Uromastyx DIY terrarium

[filecore]

I built this for my u. ocellata, lots of photos with descriptions. Basically the photos begin at the point where I've made a box already. When building with MDF, it's important to get it formaldehyde-free (something like oak is best, if you can get it affordably); under high temperatures, like the 60'C/130'F basking spot that the uromastyx requires, the formaldehyde fumes can leak, and these are poisonous.

• filecore's DIY terrarium

Here are a few that were inspirations/guides for me:

• Bearded Dragon Custom Cage Design
  Crossfire Enclosure
  Stokes Enclosure
  Terrarium Construction
  How to make a Reptile Terrarium Lid

Finally, I wrote a guide about what everything cost when I made mine. It's on my own forum for my UroWiki project, but it's quite informative and it's my own personal account of the process, so I hope the moderators here don't mind me linking to it:

The cost of owning an uromastyx (including DIY terrarium and all bits and bobs).

[MtuPup]

I don't keep reptiles anymore but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate this build. Very nice work - the inclusion of a webcam really tickled my nerd-fancy.

[filecore]

Not one, but two - primarily so that I can keep an eye on her while I'm out, but as a bonus, family and friends can also watch, via a webcam server I run. I also set it up to automatically record the output of both cameras in 15-minute chunks, with any footage older than two days being automatically deleted, so keep diskspace requirements down. If you're interested, you can see the cameras (and possibly, the lizard) in action:

Live uromastyx webcams!

From the technical side, the webcam on the left is a USB-powered Microsoft Lifecam VX-3000, connected directly to the server box, while the other is a cheapy composite-connected pinhole camera going to an input on a TV capture card. The serving software is WebcamXP Pro.

[MtuPup]

very nice sir...now to find cams that can hold up to the humidity in my tanks and don't cost an arm and a leg!

[filecore]

That's a good point - the uromastyx needs humidity around 30-40%, so it's not an issue to keep electronics in there. I'd suggest that most modern webcams ought to have good enough protection that it shouldn't be a problem (although without knowing what sort of enclosure in, I couldn't say for sure - 90% humidity might cause problems) but you can always whip out the ol' glue gun and seal it up yourself. My first thought was putting it inside a glass or plastic container bolted to the wall, but condensation might be a problem. How about making little windows, and having cameras mounted on the outside?

[brp4e.]

i tried to view the webcam thing but the username and pass isnt working.

[filecore]

Hmm, it sometimes goes a bit funny. Try user "guest_1h" and password "guest" - although remember that it may also be offline when you're trying to look (being online would be of little worth most of the time, since Vesta will be asleep). Ah, technology. Gotta love it.