Help selecting a Panther Cage

Looking to slowly start setting up a Panther Chameleon cage. I've been told the 24"x24"x48" tall should be good. Now, I see they come in nylon screen with plastic frame or aluminum screen with aluminum frame. The nylon cages seem to run a little wider.

I really like to aluminum cage, but somewhere I heard that the chameleons can break their nails on aluminum screen, is this really true?. Any idea which is better?

I posted the ones I've found. They're from the sponsors, so I assume it's ok to post the links:

Aluminum (I like the built quality of this one)
http://www.diycages.com/15201/15243.html

Nylon (this seems to flimsy to me)
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/865-175-gallon-basic-reptarium

The DYI cage is the one I recommend in my blog for new keepers. It's a nice cage and a good value. You can line the inside with the plastic chicken fencing and give him plenty of vines and branches to protect the nails.

jannb said:

The DYI cage is the one I recommend in my blog for new keepers. It's a nice cage and a good value. You can line the inside with the plastic chicken fencing and give him plenty of vines and branches to protect the nails.

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Oh yeah, I see you recommended them. Do you have to line it with the chicken fencing? Or is that just an extra precaution? I'd prefer not to block the view with more screen/fencing.

falconut said:

Oh yeah, I see you recommended them. Do you have to line it with the chicken fencing? Or is that just an extra precaution? I'd prefer not to block the view with more screen/fencing.

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No, you don't have to line it. If you use plenty of vines and branches he should be fine. You might like the cages that these guys build. They use a special screen on the front of the cage and you can barely tell it's there.
http://canvaschams.com/

They look nice too, just 1.5x the cost of the DIY for a slightly smaller cage. I'm still leaning towards the DIY cage at this point.

Now it looks like all these cages, just have a flat plastic removable bottom. If I have a mister spraying down, how do I handle the dripping water? Won't it just drip to the bottom then spill out the sides?

The DIY cage you posted looks exactly the same as mine, but mine is from NRS. My guy just loves it.

I used zip ties to hang plastic chain from the top, his hibiscus tree is in the middle and I have bamboo going around the tree that's supported by the chain. He has a couple of real plants near the top that need to fill out more, so there's also fake foliage as well. I found the chain easiest to decorate without poking holes all over the place.

Mine is lighter than I thought it would be, which was a nice surprise. The directions for putting it together weren't the best but it was easy to figure out. As mentioned, mine was from NRS though, so possibly different, although it looks exactly the same.

falconut said:

They look nice too, just 1.5x the cost of the DIY for a slightly smaller cage. I still leaning towards the DIY cage at this point.

No it looks like all these cages, just have a flat plastic removable bottom. If I have a mister spraying down, how do I handle the dripping water? Won't it just drip to the bottom then spill out the sides?

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You will need drainage for your cage. Youmshould find this thread helpful:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/drainage-systems-cages-get-creative-102038/

Thanks awesome thread about drainage.

I was thinking the DIY was the better choice, since they had free shipping and they looked like the same cage. But I've been reading reviews were people say they like their LLL cages better than the DIY. Neither was bad, just they liked the LLL better.

Mine will be in my family room, so it needs to look nice.

I've been searching and searching, but I think it's really just down to these:

DIYCages: http://www.diycages.com/15201/15243.html

LLLReptile: http://www.lllreptile.com/products/10309-24-x-24-x-48-inch-aluminum-screen-cage-5

I'm leaning towards the LLL model, based on some of the reviews stating they like them a little better and they say LLLreptile has great service.

Can anybody that has purchased either of these two please chime in with your thoughts about these cages?

I had 2 custom cages built by the guys at Canvas- my problem was I couldn't find a good base and I'm not too handy- for the smaller of the two I got a kitchen cart from Overstock.com for 129.99 (free shipping) and had Canvas fit the cage to order - I bought a Dragonstrand that I also love-which fit perfect in the cart, but wanted the sides screened so I could use it in the middle. I made the cart without the top & the drawers to hide my misting system The bigger cage they made double size to fit in a bigger "kitchen cart"

https://www.chameleonforums.com/theyre-finally-their-new-home-thanks-dragonstrand-canvas-130280/

http://canvaschams.com/chumleys-custom-cage-setup/

I like the decals that come with the cage- my first had the white bottom and stained even with quick clean ups.

pangeareptile.com has the lowest prices ive seen on reptibreeze cages, shiiping is fast and free if you order a certain $ amount. If you plan on having more than one cham the 4x2 cages take up alot of space. Or if you are a bit good with building things you can get the same amount of aluminum screen and aluminum framing from menards for a quarter of the price. Watch some videos on youtube how to make screen frames. then just add screws, hinges, a piece of poly plastic for the bottom and youve got a 75-100$ cage for 30$. besides the cost another benefit of building your own is that you can customize the size to fit any stand you may already have

I built my own using some nice wood. It is also much bigger than the typical size cages that you can get. My biggest is 72"x48"x48" and my guy loves it! If you are looking for something that looks really nice that you can put in your livening room, then I highly recommend that you build one of of wood. It looks much nicer than the metal, but it will take you some time and minimal wood working skills to build it.

I've considered a diy by me, but I've haven't mastered the finishing look. So, I'll probably just buy a nice finished cage. It would need to pass the wife's eyes and I doubt my cage build would.

I'm having trouble deciding on a cage. I know I'd like an aluminum cages, I just wish some of the sites had better photos. Here are the three I'm having trouble deciding between:

- Fortress Series Cage from Canvas Chameleons
- SC-4 Jumbo Size XXL from DIY Cages
- Aluminum Cage #5 from LLL Reptiles

All three look very similar, just appear to have little differences.

- Fortress: It looks well made, but it's only 24"x18"x44", much smaller than the others and it's $140 + shipping. Color looks brownish and the door appears to go all the way to the top of the cage. Door latches look plastic & has pull tabs for opening doors. Dislike - smaller size & plastic latches. Like - Door extending to top & tabs.

- SC-4: From the tiny photo, it appears well made and it's 24"x24"x48". The price is $95 (includes shipping). Color is brushed aluminum and the door appears to go all the way to the top of the cage. Has a handle and metal latches. Dislike - return policy is just for credit. Like - color, metal latches & handle and door extending to top.

- Aluminum Cage #5: Again, tiny photo on site. Appears well made and it's 24"x24"x48". Price is $100 + about $14 shipping. Comes in grey & black, but hearing color is not really grey. No handles, plastic latches and door doesn't extend to top. Very good reviews. Dislike - plastic latches, no handle, door doesn't extend to top. Like - Really good reviews.

As you can tell from my comments, I like the DIY Cages the best for options and looks. Oh, and it's cheapest. I'm just nervous about some of the review comments. Below are some of the comments, but might be from the older models and maybe they've improved on it:

- metal latches have broken
- screens may have kinks when delivered
- drill holes don't always line up
- door doesn't line up sometimes and is hard to open

These are definitely some items, I'd like not to happen, so I'm concerned with it. Could anybody that has one of these DIY Cages (not built yourself, but from them, ha ha) can you please tell me if these are real problems with them. Good photos of your DIY cage would be awesome too. Thanks, in advance.