Aluminum mesh

[happy]

So using my Google-fu, i happened across a few images of chameleons toenails missing being blamed on aluminum screen used in diy cages. After seeing the images, it made me wonder about what other people are doing. I Did use the search, but was unable to locate if this topic has been covered before.

We have all used Aluminum screen when diy'ing an enclosure. I have always done enclosures with aluminum, and after time, the chameleons nails always seem to disappear. Currently, I have a veiled housed in a Reptibreze(18"x18"x36"). She climbs the sides of the enclosure as much as any other chameleon. This is my first store-bought enclosure, and while she has not been in the enclosure long enough to notice her nails disappearing, I am currently planning a much larger DIY enclosure. I have noticed that the screen in the Reptibreze enclosure is black, seems like the wire used is more fine, and does not otherwise hurt the chameleons toe nails.

Has anyone else noticed this? What have you done to combat this? Are there any places that sell the same type of screen material used in the store bought enclosures?

 

[kimbodini1]

I am new to chameleons but I had an Iguana for many years. Iguanas are notorious for losing their nails on wire mesh. Because of this people either used glass (which is the best option for heat) or a plastic mesh material. With this knowledge when I started building my chameleon enclosure I chose the fiberglass screen vs the aluminum only to find out that the crickets will chew through the fiberglass. Luckily I made all my screen sections of screen removable because I will have to replace it if I cannot contain the crickets in the feeder. Now I'm also wondering what would be the correct material to use.

 

[Montium]

The fine mesh that comes with most screen cages will remove nails on chams. I think it depends on how heavy the chams are before it starts to trap them. The only reason to have mesh that size is to keep small food in. If you are into DIY projects you can use vinyl coated hardware cloth 1/4 x 1/4" and that keeps in most large food items and doesn't allow the nails to get trapped.

 

[chamfriend1]

I built my own enclosures and used aluminum screen completely across the top and a small 6" strip across the bottom of the sides.. the main part of the sides are glass and have not had any issues with that at all... plenty of air circulation without the fear of insects getting loose in the house..
now he does (on occasion) go strolling along the top hanging upside down but haven't seen anything as far as missing nails... if having a "metal" screen is a concern.. there are a couple types of nylon screen material that can be used in place of the metal (which is what I believe is used in the store bought, mass produced enclosures).. cannot vouch for the strength of it as far as being ripped by the chams nails... or the longevity of it.. i.e. ... aluminum screen can be pulled tight and not loose the tension... however nylon stretches over time... which can/will cause there to be slack in them...
one thing I do know for sure is screen of any kind has a nasty habit of blocking a lot of the light, uv rays, and heat that is being produced from your lamps.. however 1/4" wire material (we call it weld wire here.. has 1/4X1/4 spaces) does not block out any of it... if the insects being fed are small enough they can fit through it is the only bad side I can see for this material....
so I suppose it all boils down to personal preference...