Making a Cage for Chameleon

[JuApPle]

Hi, i was wondering what type of cage should i make for my chameleon? should it be all wire screen. or should it be both wire screen and glass?

i have done so much research on chameleons. i know that they like and need a humid environment and air circulation, but when i asked this question on a chameleon forum site i got many answers...! i really do not know what to do really.

these are some of the most common answers i got:

"make it out of glass and screen, the chameleon needs air and humidity. the screen will bring in air while the glass provides humidity and vapor."

"make it out of screen only. the chameleon needs to be kept in an air circulating place."

"just buy an aquarium"

so what should i do i am so confused....!

this will be my first chameleon ever so this is why i ask. (please do not tell me how delicate of a reptile it is, and all of that stuff. i know i have done research A LOT and i have been waiting to get one for about 2 months and i think i am ready except for the cage part.)

Thanks in Adv.

[Dean]

Chameleon Forums It's a very informative site.

[jeffdart]

Depending on the chameleon. I got a veiled and they like a lot of air flow. I just built a new cage for mine and it is 4'h x 2'w x 2'd. I screened three side and put plexiglass on the back and half of one side. I just used vinyle window screen so its cricket proof. The plexiglass is to keep water in the cage when the misting system turns on.

[JuApPle]

Originally Posted by Dean

Chameleon Forums It's a very informative site.

yeah i asked the same question there :] and that is where i got a whole bunch of responses.

[JuApPle]

Originally Posted by jeffdart

Depending on the chameleon. I got a veiled and they like a lot of air flow. I just built a new cage for mine and it is 4'h x 2'w x 2'd. I screened three side and put plexiglass on the back and half of one side. I just used vinyle window screen so its cricket proof. The plexiglass is to keep water in the cage when the misting system turns on.

Thanks i am thinking of doing the same now :] yes that is the type of chameleon i bough. (for some reason i always forget to mention the chameleon specie). for the bottom of the cage did you just use wood? any kind in particular?

[jeffdart]

I covered half with plexi ant the other with screen. Then siliconed it to make excess water flow to the screen side and dump into a bin underneath. I raised the cage off the floor about six inches. I also put eggcrate ontop of the bottom of the cage to keep it sturdy for plants. I have a large hibiscus and phothos plant in there.

[jeffdart]

This is the beast that lives within!

[JuApPle]

your chameleon is gorgeous! wow! your cage is big too! nice plants. is the second picture moss? i was thinking of putting wood chips at the bottom of the cage i want to make but i hear it is not good to put anything down there! anyhow thanks for sharing!

[jeffdart]

Thanks, and yes thats sphagnum moss. I was trying to show the bottom where the water will drain. I use the moss because it absorbs excess water and adds to humidity.

[JuApPle]

ok this is probably a little bit of topic, but i rather ask it now than starting a whole new thread.

are house crickets safe for chameleons to eat?

[jeffdart]

Yes that is my main source of feeding. I also supplement wax worms on occasion. They can eat all sorts of insects. There are websites that sell feeder insects. What size is your chameleon? You also need calcium and vitamin supplements. I also get repti-safe to add to any water I mist with.

[JuApPle]

i do not have him yet, the breeder says he is 8 weeks old. we have tomato plants in our backyard garden, and they get annoying tomato hornworms, are they safe for chameleons to eat? i know they can eat hornworms but i am not so sure if i should feed it the ones from our garden since i read somewhere that the leaves on a tomato plant are poisonous correct me if im wrong though. by the way what is the calcium you recomend me buying. i am getting the chameleon this mon. and starting saturday i am going to buy all the supplies to have everything ready.

(i asked the breeder to hold the chameleon a little longer until i had everything ready)

[jeffdart]

Wow, 8 weeks its going to be tiny. Make sure you get plenty of pinhead crickets. Also I recomend getting some hydei fruit flies. They are larger flies which are flightless. There are many sponsors tha sell them here. Im not really to sure about tomatoe plants being poisonous. You wil want to wait until your cham is much bigger to feed hornworms. I think the ones grom the garden should be fine if no chemical fertilizers or pestisides are used. I use rep-cal and herptivite they sell it at petsmart. Also I wouldnt make the enclosure to big for the little cham. If to large for such a small chameleon it might be harder for it to find food. Also I wouldn't use any metal screen because it could damage there delicate tongues.

[porkchop48]

Originally Posted by jeffdart

Wow, 8 weeks its going to be tiny. Make sure you get plenty of pinhead crickets. Also I recomend getting some hydei fruit flies. They are larger flies which are flightless. There are many sponsors tha sell them here. Im not really to sure about tomatoe plants being poisonous. You wil want to wait until your cham is much bigger to feed hornworms. I think the ones grom the garden should be fine if no chemical fertilizers or pestisides are used. I use rep-cal and herptivite they sell it at petsmart. Also I wouldnt make the enclosure to big for the little cham. If to large for such a small chameleon it might be harder for it to find food. Also I wouldn't use any metal screen because it could damage there delicate tongues.

No the ones on your tomatoe plants are not fine to feed at all. If you are going to feed hornworms buy them on line.

8 weeks should be plenty big enough to take larger cricket thans pinheads and fruit flies are more than likely going to just annoy it at 8 weeks old.

[Jellyman]

Originally Posted by JuApPle

i do not have him yet, the breeder says he is 8 weeks old. we have tomato plants in our backyard garden, and they get annoying tomato hornworms, are they safe for chameleons to eat? i know they can eat hornworms but i am not so sure if i should feed it the ones from our garden since i read somewhere that the leaves on a tomato plant are poisonous correct me if im wrong though. by the way what is the calcium you recomend me buying. i am getting the chameleon this mon. and starting saturday i am going to buy all the supplies to have everything ready.

(i asked the breeder to hold the chameleon a little longer until i had everything ready)

The hornwoods on the tomato plants would not be safe to feed your chameleon. Tomato plants are in the night shade family and produce a toxin that is bad.

[Jellyman]

Originally Posted by jeffdart

Thanks, and yes thats sphagnum moss. I was trying to show the bottom where the water will drain. I use the moss because it absorbs excess water and adds to humidity.

The moss being damp will harbor bacteria and parasites. The crickets will venture down eat/drink from the moss picking up bacteria and such and then transfer it to the chameleon when eaten. I currently setup a system that does not allow water to the terrarium floor so I am using crushed walnut shell as a substrate. But if it did get wet, I would have to remove it.

[jeffdart]

I have used moss without a problem for well over 10 years. Also it is not saturated all the time.

[JuApPle]

thanks guys for the help:] i knew i read something about tomato plants being toxic to chameleons and other reptiles. so i cannot make the cage out of screen? the screen i am going to use is the type of screen used on home windows that keeps flies, mosquitos and other pest outside your home.

[JuApPle]

is this what i need?
Zoo Med Reptivite Reptile Vitamins at PETCO

or this?

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...ductId=2754048

[Jellyman]

Originally Posted by JuApPle

thanks guys for the help:] i knew i read something about tomato plants being toxic to chameleons and other reptiles. so i cannot make the cage out of screen? the screen i am going to use is the type of screen used on home windows that keeps flies, mosquitos and other pest outside your home.

I would recommend an aluminum screen. Crickets/grasshoppers can chew through the nylon or fiberglass screens. All of my enclosures have been screened 100%. Good air movement is more important then humidity as long as you have a good watering supply setup. Some people use misting systems others use drip systems. I personally like the drip system and my setup drips through a philodendron(probably spelled wrong) which mimics the natural behavior of them licking water off the leaves of the plant.

[Jellyman]

Originally Posted by JuApPle

is this what i need?
Zoo Med Reptivite Reptile Vitamins at PETCO

or this?

Calcium with Vitamins from Rep Cal - Reptile - PetSmart

I've always used the rep-cal calcium.

[JuApPle]

do they sell that type of screen at home depot? if so what should i look for? is it just called aluminum screen?

by the way i am going to buy the light today (the uvb light) the breeder told me to buy Repti Sun 5.0 UVB. i saw on the internet that they have 5.0 and also 50... is there a differ? and i also saw another one that says Basking Spot Light....what are they?

[Jellyman]

Originally Posted by JuApPle

do they sell that type of screen at home depot? if so what should i look for? is it just called aluminum screen?

by the way i am going to buy the light today (the uvb light) the breeder told me to buy Repti Sun 5.0 UVB. i saw on the internet that they have 5.0 and also 50... is there a differ? and i also saw another one that says Basking Spot Light....what are they?

It should be right next to the screen you were thinking about getting at Home Depot and labeled aluminum.

The repti sun 5.0 is a flourescent tube light. This is a must to have.

The basking light is typically just a reptile spotlight that range in wattage from 75 to 250 watts. Depending on how large your setup is, how far away from the basking site the bulb will be, and what your normal household temp is will determine how high a wattage you will need. Basically you need to buy a few different wattages and see what temp they raise the basking site to. The basking site temp will be different for different species of chameleons so you will have to research based on yur chameleon.

[JuApPle]

thanks :] alright so since petco and petsmart only sell the UVB lights in Cylinder so i need to purchase the thing where you put the cylinder fluorescent light. what is it called? we really do not use those around the house we only have 3 but they're house lights and they are about 4 times as big as the UVB ;]

[Jellyman]

A simple aquarium hood will work with the flourescent tube:

Aquarium Hoods - Aquarium Lighting and Fish Tank Lights from PETCO.com

[JuApPle]

thanks :] i was wondering what is the lowest temperature a chameleon can be in during the night....? a veiled chameleon, 9 weeks old to be exact.

[Jellyman]

Originally Posted by JuApPle

thanks :] i was wondering what is the lowest temperature a chameleon can be in during the night....? a veiled chameleon, 9 weeks old to be exact.

I do not know the requirements for veiled's. Probably a simple google search can get you the answer.

[JuApPle]

Is it bad for a chameleon to fall from the top of the cage to the bottom? my chameleon climbs all the way to the top and it gets upside down, it only fell once, so far. but i am worried he might do it again! my cage is 11 inches tall, made out of wood(the bottom), and the top is screen (aluminum screen) that is how he gets up there. anyhow will it harm him if he keep doing that? i have 3 plants but when he fell he landed on the wood, he turned brown right a way and went climbing up again, he turned back to green about 20 secs. later. what should i put on the bottom? should i put moss? soil?...

[jeffdart]

That is the main reason I put moss on the bottom of my cage. Just change it from time to time.