aluminum versus nylon screen enclosures

[joshualoomis]

hey, guys. a while back i owned a beautiful male jackson's and kept him in a large nylon screen enclosure. i heard rumors of chameleons losing nails in aluminum screened enclosures and figured that was the way to go. now, as i consider a purchase of a male panther, i was wondering if anyone can give any input into this. do chameleons indeed lose nails in aluminum screens? is nylon the way to go? so many of the cages these days are aluminum screen, and i've also heard that nylon can allow for bacteria to grow and blocks more light than aluminum. thanks for the help, -josh.

 

[boj3434]

Some have trouble with it some dont I havent had anytrouble with it. Alot of people who worry about that use bigger pvc covered screen. I would worry alot about it to much.

 

[nick barta]

Plastic screen does not create a better place for bacteria.

It can increase UVB if the mesh is larger, and if smaller, reduce visability for you to view, and conversley, give the cham more security.

If you have a cham that climbs screen constantly, you can do claw damage, but my experience is that only my wild caught chams cruise the screen on a consistant basis.

Check out Metrscreenworks.com for some plastic mesh.

Nick

 

[BocaJan]

I use both kind and have no problems with my chams. It is the Zoo Med that has the rust issues with the screen and the hinges. I really like the mesh with the smaller animals.

 

[cambech]

I have use both as well and the only disadvantage i found to the nylon type was that they tended to not hold up to the heat lamps as well. After a year or so, my nylon cages would have holes where the lamps were. Other than that everything worked fine for keeping healthy chams.

 

[chamelisa]

hey, guys. a while back i owned a beautiful male jackson's and kept him in a large nylon screen enclosure. i heard rumors of chameleons losing nails in aluminum screened enclosures and figured that was the way to go. now, as i consider a purchase of a male panther, i was wondering if anyone can give any input into this. do chameleons indeed lose nails in aluminum screens? is nylon the way to go? so many of the cages these days are aluminum screen, and i've also heard that nylon can allow for bacteria to grow and blocks more light than aluminum. thanks for the help, -josh.

I use aluminum cages only and have not had a chameleon lose nails. But you have to provide a lot of climbing material for your chameleon to make it easier for him/her to get to where he/she wants to go without having to climb on the screen.

I have seen rescues come through with damage to their feet caused by improper housing in both screen and mesh cages. It's not the cage really, it's how the cage is set up.

Screen is very beneficial in that it keeps feeders in and is sturdy. Mesh filters too much UVB out so I don't recommend using them except for outdoor caging.

 

[SliK JiM]

I used both but prefer the aluminium. Never had any trouble with my cham losing a nail, but it can happen if they use the screen a lot. As said, just make sure there are plenty of wal ways and you'll be fine. I'm sure I heard someone say that crix/roaches can nibble through the nylon but it never happened to me thankfully.

 

[VeiledOwner87]

i am currently in the proccess of building a big enclosure. i will be running the 36" 5.0uvb with 36" 2.0's for extra light and to better the live plants i will have in there. im doing a very nice realistic enclosure and will actually be planting my plants. also i will have a full front screen vent on the door and the whole top will be screen aswell. would it be benificial to have aluminum screen on top instead?