Cristatus Enclosure

[trioceros]

Hi ,


i´d like to show you my new cristatus enclosure.
It´s not finally ready but nearly ready.
it is 1m x 0.6m x 1.30m large and i´ll try to keep the chameleons as a pair.

Here are some pics off the viv and my crested chams.


p.s. some more plants are following ;-)


regards Patrick

 

[Sporkthedork]

Oh that's a cool looking chameleon. Never heard of them before.

 

[bigcappa]

Patrick thats an awesome viv, did you build it. Also sweet crested chams I've always liked those alot.

 

[Electric]

beautiful animals and enclosure

I must say I love how in Europe they do everything that's really "not recommended" in the north americana 'way' of keeping chameleons, yet their animals seem to be thriving just as much as ours...

If someone from canada/usa were to post a pic here of a euro style cage that's closed in like that, has any glass walls, has a planted bottom with substrate, uses metal halide/hqi lighting, they would just get so scolded it wouldn't even be funny

 

[Chris Anderson]

Patrick - Very nice enclosure and chams!

Electric - Thats not completely true. Ch. (T.) cristatus is a very different species of chameleon that in many ways should be kept somewhere between a pygmy chameleon and a true chameleon. Very dense, humid, relatively low to the ground enclosures are ideal for them. Further, European cage designs are very different and far superior to any of the glass enclosures used in the US. The ventilation techniques used are well designed for air flow throughout the enclosure and the enclosures are of sizes that are appropriate to these arboreal animals that require space. Here, we use fishtanks with little to no ventilation except a screen top and most are not of appropriate dimensions. Also, many Europeans use multiple solid sides and a glass front, not all sides glass. Most US keepers see glass and freak out but that's because they don't fundamentally understand what is wrong with the glass enclosures and how the European designs are different and how they circumvent those problems. Fortunately, these keepers in the US who see glass and go off are often correct, however, because they aren't looking at European-type enclosures with glass but rather the US-type glass enclosures.

Chris

 

[Electric]

I was aware that this species was a high humidity requiring one and understand that this type of cage is more or less 'required'. But, I also have seen many panther and veiled cages that are quite similar or pretty much the same in design, almost like it is a standard/typical way of building an enclosure.

I know they aren't all sides glass (notice I said "has any glass walls"). What I meant was that, here, pygmy cages aside, if anyone were to question or mention they wanted a piece of glass incorporated in their cage (ie the door for enhanced visibility) the automatic response by the vast majority would be negative. (as in glass= reflections, reflections= stress, stress= bad, unhealthy)

 

[trioceros]

Hi ,

i m glad that most of you like my chams and viv.

and, yes i build it by myself. it is a wood contruction with plastic laminated .

i think in a completely screened viv you ´ll get problems to keep the high required humedy. Thats also the reason why i use the brown walls.
I dont use HQI Lamps vor my crested because a friend who breaded them a few years ago, told me that HQi´s are to bright for crested chams and i wont see them very often.

i m also not sure yet , if i´ll use a glass oder screenfront , but i prefer a glasfront.
But i must say i like the screencages which are offered in the US.
And i also like to exchange experiences with keepers world wide.


At least,

i hope you all understand what i m writing, because my english could be better


Kind Regards
Patrick

 

[sandrachameleon]

Thats a great looking enclosure trioceros/Patrick
And you're quite right its much easier to control humidity in a cage with sides more solid than screen - so long as there is airflow/ventilation. Acrylic might be lighter and easier for the doors than glass, at least I found it so (but my carpentry /building skills are MINIMAL).