Looking for Advice for Walkways

[rcc760]

Hi all!

I have a 16x16x30 screen cage for Charlie. (Small, I know, but so is she right now!) I’m looking to add more walkways and fun stuff inside her enclosure. How do you guys keep the dowels and wooden sticks attached so they don’t fall? I’m having difficulty with this. Do you just like stick them in? I’m worried about damaging the screen too.

Any advice would be helpful!

 

[Wayne98]

Hi all!

I have a 16x16x30 screen cage for Charlie. (Small, I know, but so is she right now!) I’m looking to add more walkways and fun stuff inside her enclosure. How do you guys keep the dowels and wooden sticks attached so they don’t fall? I’m having difficulty with this. Do you just like stick them in? I’m worried about damaging the screen too.

Any advice would be helpful!

Hi I’m not a fan of the screen cage but I’m new to this myself I have a large glass tank with screen top and have gone with the bio active root

 

[rcc760]

Hi I’m not a fan of the screen cage but I’m new to this myself I have a large glass tank with screen top and have gone with the bio active root

That might not be enough airflow for your cham. They usually need more than just one side screen, and a tall enclosure too, not wide. Thanks for your suggestions though!

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

For a screen cage, you can cut holes in the screen and then place the sticks and vines into the holes. The chameleon will never be heavy enough to make it fall, but you should consider using twist ties or thin wire to secure it to the mesh. That is what I did with my plants and vines.

 

[rcc760]

For a screen cage, you can cut holes in the screen and then place the sticks and vines into the holes. The chameleon will never be heavy enough to make it fall, but you should consider using twist ties or thin wire to secure it to the mesh. That is what I did with my plants and vines.

Yeah, I've been using twist ties for the vines and plants, but I wasn't sure about the walkways. I'll look into using zip ties, and if they don't work, maybe I'll go for the holes. Thanks!

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

I bought a pack of about 100 thin black zip ties and I was so glad that I did because they can bear a lot of weight without breaking anything. I used 2 of them to hang up a pothos plant, and the zip ties were connected to the screen at the top of the cage, and the plant is sturdy and sound. You could also drill holes in the vines and walkways too, for a place to attach the zip ties to.

 

[Goose502]

Cut the sticks to the size you like, then use small nails or thumbtacks to hold them in place. I then placed a bunch of vines and weaved them all over the branches.

 

[NorCalAnthony]

I like to use larger sticks/branches for vertical supports and then use small zip ties to attach all of the horizontal branches. It starts off super wobbley but the more you add the stronger it gets. Here's an example of one I just put together, just ignore the mess in the background lol.

 

[jalli]

I was just gonna ask if anyone had a planter under their cage...

also here is what I did to hold branches, I ended up framing the whole cage to support everything.

 

[dragonjane13]

The green floral wire from hobby lobby is what I use. You get a whole spool for a few bucks and you can cut it to size with snips as needed. Infact there's lots of stuff at hobby lobby for cheap that works great so look around.

 

[rcc760]

Thanks for the tips everyone! I ended up using zip ties and they worked wonderfully! I’ll post a pic of Charlie’s fixed-up cage in a bit!

 

[rcc760]

Just realized I never posted the pic of Charlie’s newly decorated cage. She has many more walkways, which are hidden by dense foliage, lots of places to hide, and a new drainage system that cuts out excess moisture. I’m quite pleased with how it turned out, and I think she likes it too! The white string in front is for her feeding cup. She is hiding somewhere in the foliage. She wasn't very happy because it was misting time. She really hates mistings. Here it is:

 

[jamest0o0]

That might not be enough airflow for your cham. They usually need more than just one side screen, and a tall enclosure too, not wide. Thanks for your suggestions though!

This is incorrect. Glass has many benefits depending on the climate and species of chameleon. Width is also very beneficial. Chameleons like to move horizontally not just up and down.

 

[jamest0o0]

And I just shove my branches between the screen until it's tight

 

[rcc760]

This is incorrect. Glass has many benefits depending on the climate and species of chameleon. Width is also very beneficial. Chameleons like to move horizontally not just up and down.

Well I didn't say it was flat out not enough airflow, I said it might be. Everything I've heard and read has said all glass or mostly glass enclosures raise the risk of RIs. If they only have the top of the cage screen, how can the chameleon get the proper airflow for their health? Sure, it keeps the humidity up, I understand that. I was just passing along what I've learned from the many people on this forum. The same goes for the width thing. I know they like moving side to side as well. When they described their enclosure, it seemed like it was a fish tank or a tank generally used for a desert reptile, which is typically wider than it is tall, and which I've heard is not as good for chameleons as screen enclosures.

That's just what I learned though. If it's wrong, well okay.

 

[kinyonga]

@rcc760 said..."If they only have the top of the cage screen, how can the chameleon get the proper airflow for their health?"...you set up the lights to one side on the top of the cage to create a chimney affect.

Also I have used wide cages as well as tall ones and both can work. There are many options and what you use depends partly in the climate/environment you live in and partly in how you set the cages up and keep them after they are set up. You have to watch for potential problems and solve them before they become an issue. Some examples....if you live in a cold climate you don't want to place the cage near the window because that can lead to RIs. If you use screen cages in a cold environment you will have more trouble keeping the humidity up
and the cage temperature too. You may find your chameleon sitting under the basking light almost all day. If you live in a hot climate/environment you might not be advised to use glass cages. If you use glass cages you don't want to let water lay stagnant in them. (Well technically you don't want it laying stagnant in a screen cage either...but that's less likely). There is not on definite answer for caging or supplementing it a number of other things when dealing with chameleons!

 

[rcc760]

@rcc760 said..."If they only have the top of the cage screen, how can the chameleon get the proper airflow for their health?"...you set up the lights to one side on the top of the cage to create a chimney affect.

Also I have used wide cages as well as tall ones and both can work. There are many options and what you use depends partly in the climate/environment you live in and partly in how you set the cages up and keep them after they are set up. You have to watch for potential problems and solve them before they become an issue. Some examples....if you live in a cold climate you don't want to place the cage near the window because that can lead to RIs. If you use screen cages in a cold environment you will have more trouble keeping the humidity up
and the cage temperature too. You may find your chameleon sitting under the basking light almost all day. If you live in a hot climate/environment you might not be advised to use glass cages. If you use glass cages you don't want to let water lay stagnant in them. (Well technically you don't want it laying stagnant in a screen cage either...but that's less likely). There is not on definite answer for caging or supplementing it a number of other things when dealing with chameleons!

Okay, I see. Thank you! Very informative!

 

[kinyonga]

You're welcome!