Have been sitting here browsing the internet for more reptariums and fresh-air habitats. I keep reading bad reviews about how those that use metal screen start to rust within a year and how hard it is to see through those with black mesh.
Wonder if I could incorporate my extra bookshelves for raising cats???
I have a couple of solid wood as well as those particle board bookshelves that are open on the front and back. One even has casters for rolling around - how better to roll inside when the weather is cold :o)
Got to thinking they would work as huge shadow boxes :o) I could put mesh or nylon screen (like the kind used on household windows) to cover the backside and then add hinged wood frame sceen doors to the front each "cage section" or use mesh panel covers held in place by velcro or magnetic strips???
Has anyone tried or considered that?
At this time I have to spot scrub stains left by eclosing butterflies off my meshed reptariums and then vacuum out the frass (carefully) since I can't turn them over to dump out the junk because there are still caterpillars and chrysalids in it. Am thinking it would be easier to wipe off the wood than my cages that have screen or mesh bottoms and sides. I figure the caterpillars can also crawl onto the wood sides or top to pupate from too.
Maybe I'm thinking too far out of the box and best stick to ready made cages and reptariums?
What do ya'll think? I need to plan ahead for the coming Fall season as that's our busiest and best butterfly season. Am fairly confident some of the not so common butterflies will show up in my yard and hopefully make use of my larval host plants. I think this screened bookshelf idea would be the best way to keep them together yet separated by instar size and species...and I wouldn't have a bunch of plastic container cages to keep track of.
~ Cat
This message was edited Apr 8, 2007 1:13 PM
Bookshelf cages - an idea
Cat, I, too, am constantly thinking of a 'better way' to raise and manage them.
I think the wood on 3 sides would make the cage too hot unless they were inside, or maybe put a fan on it.
The cage that I built was going to have a floor, but now it's sitting on the concrete garage floor and that is so easy to clean. Before, I had a plywood floor and it was soon stained and dark from all the frass...there's SO much, isn't there? Definitely, a mesh or screen floor would not be easy to clean. I like to just set the mw pot in the cage and the cats will move over to it.
The little reptarium that I had bought last year had some problems. I thought that everytime I lifted the lid off, the 'J's and chrysalises would be stressed, and I was always having to get in there. And, I wouldn't snap it down because it would shake quite a bit when I removed it. By not snapping it on there would be a gap, which could allow predators, so I just quit using it.
One thing I'm planning next year is to put out grow lights and keep the mw under them all winter so I'll have some early. I probably won't leave any A. currassavica outside during the winter, none of it survived.
I hope others have some good ideas, I need them too.