better than zoo quality enclosure

[concentratelab]

Hello all first time posting here on this forum. I am looking to make a custom enclosure for my veiled chameleon. He is currently still a baby (around 2 months old). I am looking to build a cage for him when he gets bigger that will be 24x24x48 and have a drainage tub in the bottom both basking and uvb lights and led lights all suspended above the cage top. I am also planning for a mister system and a fogger( more for looks than function. I plan on making custom Rock wall backgrounds with fake skulls embedded in the wall ls with plumbing for the fogger so the skulls will have the fog pouring out of the mouth and for two of the sides and have opening screen doors for the front sides. I guess what I'm asking is what else would I need other than plants to make my enclosure the best it can be. I don't like the looks of a plain screened in cage so I want to make something that looks almost like a piece of furniture. All of the mister and fogger systems along with any cords will be hidden in cabinets or in hidden compartments above or below the enclosure. The ks for reading and any input as to what else would make this the most balling out of control chameleon cage around

 

[Carlton]

IMHO the best zoo quality cham setup would not be enclosed...it would be a free range in a clump of live trees in a room. I would not use a solid background at all. It wouldn't be "natural" for a cham habitat to have a rock wall in it. I know some of you disagree, but I really like a completely arboreal appearance to my cages with leave-filtered light throughout. The skulls might bother some chams as they will look like a predator's face staring at the little guy all the time and that he can't get away from.

 

[Mike Fisher]

The skulls might bother some chams as they will look like a predator's face staring at the little guy all the time and that he can't get away from.

I can see where that might be troublesome to some chams. A few of mine act especially scared if I'm wearing my glasses when I view them. Those are the ones that are really scared of cameras too.

Here's a link to one of my favorite enclosure builds: https://www.chameleonforums.com/enclosure-wall-130279/

 

[concentratelab]

Didn't think about him being scared by the skulls the ks for the heads up prob wold not have realized until it was to late to remove em

 

[concentratelab]

The tank in that link is AWESOME!!! that's the general look im going for I thought chameleons need a tall cage rather than a long one

 

[Mike Fisher]

The tank in that link is AWESOME!!! that's the general look im going for I thought chameleons need a tall cage rather than a long one

That one is taller than it appears, but yes, more vertical height is preferred by most chams.

 

[concentratelab]

If I'm looking to recreate a slice of my veileds natural environment what types of plants do I need to keep an eye out for? And also considering a rain system, are these use full or just a waste of money

 

[Mike Fisher]

If I'm looking to recreate a slice of my veileds natural environment what types of plants do I need to keep an eye out for? And also considering a rain system, are these use full or just a waste of money

I'll address the rain system...Some sort of mist system is a must IMO. Many years ago I believed I could do just as good by hand spraying. When I switched to an automated system, my chameleons got much healthier. Plus you can go away for a weekend without worry.

I'll leave the plant question to someone else. I use smaller more delicate plants that would never hold up to a veiled.

 

[concentratelab]

Defiantly going to have a mister system for sure. Would having a rain and mister be overkill I would have the rain only happen every so often not on a regular cycle

 

[Mike Fisher]

Defiantly going to have a mister system for sure. Would having a rain and mister be overkill I would have the rain only happen every so often not on a regular cycle

Generally chameleons like rain better than mist, so go for it. You can have dual zone rain and mist with something like an Aquazamp rain dome that uses their standard misting head mounted in a dome so that it rains rather than mist.

Or you can run two separate pumps on different schedules. I came up with a rather unique solution here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/chad-staged-watering-system-119320/

It uses two pumps on different timers but can mist or drip depending on which pump is running. (Actually it is the same timer, but I use a sprinkler timer with four zones to run relays that turn on the pumps.) That side of it is a bit complicated so I intentionally haven't detailed it yet.

 

[Psychobunny]

The ideal would be a large, aviary type enclosure with RH control, sprinkler system, etc. with real trees, bushes and vines.
Of course, it would need to be located in a place where the weather is tropic like all year.

Other then that, custom cages can be made in any size or shape, for a price

 

[concentratelab]

I live in Arizona so a tropical environment is a tough thing to keep.

 

[summoner12]

Go Natural.

I don't think a chameleon will care about the skulls.....

Lots of light, lots to climb on, not too dense, perfect temp and a RainDome, you're set.

enclosed is OK if the humidity and air flow is adequate. You need to give the enclosure a chance to dry out.

 

[concentratelab]

Living in phoenix I have no problem with things drying out I can mist down my whole cage and it's dry in 10 mins

 

[concentratelab]

Does anyone run simulated weather in their enclosure. By this I mean lights and misters or rain systems linked together so before misters kick on the lights slightly dim out like clouds rolling over and bring them back up after like the sky is clearing out all of this being controlled by an automated system. When I said I wanna go all out on this cage I really do mean it. Is simulated weather something that would overly stress my cham. I have found all kinds of climate controllers and weather simulators like this one. http://youtu.be/NSziIHkBXOE

 

[Mike Fisher]

Does anyone run simulated weather in their enclosure. By this I mean lights and misters or rain systems linked together so before misters kick on the lights slightly dim out like clouds rolling over and bring them back up after like the sky is clearing out all of this being controlled by an automated system. When I said I wanna go all out on this cage I really do mean it. Is simulated weather something that would overly stress my cham. I have found all kinds of climate controllers and weather simulators like this one. http://youtu.be/NSziIHkBXOE

I'm sure lightning storms stress them out, so trying to duplicate that on a regular basis might not be the best idea, but just dimming them a bit during misting sessions sounds neat.

 

[concentratelab]

I thought the lightning would be a little much but he told me he can add the thunder effects and also told me I can remote control the entire setup from my tablet (SWEET) and can also be linked to a weather app to recreate the weather conditions of anywhere I select. So for example if i set it to yemen and it begins to rain or mist there it would begin to rain or mist in my enclosure. Seems like the possibilities are endless has anyone else seen anything close to this being used

 

[Carlton]

I thought the lightning would be a little much but he told me he can add the thunder effects and also told me I can remote control the entire setup from my tablet (SWEET) and can also be linked to a weather app to recreate the weather conditions of anywhere I select. So for example if i set it to yemen and it begins to rain or mist there it would begin to rain or mist in my enclosure. Seems like the possibilities are endless has anyone else seen anything close to this being used

Remember that a wild cham would not necessarily want thunder or lightening as part of its world. They don't really create any benefit one way or the other and, in the much more artificial situation in your house might just be startling meaningless events. If you want to recreate as natural a habitat as you can, it would probably be better to get very familiar with Yemen's weather cycles (temps, humidity range by season, solar radiation, as much feeder variety as you can, etc) and use them as reference points for your own setup. Figure out what aspects of that habitat your HOUSE provides or does not provide. If your house is too cool, provide heat. If its too dark, provide more intense light. If the daylengths vary a lot more by season than Yemen's does, adjust your lighting to simulate Yemen's more closely.

BTW, if you try to have your system rain when it rains in Yemen, remember that you are no where near the same latitude or longitude. Rain during the afternoon in Yemen (which might be great timing) may end up occurring in the middle of YOUR nighttime (which isn't a great time to soak a cham's cage). Your cham is not going to "remember" what the wild was like and won't be missing it particularly after multiple generations of captive breeding. What it will want and need are the basic things...correct lighting, correct temp gradient, correct access to sufficient water, as much nutritional variety as possible, adequate space to regulate its own metabolism.

 

[concentratelab]

I fully agree these were just ideas being throw around by a friend and I I doubt the final outcome will be anywhere ear that elaborate. More than likely i will end up with sunrise sunset dimmers and a cloud effect for when mister come on.

 

[concentratelab]