Chameleon Cage Lobby Set Up Suggestions

[Maximus Merlin]

I am setting up a Chameleon cage in the lobby area of my clinic, public waiting room. Anyone else done this before? How did you set it up so that children would not hurt the cage or the Chameleon? How did you make it safe for everyone who views it? Where did you store the feeders, avoiding watering leakage, etc.? I would love to see any pictures you have of what you have done and/or read any of your suggestions.

 

[nightanole]

Its been YEARS.

But the premise was:

glass, then an air gap, then screen (this keeps the filthy toe rubbers at bay, and keeps people from poking pens and other holes in the screen)
EVERYTHING including feeders, was in the hutch that the cage was on.
UVB bulb was in the front of the cage, firing 45 degrees down, so that people could not see the bulb. This also lights up the sides of the cham, which looks better than top down shadows.
same with basking light, angled away from viewers

Misting systems had not been invented at the time...


Lord have mercy if a male cricket gets loose, because no one in the office will... But hey we have dubia now



Mind you this was before "chameleon cages". So it was a 3ft long 6ft high wood cage that was 18" deep. the back and one side was stucco with several layers of water proof paint. The other 2 walls were screen, but then i added a 1" standoff that mounted a piece of plexi glass infront of the screen. the cage area was only 3.5ft, the bottom was a lockable cabinet that housed all the electronics, food, cleaning supplies. And it was on wheels incase maintenance had to move it.

 

[Maximus Merlin]

Thank you. Could you explain further, sounded like you had the case walls made of glass and then had air gaps in between the glass panels? Were you saying that you then put screen over the Air Gaps? I worry about people mess with the Chameleon if they could, pocking things in the cage that are long and skinny to touch the Chameleon or something.

I like you idea on the bulbs at a 45 degree angle, thank you!!

 

[Maximus Merlin]

Thank you. Could you explain further, sounded like you had the case walls made of glass and then had air gaps in between the glass panels? Were you saying that you then put screen over the Air Gaps? I worry about people mess with the Chameleon if they could, pocking things in the cage that are long and skinny to touch the Chameleon or something.

I like you idea on the bulbs at a 45 degree angle, thank you!!

I wonder if I need to just have the whole cage behind a glass window, like at the zoo, being vented in the opposing room? I want more ideas though, because this could be expensive.

 

[nightanole]

I wonder if I need to just have the whole cage behind a glass window, like at the zoo, being vented in the opposing room? I want more ideas though, because this could be expensive.

Technically you could just have a glass window installed on a wall, and have a reptibreeze xl butted right up against it in the adjacent room.

 

[Maximus Merlin]

Good idea!!

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

TBH, I wouldn't do this due to the increased stress levels and unpredictability.

I get an image of a chameleon that's never seen/always hiding, and huge faces of potential predators hunting for it.

Is there a staff member whose responsibility/job description includes policing the enclosure from the public?

JMO

 

[absolutbill]

I have to second the opinion to not do this. It's an unfair level of stress on the chameleon that is not needed. Also, you mention it's a clinic - is it a medical clinic? Are you planning on putting live plants in with it, if you do go through with this? I work in a hospital and we cannot have live plants due to the naturally occurring microbes in the soil, so I'm not sure if you have a similar restriction. I hate to beat down your plan, but honestly I just don't think it's a wise one. Perhaps a fish tank instead?

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Technically you could just have a glass window installed on a wall, and have a reptibreeze xl butted right up against it in the adjacent room.

Who's going to police the... naive banging on the glass? IME, signs have never stopped anyone; I see it happen every time I visit the dentist/eye doctor (they share a suite).

 

[Beman]

I would not do a chameleon. Maybe tree frogs would be better it would give you the same esthetic if your looking for the jungle tree idea. But for a Chameleon to have people constantly walking by, putting their face up to the cage, tapping, etc it might be a bit too much for them to handle.

Also have you ever had a chameleon? They are not the easiest to have. Environment has to be really spot on.

 

[nightanole]

Who's going to police the... naive banging on the glass? IME, signs have never stopped anyone; I see it happen every time I visit the dentist/eye doctor (they share a suite).

Im working under the assumption of decent human beings. When i set it up it was a very quiet office, and the "play area" was on the opposite side of the room. The place even had a full blown 100+ gallon salt water tank.

Yes i would not setup a chameleon in a "school" or other high volume area. But if your doctor buddy wants his cham at work, and runs a tight ship, well i got the woodworking skillz.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Im working under the assumption of decent human beings.

After being cooped up for nearly 2 years?
https://www.wbez.org/stories/teache...pandemic/271fa6b7-a12a-4cf3-89b3-07836acbfb52

 

[Casket_Case]

If you do it then maybe put it as high as possible to make the chameleon feel more secure. Any updates now?