Chameleon Cage Solid or Screen

[silas.edwin.johnson]

Hey guys, I'm getting a Carpet Chameleon in my room. I have a glass enclosure which is 36"x24"x18" with a screen top. I also have the option to replace one of the sides with screen instead of glass. Would you recommend doing that for airflow?

 

[VeiledMoodRing]

I have an all screen cage bc I live in Fl where the air is water lol. but if you live some where dry then it would probably be good to keep it as glass.

 

[kinyonga]

It will depend on where you live and wether you have air conditioning or not, etc

 

[silas.edwin.johnson]

I live in upstate New York (Geneseo) and I don't have, or have very low amounts of air conditioning.

 

[kinyonga]

I live in southern Ontario and for many many years used glass cages with screen lids and vents under the door.

Originally I used all glass cages (no vents) with screen lids. Back in the 80’s there were not really any other options. When they came out, I tried screen cages but they were a disaster for me. Later, they came out with the glass cages with screen lids and vents under the door. They worked the best for me. It’s easy to create a chimney effect for air flow in them.

 

[silas.edwin.johnson]

Yeah my cage only has the top screen, so i'm going to go ahead and add that screen side for some degree of a chimney effect

 

[kinyonga]

The screen side won’t really create a chimney effect but it will likely give more airflow. It will likely make it more difficult to keep the humidity up and the heat in.

 

[silas.edwin.johnson]

Ok, so there's no advantage to adding that screen side?

 

[GreystoneExotics]

I live in Alberta, Canada.

I ended up going with an all screen cage.
Now, I wished that I have gone with more of a hybrid that had a screen front, top and PVC on three sides & bottom.

 

[kinyonga]

It will depend on the climate in your house and area…so I can’t give you a definite answer.

 

[Andrew1283]

Go to 7:00 in this video:


You can get a PVC and screen enclosure from:
http://pmherps.com/cagenew.html

 

[LizardLurkin]

I live in Alberta, Canada.

I ended up going with an all screen cage.
Now, I wished that I have gone with more of a hybrid that had a screen front, top and PVC on three sides & bottom.

It's not going to make the screen cage anymore sturdy, but you can DIY it into a hybrid enclosure following this example!

 

[BleuSaphir]

You might want to look into this one too:
https://www.lllreptile.com/products/37790-biotope-terrarium-23-x-20-x-16

 

[Lucas00-]

Hey guys, I'm getting a Carpet Chameleon in my room. I have a glass enclosure which is 36"x24"x18" with a screen top. I also have the option to replace one of the sides with screen instead of glass. Would you recommend doing that for airflow?

Not sure where you live or the humidity requirements for a carpet chameleon. I opted for a Dragon Strand hybrid enclosure for my Veiled because I live in a desert in the mountains of Oregon. The summers here have an average humidity in the mid 30s so It helps me keep some of that moisture in there throughout the day. For air flow I have a pc fan on the top of the screen on top to pull air out and new air in thru the bottom for the chimney effect. When I did have a screen enclosure it was more of a hassle to maintain humidity levels

 

[Carlton]

It will depend on the climate in your house and area…so I can’t give you a definite answer.

It will. You won't really know how well either type of cage will work for your particular room until it's all set up. Just consider it will be easier to furnish, modify or enclose a screen cage to raise humidity than it will to open up a glass one for better airflow. Unless you have the expertise and tools to cut or modify glass panels. If this was me, I'd choose a screen cage and go from there.

 

[GrannyK]

I too live in Ny but my house gets very dry in the winter due to a pellet stove. I have my female carpet in a glass on 4 sides (vent holes in the front at door opening) and screen on top, she does fine. I have a small table top fan across the room a bit from it positioned at it just in case, not sure if it affects it or not but I’ve used it since her first winter. She’s in a bedroom at the opposite end of the house to the stove. The bio active bottom helps keep the humidity maintained around 50-60% daytime in the winter for me. This is my 2nd full year with her and I mist her morning and evening.