How to Make a Lizard Cage

An ideal enclosure for your lizard recreates its habitat in the wild. Find out whether your lizard's breed hails from a jungle or a desert, and use this information to determine fundamentals such as what temperature your lizard feels most comfortable in and how much humidity it needs. Building your own custom cage is a good way to ensure that your lizard's environment is perfectly suited to its needs, and it can also save you money. A tall screen cage is ideally suited for arboreal lizards that require space to climb and a lot of ventilation, such as chameleons.

Things You'll Need

  • 4-foot by 57-inch sheet of 1/4-inch, plastic-coated hardware cloth
  • Zip ties
  • 2 clear plastic plant water saucers, 17-inch diameter
  • Clear silicone caulking
  • 2 small, thin bungee cords
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Place one of the clear plastic saucers on the ground.

    • 2

      Roll the hardware cloth into a 4-foot-tall tube. The edges of the cloth will overlap by approximately 3 inches, creating a seam at the side of the tube. Fit one end of the tube inside the lip of the plastic saucer on the ground so that the diameter of the tube matches the diameter of the saucer.

    • 3

      Secure the tube by lacing zip ties through the holes in the hardware cloth at each end of the seam so that it does not unroll. Use the remaining zip ties to fasten the edges of the hardware cloth together until no gaps exist up the length of the seam.

    • 4

      Seal one end of the tube inside the lip of the plastic saucer with silicone. Make sure that the edge of the hardware cloth is completely covered with silicone so that your lizard does not scratch itself. Apply a line of silicone over each of the exposed edges of the seam to protect your lizard as well. Allow the silicone to dry for at least 24 hours.

    • 5

      Turn the other plastic saucer upside-down and use it as a lid and door for your lizard's cage. Secure the lid by crossing the small bungee cords snugly over the top and hooking the ends to the hardware cloth on the sides of the cage.