fluxlizard
Avid Member
I have lots of reptariums (mostly 175 gallon size)
The oldest have been in use for over 10 years.
I have had very few problems with the zipper. I hear a lot of worries about the zipper- I have had 4 zippers that I can recall failing over the years- one was bad right out of the package. 4 out of the number I have has not been bad at all (100+). Not sure why the zipper is a concern unless it is a concern from those who haven't really used them. If the zipper gets a little difficult to work- apply some vaseline to the zipper and it will get it working smooth as silk instantly.
Pros and cons-
Pros-
insects can't get in or out. Fireflies (which murdered my bearded dragons by seducing them with their appetizing looks and then poisoning them once they took a nibble in years long past) are my nemesis and are the primary reason I have gone with reptariums. I also like knowing my feeders are going to stay in the enclosure.
Zipper doors are nice for fast lizards like geckos- you can move the zippers around and only open as much of the door as you want, preventing fast lizards from escaping when going in to clean or feed or water. Normal doors open the whole door at once, so fast lizards can more easily make a break for it. For chameleons- doesn't make much difference.
Reptariums can be left outdoors all summer.
Reptariums are inexpensive.
Cons-
Reptariums won't stop crickets from chewing out eventually. Roaches stay in though.
Reptariums won't stop lizards with claws that like to dig at times from wearing through the material eventually (bearded dragons always want to mate and fight with the dragons "on the other side of the fence" and eventually wear reptarium covers out). My solution is to patch them- aluminum screening and fishing line, but if I had only a few cages I'd just buy replacement covers. I've never seen a chameleon wear a cover out. Because of chameleon feet they can't do the damage a bearded dragon (or water dragon or "normal" type lizard) can do.
Large sizes like the 175 do not have a particularly strong frame. Maybe not a problem for you. Was a problem when I wanted to stack them 3 high indoors for winter housing for bearded dragons. I "solved" the problem and saved money by making my own frames out of 1" pvc pipe (had to order the corners from the plumbing supply) and then buying replacement covers to put on my home-made frames. Was considerably cheaper when building large numbers, maybe not worth the bother for one cage. I needed a bunch more this summer and didn't want to bother making my own frames this time so I bought the whole kits when LLL was running a sale.
Furthermore, the manufacture doesn't seem very precise- many times the corners are too large for the tube sections of the frame, causing them to crack when put together. The cover provides enough support so that it usually doesn't matter. But that is still very annoying. After assembling my 175s this summer- sort of wish I had not been so lazy and had built my own frames. Rare indeed was the kit where the pipe didn't crack near one or more of the connecting pieces.
Reptariums don't have a strong bottom- I solved this one by making a bottom for the frame out of some sort of fiberglass or plastic (not sure what it is- probably fiberglass) panelling sold at home improvement centers for bathroom walls (see it all the time in fast food restaurants in the bathrooms). For chameleons I made frame tables outdoors with cross supports for the potted plants and left the reptarium floor screen, so the water just goes right out the bottom of the reptarium. Indoors I use corrugated roofing as table tops, allowing the pots to be held sturdily yet the misting system water to drain through the mesh and run down the roofing to catch tubs.
Reptariums don't have the greatest visibility- but then neither does screen. If I was keeping chameleons in my house (I have a building for my lizards) I would most likely custom make something with a glass front and screen sides, or better yet no front but still escape proof through clever design.
Really, that's about it. Haven't had a problem getting enough UV in through the mesh, or any other problems I can think about off the top of my head...
The oldest have been in use for over 10 years.
I have had very few problems with the zipper. I hear a lot of worries about the zipper- I have had 4 zippers that I can recall failing over the years- one was bad right out of the package. 4 out of the number I have has not been bad at all (100+). Not sure why the zipper is a concern unless it is a concern from those who haven't really used them. If the zipper gets a little difficult to work- apply some vaseline to the zipper and it will get it working smooth as silk instantly.
Pros and cons-
Pros-
insects can't get in or out. Fireflies (which murdered my bearded dragons by seducing them with their appetizing looks and then poisoning them once they took a nibble in years long past) are my nemesis and are the primary reason I have gone with reptariums. I also like knowing my feeders are going to stay in the enclosure.
Zipper doors are nice for fast lizards like geckos- you can move the zippers around and only open as much of the door as you want, preventing fast lizards from escaping when going in to clean or feed or water. Normal doors open the whole door at once, so fast lizards can more easily make a break for it. For chameleons- doesn't make much difference.
Reptariums can be left outdoors all summer.
Reptariums are inexpensive.
Cons-
Reptariums won't stop crickets from chewing out eventually. Roaches stay in though.
Reptariums won't stop lizards with claws that like to dig at times from wearing through the material eventually (bearded dragons always want to mate and fight with the dragons "on the other side of the fence" and eventually wear reptarium covers out). My solution is to patch them- aluminum screening and fishing line, but if I had only a few cages I'd just buy replacement covers. I've never seen a chameleon wear a cover out. Because of chameleon feet they can't do the damage a bearded dragon (or water dragon or "normal" type lizard) can do.
Large sizes like the 175 do not have a particularly strong frame. Maybe not a problem for you. Was a problem when I wanted to stack them 3 high indoors for winter housing for bearded dragons. I "solved" the problem and saved money by making my own frames out of 1" pvc pipe (had to order the corners from the plumbing supply) and then buying replacement covers to put on my home-made frames. Was considerably cheaper when building large numbers, maybe not worth the bother for one cage. I needed a bunch more this summer and didn't want to bother making my own frames this time so I bought the whole kits when LLL was running a sale.
Furthermore, the manufacture doesn't seem very precise- many times the corners are too large for the tube sections of the frame, causing them to crack when put together. The cover provides enough support so that it usually doesn't matter. But that is still very annoying. After assembling my 175s this summer- sort of wish I had not been so lazy and had built my own frames. Rare indeed was the kit where the pipe didn't crack near one or more of the connecting pieces.
Reptariums don't have a strong bottom- I solved this one by making a bottom for the frame out of some sort of fiberglass or plastic (not sure what it is- probably fiberglass) panelling sold at home improvement centers for bathroom walls (see it all the time in fast food restaurants in the bathrooms). For chameleons I made frame tables outdoors with cross supports for the potted plants and left the reptarium floor screen, so the water just goes right out the bottom of the reptarium. Indoors I use corrugated roofing as table tops, allowing the pots to be held sturdily yet the misting system water to drain through the mesh and run down the roofing to catch tubs.
Reptariums don't have the greatest visibility- but then neither does screen. If I was keeping chameleons in my house (I have a building for my lizards) I would most likely custom make something with a glass front and screen sides, or better yet no front but still escape proof through clever design.
Really, that's about it. Haven't had a problem getting enough UV in through the mesh, or any other problems I can think about off the top of my head...
