Glass tank for short time?

[vladdimir26]

Hi guys Quick question!(sorry to be posting so many forums I wan to be so prepared ) So I am getting a veiled chameleon as many if you already know, and I was wondering if its ok to keep my veiled chameleon in a glass tank for a short amount of time? Maybe 2-3 weeks while I find the money to buy a mesh terrarium (which can be pretty pricy) I think the chameleon is very very young. Not recently born but maybe the size of 3 or 4 inches. I have everything else but this dang cage just threw me overboard! I have a glass tank that I used to have for my ball python. The top is mesh and it opens but the rest is glass. He is id say a baby or pre juvenile according to his tiny size . Please reply because i heard it's a big no no to use glass tanks so I am kind of worried. Thanks!

-Alejandro

 

[Olimpia]

In my honest opinion, I think for 2-3 weeks it would be fine for a young baby. When they're born most people keep them in a big plastic container so their food won't escape through the screen, since pin heads and such are so little.

The only thing you have to make sure of is that your temperature readings are accurate. You risk overheating the baby in a glass tank, but if you stay on top of the temps and adjust them as needed, I think for a couple weeks it could be fine.

How big is the tank?

 

[madden]

I kept my first veiled chameleon baby in a glass tank for a few months, I was just a kid and didn't have the access to all of the info readily available on their care now so I had no idea, he did fine for a while, but I was using a coconut husk substrate (not recommended) and it got pretty saturated from all the mistings and he ended up with a respiratory infection, so my vet recommended a screen cage and he got better taking baytril . So I wouldn't recommend it as a permanent home, but a couple weeks should be fine as long as you stay on top of the drainage issues...don't want him living in a swamp!

 

[KarmaChameleon1337]

Imo I just wouldn't get a cham if I didn't have a proper set up yet. I guess if you need it now it could work, but as already said you'll need drainage and good air flow. I've even seen someone use one of those things people raise butterflies in.

 

[Olimpia]

Imo I just wouldn't get a cham if I didn't have a proper set up yet. I guess if you need it now it could work, but as already said you'll need drainage and good air flow. I've even seen someone use one of those things people raise butterflies in.

This is actually a really good idea. Walmart sells butterfly keepers for like $15 and they would work well. You'd have to hang the lights above it somehow but it would work. That's something else to consider.

 

[madden]

I think you guys might be onto something for raising neonates haha, they're nice safe soft enclosures, and some even come with a coupon for caterpillars (feeders!) Lol

 

[KarmaChameleon1337]

actually

Pshhh.... as if I'm not a genius.

 

[fluxlizard]

You might find this thread from this past week interesting:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/vivarium-mesh-glass-71417/

You risk overheating the baby in a glass tank, but if you stay on top of the temps and adjust them as needed, I think for a couple weeks it could be fine.

I don't think so- people would be cooking anoles, day geckos, etc species too numerous to list that come from similar environments to chameleons in glass tanks instead of breeding them in there...

 

[KarmaChameleon1337]

Ya, for when I breed Karma I was planning on using one for them. Except I was gonna buy the kit for my lil' bro for xmas, then play it off after they are released how I should just recycle it.

 

[fluxlizard]

Walmart sells butterfly keepers for like $15 and they would work well.

This is a great idea. I use reptariums nowadays for babies, but small insects creep through the mesh (not a problem in my lizard building- big problem if I had them in my home).

 

[KarmaChameleon1337]

Someone give me a crown for my awesome butterfly keeper suggestions. I demand it to have little skulls and chameleons all over it.

 

[KarmaChameleon1337]

I think you can also buy the material for it easily, so you could make a larger version of a butterfly keeper.

 

[fluxlizard]

OP reptariums are pretty cheap. you might look into those.

If your budget is pushed by the enclosure, you might want to look very carefully into what it is going to cost to feed your new lizard...

 

[Olimpia]

You might find this thread from this past week interesting:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/vivarium-mesh-glass-71417/


You can add this point to my list of things that make little sense when arguing about these types of enclosures.

If this were valid- people would be cooking anoles, day geckos, etc species too numerous to list that come from similar environments to chameleons in glass tanks instead of breeding them in there...

I think it still holds true for all those other species, no? People like using the terrariums for geckos which have the extra air vents, which helps, but I have a day gecko in an aquarium tank and I still stay on top of her temps all the time. The reptile room warms up during the day, which is fine in the screen cages since I still have the AC moving air around, but my gecko is more susceptible to having her temps skyrocket. Where in the screen cages it may increase 3-5*F, the tank's basking spot can go from 85 to 98 during mid day, which is significant! So I have the lights on a timer that turns off her basking light for a couple hours during the warmest part of the day to compensate.

I'm guilty of saying what you quoted but in reference to aquariums, like in my case with the gecko. But in the ventilated terrarium type cages I see no problem whatsoever. I'd probably buy/make a few of the large glass cages for everyone because they look SO much nicer, but they're like $300-400 instead of a homemade screen one for $50 lol At this point in my life that's a tad bit much compared to the alternatives.

 

[coldbloodedAL]

I think it still holds true for all those other species, no? People like using the terrariums for geckos which have the extra air vents, which helps, but I have a day gecko in an aquarium tank and I still stay on top of her temps all the time. The reptile room warms up during the day, which is fine in the screen cages since I still have the AC moving air around, but my gecko is more susceptible to having her temps skyrocket. Where in the screen cages it may increase 3-5*F, the tank's basking spot can go from 85 to 98 during mid day, which is significant! So I have the lights on a timer that turns off her basking light for a couple hours during the warmest part of the day to compensate.

I'm guilty of saying what you quoted but in reference to aquariums, like in my case with the gecko. But in the ventilated terrarium type cages I see no problem whatsoever. I'd probably buy/make a few of the large glass cages for everyone because they look SO much nicer, but they're like $300-400 instead of a homemade screen one for $50 lol At this point in my life that's a tad bit much compared to the alternatives.

I bought a 18x24x36 glass viv that has two screen sides( which are now covered w/ acrylic) for less than half that cost. which is still close to twice as much for a screen cage that size, but i thought was very reasonable for a viv.

 

[fluxlizard]

I think it still holds true for all those other species, no? People like using the terrariums for geckos which have the extra air vents, which helps, but I have a day gecko in an aquarium tank and I still stay on top of her temps all the time.

Yes, I suppose it does, but it is kind of true in any environment without a stable temperature. I use screen enclosures and come April, I have to watch temps carefully in the lizard building just because there are so many enclosures and so many heat lamps some years and then outside temps are raising which makes the building heat up faster and hold heat longer. Temp swings can be really dramatic- 30 degrees up by the end of the day from the previous night.

In the average home though, temp swings are more moderate and stable and in such situations once decent temps are created, it really shouldn't effect a glass terrarium much.

I mean, I get what you are saying, and technically yes it is true, but using glass enclosures doesn't really equate to years of carefully walking a daily fine line of life and death by accidentally cooking the inhabitants. Temp swings of 10 degrees are unlikey to have much effect unless temps are already pushing the limit in there... My point really is that anyone who has kept an anole or baby iguana in a glass terrarium (or bearded dragon or snake or any other herp) will understand how minimal the risk of cooking an animal in a glass terrarium really is... The risk is the same whether it is a chameleon or any other lizard that uses a heat lamp, and there are zounds of uncooked thriving lizards kept in glass terraria for many many years. Same glass terraria, same heat lamps, same need for reasonable environment.

 

[eisentrauti]

@fluxlizard: good posts !

We are talking here about Chamaeleo calyptratus. Of course they can be housed 2-3 weeks in a standard terrarium, even in one of those with horrible ventilation. Why ? Because calyptratus are the leopard geckos of the chameleons.

The whole screen/glass thing seems to be only a problem in the USA. In Europe it isnt. It always depends on where the cages are, outside / inside, whats the humidity, whats the species, etc pp. There are no Right/Wrong rules.

It's one of the biggest problems here in this forum, that some people, most of them unexperienced, proclaiming here dogma that screen cages are always better than solutions made of glass or other materials.

 

[Olimpia]

No of course not, it's not a life and death struggle every day, you're right. But it is a little easier to overheat a tank than a screen cage, especially among new and inexperienced keepers that think they'll be OK without a proper thermometer to monitor temps with. As long as you have a thermometer and enough common sense to set-up the basking lamp so it's where it's supposed to be then sure, I agree it's fine.

I'm personally not a huge fan of aquariums though. At the very least for convenience reasons lol You have to come in from the top and move the lid with all the lights off to do anything, and cleaning a 55 gal tank is not easy alone. However, I love, love, love the glass cages with the swinging front doors and little ventilation strips. I think they're much nicer looking cages and do wonders for keeping in humidity with the benefit of being easier to access. But they're also a lot more money, unfortunately. So screen it is for me for the time being.

 

[vladdimir26]

@fluxlizard: good posts !



The whole screen/glass thing seems to be only a problem in the USA. In Europe it isnt. It always depends on where the cages are, outside / inside, whats the humidity, whats the species, etc pp. There are no Right/Wrong rules.


It is in New Hampshire, USA. It is right by the east coast and REALLY up in the north of USA. Basically Almost bordering canada if Maine wasn't next to us. Idk what the humidity levels or what ever it is up here. I just wanna keep my veiled 3 month old chameleon there for maybe 2-3 weeks? A month would be as longest I would keep him in there. I don't know if this will be a problem up here since I don't know the humidity levels and such. It is winter right now so the air can tend to be pretty dry. Our household temp is about 70 degrees so he is fine during the night with no lights on. Hopefully the info I gave you will help you guys determine if its fine to keep him in there for a month only. Thanks

-Alejandro

 

[Olimpia]

It is in New Hampshire, USA. It is right by the east coast and REALLY up in the north of USA. Basically Almost bordering canada if Maine wasn't next to us. Idk what the humidity levels or what ever it is up here. I just wanna keep my veiled 3 month old chameleon there for maybe 2-3 weeks? A month would be as longest I would keep him in there. I don't know if this will be a problem up here since I don't know the humidity levels and such. It is winter right now so the air can tend to be pretty dry. Our household temp is about 70 degrees so he is fine during the night with no lights on. Hopefully the info I gave you will help you guys determine if its fine to keep him in there for a month only. Thanks

-Alejandro

I recommend that you head over to Lowes (I like Lowes more for this stuff) Walmart, or Home Depot and find a little all-in-one digital thermometer/hydrometer for measuring all of this. I've gotten really accurate ones on sale for $4, but they usually run about $6-10, which isn't an extravagant amount. But having them is vital! I have a bunch of these from Lowe's: http://www.songbirdgarden.com/store/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=5647 I like this because the probe tells me the temp at the basking spot and the actual thermometer sits at the bottom of the cage, so it reads the ambient temp. So I know how warm the basking spot is and how warm the rest of the cage is as well.

Honestly, keeping him in a tank for a couple weeks will be fine, as long as it's a suitable size. But don't understate how important having something to read temps and humidity is. Otherwise you don't know if it's too dry in there, or too warm, or too cold, or too humid.