Big boy enclosure dilemma

[MJKowal]

So here’s my story.

I currently have a male ambillobe chameleon that I have had for 3 months and is currently 6 months old, he has been raised in an exo-terra glass enclosure measured 18x18x24 and it’s time for his big boy enclosure .

I know a lot of people are against glass enclosures, and have seen people comment as harsh as “they will die if you don’t take them out of glass!”. Like I said, he has done very well in glass and I’ve had no issues to date. *knock on wood*

I am attending the expo this coming Sunday at Downsview Park and I am torn between keeping him in glass (18x36x36) or changing over to a mist king xlarge mesh cage (24x24x48).I currently live in an apartment building of which I do not control the heat so it can get very dry and I find that glass is better in that sense. I do have a humidifier in my apartment running on high 24/7 but even that only does so much.... I would need one in every room to really make a difference.

I know that summer is coming and that will help with the humidity, but I’m thinking long term... as soon as the fall hits and the heat kicks in...or even until summer arrives its dry and I’m worried about being able to keep the humidity up in his cage.

Sorry for the long rant... any knowledge and suggestions are appreciated!

Thank you!

 

[reptoman]

For a panther I don't think you will have issues keeping him in a mesh cage with a mist king. If it were a species like a quad or deremensis I would say that a glass enclosure might be beneficial for the extra humidity. If you setup your mistking to go off on regular intervals and make sure he stays well hydrated, you wont have any issues in my opinion. We are in Texas and it gets extremely dry in the winter and extremely hot in the summer and I keep all of our panthers in screen cages with visual barriers between and don't have issues with shedding or hydration. I hand mist twice daily and run a dripper for all of the panthers and keep a mist king on the montaines that we have.
An extra large screen cage is a fraction of the cost of a glass enclosure of the same size and your panther cham will appreciate the extra room. Hope this helps.