All of my cages have been built using standard black window screen. I'm having a custom cage built and would like to know any suggestions for screen material. I'd like something slightly bigger than window screen so I don't have to worry about nail's being pulled out of his feet but not so big that my feeders can get out. Any suggestions appreciated. David
Best screen to use?
- Thread starter dectr6
- Start date
danielle609
Established Member
Normal window screen is not the ideal material for chameleon cages. Their is a chance their nails could become stuck and then ripped out which can lead to infection. I have 2 cages; 1 I built myself and 1 ordered from LLL. The one from LLL has normal screen which house my female. She weighs less than my male which is why she is in that one. My homemade cage has a special screen on it called "pet screen" (I think??) It is an extra heavy duty vinyl screen, so it has flex and wont cause damage to their nails. This material may cause a couple problems though. 1) I am not sure how much heat it can take, so I put normal aluminum screen on the top of the cage, and 2) I am not sure wether or not crix can chew through it because I normally don't have many crix free roaming in his cage...he is lazy and prefers to be hand fed 
But I love the pet screen....It was also very easy to work with! I got it at Lowes so it is really easy to locate, and only a couple of bucks extra...worth it if you ask me...hope this helps!!
But I love the pet screen....It was also very easy to work with! I got it at Lowes so it is really easy to locate, and only a couple of bucks extra...worth it if you ask me...hope this helps!!
plop9025
Established Member
Go to Lowes or HomeDepot and get a small aluminum screen roll. should be less then 20 bucks and should be small enough so your crickets and other feeders cant get out. Or you can go with the bigger one like i did where crickets can get out but you just have to cupfeed your cham. Also you can get nylon screen but do not use nylon ontop of your cage. your lights will melt it. also nylon is able to be chewed by crickets. Hope this helps.
Nicodemayo
Avid Member
If the lights are melting your nylon screening the lights are too close. Ive used nylon screening on custom built cages and have maintained perfect temps without getting the lights close enough to melt it. I have also been on a search for screening that the crickets cant get out of but ive had no such luck. Since i didnt want to go with small screening, i went for the green plastic "chicken wire" for my cages. I think the green looks really good, especially when the cages are well planted and the holes are big enough to hook biovines and others sticks and branches on them. The screening isnt rough at all on your cham and the holes are big enough they can climb all over the place in there without being cut. Metal screening with larger holes will tear up your cham after awhile cause sometimes they'll stick their nose into the hole and the metal screening with scar the hell out of them over time. The feeders can get out so i cup feed them but alot of the times im chillin around the house i let the feeders go on the vines and the chams chase em down before they can escape. If you feed silkworms or superworms, big screening isnt a problem cause theyre too slow to escape anyway. Heres a pic of my cage.
I saw yours earlier and it's what started me to thinking about a different type of screen. I free range all my feeders and I vary their diet greatly. From crickets and grasshoppers to flies, maggots and all the other little worms. I'm really trying to get away from window screen due to the obvious problems. I've never lost a nail on a cham but I would imagine it's only a matter of time. Surely someone makes what we're looking for!! Thanks for the input
Well I found what we're looking for. This is 1/8" black coated mesh. Problem is the price. Way more than I am willing to pay. I've found many sources by googleing plastic coated hardware cloth. Hopefully we can find a cheaper version. This is $75 for 36" by 10 foot. http://www.twpinc.com/twpinc/control/category/~category_id=TWPCAT_4/~VIEW_SIZE=30/~VIEW_INDEX=2
Billyjack187
New Member
I posted pics of my enclosure I just made this past weekend in another post...I know its not easy to see as it was a 10 mp cam i had to water down the image to fit here. It is 1/4 inch galvanized steel mesh a.k.a. fine chicken wire. It is small enough to hold small chams but crix will escape. I cup feed so the remedy for the roamers would be staple some vinyl in strips around the bottom of the enclosure to keep them in. In my eyes this mesh is the perfect size, nails and snags are out of the question totally and crickets escaping isnt perfect but very manageable. Not to mention this stuff will not rust, I had my roll in my backyard for over two years not a bit of rust.
Nicodemayo
Avid Member
dectr that is metal mesh. Metal wire mesh is the worst way to go.
summoner12
Avid Member
Dave Weldon has a cage made with a plastic mesh. He told me That you can only get it through a certain cage maker. I think it was customcages.com or something. It ended up costing a lot of money.
mczoo
Avid Member
although i have not finished it yet i intend to buld a cage within a cage using nylon coated mesh from home depot 1/4" holes on inside it cost $10 for 2 x5 foot pieces and a second outer metal screen to keep feeders from running off the idea was to keep the chams feet away from the mesh while still allowing me to free range feeders. i thought it would be good outside to protect from small creatures and unwanted feeders as well. Plans are still only in my head though.......
Wouldn't the feeders get stuck between the inner and outer screens? Maybe I'm not understanding what you have in mind? I've found the perfect stuff at several sources online but it would cost at least $150 per cage just for the screen. Got to be another source for something similiar at a reasonable cost.
Dave Weldon
Avid Member
Howdy,
It's actually the same gage wire as the LLLReptile screen but woven at 1/8"x1/8" instead of 1/16"x1/16". It has some kind of epoxy or enamel coating on it. I've got photos on a post a few days ago. It is an optional, no extra charge, screen choice when selecting an enclosure from www.cages.net. I like the 2x2x4 enclosure that I bought from them. I've had it for several years. I paid extra to get the optional lower door added. Their enclosures are not the cheapest but they are the only ones with that exact type of screen that I like so much
.Thanks for the input but I'm building my own that will look more like a piece of furniture so I'm trying to buy the screen only. Looks like I may have to pay the high price to get it. Thanks again. DavidHowdy,
It's actually the same gage wire as the LLLReptile screen but woven at 1/8"x1/8" instead of 1/16"x1/16". It has some kind of epoxy or enamel coating on it. I've got photos on a post a few days ago. It is an optional, no extra charge, screen choice when selecting an enclosure from www.cages.net. I like the 2x2x4 enclosure that I bought from them. I've had it for several years. I paid extra to get the optional lower door added. Their enclosures are not the cheapest but they are the only ones with that exact type of screen that I like so much
Eric Adrignola
Avid Member
Screen is fin eif youre chameleon stays off of it. Kinda hard to predict. My 3 year old melleri has decided, out of the blue, that now he will cimb on the screen. He's gotta move now.
1/4" hardware cloth is an excelent material to use for building a cage, but horrible for chameleons. It's small enough that most crickets won't climb through it (they can, but generally do not), it very sturdy, and adds to the strength of the cage.
BUT, it will cut their feet up horribly. never had a problem with my veileds - their feet were never damaged. My deremensis, however, cut his up badly. it's not the tearing of the nails, like in screen. Their feet grip around a "square" of the mesh, themetal cuts into the feet right where their toe bundles bend. I had to wash his feet and apply antiseptic ointment to him, and he was fine. But it cut him up real bad. Did hurt him for a long time, but when he went into "mating mode", and started looking for conspecifics (what Ardi's doing now), he was all over the place, and no cage would contain him.
I managed to keep him in the cage without further problems simply by buying a female. just kept them next to each other and the roaming stopped.
1/4" hardware cloth is an excelent material to use for building a cage, but horrible for chameleons. It's small enough that most crickets won't climb through it (they can, but generally do not), it very sturdy, and adds to the strength of the cage.
BUT, it will cut their feet up horribly. never had a problem with my veileds - their feet were never damaged. My deremensis, however, cut his up badly. it's not the tearing of the nails, like in screen. Their feet grip around a "square" of the mesh, themetal cuts into the feet right where their toe bundles bend. I had to wash his feet and apply antiseptic ointment to him, and he was fine. But it cut him up real bad. Did hurt him for a long time, but when he went into "mating mode", and started looking for conspecifics (what Ardi's doing now), he was all over the place, and no cage would contain him.
I managed to keep him in the cage without further problems simply by buying a female. just kept them next to each other and the roaming stopped.
Eric Adrignola
Avid Member
http://www.martinscages.com
I dont' know if they sell the material, and if they do , it ain't cheap.
the material they use is ideal, but expensive.
I dont' know if they sell the material, and if they do , it ain't cheap.
the material they use is ideal, but expensive.
mczoo
Avid Member
my idea with the 2 screens if you could imagine a door made or 2x2's with 1/4' screen with vinyl wrap on inside and 1/16'" metal screen on outside feeders could go through but the chams feet would be safe. its still an idea in the works. i also am looking for better one layer screen ideas, where did you see it online??
PS i already built the cage with the 1/4" on inside but my one now deceased cham would not cup feed so i was looking for new ideas thus the double cage idea. my other cham is an agressive eater anywhere i put a cup or even before get the cup into the cage so she will be fine with my current cages when done without the larger screen
PS i already built the cage with the 1/4" on inside but my one now deceased cham would not cup feed so i was looking for new ideas thus the double cage idea. my other cham is an agressive eater anywhere i put a cup or even before get the cup into the cage so she will be fine with my current cages when done without the larger screen
