heya guys im building a 4ft x 3ft x 2ft wooden enclosure for a young male panther.its going to have a hinged glass door.im worried about getting the ventilation right.im going to drill holes on both sides but im woried will it be enough for airflow??i'll be using a reptisun 5.0 and a 75watt infrared bulb.i'd appreciate some advice.
Cham airflow/ventilation
- Thread starter corkman08
- Start date
sandrachameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
Are the sides and back solid wood? If yes, You will definately need vents. I use pegboard on the back and sides, and I have found all those little holes to be quite adequate.
Dunnigan
New Member
Is it going to be screen at all? or wood on all sides with a glass front? and what about the top? UV can not pass through glass so the top NEEDS to be a screen of sorts. personally id make one with all screen walls and bottom. From what i have read on the forum there is no such thing as too much airflow but not enough can make for guy sick, which is never good
m1ndless
New Member
Leave the light on the outside of the enclosure, not inside.
You need more ventilation, your cham won't last long in the one you are planning to build, it needs at least 2 sides of screen.
You need to figure out something for drainage, at least place a tub to catch the water from a dripper.
You need more ventilation, your cham won't last long in the one you are planning to build, it needs at least 2 sides of screen.
You need to figure out something for drainage, at least place a tub to catch the water from a dripper.
Rocky
Established Member
i have seen many keepers (especially in the colder areas) keep animals in enclosures with no screen. There are many threads about them doing fine, you just need to make sure that you can get enough ventilation and keep temps/humidity at appropriate levels.
The all screen seems to be the american way to keep them. Others from across the pond claim to have great success with unscreened enclosures
The all screen seems to be the american way to keep them. Others from across the pond claim to have great success with unscreened enclosures
dodolah
Retired Moderator
here, look at how the chameleon hobbyists in Europe did it.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/glass-tank-14493/
Please do realize that with glass enclosure, you are adding a new concern that needed to be addressed to keep your chameleon healthy.
As long as you know about it and tackle it, you'll have no problem keeping them alive and well.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/glass-tank-14493/
Please do realize that with glass enclosure, you are adding a new concern that needed to be addressed to keep your chameleon healthy.
As long as you know about it and tackle it, you'll have no problem keeping them alive and well.
BocaJan
New Member
I would definately put screen on the top and put your UV and basking light on top of the screen. When you put it inside you will invariably run into trouble with your chams wanting to stroll on your light fixtures which could burn them. UV doesn't penetrate glass or plastic so you need screen on top.
i presume they sell pegboard here!!
ya i think i'll definately have to have a screen top.im going to keep the rest wood with a glass door.its always good to hear different ideas.dont worry, if i see it not best 4 the cham i wont hesitate in changing it immediately.i'll let ye know how i get on.cheers lads.
ya i think i'll definately have to have a screen top.im going to keep the rest wood with a glass door.its always good to hear different ideas.dont worry, if i see it not best 4 the cham i wont hesitate in changing it immediately.i'll let ye know how i get on.cheers lads.
chequepoint
New Member
I guess what I want to know is why? One of the greatest things about keeping chams is the screen cage IMO. Lightweight, easy to clean, easy to see the animal. You don't get any of that "reptile smell", you don't have the nightmare of trying to clean an aquarium. No mineral buildup on the glass, etc. The best part is they're cheap, and super easy to build if you're DIY inclined.
I think people are far too obsessed with the concepts of keeping other reptiles. It seems to me as long as your normal room temperature is above 60 all the time, there is no real problem, the heat lamp takes care of the rest.
My enclosures have 3 screen sides (Top, Side, and Door) and 3 plastic sides (Back, Side, and Floor). It works great. The only reason I use the plastic back is to protect my walls from misting, and the plastic side is a divider between two enclosures
I think people are far too obsessed with the concepts of keeping other reptiles. It seems to me as long as your normal room temperature is above 60 all the time, there is no real problem, the heat lamp takes care of the rest.
My enclosures have 3 screen sides (Top, Side, and Door) and 3 plastic sides (Back, Side, and Floor). It works great. The only reason I use the plastic back is to protect my walls from misting, and the plastic side is a divider between two enclosures
dodolah
Retired Moderator
i presume they sell pegboard here!!
you need at least 1 more screen side than just the top.
sandrachameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
I've used wire cages (like bird cages), screen cages, and wooden. It is easy to clean, I do not have water issues, it is easy to attach plants and branches to, it maintains excellent temp gradient and perfect humidity. My cages are big and heavy, but they are on felt feet above hardwood floors and even though I am a small weak person I shift the cages around easily if I need to. I get help on those rare occasions where I have to take a cage out of the cham room. (I have a separate cage for those extremely rare days I can take a cham outside). For me, and many others, wooden cages were and are the best. A great deal depends on where you live.
It is NOT important what you use, but rather that the proper conditions for the chameleon are maintained within.
I use a screen (big spaces) or coated wire top and keep the lights on the outside. There is no safe way, that I can imagine, to have a basking light on the inside, unless you are somehow enclosing the lamp AND fixture (they get hot too) in some kind of mesh? A metal hal lamp is also prone to busting if it gets wet, so again much safer/easier IMHO to use the screen top and place the bulbs above that.
corkman08 you'll VERY likely need vents on the back or sides, near the bottom. Also you may find plexiglass doors easier to work with (lighter - and you can drill holes easily)
cacoonkitty
New Member
i live in the u.k and all my chams are kept in wooden sided vivs with glass sliding front doors and i have jigsawed vents in the back and the sides and one in the roof to put my spot over i then put aluminuim mesh accross them and all my chams are just fine... infact my yeman male is the brightest veiled i have ever ever seen...he is soooo lovely and bright and never ever brown or dark in any way so hes not stressed ever!!!, just make sure that you provide a big enough enclosure for your cham and make it verticaly orientated with loads of climbing areas and plenty of cover for them to hide like a big washed and re potted ficcus tree with some extra branches to climbe on at the bottom and the top, i put the u.v inside and cover with a gard and the spot goes in a reflector on the outside on the vent in the roof shining down in one corner...or if you do put in inside the viv make sure u provide a specialized spot bulb mesh gard/cover and dont put the branches near it so he cant climbe on it , i have never had any problems with either of these methods just make sure you pay attention to detail so that you think of what could happen and do your best to rectify it . if i lived in the u.s i would for sure have my reps in the flovely resh air getting a nice natural enclosure but the u.k is somtimes too cold to put our chams outside so we must do our best. good luck u americans are sooooo lucky to have the weather to have outside enclosures!!! not fair!
u americans are sooooo lucky to have the weather to have outside enclosures!!! not fair!
chequepoint
New Member
I think its perfectly possible to intelligently design an enclosure for chameleons out of materials that aren't screen, though the reflectivity of glass is still an issue.
My only problem is that it inspires lazy americans to put their chameleons in fish tanks =)
My only problem is that it inspires lazy americans to put their chameleons in fish tanks =)
