to cut a few narrow strips to cover the exposed frame in the front. That should be fun to do without a table saw...

 

[gitrdone0420]

lol, I have no idea how to even picture that being done... Im bad at this.

 

[Ratman667]

I have the main body finished. Now, I just have to put in the floors, install heat tape, hide the wiring with a false ceiling, install the doors and wire everything to a Herpstat thermostat.

The inside dimension ended up being 15x17x10 after I put the walls in.

I want to use 4" FlexWatt, but will that be big enough? I would prefer 6-8 inches for a warm side, but then I am looking at using UTHs, which get expensive when you buy a bunch of them... Any suggestions?

Also, after looking at how "air tight" this cage is, I decided that plexigass isn't the best choice for the doors... Would fiberglass window screen be safe? It would allow ventilation, let me see inside and give the leos a little shade from the lights in my room.

One last thing, I am thinking of wiring in a few low-wattage LEDs for night viewing. Does anyone have any ideas on how to wire them? I am thinking of using five 12v, 1/4 watt LEDs per cage, wired in parallel to a 12v transformer.

So, my questions are:

1. Is 4" heat tape enough for a 15x17 enclosure?

2. Is fiberglass window screen safe to use on the doors of the enclosures?

3 Does anyone know how to wire LEDs?

4. What color LEDs should I use?

 

[Ratman667]

I have decided to go with a "cool white" LED. They will be wired in parallel to the power source with a dimmer in line.

Can anyone answer my other two questions?

Will 4" heat tape work, or should I use two pieces next to one another?

Can I safely use fiberglass window screen on the doors?

 

[Neo.Reptiliac]

I would use blue lights. But that's just me cause I like the blue look at night. XD

 

[Ratman667]

The lights that I have chosen are a shade of blue. From what I can tell, they are as close to true moonlight as I can get.

 

[Ratman667]

I got a door finished today... I ran out of wood, so I am at a stand still until next payday.

I never got an answer as to if the window screen was safe, so I went with it.

Honestly, the door turned out better than I thought it would.

Here is a pic:

I still need about a whole sheet of plywood for the sub-floor. I'm making a frame out of 1"x2"s, then screwing the plywood to that. The heat tape will be taped to that with the tile sitting on top.

 

[maximusx6910]

def. show the end product

 

[Tony C]

Fiberglass window screen is safe, but keep in mind that crickets will chew through it, and I would imagine superworms and maybe mealworms could too. As long as you are careful to remove uneaten bugs there shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Ratman667]

Fiberglass window screen is safe, but keep in mind that crickets will chew through it, and I would imagine superworms and maybe mealworms could too. As long as you are careful to remove uneaten bugs there shouldn't be a problem.

Uneaten bugs, in my guys cages? HA! They barely hit the ground good before they get eaten.

 

[project1]

yea i used the fiberglass screen for my beardie tanks and as soon as any bug gets near eat they are eaten i would assume my geckos will do the same as i plan to build this! good idea

 

[project1]

OH and i know how to wire leds! iv had the same idea in mind but i have built a few led set ups for fish tanks. iv always bought my leds off ebay mostly because they are cheaper and you get more. but hit me up when your ready for that

 

[Ratman667]

OH and i know how to wire leds! iv had the same idea in mind but i have built a few led set ups for fish tanks. iv always bought my leds off ebay mostly because they are cheaper and you get more. but hit me up when your ready for that

I appreciate it. I'm getting some blue and some white leds this friday. I am hoping that by the time they are shipped in, everything is finished up to that part.

 

[project1]

well leds run on dc power aka you car electrical system or pretty much anything with batteries with a few exceptions and your house and every thing else runs on ac power so what i did to create my led set ups for fish tanks and got a bunch of old phone chargers or ac adapters alot of stuff comes with em which convert ac to dc power for recharging cell phones and such. the leds will only work in one direction so its kinda idiot proof in a way lol
any way i will do a how too very soon for you on the board its real simple.

 

[project1]

heres a good link but you really only need to look at the picture. and im assuming your leds are coming with resistors. if not it tells you what to do as well but dont hesitate to ask me.
http://diy.sickmods.net/Tutorials/Case_Modding/LED_Wiring_Guide/

 

[Ratman667]

I have an old 12v DC charger for a VCR. If my math is right, I should be able to run about 33 - 3mm LEDs from it. Now, I just have to figure out what size resistor to use. I will be wiring 30 blue in parallel and 30 white in parallel (on different switches).

What I think I will do is split the positive lead, solder in the resistors, then run all of the lights to a common ground.

Each LED pulls 24mA, so 24x30=720mA. The transformer I have is a Class 2 12v DC 800mA. 800/24=33.33.

I shouldn't need a resistor should I?

While there will be 60 LEDs wired to this transformer, only 30 will be on at one time.

The transformer has 22ga leads. That should be an acceptable size for the wiring of the LEDs I think.

The wire is also rated to 80*C(176*F), so I should be good in that aspect as well as the temps shouldn't reach over 93*F with the thermostat.

Pardon my rambling, I'm just writing down random thoughts. I think I have it all figured out.

Project1, go ahead and post that diagram, I will compare what I have to that.

 

[Ratman667]

Correction, I will need a resistor. the LEDS I am getting are 1.8v... So, according to the link you posted, I will need a 4.7 ohm 4320 watt resistor. Thanks!

Edit: That can't be right, I did a little more reserch and came up with 15ohm, 10w resistor. That seems more reasonable.