Hows this look? First time Enclosure attempt

[Notlad]

All help would be greatly appreciated, I am yet to install the drip system and lights and have more fake leafs to hang down but my main concern is the vines for mobility. I am planning on purchasing a Veiled chameleon soon (Juvenile) and I just want to be sure I have provide adequate space to explore.

The tank is 2'2'4', the vines are tied down by fish line and super glue in spots on the outside of the cage to secure it.

There are two central vines around the Photos plant, the black one leads around and downwards to the floor and the brown one leads upwards to the basking spot. Is this enough space for a chameleon to feel safe and still be active? I plan on placing a feeding cup below one of the vines so the Cham can just fire away from above.

All help is wonderful as this is my first cham and first post on these forums.

 

[Big Gulp]

Nice start, but you have tons of space you could/should use up.

Add branches/wooden dowels horizontally throughout the cage, especially higher up. Even some vertical branches going from the floor to the top.

 

[carol5208]

Make sure you have a branch that is about 8 inches below your basking light. The way you have it set up now, there does not look like a place that is close enough to the basking light to warm up.

 

[Notlad]

I measured the distance from the branch to the basking spot and its about 9ish inches, im going to go to a hardware store today for wooden dowels, how would you recommend securing them to a screen cage? The screens are very small so I cant stick them through, at least I don't think I can. Thanks for the help so far!

 

[reptoman]

I measured the distance from the branch to the basking spot and its about 9ish inches, im going to go to a hardware store today for wooden dowels, how would you recommend securing them to a screen cage? The screens are very small so I cant stick them through, at least I don't think I can. Thanks for the help so far!

Use real branches tied together with zipties and hang the whole assembly from a single anchor point from the top as shown in the picture. 3/4" PVC pipe in an "H" shape works well. You can use a real vining type plant like pothos in a hanging basket from lowes or home depot and tie the branches to that as well. This eliminates the need to put anything through the sides to affix dowel or biovine or any other store bought items that wont look as natural anyway. The other added benefit is that you can remove the entire assembly for a thorough cleaning and put it back in very little time. The branches in the picture are crepe myrtle. They work very well and I have had cages setup like this for years and the branches hold up perfectly to daily sprayings and drippers. I have biovine that has needed to be replaced after deterioration but the real branches are still in great shape. Hope this helps.

 

[Notlad]

Thats actually very clever, I have already secured the branches in there so I wont tear them up but does the branches you have anchored by the pipes sway or move at all when your cham moves on them?

 

[Davonat]

You can use thumb tacks to anchor branch ends to the screen. It works well for me and a very neat setup. Search my threads for pics of the cage I built

 

[reptoman]

Thats actually very clever, I have already secured the branches in there so I wont tear them up but does the branches you have anchored by the pipes sway or move at all when your cham moves on them?

Not at all. If you build the branch assembly outside the cage you can prune it to fit. I usually put it all together in place and fill the space with climbing opportunities. I like the fact that it can all come out and go back in quickly for cleaning. I also use the same concept for our juvenile cages with plastic plants that will be easy to clean with a mild bleach solution every month or so. I pull the branch assembly out and hang it on the deck out back and blast it off with the hose, spray it down with cleaner or bleach solution, rinse again, and let it air dry before putting it back. Takes around 15 minutes per cage.

 

[ohkari11]

Here's my first attempt.

Nice start, but you have tons of space you could/should use up.

Add branches/wooden dowels horizontally throughout the cage, especially higher up. Even some vertical branches going from the floor to the top.

I'm getting the 24x24x48 soon and am very excited about it.