About to build my first Cage. For my first Cham.

Salty said:

I have never had a cham but I do have a saltwater reef tank. I reciently discovered chameleons about 2 weeks ago while trying to find a lizard for my son. He wound up with Geckos. I on the other hand, am going to get a sub adult male panther cham!!!
So, I am searching for ideas for my cage project. I do not know anyone with a cham and this is my first post on this site. I thought I'd run by you guys what I have so far and see what you think, if you don't mind... I am going to try attaching a pic that is the general shape and size of what I think would be good. But with some differances...

The actual cage portion is going to be about 4 and a half feet tall, 2 feet deep and 2 and a half or 3 feet wide.

1. Instead of wood, I think PVC 1x4's would be easier to keep clean and they should hold up better against the moisture.

2. To keep the humidity level I am thinking 2 foggers on timers will be good, I think 2 of them should run 4 nozzels at differant levels to get high, middle and bottom.

Was wondering if you thought that would be good and if so... what brand and size...

If you are already thinking about getting a misting system, the two foggers won't be necessary. You could buy a little dripper, they are like twelve bucks, and they will be a constant water source for your cham. Some foggers are know to cause URI's.

3. Also going to put a mister on a timer.... any preferance on mister brand and size??

The mistking system. Its supposed to be fantastic. I'm ordering one.

4. I'll get 2 of the 4 foot lights. 65 K. One for each side of the cage. I do not know what kind of lights to put on top, for the live tree or the cham.

You'll need a basic light to keep up heat, a household light works fine if your house isn't really cold. A UVB bulb will also be needed for the cham, a 5.0 reptisun coil is what a lot of people buy.

5. I am going to use black aluminum screen.

Make sure the gauge is big enough the cham can climb on it. Don't want him to fall.

6. The back wall is not going to be screen. It is going to be FRP Board. (Plastic sheet used for the wall in a shower) The reason for this is to keep moisture off my house wall that it will be sitting against. Excess moisture will fall into the collecting trey that will be mentioned in a second.

7. The bottom will also be screen so that moisture and waste can fall through.

8. Under the screen floor will be a compartment made of FRP board with a removeable plastic trey to easily remove the water and waste that fell.

9. Under that compartment will be another compartment where I will keep the mister and the foggers.

10. I will use one live tree in a pot in the center of the cage and a lot of fake vegitation and fake vines. I figure this will be easier to maintain and still have some of the benifits of live vegitation.

Make sure to put the plant in a different plot with organic soil. As well as covering the soil with rocks to prevent him from eating any of it and causing impaction.

11. I am also thinking about adding a waterfall, not sure at what level to put it... high, middle or lower....

Waterfalls are bad. They house bacteria and chams will not drink still water. They prefers droplets of water of their plants and other surfaces in the enclosure.

12. I will also have 3 or four sets of temp and humidity gauges in differant places so I can moniter and adjust differant areas for optimal climate control.

13. Just for fun I am thinking about adding a small black light to set off some of the fake flowers and It will probably make the cham look cool too.

14. I am also thinking about hanging a fake vine and vegitation from the celing above the cage. One end will be long enough to put into the cage when the door is open. This will give the cham kind of an expansion and he can hang out up by the celing some times.

15. I figure aquarium safe silicone should be good for finishing touches and cealing any cracks.


Are all of these ideas good ones? Is there anything you would do differantly or something that you would add to make it cooler?? Any input would be great.

I appriciate all constructive criticism and ideas. What would you do if you were building the cage you want.

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mychamtini112012 said:

Nope nope. Waterfalls are a big no no. Everyone wants a mistking. They are amazing. A variety of different plants. Ummm...I'm just putting a planters box on the bottom so I don't have to mess with the drainage and anything. Like put the plant in a different pot, a clean one that hasn't been touched with any of the pesticides or other chemicals that could of been in the other soil.

He looks good. I'm wanting to put a nosy faly in my cage for the first cham inside it.

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reptoman said:

If you are running enough volume of water often enough to make sure your cham is hydrated you are going to over water the plants in the planter. You really need a drainage plan for the extra water. JMO

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Salty said:

I have never had a cham but I do have a saltwater reef tank. I reciently discovered chameleons about 2 weeks ago while trying to find a lizard for my son. He wound up with Geckos. I on the other hand, am going to get a sub adult male panther cham!!!
So, I am searching for ideas for my cage project. I do not know anyone with a cham and this is my first post on this site. I thought I'd run by you guys what I have so far and see what you think, if you don't mind... I am going to try attaching a pic that is the general shape and size of what I think would be good. But with some differances...

The actual cage portion is going to be about 4 and a half feet tall, 2 feet deep and 2 and a half or 3 feet wide.
Perfect.
1. Instead of wood, I think PVC 1x4's would be easier to keep clean and they should hold up better against the moisture.
Yes this will work fine.
2. To keep the humidity level I am thinking 2 foggers on timers will be good, I think 2 of them should run 4 nozzels at differant levels to get high, middle and bottom.
Not needed.
Was wondering if you thought that would be good and if so... what brand and size...

3. Also going to put a mister on a timer.... any preferance on mister brand and size??
Mistking. The beginner system is fine, and can run up to 10 nozzles for when you get another chameleon. Yes youll be getting another, probably sooner than later.
4. I'll get 2 of the 4 foot lights. 65 K. One for each side of the cage. I do not know what kind of lights to put on top, for the live tree or the cham.
Do not put lighting on the sides. It is not needed, and will confuse the chameleon. Light should come from above like the sun. You will need a 75(ish)watt regular house bulb for basking, and a uvb bulb so the chameleon can process the calcium out of its blood, and turn it to bone. Lighting is very important, but simple. I recomend:
Homedepot has a 2' linear fixture, white in color, holds two T8 bulbs, and has a plastic cover on the front held by metal brackets on the end. These are $10ish dollars, and will hold your UVB, and a 6500 bulb. Simply remove and toss the plastic cover, and voila! You have a fixture with two metal brackets on each end, that fits the width/length of the cage. I use industrial strength velco to make sure they dont go anywhere. You do have to wire a plug to it however. I think I have an example pic, ill link it at the bottom. You can use whatever fixture you like though. Provided you use the right bulbs.
You will need a 5.0 UVB, preferably Reptisun, or Reptiglo. I also hear good things about Arcadia, but I havnt used them.
Any dome fixture can be used for the basking. They sell them at pet stores, and at walmart(like the kind for working on cars).
5. I am going to use black aluminum screen.
Just make sure its not the type that repels UVB. They sell some that do, and that is counter productive to what you want. It will say on the packaging if it does.
6. The back wall is not going to be screen. It is going to be FRP Board. (Plastic sheet used for the wall in a shower) The reason for this is to keep moisture off my house wall that it will be sitting against. Excess moisture will fall into the collecting trey that will be mentioned in a second.
Sounds good.
7. The bottom will also be screen so that moisture and waste can fall through.

8. Under the screen floor will be a compartment made of FRP board with a removeable plastic trey to easily remove the water and waste that fell.
Just make sure the bottom is sturdy enough to hold plants. Sounds good.
9. Under that compartment will be another compartment where I will keep the mister and the foggers.
Good deal. Mistking system is quite small(the pump is not as big around as a cd, and its about the length of your hand.) But a 5 gallon bucket is recomended as a resovior. I use a 2gallon bucket, but I have to refill it everyday.(thats for three nozzles, 2 chameleons)
10. I will use one live tree in a pot in the center of the cage and a lot of fake vegitation and fake vines. I figure this will be easier to maintain and still have some of the benifits of live vegitation.
I recomend a ficus, or hibiscus tree for the middle. I would also put a shefflera in with it, and add a pothos. Pothos is really great. Its cheap, hard to kill, and puts out lots of vines that can be routed anywhere. I hang on at the top of my cage.
11. I am also thinking about adding a waterfall, not sure at what level to put it... high, middle or lower....
Do not. The chameleon will drink from it, and poo in it. This causes issues as bacteria and nastyness builds up in them fast. They are just a health risk, and provide only minor visual effect. Definitely cancel this.
12. I will also have 3 or four sets of temp and humidity gauges in differant places so I can moniter and adjust differant areas for optimal climate control.
The more the merrier. Get an electric, dont waste money on the anologs.
13. Just for fun I am thinking about adding a small black light to set off some of the fake flowers and It will probably make the cham look cool too.
I dont think this is a good idea. Your goal should be to provide the most realistic enviroment for the animal. I wouldnt mind seeing what a chameleon looked like under a BL, but dont put this in as a cage feature.
14. I am also thinking about hanging a fake vine and vegitation from the celing above the cage. One end will be long enough to put into the cage when the door is open. This will give the cham kind of an expansion and he can hang out up by the celing some times.
You will need to run enough sticks/vines in the enclosure that the cham can get be in any area it wants to be. So, alot. Like I said above, I recomend pothos for this. I also recomend using branches/vines from outside. You can use fake and store bought to, but they are free from outside. The chameleon will need a basking area at the top especially, under its heat lamp.
15. I figure aquarium safe silicone should be good for finishing touches and cealing any cracks.
I believe so. Provided it is totally dry when the animal is introduced.

Are all of these ideas good ones? Is there anything you would do differantly or something that you would add to make it cooler?? Any input would be great.

I appriciate all constructive criticism and ideas. What would you do if you were building the cage you want.

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mychamtini112012 said:

Hmmm...you're the first person to say anything about that possibility. Everyone else said its a good idea. How do think would be the best way to drain a planters box.?

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Salty said:

I am thinking about buying this little guy, what do you think?? I think he is six months old..

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Salty said:

I use RODI water for my saltwater reef aquarium. Was wondering if it would be good to use the same water for everything envolving my cham??

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