Cheap Crestie Enclosure

[tryme]

Hi all. Some of you might have already seen my thread about DIY enclosures..well, i was wondering where can I get a cheap enclosure that would be suitable for a crestie? Or, what would a suitable enclosure be?

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Where are you located. I have an exoterra 18x18x25 with light, fake plants and bowl that I am not using. I'm in NY.

 

[tryme]

sadly im in the UK..London thats why its harder to get hold of reptile stuff etc...

 

[Gregg M]

Why cheap??? Dont you think that husbandry is the most impotant??? The cost for the proper cage and all of the supplies will usually cost more than the actual animal you bought or plan to buy.
Honestly, if you can not afford the caging for the animal, you can not afford to keep the animal...

You need a well made cage that holds humidity well. A cage held together with hot glue will not cut it...

 

[tryme]

i dont like it when people butt in with comments like that. of corse i know..im just simply saying in the UK enclosures etc are hard to come by so im checking other options.

 

[Gregg M]

i dont like it when people butt in with comments like that.

Its not exactly butting in on a public forum now is it. And ofcorse you do not like comments like that because sometimes the facts are not pretty.
I may sound like a jerk to you because I did not write what you wanted to read. That does not make my comment any less true.

I also find it very hard to believe that you can not find a proper reptile cage in the UK. Be real.

 

[tryme]

Yes I can but I only need a TEMP one for a 6 week old crestie. Thanks for your concern though.

 

[moosassah]

Gregg not cool.

To find one cheap, you'll need to check out other methods of advertising. In the US, we have the websites freecycle.org, craigslist.com and you can check bulletin boards at school/library/grocery store/newspapers, or yardsales. You can convert a fishtank easily.

I've only purchased 1 of my tanks. All the others were picked up for free (aka the best kind of cheap) from people who no longer needed them. None of my geckos are suffering because I have "cheap" tanks. A proper cleaning & they are just as good & the saved money can be redirected to other areas.

 

[Valley Reptiles]

all of the supplies will usually cost more than the actual animal you bought or plan to buy.
Honestly, if you can not afford the caging for the animal, you can not afford to keep the animal...

Not exactly. My setups cost $16 for each group, babies and juvies are even cheaper. A 2 LB bag of cgd is arould $30 and if it is only a few geckos eating it then it will last around a year.

Husbandry has nothing to do with how much you pay for supplies and caging. If it did, all my cresteds would have been dead years ago.

 

[Valley Reptiles]

Yes I can but I only need a TEMP one for a 6 week old crestie. Thanks for your concern though.

Try a small sterlite or Rubbermade tub. It can be temporary or you can use them forever but will have to change sizes as it grows. :main_thumbsup:

 

[tryme]

thanks alot for the reply firecrested

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

I think instead of Cheap he might have meant in expensive. Like he was looking for a good deal on a good tank.

 

[malt_geckos]

we take a deep sterlite tub (I think like 8 gallons?) and cut a large hole in the top. Then we put screen over the big hole and hot glue the screen on. There ya go! Simple and super cheap and works like a charm.

 

[Valley Reptiles]

we take a deep sterlite tub (I think like 8 gallons?) and cut a large hole in the top. Then we put screen over the big hole and hot glue the screen on. There ya go! Simple and super cheap and works like a charm.

Same way I do it

 

[malt_geckos]

sweet! Works so nice and it is so cost effective!

 

[WftRight]

Yes I can but I only need a TEMP one for a 6 week old crestie. Thanks for your concern though.

Are you keeping the crestie permanently or are you just keeping it temporarily? I ask because the features you want in a permanent cage may be different from what you want in a temporary cage. For instance, taking the top off a cage every time you feed or mist can be a little inconvenient. If you're keeping this gecko for someone else for a month or so and will be giving the animal back at the end of that time, convenience may not be an issue. If you are going to have this animal permanently, you may want to set up a permanent cage so that you don't have to open the top for every feeding or misting.

If all you need is something for a few months, I'd agree with the previous advice. I'd get a little plastic container of some kind, drill some ventilation holes, and let that be good enough. As long as the crestie has vines for climbing and hiding, the crestie should be happy enough. Cresties like to drink water droplets from vines, so your vines need to serve that purpose as well.


Bill

 

[tryme]

Oh it will be a temp cage until I purchase an exo-terra when he's an adult. Reason is, my local just got some in..im a bit strapped at the mo' but I will get paid at the end of the month. thing is, in the U.K they go like wild fire and they are at a bargain price to. So I need to snatch one up quick.

 

[Double LY]

Something like a critter keeper works great for small cresties.

 

[Gregg M]

Not exactly. My setups cost $16 for each group, babies and juvies are even cheaper. A 2 LB bag of cgd is arould $30 and if it is only a few geckos eating it then it will last around a year.

Husbandry has nothing to do with how much you pay for supplies and caging. If it did, all my cresteds would have been dead years ago.

You actually just backed up what I said. You can get a 10 gallon AGA with a cover for $15 to $20 USD. So yeah if you cant afford that, you cant afford to keep the animal... My post was more so directed to him building a cage with a hot glue gun anyway...

A side note.
Unless you get a deal, you will pay a good amount of money for quality caging. You do get what you pay for so there is some validity to my statement. You can keep a crested in a critter keeper or a plastic bin, but is that really secure, quality caging???

 

[WftRight]

You can keep a crested in a critter keeper or a plastic bin, but is that really secure, quality caging???

Yes, why wouldn't it be?

Cresties don't have the muscle mass that many other reptiles have. I would worry about most kinds of snakes and even some lizards pushing open the lid of a plastic cage. I see no reason to have that concern about a crested gecko. Why would a critter keeper or plastic bin be any less secure than a small aquarium?

I've never heard of any issue caused by keeping reptiles in plastic cages. The plastic doesn't allow the owners to see the reptiles as well, but some people suggest that the reduced visibility actually makes the animal feel more secure. Again, by this measure, the critter keeper or plastic bin are just as healthy for the animal.

While aquariums must be water tight, I've always found them to be a little difficult to clean along the seams. The joint between the two pieces of glass forms a crevice. The crevice is sealed with something, but the seam is always a place where dirt can stick. Critter keepers and plastic bins are molded of plastic so that there is no similar seam at any corner. They can always be cleaned more effectively. Furthermore, because they are cheap, one can easily dispose of them if they seem stained in any way. From a hygiene point of view, I see no way for you to argue that a critter keeper or plastic bin could be inferior in any way.

Plastic should hold humidity just as easily as glass does. Glass offers no advantage from a humidity point of view.

Cresties don't need a heat source, so there should be no thermal reason why a plastic cage wouldn't be just as good as a glass aquarium.

I agree that a cage held together by glue wouldn't seem all that secure, but that idea really went nowhere on either of these threads. The other ideas for inexpensive caging are perfectly valid. I could understand being upset if someone were suggesting that he was going to keep a huge number of cresties in a small cage because he was too cheap to buy other caging. I could understand being upset if someone wanted to keep a crestie for a month in a small deli cup that had been used for shipping the crestie. I can't see anything in what's been written to suggest that tryme is trying to do something of this nature.


Bill