confused and about to build an enclosure

A

adamireland

New Member
Hi everybody..

Im trying to do some research and find out about what will be the best setup for a veiled Chameleon.

After talking to my local pet store (have the veiled chameleon) i have been told, rather than get the exotera cage to make my own.. which im happy to do..

It was suggested that i build it out of laminate wood with a perspex front and a grill for a top. and to build it taller than wider.. that i shouldnt place any live plants in as the feeder food will eat the plants and anything on the plants will be ingested therefore be passed onto the chameleon..

I am going down to the shop tomorrow to buy the parts i need and was wondering what you thought and what i should look for as a good start..?

i am buying a waterfall, fogger, dripper and heat and UV lamps...

next door to the enclosure next room i have a large aquarium system 500 gallons which has a very elaborate filter system using reverse osmosis water.. would that be of any use to the chameleon?

based on that plan 100w x 40d x 130h cm on a stand and the chameleon being at present 15cm body size. am i on the right track?

thank you for any repies :)

Adam
 
also looking at this one

There is also one of these guys at another pet shop but they dont know what kind of chameleon he is..

any ideas? he is being sold for 200 euro
 

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adamireland said:
Hi everybody..

Im trying to do some research and find out about what will be the best setup for a veiled Chameleon.

After talking to my local pet store (have the veiled chameleon) i have been told, rather than get the exotera cage to make my own.. which im happy to do..

It was suggested that i build it out of laminate wood with a perspex front and a grill for a top. and to build it taller than wider.. that i shouldnt place any live plants in as the feeder food will eat the plants and anything on the plants will be ingested therefore be passed onto the chameleon..

I am going down to the shop tomorrow to buy the parts i need and was wondering what you thought and what i should look for as a good start..?

i am buying a waterfall, fogger, dripper and heat and UV lamps...

next door to the enclosure next room i have a large aquarium system 500 gallons which has a very elaborate filter system using reverse osmosis water.. would that be of any use to the chameleon?

based on that plan 100w x 40d x 130h cm on a stand and the chameleon being at present 15cm body size. am i on the right track?

thank you for any repies :)

Adam
Click to expand...

Building your own is a great idea, and can offer allot of great options for you to build into the cage during the process. But you likely will not save money by doing it. Between the time invested and the cost of materials, the only way building your own cage is advantages is if you want the kind of features that are only available to home made cages. IE: custom draining, built in gauges, integrated misting, drip portal, piped cup feeding etc.

A few notes I would like to mention from reading your post.

Waterfall: Big no no. Don't waste your time. More posts on this incoming I'm sure.

Aquarium: Also a no no. No ventilation. Poor draining options. Easy bacteria breading.

Standing water: Again don't do this either. Its difficult to clean, easy for bacteria to bread, easy for feeders to die in, and theres always a chance your cham could fall into it.

Live plants: This is a BIG BIG DO! Whoever told you no live plants was wrong. Just make sure the plant is clean of pesticides and that you cover the dirt its in so your cham can't eat it.

I get the feeling that you still have ALOT of research to do. PLEASE, don't rush into this. Do yourself a favor and do lots of research. You will thank yourself.
 
Last edited:
live plants are good, just make sure you get the right ones. you cant go wrong with a ficus. and mix up the plants with artificial and real.
 
arkist said:
Building your own is a great idea, and can offer allot of great options for you to build into the cage during the process. But you likely will not save money by doing it. Between the time invested and the cost of materials, the only way building your own cage is advantages is if you want the kind of features that are only available to home made cages. IE: custom draining, built in gauges, integrated misting, drip portal, piped cup feeding etc.

A few notes I would like to mention from reading your post.

Waterfall: Big no no. Don't waste your time. More posts on this incoming I'm sure.

Aquarium: Also a no no. No ventilation. Poor draining options. Easy bacteria breading.

Standing water: Again don't do this either. Its difficult to clean, easy for bacteria to bread, easy for feeders to die in, and theres always a chance your cham could fall into it.

Live plants: This is a BIG BIG DO! Whoever told you no live plants was wrong. Just make sure the plant is clean of pesticides and that you cover the dirt its in so your cham can't eat it.

I get the feeling that you still have ALOT of research to do. PLEASE, don't rush into this. Do yourself a favor and do lots of research. You will thank yourself.
Click to expand...

yes im very new.. but im not planning on running before i can walk..

the aquarium is next door and is full of fish.. the question there was about whether the water (pure) no minerals Reverse osmosis would be the best to use for the chameleon rather than straight tap.. my fish tanks get through 100 gallons per day so thought i could use some for the chameleon.

the main thing im trying to achieve is the enclosure.. and if i will end up ripping it down because its not a good idea to use laminate wood.. i have noticed that there is a lot of recommendations for grills as sides of the enclosure.. how does that keep humidity?

id like to buy the bits i need, lamps and stuff and then get on with building this weekend.

what is piped cup feeding?
 
adamireland said:
yes im very new.. but im not planning on running before i can walk..

the aquarium is next door and is full of fish.. the question there was about whether the water (pure) no minerals Reverse osmosis would be the best to use for the chameleon rather than straight tap.. my fish tanks get through 100 gallons per day so thought i could use some for the chameleon.

the main thing im trying to achieve is the enclosure.. and if i will end up ripping it down because its not a good idea to use laminate wood.. i have noticed that there is a lot of recommendations for grills as sides of the enclosure.. how does that keep humidity?

id like to buy the bits i need, lamps and stuff and then get on with building this weekend.

what is piped cup feeding?
Click to expand...

Pure water vs tap water for the purpose of what? what do you intend to do with the water. I know people who use distiled water and people who use tap water. I use tap water and have not had a problem yet.

If you make the enclosure out of wood and do not seal it in some manner, you will have problems. Your going to be passing allot of water through the cage via misting, dripping, and draining, it needs to be water proof. Grills, or mesh, is the the best idea because you need that kind of ventilation. Thus is one of the difficulties of this hobby; you need both ventilation and humidity. There are several ways to keep humidity high in mesh cages, mostly by frequent misting, and you can research other methods.

piped cup feeding allows you to drop gutloaded/dusted food into a feeder cup from the outside of the enclosure in such a way that the feeder can't climb back out.
 
adamireland said:
Hi everybody..

Im trying to do some research and find out about what will be the best setup for a veiled Chameleon.

After talking to my local pet store (have the veiled chameleon) i have been told, rather than get the exotera cage to make my own.. which im happy to do..

It was suggested that i build it out of laminate wood with a perspex front and a grill for a top. and to build it taller than wider.. that i shouldnt place any live plants in as the feeder food will eat the plants and anything on the plants will be ingested therefore be passed onto the chameleon..

I am going down to the shop tomorrow to buy the parts i need and was wondering what you thought and what i should look for as a good start..?

i am buying a waterfall, fogger, dripper and heat and UV lamps...

next door to the enclosure next room i have a large aquarium system 500 gallons which has a very elaborate filter system using reverse osmosis water.. would that be of any use to the chameleon?

based on that plan 100w x 40d x 130h cm on a stand and the chameleon being at present 15cm body size. am i on the right track?

thank you for any repies :)

Adam
Click to expand...

What I have been finding is that most of the store advice has been to increased their bottom line. But if you can find what you want at a store and it is what you "want" by all means it will be quicker and easier to buy.

But if you do plan to build, there is nothing wrong with that too.
Your advice on proportions in right on. Higher is better. Laminated wood is good too but make sure to seal the wood well as some Chams require frequent mistings and the water will probably cause a lot of damage to your hard work. Also due to the amount of water that the chams take, any kind of glass enclosure will probably be a bad idea unless you conditions allow for it. IE very dry low temps will probably do better as the conditions in the glass enclosure will be easier to maintain.:p

Screen should also be a consideration. I have had a lot of trouble with claw avulsions due it getting caught in the screen. 2 solutions to the problem is a bigger mesh size (like 1/4" hardware cloth") or really make a lot of places to bask up high. Also the WC or CB will also make a difference.:D

Live plants will make managing and maintaining the humidity levels a little easier. But it will require you to beable to take care of plants. In additon to your feeder so you will need to become a Reptologist, emtomologist, and a botanist.:eek:

as previously stated no water fall, dripper is yes, linear UVB and or heat source is also a yes but depends on location and the species you plan on getting. I have Jacksons that are now out side. ( my wife said out:( nah just kidding). they get freash air everyday and UVB from sunlight. ambient temps here ar 80 to low 90's during the day and 70 to upper 50's at night all year around. Jacksons are found in the wild here. So the linear bulb that I had been using is not needed any more. but I do need to worry about keeping them hydrated more. so depending where you plan to set up your viv will dictated what you will need. :D

As far as I can tell you will not need to use your fish tank pump for you VIV.

one thing that may be helpful is looking into a misting system as it will cut a lot of worry out of your day. but again this adds more into your planning as you will need to design a way to manage the run off. there are lot of ways of doing it. The best way is to look using the search option above and check it out.:D

Hope that helps and good luck :D

OPI
 
Many breeders use reverse osmosis water. Laminate wood is good and will work. Live plants are the source of humidity for cages with screen sides when you mist adequately.
 
thanks for your replies..

the reverse osmosis is on hand 24/7 so might try both tap and RO when i get it all set up..

so if i have taken in what you very helpful guys have been saying...:)

get live plants off the lists.. and cover the soil
get some kind of misting system.. think my pet store has one..
design a run off in the bottom by raising the floor.
forget about waterfalls..

laminate is good if you seal it.. but screen is the most obvious choice..

can i use standard mesh screens from DIY stores? or will it rust quickly?
 
adamireland said:
thanks for your replies..

the reverse osmosis is on hand 24/7 so might try both tap and RO when i get it all set up..

so if i have taken in what you very helpful guys have been saying...:)

get live plants off the lists.. and cover the soil
get some kind of misting system.. think my pet store has one..
design a run off in the bottom by raising the floor.
forget about waterfalls..

laminate is good if you seal it.. but screen is the most obvious choice..

can i use standard mesh screens from DIY stores? or will it rust quickly?
Click to expand...

It sounds from you that you're just learning right now, very good. Try to research first like two weeks, then research about the chameleon itself.
I was too eager when i bought mine.. Dont do the same mistake..Now i know alot more.. And now i got a very good terrarium! Without drainage.. Thats the prob. now i need to re-do the floor..
And you DONT want to end up with a sick cham.

My friend almost gave me his panther, but due my loss of information of that spieces, instead i put the panther to a good caretaker.
 
plants are good yes....good for keeping humidty up and managing moisture.

Yes you can find screen mesh from the Hardware store...

Good Luck

OPI
 
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