Why screen cages with blocked sides?

[artkeeton]

I guess I'm just a little confused. We spend all this time discussing how the chams need to be kept in screen cages for ventilation. We then try to figure out ways to raise the humidity and keep the mist from spraying all over the room. We solve both of those problems by blocking 3 sides of the screen cage with plastic. I see a multitude of set-ups where several cages are side by side, I assume with a visual screen between so the chams can't see each other, also blocking the screen on at least two sides.

So my question, is a screen cage really the best alternative to get what is required? Does it not make better sense to use a solid surface (glass, acrylic, etc) on three sides with a screen in front? And if that is viable, then why not a solid surface door as well for better viewing? In this case there would need to be a large screened vent near the bottom. The cage would act like a chimney with the warmer air exiting the top, drawing in fresh air thru the lower vent.

So ideally the question is, if you could have it all in the construction of an enclosure, what would that be?

 

[BKFritz]

Good question!! I've kind of wondered about this too. I hope there are some insightful answers!

If I had to guess (and I'm just a new guy, so it real is just a guess), I'd say it has something to do with having more options. If you have a solid surface, you can't really just swap it out for screen if the humidity is not properly fluctuating. You're just kind of stuck. If you have screen you can cover it or uncover it as needed. I know around where I live humidity skyrockets in the summer so it would be unnecessary to have the sides covered, but in the winter when it is lower I may need that extra coverage to help keep the enclosures humidity in check. However, I could be wrong.

 

[Olimpia]

You still have a lot of ventilation with the whole front and top open on a screen cage if you cover the back 3 sides, due to the chimney effect like you mentioned. You could definitely have an enclosure like any of the options you mentioned but for me and my situation screen cages still make more sense - They're light and easy to carry, I can move them outside during nice weather, drainage is super easy to customize, and they're reasonably priced. It just wouldn't work for me if I had a bunch of terrariums instead, and I wouldn't want to pay that much for panther- (or even Meller's-!) sized terrariums.

It's definitely true that a nice, solid glass enclosure would be beautiful in any living room to view your chameleon, and in a perfect world I would have a display-quality glass enclosure (with professional built-in drainage!) full of chameleons and tropical plants. But screen just makes much more practical sense for me personally, especially living in Florida where I try to take advantage of the weather when I can.

But terrariums definitely are the perfect solution for lots of people, exactly because they keep in humidity and temps but have the screen top and ventilation strips somewhere towards the bottom for air flow. Depends on which you prefer, but there are definitely good alternatives to screen out there if that's the direction you want to go in.

 

[Devokid]

Not all chameleons live in the same environment. When discussing which cage type is best, you must first identify the species of chameleon you are working with. Veileds, for example, only need ambient humidity of 30% or so. Jackson's, on the other hand, prefer it to be ~65 with peaks into 85+.

 

[Carlton]

You still have a lot of ventilation with the whole front and top open on a screen cage if you cover the back 3 sides, due to the chimney effect like you mentioned. You could definitely have an enclosure like any of the options you mentioned but for me and my situation screen cages still make more sense - They're light and easy to carry, I can move them outside during nice weather, drainage is super easy to customize, and they're reasonably priced. It just wouldn't work for me if I had a bunch of terrariums instead, and I wouldn't want to pay that much for panther- (or even Meller's-!) sized terrariums.

It's definitely true that a nice, solid glass enclosure would be beautiful in any living room to view your chameleon, and in a perfect world I would have a display-quality glass enclosure (with professional built-in drainage!) full of chameleons and tropical plants. But screen just makes much more practical sense for me personally, especially living in Florida where I try to take advantage of the weather when I can.

But terrariums definitely are the perfect solution for lots of people, exactly because they keep in humidity and temps but have the screen top and ventilation strips somewhere towards the bottom for air flow. Depends on which you prefer, but there are definitely good alternatives to screen out there if that's the direction you want to go in.

A screen cage with plastic wrapping is adjustable when conditions in the room change. A glass tank...not so much. Glass absorbs more heat from the lights during the day...thin plastic sheeting not so much. A plastic wrapped cage still has air exchange from top to bottom and from side to side unless you have taped the plastic down everywhere. The point is, when you cover a screen cage with plastic you are not anchoring the edges down completely; you want it to be "leaky".

 

[artkeeton]

Looks like I'll just need to play a bit and see what works for me, but I'm really liking the way the Euro's do this with mostly glass. Maybe I'll make one with replaceable sides so I can swap between screen and glass based on the need. Shouldn't be too hard since the screen trim and glass are about the same thickness.
I'll let you know as I work the project thru. I have found the first constraint, the cage must be at least 24" wide in order to use fluorescent lighting as there are no 18" uvb bulbs.

 

[Carlton]

Maybe I'll make one with replaceable sides so I can swap between screen and glass based on the need. Shouldn't be too hard since the screen trim and glass are about the same thickness.

I did something like this with a wooden framed mesh cage. I cut plexiglass panels that fit over all the mesh panels so I could add any or all as needed by season. The plexi was attached to the outside of the cage frame with storm window toggles screwed into the wood. Very simple and easy to do. I've used this cage for various species over about 15 years.

 

[artkeeton]

That sounds about what I had in mind

 

[Reyphox]

Veileds, for example, only need ambient humidity of 30% or so.

30% is pretty low for a Veiled isn't it? I know they can tolerate swings that low but for long periods it really is way too low.