building a new cage: how tall?

[thechurro]

I am building the cage for my first chameleon, which will probably be a veiled. The footprint will be about 2' x 3' and I have most of the rest planned out, but I am not sure how tall to make it (was planning on 4'). I have a couple "trees" to put in for decorations, but the tall one is only climbable to just over 3' and the shorter is just under 3'. So is 4' too high / too far from basking spots?
Also does any one have any recommendations for lighting on this thing? The front and back will be solid but the two sides and top will be screen.
And my last question, has anyone ever used a honeysuckle vine in their setup or know if it is safe? I don't see them listed as either safe or toxic.
By the way, my name is Alex and thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Dave Weldon]

I am building the cage for my first chameleon, which will probably be a veiled.

...I have a couple "trees" to put in for decorations, but the tall one is only climbable to just over 3' and the shorter is just under 3'. So is 4' too high / too far from basking spots?

Also does any one have any recommendations for lighting on this thing?

The front and back will be solid but the two sides and top will be screen.

...has anyone ever used a honeysuckle vine in their setup...

Howdy Alex,

If your first chameleon is going to be an adult then this enclosure size will be fine. If you are getting a 3-4 month-old then you will want to use a much smaller enclosure until he grows-up. Think about something in the range of 16x16x24 as the max size for that age. You can buy a pre-made screen enclosure for $35-$50 in that size.

If your plants aren't tall enough to meet your needs then look at putting plant stands under them to raise them to the proper height. Don't forget to add somethng resembling vines for climbing and basking.

I'd suggest not making the front solid but use screen instead. Included in the list of reasons not to use clear glass/acrylic are potential tongue-strike injuries and reflection-caused stress.

Isn't Honeysuckle one of those sticky plants? Sticky is not a good thing around Chameleons .

 

[thechurro]

The cage will be the same size with the exception of how tall it will be. With the way I am setting it up I can not move the trees up any higher so my only option it to make the whole cage shorter. So my question remains, how far can my basking spot be from the light/heat source? And what kind of light should I use for my enclosure that has a 2'x3' footprint and will be 3'6" - 4' tall.

 

[a23cham]

if at least 5-6 months then 3' tall then 2' by 2'