Critique my outdoor enclosure

It sucks, 0/10. :p


In all seriousness my only concern is your wild life id personally try and reduce the size of the holes and change the screen to metal. Along with taking measures to discourage burrowing.

Ive seen rats pull some amazing shite. With horrifying results.

Also I dont know if you taken measures to prevent animals tunneling into the enclosure as well.

As for plant cover depends on how confident your cham feels.

Raccoons I dint know if you have them around, but if so I'd redouble existing security measures, they are nightmares to repel.
No lie, there are stories of rats chewing through concrete row home basements in Baltimore city. Rats are my biggest fear, followed by snakes, then foxes and raccoons. All of them can tunnel under or tear through a weak run. I don’t think that chameleons give off quite the scent the chickens and livestock do… So maybe they’re less likely to attract them.

No name is lucky to have a keeper like you and an outdoor enclosure like that! Can’t believe the temperature difference with us being only a few hours away from each other. We’ve had a heat wave here in the 90s for the past few weeks. The humidity makes it feel like well over 100 lately. Fresh mountain air!
 
It sucks, 0/10. :p


In all seriousness my only concern is your wild life id personally try and reduce the size of the holes and change the screen to metal. Along with taking measures to discourage burrowing.

Ive seen rats pull some amazing shite. With horrifying results.

Also I dont know if you taken measures to prevent animals tunneling into the enclosure as well.

As for plant cover depends on how confident your cham feels.

Raccoons I dont know if you have them around, but if so I'd redouble existing security measures, they are nightmares to repel.
Lol thanks! That's steel hardware cloth, just plastic coated. It covers the bottom against anything burrowing too. We have loads of raccoons, they live right next to the cage heh, but they can't get in and have no interest in it. Rats are a real concern though! For plants I think for the time being I'll try to get 2 larger hanging baskets, but he doesn't seem to care much other than always trying to get to the bush on the other side of the screen.
No lie, there are stories of rats chewing through concrete row home basements in Baltimore city. Rats are my biggest fear, followed by snakes, then foxes and raccoons. All of them can tunnel under or tear through a weak run. I don’t think that chameleons give off quite the scent the chickens and livestock do… So maybe they’re less likely to attract them.

No name is lucky to have a keeper like you and an outdoor enclosure like that! Can’t believe the temperature difference with us being only a few hours away from each other. We’ve had a heat wave here in the 90s for the past few weeks. The humidity makes it feel like well over 100 lately. Fresh mountain air!
Oh I don't doubt it about rats. Don't think I've seen a fox lol, but I think the larger animals(besides people) are blocked off pretty well. Didn't consider snakes much either...

Pittsburgh has been pretty hot, few days ago it was a humid 95. Thing is, over here in the woods it's usually like 5-10 degrees cooler than out in the open. Our humidity is much higher though, like ridiculously high. We currently have a carpenter ant problem to deal with because of it😭

Thanks natalie!
 
If it is, then why are rats a problem? Unless you guys have some “secret-of-the-ooze” rats in PA. If raccoons can’t force their way in, then rats shouldn’t be able to.
 
Ok, I think I see what you’re concerned about: though the rats can’t chew through the hardware cloth, the hardware cloth is strapped to the frame with zip ties, and rats might chew through that. Am I right here?

If so, there are a few things I can think of to mitigate the risk:

1) there are zip ties that have metal embedded in the straps; no idea of the cost, but that might help.

2) order a bottle of some novelty hot sauce like “last dab” from the hot ones, or anything 1,000,000 scoville or above. Paint the outside of the zip ties with it. I have yet to see a mammal this doesn’t work on.

3) Use self-tapping screws with washers to attach the hardware cloth to the pvc every few feet.
4) use a plastic welder (basically a heat gun with a focused nozzle) to heat the pvc and hardware cloth up enough to actually embed the mesh into the pipe.
5) if the hardware cloth is pvc coated, and the frame you’re attaching it to is also pvc, then use a pvc glue to solvent weld the hardware cloth to the frame. (Obviously take the Cadillac out until the stuff off-gasses).
6) get a very smart dog, train it not to harm the Cham, but to protect the enclosure from vermin. 🤪
 
Ok, I think I see what you’re concerned about: though the rats can’t chew through the hardware cloth, the hardware cloth is strapped to the frame with zip ties, and rats might chew through that. Am I right here?

If so, there are a few things I can think of to mitigate the risk:

1) there are zip ties that have metal embedded in the straps; no idea of the cost, but that might help.

2) order a bottle of some novelty hot sauce like “last dab” from the hot ones, or anything 1,000,000 scoville or above. Paint the outside of the zip ties with it. I have yet to see a mammal this doesn’t work on.

3) Use self-tapping screws with washers to attach the hardware cloth to the pvc every few feet.
4) use a plastic welder (basically a heat gun with a focused nozzle) to heat the pvc and hardware cloth up enough to actually embed the mesh into the pipe.
5) if the hardware cloth is pvc coated, and the frame you’re attaching it to is also pvc, then use a pvc glue to solvent weld the hardware cloth to the frame. (Obviously take the Cadillac out until the stuff off-gasses).
6) get a very smart dog, train it not to harm the Cham, but to protect the enclosure from vermin. 🤪
I have hundreds of zipties, the rat would have to chew a ton of them off to move the screen haha. Good ideas though! Thanks

Does the hot sauce come off with the rain???

And yup steel cloth.

I'm mostly concerned with the rats either chewing through the screen itself or squeezing through the ~1" gap at the bottom of the door.
 
Hey, I'd add Benjamin ficus, they thrive outdoors, chams absolutely love them, its hardy and safe for chams. I also keep hibiscus inside mine, they love tall plants to chill in. I tied into my house waterline with a filter and timer for misting, keeps heat down n plants happy first pic is how I first had them but then changed to sturdier cages with metal wiring. As long as they have enough sticks they seem to stay off the mesh, it doesn't heat up. I live in so cali.
 

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