Glass tanks...

[Synistra074]

Hello all!
I know as soon as someone see's the title they'll gear up for a fight, but please hear me out.
I live in Northern Colorado, near the foothills. While it's a beautiful place, and the weather isn't too bad, it does get dry, and extremely cold in the winters.
Now, I've heard all about screen cages, but I've also heard a lot about glass as well.
I've come to the decision, that with the climate I live in glass is the preferable option. Please don't start arguments, or belittle me, this is my choice, and I'm doing it in order to take care of my future pal as well as I possibly can.

Now to the real reason I'm posting.
I'm curious to know if there are any preferred glass tanks that you lovely folks have.
I know it needs ventilation, but I've been looking at pretty much anything out there, and have no solid decision on what I'm going to get.

So, help a soon to be Momma out?

 

[ash88]

Hey Synistra

Have a read of this thread https://www.chameleonforums.com/everyone-who-knows-you-cant-keep-chams-glass-31937/ Its pretty interesting and may give you some ideas about the sort to use (its nothing like the title states )

 

[Loadout]

Hello and welcome

Like you said, there's absolutely nothing wrong with glass, assuming it's not an aquarium. Some of the most experienced members of this forum have used glass vivariums for years. You might also consider wooden vivariums. I prefer wooden because you can have them made to virtually any size whilst still being able to add as much ventilation as you want. Wooden vivariums are also cheaper and some say they hold heat better than glass. I'm afraid I don't have any specific recommendations for glass vivariums since I don't use them, though I've heard the Exo Terra terrariums are good, but if you choose to go down this route then make sure it's designed for air flow (not to hold water) and has a screen/mesh top. If the top is made of glass it will block UVB rays and has the potential to heat up under the basking lamp and burn your future chameleon.

 

[Traceyd]

I'm in the same boat as you synistra074. I am purchasing an vivexotic chameleon viv which I have heard has improved ventilation an another owne on another site says it is good. But I will give it a go. One of my friends has a exoterra and her chameleon is super healthy and happy... Hope this helps

 

[kplatvoet]

Have you looked at the Dragonstrand Breeder cages ? It's hard to find a large glass cage - and drainage can be a problem. The Dragonstrands might be something to look at as it has 3 solid sides which make using live plants easy to hang but the bottom front and top are screen so you also get easy drainage and don't have to wrap it to keep the humidity in. I'm very happy with mine-

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

What type of chameleon? If Panther or veiled, definitely go with the dragon strand breeder over glass.

 

[kinyonga]

In the old days before screen cages were invented (I was going to say before the wheel was invented...but that was a little before my time) I used aquariums....and in spite of what so may people say it can they can be used for many species with a few precautions. Then I switched to screen lids and doors on glass cages but that left the chameleon's hovering under the basking lights for most of the winter...so I switched to the existing terra ones.with the screen lids and front ventilation. These worked well. Again their are precautions...don't let water go stagnant on the floor of the cage and place the basking light to one corner ofthe cage to further increase ventilation (chimney affect).

 

[Psychobunny]

If I were you, I would still buy a screen cage, but I would cover the back, both sides, and maybe a portion of the front with heavy plastic.
Screen is so much easier to maintain, cheaper, and lots easier to move

But that's just me

 

[kinyonga]

If you cover all the sides how is it different than a glass cage?

 

[Synistra074]

You guys are awesome.
I will definitely be saving up for a DragonStrand. Those things are amazing looking!
I think I'll go with a screen cage, and just get some plastic to cover the sides, thanks Psychobunny!!

Thanks everyone! I'm starting to get all my stuff! I have a baby Jackson who's going to come home with me in a couple weeks.

 

[johnnyev]

If you cover all the sides how is it different than a glass cage?

Agree! Most likely a bit lighter in weight, but that's about it. Also by the time you buy the mesh enclosure, plastic & adhesive, & the messing around fixing these into place i can't see it being that much cheaper? Especially if you buy second hand glass enclosures. All my exo-terra's are second hand.

I use exo terras & cover both sides & back, with the zoomed cork bark panels. Not cheap, but looks great, gives double the useable area & also seems to make the animals (especially WC) feel more secure.

 

[Carlton]

Just another perspective on this...

For years I also lived in N. Colorado in the foothills (higher elevation too) so I know exactly what the climate is like. I also kept B. fischeri, T. melleri, and T. deremensis in modified screen cages while I lived there, in a house that would barely register relative humidity of 4% in winter. As the cage options were a lot smaller, The only auto mister was a pretty basic RainMaker (no such thing as Mist King yet), I used various designs of sheet plastic coverings for the cages, made plexiglass panels to cover parts of the screen, or free ranged them in a humidified room, and used ultrasonic room humidifiers. One of the main reasons I still prefer screen cages is that you can make them much larger and you can design them so you can adjust the ventilation level by a particular cham, species, or season.

My point here is...you can choose either type of enclosure and make it work with some experimentation and creativity (and the curiosity of the local hardware store staff).

 

[kplatvoet]

I like the Dragonstrand because it's easy to do drainage - I got a kitchen cart from Overstock.com for 129.99 and put it together without the drawer and the top- the breeder cage fit right in and I drilled a hole in the bottom for so it drains into a bucket underneath - I don't have to look at the bucket I have the misting system in the cage next to it which I had made all screen and a bigger one on the other side. My main thing was that I didn't want to bother with a divider so they couldn't see each other and I didn't want to see buckets-
I can't keep plants alive well and I find that with the Dragonstrand I don't have to worry about hanging live plants from the side- and they are easy to replace when I kill them.
Covering the sides will work well for a baby jackson as they grow pretty slow and you'll want him to find his food when he's little. This might help with cage set up - It helped me a lot -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKTbUaOQ0aA

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

The big glass cages are super heavy and hard to modify.

 

[Psychobunny]

If you cover all the sides how is it different than a glass cage?

Just because it's way cheaper and easier to move (if you have to).

Also, you can control how much you cover.

You can add/remove however much cover depending on changes in the room conditions, like summer and winter.

 

[johnnyev]

The big glass cages are super heavy and hard to modify.

Yes i agree. I only use them for smaller species or juveniles.
For larger species i prefer melamine, with either mesh door &/or mesh vents in the front & back & roof. Very easy to customise to suit individual needs, ie ambient temps/humidity, enclosure size etc. And also easy to fit lighting & decor to. Must be properly sealed though. I prefer these over the all mesh type enclosures, where i always struggled to get ideal temps/humidity in my reptile room here in the uk.

 

[Carlton]

Just because it's way cheaper and easier to move (if you have to).

Also, you can control how much you cover.

You can add/remove however much cover depending on changes in the room conditions, like summer and winter.

Right. I would doubt you could cover the screen cage so thoroughly that it recreates a tank situation. Covering screen cage panels with plastic can still be designed to "leak" air if there's any circulation at all. Misters, foggers, and even lights will push the air around as they cycle on and off.

 

[fuzzhc]

I use exo terras for my juvis and have had no problems at all. However if I could get dragonstrand in scotland I would definitely use them. Only downside to glass is they don't come big enough and are heavy

 

[Psychobunny]

Right. I would doubt you could cover the screen cage so thoroughly that it recreates a tank situation. Covering screen cage panels with plastic can still be designed to "leak" air if there's any circulation at all. Misters, foggers, and even lights will push the air around as they cycle on and off.

Your right, it wont be as leakproof as glass, but it works for me.
Under extreme conditions, one may want to consider not choosing a cham
at all.
If creating a proper living condition is an uphill battle, maybe consider some other reptile better suited to those conditions.