Cages: who has 'em and what's a fair price.

[jack frost]

okay I have visited several pet stores and my wife wants me to rescue at least three chams we have seen so far in very small tanks and with crappy clerks/owners. I have been investing time and money in setting up for a medium sized panther but for some unknown reason my cage has been driving around greater los angeles for the last 5 days. ( FedEx ground is not making a good impression on me. ) So since I have acquired multiple plants, ( hey get 'em while you can around here ) have set up for and received 1,000 meals ordered 1,000 supers with some silks and horns thrown in ( sale). I cleaned a 10 gallon tank out for chix ( yuck) which I am still studying on how to breed. I also can get my hands on most lights around here.
Therefore my questions are:
what are good size cages to have around?
what's a fair price?
where is a good place to get 'em?

 

[Justin Carl]

Cage size depends on the age, sex and species.
24x24x48-adult male pather and veiled
18x18x36-adult female pather and veiled
16x16x30-Juvenille

50-125$ for an aluminum body and screen cage is a good price.
it all depends on size.

lllreptile and Mike at Flchams.com(I bough one from him today, and it took about 5 mins. to put it together)

 

[questnjurny]

The only problem with "rescuing" them from the pet stores is that they will simply be replaced by more chams who have to live in crappy conditions in the store. Best way to get a store to stop carrying them is for them to not be able to sell them...no profit, they'll find other species to carry. And that is why I try not to go to pet stores that stock animals because I'd want to bring them all home! Plus I'm not a fan of supporting them.

Keep your eye on your local Buy/Sell/Trade paper, I've found a few retile supplies listed in ours.

 

[Will Hayward]

Rescuing chamleeons is not a solution. Educating keepers and caretakers is.

Good luck.

 

[LaserGecko]

"Rescues" that are really "purchases" only add to the problem.

Educate the shops on proper care and if they "know more than you about it", then let the damned things die on them. If it happens enough, they'll learn that losing money is a bad idea.

 

[jack frost]

Thanks for the cage info. I explained that "rescuing" these guys would only lead to their replacement by another one and might encourage the owner to "stock" up. She was extremely upset because one of the store was keeping 2 cockatiels and 3 parakeets in a 10 gallon tank. She is beginning to breeding cockatiels and bought one of the two. Needless to say the bird didn't have the strength to climb up and down the cage and is clearly weaker than the rest of the birds as it will walk places before flying.

 

[sharkey]

go to 'craigslist' and look under 'animals' in your city/area. you will find plenty of animals (including reptiles and cockatiels) in a short amount of time. this way you can help pets that need a new/loving/forever home and you don't contribute to the horrors of the pet trade at some of these irresponsible pet stores.

like others i try to stay away from pet stores that stock animals - it is so hard to resist. instead i like to visit our local spca when i feel the urge to rescue. there are also reptile rescues all over the us - admittedly they are hard to locate but they tend to do a fantastic job of caring for animals and have nominal adoption prices. since you are in the south you have a good chance of having one w/in driving distance. you could also try the colorado reptile humane society website. i've toured their facility in person and they are great!

 

[Chamele on]

Cage

Does anyone know the size of the Housing that i will need for my Veiled she is about 4 months old she is in a 19x12x12 and what size can i go up to with the cage that is still safe for her and can they cage be big now and this way i dont have to get another one at a later time

 

[JimNPHX]

Does anyone know the size of the Housing that i will need for my Veiled she is about 4 months old she is in a 19x12x12 and what size can i go up to with the cage that is still safe for her and can they cage be big now and this way i dont have to get another one at a later time

I got both of my Veileds at 5 months old and placed them in 24x24x36 cages. They adapted well to them and never had a problem with them not finding food. Although you could go up to a 48" high cage, I believe a 36" high will be fine through adulthood.

 

[Chamele on]

thank you for the info becuase I am gonna start building a new cage and i hear that they are not a fan of alot of movement in different enviroments so i was figureing starting it of in that size cage now she is not shy when it comes to geting food so i am not too woried about her eating habbit

 

[summoner12]

I got both of my Veileds at 5 months old and placed them in 24x24x36 cages. They adapted well to them and never had a problem with them not finding food. Although you could go up to a 48" high cage, I believe a 36" high will be fine through adulthood.

24x24x48 is about as small as I would go for an adult. I put my two male veileds into that size by age 5-6 months. It isn't THAT big. It is on the tall side for smaller/younger chams. The crickets make their way to the top of the cage for heat and become easy targets.


Edit: I am sorry. If the cage is for a female a 24x24x36 would be an ok size for an adult. a bit small.. but will work. Just remember you need to provide an egg laying area for her. I used a 5 gallon bucket with great success.

 

[xoiceox]

I have a reptarium 20 x 17 ish and it seems to be a great size for my baby right now!