Non screen enclosure

[TheVirus]

Hello,

I currently own my third cham, a 3 year old veiled. I'm thinking of building him a new enclosure and would really like feed back from experienced keepers.

I want to build him a solid enclosure (4x2x2) made of wood and the front would be plexi glass. I would put vents on the two sides and keep the top solid. The vents would be adjustable so I can open or close them. I want to control the air movement in the cage. I will be able to control the heat and humidity level by simply opening or closing the vents.

I have found with other reptiles that an enclosure like this helps keep them hydrated. I've always wondered if it was the fish tanks that killed the earlier chams. In other sensitive reptiles like monitors this was true. This still holds true for bearded dragons, whose keepers have to frequently soak and/or mist their animals just to keep them hydrated.

If anyone has real experience with this I would like your feed back.

Tim

 

[dragonbreeder]

I just completed a cage just like that, check it out:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/prototype-eclosure-completed-4148/

Here is a direct link to my site where the cage is seen in more detail:
http://dragonbreeders.com/parsonii/enclosure/

 

[TheVirus]

Wow! This is exactly the kind of response I was looking for. Beautiful enclosure.

I'm not that handy and I'm still debating how to build it. I was thinking about building a cage out of wood, lining the inside with FRP, and having the front made of plexi-glass. I want at least 6 inches of space on the bottom so I can put dirt in the bottom for a female, but i'm going to leave it empty while I house my male in it.

I was also thinking of just making it out of melamine board. Think that will work? Will it hold up to the humidity over the years? It will be much easier for me Thanks for the responses!

 

[dragonbreeder]

Yes, the white plastic you see lining the bottom, back and part of the top of my enclosure is FRP. I used plexi on the sides as removable panels, and sliding glass doors in the front.

Melamime board will not handle the humidity, so the wood frame and frp/plexi combo is best. Just be sure to allow areas ope for airflow.