Best Screen Material?
- Thread starter DkRhodes
- Start date
Red Bishop
New Member
There is a fiberglass mesh that you can get at a Lowes or Home Depot. I don't know if anyone uses it. The screen cages I have seen online all seem to use aluminum.
Brad Ramsey
Retired Moderator
I have fiberglass window screen on the enclosure I am using right now and it has worked out pretty well.
The only thing is crickets can chew through it, so if you free range feed you may have a problem.
There was also some debate about toxicity of the fiberglass if the finish on it wears off ...I think ....I'm not remembering as specifically as I need to about this. I have not had any issues.
-Brad
The only thing is crickets can chew through it, so if you free range feed you may have a problem.
There was also some debate about toxicity of the fiberglass if the finish on it wears off ...I think ....I'm not remembering as specifically as I need to about this. I have not had any issues.
-Brad
pohchunyee
Avid Member
i used the fiberglass window screen too and i ended up with adult cricket running around my apartment chirping as if they are having a concert. There are also aluminum window screen available, aluminum won't rust!
Marc10edora
Avid Member
never use spray paint. It is too toxic. I always use latex paint. ex. (house paint for walls) when the latex paint dries, it turns into plastic. It also works great for water proofing wood. I know there are some sites that sell plastic coated aluminum mesh. There is also a pet safe mesh at home depot. It was meant for dogs and cats. But it could work for chameleons. The only downfall is that it looks ugly because it is kind of thick.
Electric
New Member
I am going to try and find plastic screen once I build my new cage, on another forum a member's chameleon had lost a nail or two and the person realized it was because of the aluminum wearing them down slowly and from what I've read they either never come back or grow back extremely slowly so I've crossed out aluminum except for maybe the top to withstand the heat, but for my top I'll try and find something with bigger holes to let in more light and uvb.
If I can't find plastic I'll go with fiberglass and I'm not too worried about the 'glass particles' some speak of, if you sandwich the edges well between 2 pieces of wood or fold them over properly so no jagged ends are exposed to the animal, I think you'll be safe.
As for the crickets chewing through, I only put in as many as I know my chameleon will eat, IF there ever is any left over, it's only 1 or 2 or 3 at the most, and I always try to take them out, but if some do end up spending the night, they get eaten the next day. Plus my crickets are all pretty well fed before going into the cage, i'd expect they'd have to be pretty damn starving to try and chew through a screen... now I haven't owned a chameleon for long yet but in my experience I have never once seen a cricket on or around my chameleon when he's sleeping nor have I ever seen any sign of wear or hole in the mesh (not aluminum) of my current cage.
If I can't find plastic I'll go with fiberglass and I'm not too worried about the 'glass particles' some speak of, if you sandwich the edges well between 2 pieces of wood or fold them over properly so no jagged ends are exposed to the animal, I think you'll be safe.
As for the crickets chewing through, I only put in as many as I know my chameleon will eat, IF there ever is any left over, it's only 1 or 2 or 3 at the most, and I always try to take them out, but if some do end up spending the night, they get eaten the next day. Plus my crickets are all pretty well fed before going into the cage, i'd expect they'd have to be pretty damn starving to try and chew through a screen... now I haven't owned a chameleon for long yet but in my experience I have never once seen a cricket on or around my chameleon when he's sleeping nor have I ever seen any sign of wear or hole in the mesh (not aluminum) of my current cage.
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wow
New Member
i have a 1/4inch screen that is originaly made for wraping trees to protect aginst bucks rubbing them with theire antlers. it is just plastic with no wire in it but its thick scisors can barley cut it. i got it at lowes i dont know how large your cham is but if you stapple it tight(i also put a beed of silicone on the seems)larger roaches cant get out.
its cheaper than window screen
its cheaper than window screen
jesseesperto
New Member
I thought that fiberglass screen would melt if lights were to hot? I live close to the beach myself and there is nothing that wont eventually get ruined..
Chameleon Company
Avid Member
There's no perfect solution
DK,
With screen, every product has its plusses and minusses, many mentioned above. Aluminum screen is by far the most durable, but presents the nail-wear and nail-loss concerns mentioned once the chameleon is larger. With smaller chameleons, it is not a problem. If you use aluminum, you may look to also use a more appropriate climbing grid, possibly a large-whole plastic fence material, as an inner climbing grid. Note that if the holes in any climbing grid are just the right size for the chamleon to get stuck going through, it eventually will , possible with fatal results.
The 1/4" plastic screen, or plastic coated metal, is a good product, but crickets will go through it easily if there is not an outer barrier of finer screen. Fiberglass also allows easy jail-breaks of crickets as mentioned. It is also more prone to heat damage with improperly adjusted lighting.
When you mention rust on your screen, it reminded me of many of the "made in China" screen cages that were available a few years ago, which use an iron-alloy screen that was painted. Very short shelf-life's on them, due to corrosion of the screen. Good luck.
DK,
With screen, every product has its plusses and minusses, many mentioned above. Aluminum screen is by far the most durable, but presents the nail-wear and nail-loss concerns mentioned once the chameleon is larger. With smaller chameleons, it is not a problem. If you use aluminum, you may look to also use a more appropriate climbing grid, possibly a large-whole plastic fence material, as an inner climbing grid. Note that if the holes in any climbing grid are just the right size for the chamleon to get stuck going through, it eventually will , possible with fatal results.
The 1/4" plastic screen, or plastic coated metal, is a good product, but crickets will go through it easily if there is not an outer barrier of finer screen. Fiberglass also allows easy jail-breaks of crickets as mentioned. It is also more prone to heat damage with improperly adjusted lighting.
When you mention rust on your screen, it reminded me of many of the "made in China" screen cages that were available a few years ago, which use an iron-alloy screen that was painted. Very short shelf-life's on them, due to corrosion of the screen. Good luck.
Chameleon Company
Avid Member
Because it is metal. Just as if you took a piece of wood and rubbed it against the aluminum, it would be as sand paper, far more than a fiberglass or plastic screen. Another way to look at it is just to observe a large chameleon walking up screen. While small ones, with small claws, can run right up it, larger one appear to be walking with velcro on their feet. It is that same difficulty disengaging their claw tips that causes claws to be ripped out should they fall, either from losing their grip or an intentional fall or jump. Its not a condition they encounter in the wild, and as such is one they are poorly equipped for in captivity less we take steps to minimize its negative effects.
Heika
New Member
I have used a few different things, and I believe my favorite is still some heavy plastic mesh that I purchased from a company that makes products for Koi ponds. This isn't the company that I purchased it from.. they seem to have gone out of business:
http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/3139/cid/962
It is 1/8" mesh, which means that insects down to about house fly sized stay in the cage. Cages.net uses 1/8" coated aluminum mesh, which seems like the best of all worlds to me, but they have it specially made for their cages.
Here is one of the cages that has the plastic stuff on it. I did have to replace the screen on the top, because heat from the lamp warped the plastic over time, and it annoyed me. I replaced it with regular aluminum window screen.
No toe pinching here..
http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/3139/cid/962
It is 1/8" mesh, which means that insects down to about house fly sized stay in the cage. Cages.net uses 1/8" coated aluminum mesh, which seems like the best of all worlds to me, but they have it specially made for their cages.
Here is one of the cages that has the plastic stuff on it. I did have to replace the screen on the top, because heat from the lamp warped the plastic over time, and it annoyed me. I replaced it with regular aluminum window screen.
No toe pinching here..
