Glass Window on screen enclosure?

Hey all!

I'm designing a new enclosure and I was wondering if there could be any harm from having a glass viewing window on the front of the enclosure? The window would take up a portion of the front and everything else would be screen. Would this pose ventilation problems? (The other sides would be all screen)

Thanks!

Graeme

no ventilation problem at all if the other 4 sides are screens.
but, your chameleon might freak out looking at his reflection though.

I use screen. Dodolah, I have a question. I'm building a cage and was wondering is wood with screen all around it is bad?

i've seen people do that.
just make sure you treat the wood i guess.
So, heavy misting won't make them moldy.

Mine got really stressed with glass. granted her cage was all glass, she only tended to take heed to one part of the tank and the glass. Stressed her out way too much...

you may want to think about it longer and then decide. would be a waste to put it in and then need to remove it.

well i don't think he's doing too badly with glass. The future inhabitant is currently in a all glass rearing enclosure…so i'll keep an eye out for it.

thanks for the advice

Graeme

Glass vs. screen cages.... the battle continues... I use both screen cages and 3 sides glass ( Euro ) cages and I have success with both. In my opinion one is as good as the other . Some opinions may differ....

chameleons are such characters that i'm sure it varies from animal to animal.

yea but you need to remember that animal dont "understand" glass.
its kinda like walking into a force field for us.
walk walk walk,BAM! what the! walk walk walk, BAM! ugh
not to mention they can see their reflection in it, and this can be a problem with males.

The issue is really understanding and successfully creating a habitat that best serves the animal.
To this end, great success has been had using all screen enclosures and a sort of "safe standard" has been established. It's easier for a new person to understand ... it's much easier to explain, and there are great commercially manufactured enclosures readily available.
The problem occurs when this practice becomes dogmatic. Like everything else, there is certainly more than one way to skin this cat, and you're going to have experienced keepers who have worked with glass enclosures or 3 solid side enclosures challenging the absolute all screen cage "rule".
Many of these people are chameleon pioneers and have had amazing successes with these animals. They paved the roads we walk today in this hobby.
This, in my opinion, is how we break it down:
Research what the animal needs and how others are housing their chameleons.
Think of the natural conditions and what kind of air circulation is happening up in the leaves of the trees. Consider that up there most of the day is actually quite dry. There are occasional showers, there is morning dew ... but it is not stuffy, it is not stagnant and it is not generally wet.
If the challenge of creating all that in the environment seems overwhelming, a screen enclosure is the way to go. For many, if not most, people it's the best solution .... but pause before you start preaching all screen dogma to a keeper who's experience level may be greater than your own.

-Brad

p.s. I use an all screen enclosure =)

Howdy,

Brad nicely summed-up most of my thoughts regarding the screen vs. solid sided enclosure debate. For me, it's a matter of what major environmental factor are you struggling to overcome. If you are battling extremely low humidity then more solid sides will help at the expense of fresher air and a few other factors. If you already have humidity under control then you can take advantage of a screened enclosure and gain the benefits of better air flow (without the need for fans), lighter weight for easier transportation, more surfaces for feeders to crawl on, less expensive, no broken glass dangers, more often available with a PVC bottom for drilling and drainage, no unsightly water spots )), and easy to disassemble (common commercial screen enclosures). Solid-sided (non-glass) enclosures do offer an advantage of isolating visual contact with other nearby enclosures without the need for adding visual barriers. If keeping the proper ambient temperature high enough is a struggle then more solid sides would be beneficial too.

If I couldn't keep the room humidity and ambient temperature where I wanted it, I would be looking at solid sided enclosures to assist in controlling those environmental factors. I have the luxury of good Southern California humidity and temperature ranges. Because of where I live, it doesn't take a huge effort on my part to maintain an indoor environment for the typical chameleon species. I'm puzzled with posts that talk about how hard it is to keep the room temperature within margin because of how cold it is where they live. I guess I'm spoiled with a whole-house central heating system with a thermostat . My overnight setting is 62F so that with no heat lamps at night, I'm still within the limits that I want for my chameleon room. It is a rare day that I have to use my $35 Costco humidifier. But if needed, it will easily keep the 10'x12' room from falling below 40%. If I do need it, I usually set it for 60%. On a typical day, without a humidifier, my chameleon room is usually around 60% while the rest of the house is at 50% and outside is at 40%. Even when the outside drops to 20%, I am still able to maintain 40%-50% in the chameleon room without a humidifier since the automated misted water evaporation keeps things pretty nice.

Whatever enclosure construction one chooses, there are trade-offs that need to be considered. Your choice will give you wider or narrower windows of margin for your husbandry efforts. Making an informed decision is best. Do your research .

if you have the skills..its best to have a half screen half plexi..meaning plexi front and plexi back..its stronger and easier to keep the temps correct..screen sides and top is plenty air..they have been doing that for years with great results..with parsons,veileds,panthers ect..the reason people don't like these enclosures is because they are too hard to come by..or build for that matter..the main reason people use all screen is its cheaper and easier to make then an elclosure with a plexi front and back.plexi does not reflect like glass.them reptariums are horrible.they destroy the uvb rays and you cant see through that stuff..my enclosure is a blue beast reptile screen cage with plexi front and back.but I live in philadelphia..and the temps are alittle herder to maintain here...

for me humidity is extremely hard. I live in Winnipeg which is literally the coldest city in the world. Humidity in my house in the winter is less that 10%. Heat is no problem...but it takes enormous efforts to keep my humidity up.

I have the frame constructed, i just need to finish up the doors. The window i'm talking about is around 2' X 2'.

i'll do a little more thinking. Thanks alot for all the input!

Graeme Shelton