Encloser Questions

MOsKeeper

New Member
Ok so im going to start building my own cage for my cham and i have some questions. which is better to use, non pressure treated or pressure treated? Is there a polyurithane i can put on it that isnt harmfull to the chams? Is a 4'x18"x18" big enough for a full sized Veiled Cham? Are real plants better for the cham, and why? so if anyone has any helpful hints or answer to my questions they would be most appreciated. THANK YOU :)
 
Ok so im going to start building my own cage for my cham and i have some questions. which is better to use, non pressure treated or pressure treated? Is there a polyurithane i can put on it that isnt harmfull to the chams? Is a 4'x18"x18" big enough for a full sized Veiled Cham? Are real plants better for the cham, and why? so if anyone has any helpful hints or answer to my questions they would be most appreciated. THANK YOU :)

Most ppl like to use 4 ft tall, 24 wide, 24 deep cages for adult veieleds.
Real plants are better for a couple reasons. 1- chams like to munch plants, 2- live plants help keep up your humidity levels.
 
If you are going to build your own you could use aluminum of wood. I'm using wood on the cage I'm making right now for a female veiled. She's got a 18x18x36 enclosure now, but she's my baby and I want her to have more space. The size of mine is gunna be 48hx36wx18d. Get pressure treated wood also live plants are wayy better than fake. Here's a good link for cage building https://www.chameleonforums.com/cage-making-supplies-how-32843/ and some good plants would be schefflera arboricola, pothos, hibiscus, ficus benjamina. A lot of keepers use thos plants but there are a lot more that are safe. Checking this link out might be worth it too http://flchams.com/safe_plant_list.asp goodluck!!
 
Sorry, I forgot to say that for an adult male veiled 24x24x48 is the minumum reccomendation. Remember, bigger is better for their cages. Freeranges help for not being as territorial in their cages also
 
If you are going to build your own you could use aluminum of wood. I'm using wood on the cage I'm making right now for a female veiled. She's got a 18x18x36 enclosure now, but she's my baby and I want her to have more space. The size of mine is gunna be 48hx36wx18d. Get pressure treated wood also live plants are wayy better than fake. Here's a good link for cage building https://www.chameleonforums.com/cage-making-supplies-how-32843/ and some good plants would be schefflera arboricola, pothos, hibiscus, ficus benjamina. A lot of keepers use thos plants but there are a lot more that are safe. Checking this link out might be worth it too http://flchams.com/safe_plant_list.asp goodluck!!
thank you so much, one thing i dont understand was in your first sentence, "use aluminum of wood" use aluminum instead of wood? i would rather use wood cause it would be easier to work with, the screen and all. but if i do use pressure treated wood, is it going to be safe for him or should i put some kind of coating over it? im just worried about the chemicals in the wood.
 
Here is what I used...

Pine and then sanded ,stained and polyacrylic to seal and a little silcone to seal the back peice of linolium stapled to back, it is water tight and now have a mister 3 times a day, I love it and now chams are breeding waiting for eggs:D, gotta love this hobby:cool:

DSC01365.JPG
 
thank you so much, one thing i dont understand was in your first sentence, "use aluminum of wood" use aluminum instead of wood? i would rather use wood cause it would be easier to work with, the screen and all. but if i do use pressure treated wood, is it going to be safe for him or should i put some kind of coating over it? im just worried about the chemicals in the wood.

Sorry, the of was meant to be OR. The materials I bought so far costed about $35. And I have not gotten to the sealant. I don't think you really "need" to stain it, its just for looks. But a water sealant is a good idea. I will look into what works good and isn't toxic to them and post back on this thread
 
Pine and then sanded ,stained and polyacrylic to seal and a little silcone to seal the back peice of linolium stapled to back, it is water tight and now have a mister 3 times a day, I love it and now chams are breeding waiting for eggs:D, gotta love this hobby:cool:

DSC01365.JPG
That's a beautiful set up. im looking to make something that looks like that except only one tank. Half of that set up is exactly wat i want mine to look like (due to the size of my place im restricted from going to wide). the only problem im running into is the frame. at first i had regular 2x2x8 running up and down with mesh stretched around them. i can decide if i need a glass bottom with a 4 inch rise of plexy glass that way i can bury a live plant, or if it would be better with a mesh bottom and the plant in a pot. i feel like the plant in a pot would look kinda tacky. as for staining, im not to comfortable staining, it would look nice but i dont want to risk it cause i dont know if the stain would be safe.
 
you dont have any directions on how that was made do you? it would be perfect if i had it but only made half of it.
 
Mo, I learned this today using my uv meter and a brand new bulb...
use larger holed mesh on top or some type that will allow your uv's to pass thru.
6 inches from the top inside the cage, uv 18
6 inches from the bulb directly 60!
big difference since you want to try and keep the uv around 32-35
 
you dont have any directions on how that was made do you? it would be perfect if i had it but only made half of it.

A pretty simple design, first made frame from 1x1, including door, using a regular screw with electric drill. the top was designed to hang plants from ultilizing those metal wire shelves from hardware store, hardware cloth on bottom to allow drainage from newly installed mister, the monsoon. Stapled the screen and covered with small trim to hide staples, stapled the back and then I wanted a corner for my mister to spray into placed the divider made from extra linolium. A little bit of silicone to make water tight so all the water goes into the bins baught from walmart and trimmed to fit perfect as they catch waste and water. Ultimatly I made it around this 4" shop light to fit with a nice look. My wife and i made it and took about 2 months, wish I would have done some pictures along the way but to darn excited to see my pair of panthers in it. If you want or need further pics or advise would like to assist.:cool:
 
A pretty simple design, first made frame from 1x1, including door, using a regular screw with electric drill. the top was designed to hang plants from ultilizing those metal wire shelves from hardware store, hardware cloth on bottom to allow drainage from newly installed mister, the monsoon. Stapled the screen and covered with small trim to hide staples, stapled the back and then I wanted a corner for my mister to spray into placed the divider made from extra linolium. A little bit of silicone to make water tight so all the water goes into the bins baught from walmart and trimmed to fit perfect as they catch waste and water. Ultimatly I made it around this 4" shop light to fit with a nice look. My wife and i made it and took about 2 months, wish I would have done some pictures along the way but to darn excited to see my pair of panthers in it. If you want or need further pics or advise would like to assist.:cool:
Ok that gives me a better idea oh wat i wanna try and do with the frame. And thank you STPC for the tip about the top of the cage. ive seen where in other cage designs, instead of a wire top they have a recess light set into a wooden top. I would like to know what type of mister you use wetone. ive seen some of the ones they sell in the stores, but they're really expensive.
 
Pine and then sanded ,stained and polyacrylic to seal and a little silcone to seal the back peice of linolium stapled to back, it is water tight and now have a mister 3 times a day, I love it and now chams are breeding waiting for eggs:D, gotta love this hobby:cool:

DSC01365.JPG

Awsome looking cage wetone, I am in process of building a new cage with the exact design. I found plans for this design somewhere on line and modified it to suit my needs. Should have it complete in a few days will post once its complete. I like the way you installed the drip pans in the bottom! Still undecided about this option.

As far as Stain & Clear coat goes, this will not cause problems for Chams, I have seen many threads regarding this issue saying do not stain or clear coat your cage but have NEVER seen or heard of any issues to CHAMS by doing this. I and many of my friends have stained and sealed numerous cages using clear coat (oil & water based) with no ill effects.......the key to this issue is to always let the clear coat completely dry and air out; preferably outside for at least a week or so. If you think treating wood :eek: is unsafe for CHAMS then just dont do it.....nuff said :)
 
Awsome looking cage wetone, I am in process of building a new cage with the exact design. I found plans for this design somewhere on line and modified it to suit my needs. Should have it complete in a few days will post once its complete. I like the way you installed the drip pans in the bottom! Still undecided about this option.

As far as Stain & Clear coat goes, this will not cause problems for Chams, I have seen many threads regarding this issue saying do not stain or clear coat your cage but have NEVER seen or heard of any issues to CHAMS by doing this. I and many of my friends have stained and sealed numerous cages using clear coat (oil & water based) with no ill effects.......the key to this issue is to always let the clear coat completely dry and air out; preferably outside for at least a week or so. If you think treating wood :eek: is unsafe for CHAMS then just dont do it.....nuff said :)
Thank you so much for the info on the stain and clear coat. very useful in my plans. i too have thought about the drip pan idea, however, i recently had a desk given to me and was able to scrap the drawer tracks from them and have been thinking about a way to put a draw on the bottom of the cage. a place to store the calcium and vitamin powders and stuff. i feel that if i used a live plant instead of a real one and used a glass bottom sealed tight then the drawer would work and stay dry. anyone else have any ideas on the drawer. im gonna post an rough sketch of my idea soon.
 
Ok so im going to start building my own cage for my cham and i have some questions. which is better to use, non pressure treated or pressure treated? Is there a polyurithane i can put on it that isnt harmfull to the chams? Is a 4'x18"x18" big enough for a full sized Veiled Cham? Are real plants better for the cham, and why? so if anyone has any helpful hints or answer to my questions they would be most appreciated. THANK YOU :)

DO NOT use pressure treated wood! Some formulations of the treatment chemicals are toxic if leached out onto other surfaces, and they are not meant to be used indoors.

Dimensions larger than 18" will make it easier to create microclimates and provide better space for bushier plants. Yes, live plants are better. They provide humidity, look nice, help filter air, provide more hiding areas for the cham, and provide safer drinking surfaces than some synthetics.
 
Thats awsome info Carlton. If not pressure treated, then i guess non pressure treated would be the best. But the non pressure treated will warp in the humidity of tank so what would be the best course of action? :confused:
as i said before, i have a very rough sketch of what i want to make that i made on paint. i have a whole page of stuff that ive been working out (measurements, ideas, and such) and this is the idea ive come up with.

Chameleon tank.jpg
 
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