Are full screen enclosures good for chameleons of the cristatus complex ?

[eisentrauti]

Hello,

I'm planning to make some new enclosures for my chameleons. Because I'm expecting to keep also some animals from the cristatus complex I'm not quite sure if the full screen enclosures are the best for them. They sure get a lot of water from drippers and a rain machine, but I think the humidity falls off to fast.
So are such enclosures good to keep animals from this complex (cristatus, montium, quadricornis or others) ? Does anyone has long term experience with this typ of enclosure

Best regards
Benny

 

[Chris Anderson]

Benny,

There are pros and cons to screen enclosures with these montane species. The good thing is that things do not stay wet and you are less likely to get upper respiratory or fungal infections. As you said, however, the humidity drops faster and you need to mist more times during the day. It is a trade off.

I have kept Ch. (T.) q. quadricornis, Ch. (T.) q. gracilior, Ch. (T.) w. wiedersheimi, Ch. (T.) w. perreti and Ch. (T.) montium in 100% screen enclosures and they did very well. When I kept them in 100% screen enclosures, they were misted twice a day from automatic mist systems for 30 minutes each time. I never tried to keep Ch. (T.) cristatus like this so I can't comment on how they would do.

I have also kept Ch. (T.) q. quadricornis, Ch. (T.) q. gracilior, Ch. (T.) w. perreti, Ch. (T.) montium and Ch. (T.) cristatus in cages that have sceen on the front and on the top and 3 solid plastic walls and a solid bottom with holes drilled in for drainage. When I kept them in these cages, they were misted twice a day from an automatic mist system for 20 minutes each time. These cages still have a lot of airflow and dry out fairly quickly, especially if you have air-conditioning in the room. I have not tried to keep Ch. (T.) w. wiedersheimi in this setup so I can't comment on how they would do.

My personal opinion is that stagnant air can be very dangerous, particularly for species with high water requirements. I have recently started keeping my Rh. (Rh.) spinosus in the exo-terra glass terrariums with screened tops and vents on the front under the glass doors and I am very pleased with this enclosure. I only mist once a day for about a minute and they are doing beautifully. I imagine that if you were able to make a similar cage of an appropriate size that these other species would also do well with less frequent misting. The key is making sure that the vents in the front are the correct size for the amount of misting the species requires so that the cage does not stay wet.

Chris

 

[neonate]

Are quadricornis prone to upper respiratory infections??

 

[Syn]

Neonate - it would seem likely, since they need more humidity and cooler temperatures, correct me if I am wrong?

 

[neonate]

Yeah ....sorry if that seemed dull, your right higher humid, lower temp im still learnin you know .

 

[eisentrauti]

Hi,

thanks for your answers. I balance between the two alternatives, which you, Chris mentioned.
First I planed some enclosures with full screen on the top and 20 cm in the front (complete measures 50x50x100cm) and plexiglass at the sides and the ones with the full screen. The most important thing in this plannings is the fact that the full screen ones are very cheap to build.
@ Chris: Did the animals live for longer than one year in those enclosures ?

Best regards
Benny

 

[Chris Anderson]

Benny,

I had each of those species in the 100% screen for over a year.

My cages with screen on the top and front are newer enclosures and I've not kept animals in them as long. I put all my Ch. (T.) quadricornis that had been living in the 100% screen cages in these enclosure and after keeping them in those cages for about 6 months, I sold them because I was getting ready to move and had to narrow down my collection. I have kept the Ch. (T.) montium in these cages for over a year but I have only kept the Ch. (T.) cristatus and Ch. (T.) w. perreti in those cages for >5 months now.

Chris

 

[eisentrauti]

Hi,

thanks, that's good to hear. So I could build such enclosures without a bad conscience.

Best regards
Benny

 

[neonate]

Benny,

I had each of those species in the 100% screen for over a year.

My cages with screen on the top and front are newer enclosures and I've not kept animals in them as long. I put all my Ch. (T.) quadricornis that had been living in the 100% screen cages in these enclosure and after keeping them in those cages for about 6 months, I sold them because I was getting ready to move and had to narrow down my collection. I have kept the Ch. (T.) montium in these cages for over a year but I have only kept the Ch. (T.) cristatus and Ch. (T.) w. perreti in those cages for >5 months now.

Chris

Chris , id love to learn a little about your quadricornis have you ever written anything about them??

P.S i hope you dont judge me over my argument with merumontinus i accept i was wrong and am willing to learn..

 

[Klemins]

I've also been considering moving my quadricornis to a similar enclosure type that Chris described (screen front and top). Chris, did you keep your K. Uthmoelleri in this type as well? I'm undecided as to whether or not I'd switch my pair over to the same design if I go through with the building. Thanks

 

[Scott85]

I was having issues with humidity dropping really fast in my screen enclosures during the winter months. I ended up covering 3 of the sides in plastic. I used the corrugated plastic that is used to make signs, like the house sale signs. It was really cheap, $20 for a 4'x8' sheet, and better yet it fits perfectly into the screen frame. All you have to do is cut it to size and add a few more of the screen clips like the latches for the door to ratain them.

 

[eisentrauti]

But that isn't cheap anymore when you build round 20 tanks

 

[neonate]

But that isn't cheap anymore when you build round 20 tanks

Cheaper than wood..

 

[eisentrauti]

No it isn't

 

[bosco]

I keep all my chameleons in all-screen cages, I think this is the best solution.
But you must considerer that I have a cool and humid reptile-room.
I kept in the past Cristatus too, now I have Pfefferi, Laterispinis and some Calummas in this cages without problems.

 

[Chris Anderson]

Dan - Yes, I kept my K. uthmoelleri in both 100% screen and then later in the 3-side solid enclosures and they did very well in both.

Scott - I also use corrugated plastic for the sides of my enclosures with 3 solid sides. Here is an article I made about those cages: http://www.chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=75

Neonate - I have not written anything up on my experience with Ch. (T.) quadricornis yet. I'd be happy to answer any specific questions you have about them. As far as the thread you speak of with Fabian, all I really have to say is he has a lot of experience with montane chameleon species and you can learn a lot from him. That thread was not a good example on your part of how to win friends or influence people and Fabian was absolutely correct in his posts.

Chris