KarmaChameleon1337
Avid Member
Say the cham could not squeeze through, is chicken wire dangerous?
Chicken wire
- Thread starter KarmaChameleon1337
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sandrachameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
There is potential for damage to feet/toes due to sharpish edges. Better to use coated wire
fluxlizard
Avid Member
I've used chicken wire on my big iguana cages for the past 15 years. After using it I don't really recommend it.
Even a big chameleon would probably spend a lot of time trying to poke it's nose through the holes. A veiled or panther would probably constantly try to figure a way to fit.
It takes a large iguana a couple of months to learn not to try to poke it's nose through the holes, and some iguanas will do some rubbing damage around the sides of the snout while they figure this out. That is the main reason I don't like chicken wire so much, even though I haven't yet replaced mine with something else on 3 of my current cages that have been in use for 10 years. Someday I will, but because the iguanas learn and stop trying to get through the holes, and because I don't get new iguanas very often (years and years between new iguanas), I don't feel any urgency about it. And actually on 2 of those cages the wire is not accessable to the lizards anyway- one has solid unclimbable walls below the chicken wire and giant Argentine tegus live in that one, and the other I put aluminum window screening on the frame and replaced the chicken-wire on top of the screen and on the outside of it, so the lizards can't touch it but it can help perhaps with predator control. Australian water dragons live in that one and the screen is there to keep fireflies out. The indoor iguana cage for winter also uses chicken wire (it's an 8'x8'x8' cube) so the iguanas are in chickenwire year round.
I've never seen damage on my iguanas from merely climbing on the wire. They use the wire to go up and down to their perches nearly every day. They have ladders they can use, but they use the wire as well- they don't seem to have a preference.
I really don't think most chameleons would ever figure it out and they would probably spend most of their time trying to get their head to fit through the large chickenwire holes.
Chicken wire also is often not manufactured very well and much of it eventually rusts and needs to be replaced in time.
I really think if something along the lines of wire is what you want, the green rubber coated hardware cloth sold for rabbit and small animals is the best stuff. The rubber coating keeps the lizards from coming in direct contact with the hardware cloth (hardware cloth is protected from rusting by something that is toxic to birds). It also keeps things soft against rubbing and climbing.
Even a big chameleon would probably spend a lot of time trying to poke it's nose through the holes. A veiled or panther would probably constantly try to figure a way to fit.
It takes a large iguana a couple of months to learn not to try to poke it's nose through the holes, and some iguanas will do some rubbing damage around the sides of the snout while they figure this out. That is the main reason I don't like chicken wire so much, even though I haven't yet replaced mine with something else on 3 of my current cages that have been in use for 10 years. Someday I will, but because the iguanas learn and stop trying to get through the holes, and because I don't get new iguanas very often (years and years between new iguanas), I don't feel any urgency about it. And actually on 2 of those cages the wire is not accessable to the lizards anyway- one has solid unclimbable walls below the chicken wire and giant Argentine tegus live in that one, and the other I put aluminum window screening on the frame and replaced the chicken-wire on top of the screen and on the outside of it, so the lizards can't touch it but it can help perhaps with predator control. Australian water dragons live in that one and the screen is there to keep fireflies out. The indoor iguana cage for winter also uses chicken wire (it's an 8'x8'x8' cube) so the iguanas are in chickenwire year round.
I've never seen damage on my iguanas from merely climbing on the wire. They use the wire to go up and down to their perches nearly every day. They have ladders they can use, but they use the wire as well- they don't seem to have a preference.
I really don't think most chameleons would ever figure it out and they would probably spend most of their time trying to get their head to fit through the large chickenwire holes.
Chicken wire also is often not manufactured very well and much of it eventually rusts and needs to be replaced in time.
I really think if something along the lines of wire is what you want, the green rubber coated hardware cloth sold for rabbit and small animals is the best stuff. The rubber coating keeps the lizards from coming in direct contact with the hardware cloth (hardware cloth is protected from rusting by something that is toxic to birds). It also keeps things soft against rubbing and climbing.
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