New enclosure question

[johnnycamp5]

Hello all.

I had some left over material from a fence job I did so I decided to use it up and get it out of the way instead of buying a new chameleon cage.

I built the cage over the weekend. It's built with 3/4" aluminum tubing and pvc coated hardware cloth (1/2" x 1/2").

It's dimensions are 48" high x 32" wide x 21" deep. Looking at it now, after completion, it seems this cage is overkill for a chameleon, and more suited for a baby orangutan. Oh well.

Around the whole perimeter of the cage, where the door meets the cage when closed, there is about a 1/4" to 5/16" gap.

My questions are:

1- Is this gap large enough for a 4 or 5 month old panther to escape from?

I wouldn't think so since the hardware cloth squares are 1/2" x 1/2" and Iv'e never heard of any young chameleons escaping from it.

2- Should I block off a potion of the bottom of the cage to better accommodate the young panther? I have plenty of wire to do this.

I will try to post pics later.

Thanks for any help.

 

[johnnycamp5]

trying to attach pics

Here are the gaps I was asking about. Sorry their sideways.

Like I said anywhere from 1/4" to 5/16"
Does anybody see a problem?

Thanks.

 

[Big Gulp]

Tough to say without seeing the cham in there, for comparison sake.

 

[johnnycamp5]

Question on plants

I was wondering if I could use all artificial plants to conserve space in the cage instead of a live plant.
It seems the pot itself would take up a lot of space at the bottom of the enclosure.
The cage (minus the legs) is about 47" tall.

Is all fake plants not healthy for the chameleon? I will be using the mist king starter ($100.) kit for misting.

Regards.

 

[SaintJimmy]

Artificial plants aren't as beneficial (don't hold humidity, don't grow, don't look as nice) as live plants.

If you don't want the pot to be in the way, put the pot (say, of a ficus) in the corner, cover the dirt with rocks. Or get a hanging plant like a pothos.

here is more info

https://www.chameleonforums.com/reasons-why-real-chams-need-real-plants-115143/

 

[johnnycamp5]

Thanks SaintJimmy for the response and the link.
I will use live plants/plant.

 

[Big Gulp]

You can get a nice, tall shefflera plant that'll provide a lot of cover, and still have plenty room for branches.

 

[johnnycamp5]

Shopping for live plants

I'm looking for live plants for my new cham enclosure.

I just visited my local home improvement stores (the Depot and Lowes) and struck out on finding either a Ficus alli and/or a Schefflera abroricola Maybe its too early in the season for these plants here (central NJ).

Anyone know what other stores I could try or must I order through the internet?

Regards!

 

[Dr O]

Here are the gaps I was asking about. Sorry their sideways.

Like I said anywhere from 1/4" to 5/16"
Does anybody see a problem?

Thanks.

you won't lose a cham, but you're going to lose every feeder insect you put in there!! if it's not from the bottom gap, they'll go right through the cloth.

FYI, this is ½" as well, and he almost made it. dunno where you plan on keeping the cage, but NJ has enough snake species that can do this as well. https://www.chameleonforums.com/my-new-goc-85088/index5.html#post855990

 

[johnnycamp5]

I realize this looks like an outside cage but it will be kept indoors.
I chose the hardware cloth and the door over frame design for maximum visibility (and because I already owned all the material to construct). I had planned to cup/hand feed for the obvious reasons that DR. O described- feeder insects escaping.

Does anyone see a problem with this cage for inside use while cup and (with any luck) hand feeding?

Thanks.

 

[Dr O]

I realize this looks like an outside cage but it will be kept indoors.
I chose the hardware cloth and the door over frame design for maximum visibility (and because I already owned all the material to construct). I had planned to cup/hand feed for the obvious reasons that DR. O described- feeder insects escaping.

Does anyone see a problem with this cage for inside use while cup and (with any luck) hand feeding?

Thanks.

there's no problem per se, it's a nice cage. but you will have escapees, it's inevitable. particularly if you're varying the diet properly. there's a lot of flying/climbing/jumping bugs on the average cham menu!

if you and anyone else living there doesn't mind, it's not an issue. but there are those who don't like crickets, roaches, moths and whatnot in their homes. since it wasn't mentioned, I just wanted to point out that issue.

p.s.--if that did become a problem, it's easy enough to cover the existing structure with screen (though that defeats your primary purpose for this cage's construction).

 

[johnnycamp5]

Still searching for a live plant

Hello all.

I'll be getting a new chameleon in another week or so and I'm still trying to get this enclosure ready.

I'm looking for a schefflera abroricola (dwarf umbrella) or a ficus (alii) plant/tree around 2 1/2" to 3' tall. I have shopped all local garden centers and home improvement stores in my area of central NJ but no luck.

Anyone have any advise on finding this plant in my area?
I would never have thought that finding, what I thought was a common house plant, would be so difficult.

Maybe I should look for some other species of "safe plant"?

Regards!

 

[SaintJimmy]

Ficus benjamina are very easy to find since many offices use them as office plants, they do well indoors usually, as well as pothos/golden ivy.

You could just go to google and search ficus benjamina, ficus alli, schefflera, etc and you SHOULD get a store link or amazon link to order a plant from.

 

[johnnycamp5]

completed enclosure

I forgot to show our completed home made cage.
These lousy pics are the best I can do for now (any idea for better pics than an i-phone? Maybe a Go Pro?).

I'm considering adding more foliage to it.
Does this enclosure look full enough with plants and sticks?
As you can see he has plenty of hiding places and shade when he wants. Does it look too bare or like it should have more foliage?
Any suggestions welcomed.

We have a new panther (ambilobe) from Canvas Chameleons and he is doing great