plexiglass enclosure?

[FirstTimeChameleon]

Hey folks, hoping for some tips.

I'm looking at getting a panther chameleon. I've had anoles and geckos before, and I had a bearded dragon, so I'm not a first-time reptile owner, but it will be my first chameleon.

I wanna make the guy an enclosure.

I was thinking 4feet tall by 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 feet wide on either side, and I was going to make it out of plexiglass with a mesh top for ventilation. Will this be enough ventilation? I talked to the owner of the pet store I go to for worms and crickets, and he said that a totally mesh cage was a bad idea because the humitidy tended to drop too much. But the more I read, the more it seems that plexiglass won't give enough ventilation. So I was thinking of putting a mesh window at the bottom of the enclosure too.

I want to set up a fairly natural-looking environment, with packed soild on the bottom and one really big stick jammed into the soil and going all the way to nearly the top of the cage. Then I was thinking of planting a vine in the soil so it could grow up around the stick and provide natural cover.

Any suggestions on the set-up greatly appreciated. Anywhere I could look at DIY plans?

Best regards,
Your pal,
FTC

 

[jannb]

Where do you live? Normally screen is used. No soil on the bottom. Your cham could eat it. Check out this site for some great info and welcome to the forums! Jann
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

 

[ciafardo 4]

i think its best to have at least two sides screen for cross ventilation top and front would be good and jann is right no dirt or substrate use a smooth surface so it can be cleaned easy

 

[FirstTimeChameleon]

I live in Ottawa, Canada. The air gets pretty dry in the winter so I'm worried about humidity for the chameleon. What if I drilled some holes in the plexiglass? OR had a mesh top and mesh 'windows' at the bottom? I know circulation is really important, but the air here is quite dry in winter so I want to make sure humidity is maintained while I'm at work.

The guy at the pet store (who sells the mesh cages btw) recommended getting one made, because the dry air is a problem for chameleons here and the mesh means they have to be misted four or five times a day... but I haven't read that anywhere else on the net.

How about moss on the bottom then, covering the soil? I like my enclosures to look as natural as possible and would really like to have a plant just growing from the ground if possible.

Thanks for your help, btw. I really hope I'm not coming across as obstinate!

 

[ciafardo 4]

the key is ventilation with humidity use plenty of potted plants and mist 3or4 times a day and humidity we be fine a lot of canadians use glass enclosures just watch for mold

 

[sandrachameleon]

I live in Ottawa, Canada. The air gets pretty dry in the winter so I'm worried about humidity for the chameleon. What if I drilled some holes in the plexiglass? OR had a mesh top and mesh 'windows' at the bottom? I know circulation is really important, but the air here is quite dry in winter so I want to make sure humidity is maintained while I'm at work.

The guy at the pet store (who sells the mesh cages btw) recommended getting one made, because the dry air is a problem for chameleons here and the mesh means they have to be misted four or five times a day... but I haven't read that anywhere else on the net.

How about moss on the bottom then, covering the soil? I like my enclosures to look as natural as possible and would really like to have a plant just growing from the ground if possible.

Thanks for your help, btw. I really hope I'm not coming across as obstinate!

Hello FTC

YES, drilling many holes in the plexi would work for ventilation. I use pegboard for sides and back and acrylic plexi for doors, with wood frame and wide wire mesh top. This works very well for both sufficient ventilation and retaining humitidy. Peg board is cheaper than plexi.

You will want 40-60% humidty. If your air is dry, you may want to invest in an automatic mister.
I highly recommend using a dripper system to provide drinking water / hydration to your chameleon, even if you choose a frequent misting schedule.

You need to also think about drainage for all the water that will be dripping and misting into the cage.

No Substrate of any kind. You can have a potted plant (organic soil, washed leaves to remove ferts and pesticides).

Cheers
Sandra

 

[de cam]

My cage is mostly plexy w a storm window horizontal across the back It will use a screen in the summer but keep the chill off the northern exposure window this time of year. The cage is wide open in the front & allows for the temps to stay @ 70 during the pm hours. I keep the furnishings pruned back to keep the little guy from exploring

 

[skeeta]

Hey Canuk!

One of our EXPERIENCED keepers (of high-humidity montane species no less) lives in Ottawa. Look for Trace. You might get some valuable tips!
I'm in Toronto, and the winter dries the air out here too, but I have had no problem with mesh. Just takes a little attention (and THAT is what chameleon keeping is all about) Drippers, regular misting, lots of live vegetation, perhaps a towel on one side to hold moisture in (wash FREQUENTLY) Cool mist humidifier with pvc piping etc. It can be a challenge but that's what we like!
Lots of airflow is the trick. Don't risk stagnant air causing URI or other issues.
Like they say, no substrate!

 

[FirstTimeChameleon]

pegboard for sides and back and acrylic plexi for doors, with wood frame and wide wire mesh top.

THANKS!
That's a great idea! I'm going to do just that I think.

So I guess I'll just get a big potted plant for the base then...

Does anyone have suggestions? Like I say, I wanted to get a big stick and a vine to grow up along and around it... use some fake plants until it grew big enough...

also thanks for the suggestions all, much appreciated.

 

[sandrachameleon]

If you can find the plastic pegboard, you dont have to worry about painting / sealing against water.

Cage Considerations:
http://www.chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=62
http://www.animalarkshelter.org/cin/ (click on housing)
http://www.ukchameleons.co.uk/housingintro.htm
http://www.chameleonsonline.com/enclosures.php
http://chamworld.blogspot.com/2008/01/veiled-and-panther-chameleon-care-101.html


Good plant options are:
Hibiscus (I've found hard to keep alive in the cage, unless you have two and swap them from time to time)
Schefflera - fairly easy
Pothos - very easy

 

[Electric]

hehe greetings from across the river (or champlain bridge)

I have an all screen and I haven't had any problems so far, but I will admit it's not quite as rainforesty feeling in the winter months as I would like. But like others said an ultrasonic humidifier and lots of misting will do the job, and especially a misting system if you're willing to spend that much upfront. I'm liking the peg board idea as well and should look into it.

How's your french? If you can understand it enough to read it, still considering substrate, and don't mind going against the grain a little bit here, do some reading at the tanalahy.com forums for some ultra natural lookings cages that use substrate/draining basins/metal halide lighting as standards. If your goal is also to build a display piece for your home, some of their cages are hard to beat in the appearance department.

Have you decided on a place/breeder that you will buy from yet?

 

[FirstTimeChameleon]

En francais, j'm'debrouille.

I am definitely trying to go for the 'natural' look. I like my setups to look as much as possible like someone put some glass (or in this case, plexiglass and plastic pebgoard and mesh) around a few cubic feet or metres of whichever environment the animal lives in.

The dealer is 'slotile chameleons'. Anybody heard of them before?

I was thinking of making the base of the enclosure out of metal pegboard, so that excess water can drain out , and then having the whole setup on top of a rubbermaid box to catch any water before it ruins my floor. Last night I figured that I might buy a pot for plants with around the same dimensions as the enclosure and have two or three plants in it.

Thanks for the Pothos tip Sandrachameleon. It looks pretty much like the kind of viney plant I'm after. I'll put a piece of wood in there for the vine to climb up.

 

[chequepoint]

I think people who keep other reptiles are predisposed to worry way too much about humidity for chameleons. If you have live plants, and are misting and dripping enough to keep the cham hydrated.. humidity is a non issue.

Also, substrate is best used for people who care more about how their enclosure looks than the health of their animal, and is most often recommended by the person trying to sell you substrate. =) If you want their habitat to look like nature.. I'd venture to guess your average healthy male chameleon doesn't get anywhere near the ground. You're trying to mimic a treetop environment, not a forest floor.

 

[FirstTimeChameleon]

/\/\/\
That's a good point about the canopy vs. the jungle floor.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Thanks for the Pothos tip Sandrachameleon. It looks pretty much like the kind of viney plant I'm after. I'll put a piece of wood in there for the vine to climb up.

Using Peg board, with all those holes, its very easy to attach branches, vines and such with a few twisties, or string. I use pothos extensively, almost exclusively now. Because I have sturdy constructed cages, I actually have glass jars sitting on the cross braces of the cage with twist ties or elastic band from the mouth rim of the jar to the peg board to ensure they stay put when walked on by the cham. The pothos grow in the jars of water (no soil needed) and without any help from me they hang into the cage, climb along the sides and twist themselves around branches. Which looks great. I do end up having to cut them back in order to keep the look I want. My panthers prefer the open spaces to the heavily planted areas. So I make sure half the cage top to botton is plant free.

 

[FirstTimeChameleon]

So, the enclosure is pretty much done now. Two peg-board sides, a wide open and mesh-covered roof, plexi-glass front and back (with a plastic sheeting door held on by velcro until I can figure a good way to mount the door). Got an umbrella tree for now (will get a hibiscus and a pothos when some come back in stock). Vitamins and all that jazz too.

HEre's my problem:
I've got a basking light and fixture (50 watt), but I've got UVB worries! I bought a 24" UVA tube bulb but they had no tube fixtures at the store. They offered to sell me a CFB and fixture, but I (having read on here that they're bad) declined. I figured it'd be easy to find a fixture for the 20W 24" tube, but they are apparently quite hard to come by. My question is, would an 18" UVB bulb suffice? The enclosure is 4 X 2.5 X2 feet in size.

 

[ChromaChameleons]

If you do consider any substrate, think in terms of "what If" your cham ingests it ? Can they digest it ? Often they will get a mouthful if they hunt crix. I only use Coco fibre for old geriatric chams , as it helps break their fall if they lose their grip. Coco fibre also is tremendous at holding moisture and seems to have an inherent anti fungal, anti mold and anti bacterial property. Other wise no substrate ensures no complications.

 

[chameleonneeds]

Hey, you should have atleast two sides and the top screen for ventilation.
I use FULL screen, sides, bottom and top.
And I live in South Africa Joburg and in Summer (rain season) we have no humidity maybe 10% when its raining.
So a solution would be to do mist ALOT.
And to have some live plants.

 

[FirstTimeChameleon]

The two peg-board sides are quite airy. I would imagine they have a similar ratio of open holes to material as mesh, since the holes are actually larger than the holes in any mesh. The top is all mesh, (about 2 foot by 2.25 foot aperture covered in screen). I'm replacing the back door eventually, with a piece of plexiglass (right now it's a piece of thick translucent plastic- the kind they use over window openings before they install the window, held in place with velcro). For added ventilability I may drill some holes in the plexiglass door before I attach it.

As for substrate, I have none. I bought some organic potting soil for the umbrella tree, but it's got those little white aireators in it. I'll be sifting that tonight to get the white things out, and re-potting the tree.

Like I say, my question was about lighting. The breeder got back to me and says that an 18inch tube would be insufficient, so I guess I gotta call every pet and hardware store in town to see if they carry 20W, 24 inch fixtures (damnit!)

 

[MutantHybrid]

FirstTimeChameleon,

In addition to the advice given by the more experienced members, you can make the enclosure natural looking with a bit of work. I have a potted pothos with several large sticks imbedded in the potting soil jutting out at different angles for the plant to grow up. Around the pot I placed large peices of driftwood and draped the long vines of the pothos on that to mask the pot. The key is to find a big enough plant that will provide cover around the pot base while also providing tall vines tied or draped over branches near heat and light sources at the top of the cage. When I look at the cage all I see is a big green leafy plant with a chameleon hiding in it.