We are about to become new parents to a veiled cham 4 mths old and live in Nova Scotia where our climate can be colder than some other places during some seasons. Our house can be cool in the pm but humid at times in the summer. The breeder here suggests maybe a glass terrarium w/ screen top but everyone else (pet stores, online recommendations all say a screen enclosure. We will have all of the lights, misting/humidity but want to make sure we get the right enclosure. Please, any advice would help.
glass terrarium vs. screen??? help
- Thread starter fundygirl
- Start date
mvad
Established Member
If your up for some reading, use the search button and type in glass vs screen enclosure. I just tried it and got a ton of info.
Also check out the resource tab:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/enclosures/
Also check out the resource tab:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/enclosures/
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
If your indoor conditions vary that much you'll probably have more luck working with a screen cage. They are less expensive to build in larger sizes which your cham will appreciate. Larger cages give the cham more room to select the specific temp or humidity level it wants to use at any time. In preparation for winter you can modify it to hold in more heat/humidity by attaching either clear plastic sheeting to the sides, or, as I did, cut plexiglas panels to fit the sides. Basically, like storm windows. You can remove them again when it gets warmer and more humid.
Screen + more lights
My setup has 1 UVB bulb with 3 basking lights to help control the temperature. If it's summer, we only need 1 75watt basking light to maintain his temps but when it's winter here we amp up the lighting. If it ever starts to get too hot you can always switch off a light ( or 2 or 3
) -Boston
My setup has 1 UVB bulb with 3 basking lights to help control the temperature. If it's summer, we only need 1 75watt basking light to maintain his temps but when it's winter here we amp up the lighting. If it ever starts to get too hot you can always switch off a light ( or 2 or 3
) -Boston
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
There are forum members in Canada and the EU who successfully use vented glass terrarium type setups so they may chime in too. There is no "right or wrong" answer here and the cham community discusses this quite a bit. I think the main reason I'd go with screen is your warm humid summers.
oneillchameleons
Established Member
I'm in Canada and the temp and humidity fluctuates wildly here. I still use all screen cages but I'll cover up two or even three sides in the winter to keep the humidity up. I can't imagine having that type of control with a glass terrarium unless you had a fan system set up to move the air. Just last week the temp went from -25 to 2 degrees in just a few days (that's in Celsius btw) and humidity went from 11% to 34% in my house. Just had to take some thumb tacks out and set the plastic to the side.
michbobcat
New Member
Random question...everyone keeps saying "depends where you live and what the weather is like." I don't know about everyone else but my cham is living inside my house with me. Which means the temperature and humidity are usually the same year-round due to air condition/furnace. It's never colder than 72 or warmer than 78. Humidity is always in the 40's. Therefore, even though I live in a hot and humid Florida, the climate inside of my house certainly doesn't feel like it. Am I missing something or is everyone here keeping their chams outside?
oneillchameleons
Established Member
No all my chams are inside. How low does the relative humidity get outside in Florida? It's much more difficult to keep humidity up than to lower it. Throughout the winter it's literally a desert here in Alberta with humidity at around 6% outside. I have an in furnace humidifier but it costs a lot to keep the humidity up and uses a lot of water. Even with a humidifier in the reptile room, it runs almost constantly to keep it up.
KLowery88
Avid Member
While parameters inside your house don't vary as much as outside, they are still affected by it. A Canadian house having to constantly run heating systems that dry out the already dry air is a lot different than a Florida house. Our "winters" don't really compare. So far this year the lowest my indoor humidity has reached is 35%. On mild days where the AC/Heat aren't on very much, it can reach 55%.
People up north or sw can have very dry homes.
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
Also, a constant humidity range of 40% isn't what your cham will do best at. They need some cycles of higher humidity and you house systems won't "permit" that. Basically you are trying to create a mini-rainforest that fluctuates from high humidity to moderate every day. An example: I live in a temperate rainforest but in winter my house can dry out to less than 20% RH when its heated.
michbobcat
New Member
I meant that the house is around 40%...I have an automatic mister and live plants with my cham to compensate.
michbobcat
New Member
No matter the season our humidity is always high outside. We have to dehumidify....or else homes get mold problems. So I'm still left regulating my little guy's "separate" environment. But yeah, I can see how it's more of a challenge if the heater is running non-stop a lot of the year.
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
The other factor that supports mold growth is lack of airflow. Even in lower humidity homes you can still get mold if the temp, humidity level, and ventilation doesn't change at all and there are materials that absorb moisture. Think about closets, basements, deep cabinets, etc. I lived at 9200 foot elevation in the CO Rockies where my house tended to stay very dry all year. I free ranged 3 melleri in one bedroom, so had to humidify it a LOT! Even with misting and humidifying it still didn't get much over 60%. I had a very pretty variety of mold in the room's closet after a few months behind boxes stored there. If I had kept the air moving in that closet I bet it wouldn't have formed as fast.
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