Greenhouse help

[joshuadh2310]

So i posted about my mold problem and how it happened and stuff and its going to cost a lot more than what originally quoted. this being said i can't have this problem ever happen again and being in a rented house this also causes problems. so with that being said i can no longer keep my chams in my house. i am planning on keeping them in cages on my screen back porch until i can get a greenhouse setup for them. with this being said what are some greenhouse ideas you guys have. i am looking to buy one that i can assemble together that would be good enough to hold my males OE parsons and my female panther. obviously they would be separated and not see each other i even think she will be inside her new 2x2x4 cage inside the greenhouse but i have never done this so i will be doing research and wanted to hear from you guys about this and i really want to hear from you guys who keep them in greenhouses.

 

[joshuadh2310]

So i posted about my mold problem and how it happened and stuff and its going to cost a lot more than what originally quoted. this being said i can't have this problem ever happen again and being in a rented house this also causes problems. so with that being said i can no longer keep my chams in my house. i am planning on keeping them in cages on my screen back porch until i can get a greenhouse setup for them. with this being said what are some greenhouse ideas you guys have. i am looking to buy one that i can assemble together that would be good enough to hold my males OE parsons and my female panther. obviously they would be separated and not see each other i even think she will be inside her new 2x2x4 cage inside the greenhouse but i have never done this so i will be doing research and wanted to hear from you guys about this and i really want to hear from you guys who keep them in greenhouses.

@jpowell86 @Action Jackson you guys have chams in greenhouses right?

 

[opheliaeatsbugs]

Well, that mold solved your wet carpet issue haha probably a poorly-timed joke, I'm sorry that happened, how frustrating. It seems, in my experience, by the time you solve one issue, another one takes its place

So I have absolutely no experience with a greenhouse of any kind. However, I posted about my new garden (making reference to it being O's new laying bin) and someone commented that it was a great start to a chameleon greenhouse. How much space do you have for a build?

 

[joshuadh2310]

Well, that mold solved your wet carpet issue haha probably a poorly-timed joke, I'm sorry that happened, how frustrating. It seems, in my experience, by the time you solve one issue, another one takes its place

So I have absolutely no experience with a greenhouse of any kind. However, I posted about my new garden (making reference to it being O's new laying bin) and someone commented that it was a great start to a chameleon greenhouse. How much space do you have for a build?

Yeah it's sucks cause I liked having my guys close to me inside but sadly I can't have the chance of another close to $1000 mistake. My house is a Wreck right now with everything out of that room and not to mention the hassle it was to try and setup my chams to have mist and lights somewhere in the house wich is my bathroom and kitchen haha. Also Apollo is once his first cage and I don't like it

As for space I have tons of space for a greenhouse i just want to do it perfect if I'm going to do a project this big. They will be in their cages for another 2 weeks and then they will be placed outside on my porch and Apollo should be back on his free range out there with my girl moving into her new big cage wich he is in right now. My porch is screened in and my yard is fenced in ontop of my girl being in a cage and apollos free range will be screened in as well out there so they will have triple protection . Only really have to worry about other lizards and snakes as iv never seen anything but that in my yard. But I have a lot of questions on the greenhouse. I live in north Florida so we see high temps coming up

 

[opheliaeatsbugs]

Ugh, I can only imagine this thread has a lot of info on greenhouses that might be helpful...
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/greenhouses.35607/

I'm sure someone will pop in with what they do... good luck

 

[jajeanpierre]

Heat build up is going to be a problem. You will likely need an air conditioner.

It really is not hard to house chameleons indoors; you just have to properly plan for it. Carpeting and chameleons just don't go together. Free ranges and misting systems especially don't go together inside a house over carpet. I think I mentioned that to you when you first set up your housing.

Why don't you use a washing machine or water heater drain pan under the cages? You can buy them from Home Depot for about $30.

A properly appointed green house will be pretty expensive and will be very difficult to get right especially when you have any experience with them and limited experience with the chameleons that will be going inside. Parsons want it pretty cool.

 

[jpowell86]

@jpowell86 @Action Jackson you guys have chams in greenhouses right?

I do. I didn't use a kit. I built mine custom. It is easier that way for me and I like to design the shape myself. I used Tuftex corrugated polycarbonate panels. Controlling the temps is the biggest concern in the design. I have shatex cloth over my greenhouse as well as an air conditioner. This poses problem as the cool air decreases humidity. So you have to make sure and combat this properly. It is daunting at first to get your numbers correct and being able to adjust quickly depending on outside conditions, but once you get everything synched, it is really easy.

 

[joshuadh2310]

Heat build up is going to be a problem. You will likely need an air conditioner.

It really is not hard to house chameleons indoors; you just have to properly plan for it. Carpeting and chameleons just don't go together. Free ranges and misting systems especially don't go together inside a house over carpet. I think I mentioned that to you when you first set up your housing.

Why don't you use a washing machine or water heater drain pan under the cages? You can buy them from Home Depot for about $30.

A properly appointed green house will be pretty expensive and will be very difficult to get right especially when you have any experience with them and limited experience with the chameleons that will be going inside. Parsons want it pretty cool.

I had 3 of those pans built into a drainage system and they worked great that wasn't the problem. the problem was i had a leak in a tube from my water bucket to mister that i didnt catch cause it was tucked away. but i am well aware of the costs of a greenhouse and there will be much reading done before diving into it. i will look into an ac unit going in there to control the temps as well as my misters and vents at the top and shaded areas.

I do. I didn't use a kit. I built mine custom. It is easier that way for me and I like to design the shape myself. I used Tuftex corrugated polycarbonate panels. Controlling the temps is the biggest concern in the design. I have shatex cloth over my greenhouse as well as an air conditioner. This poses problem as the cool air decreases humidity. So you have to make sure and combat this properly. It is daunting at first to get your numbers correct and being able to adjust quickly depending on outside conditions, but once you get everything synched, it is really easy.

awsome! im thinking building my own would also be a good idea so i can make the shape and size perfect for me as well. as for the ac unit and temps i would make sure to get it all perfect before getting my chams in there. i thought about an ac unit but wanted to hear from one of you guys to see if it was actually a good idea.

 

[ChamLB]

I know you are set on a green house but we are looking at converting a garage. You could man cave it a/c and all.

 

[opheliaeatsbugs]

I know you are set on a green house but we are looking at converting a garage. You could man cave it a/c and all.

As each day goes along in my journey with O... I realize I have been slowly converting my bedroom but it is going to stay a girl-cave. Is there such a thing? lol

 

[joshuadh2310]

I know you are set on a green house but we are looking at converting a garage. You could man cave it a/c and all.

a garage would be sweet but i actually have 2 cars in my garage and paddle boards and bikes and tools and yeah no room lol. if i had room it would have been a great idea! i am interested to see how yours turns out keep me posted.

 

[FancyRaptor]

a garage would be sweet but i actually have 2 cars in my garage and paddle boards and bikes and tools and yeah no room lol. if i had room it would have been a great idea! i am interested to see how yours turns out keep me posted.

What about instead of a greenhouse buy one of those cheap pre-built sheds and make it into a chameleon room. It could easily be moved to a new house if needed and would solve the issues.

 

[joshuadh2310]

What about instead of a greenhouse buy one of those cheap pre-built sheds and make it into a chameleon room. It could easily be moved to a new house if needed and would solve the issues.

Haven't checked prices of those in a while but I would imagine they are just as expensive as a greenhouse would be? Could be wrong. This greenhouse would be able to come up and be moved if I moved. But I am open to all suggestions as I'm not 100% set on a greenhouse this is all just thoughts on good outdoor space and I figured a greenhouse would be good for them.

 

[FancyRaptor]

Haven't checked prices of those in a while but I would imagine they are just as expensive as a greenhouse would be? Could be wrong. This greenhouse would be able to come up and be moved if I moved. But I am open to all suggestions as I'm not 100% set on a greenhouse this is all just thoughts on good outdoor space and I figured a greenhouse would be good for them.

I just mentioned the sheds as one of the otger members said they are hard to get balanced. I thought the shed may be easier and more like a room

 

[joshuadh2310]

I just mentioned the sheds as one of the otger members said they are hard to get balanced. I thought the shed may be easier and more like a room

It might help a bit but for it to be like a room it would need to be insulated otherwise it sitting out in Florida sun would get almost just as hot inside.

 

[joshuadh2310]

I think one of the main things I'm looking for is a material that will allow natural uvb rays and such to pass through so I don't have to run uvb bulbs everywhere. Not sure if such a thing exists but I would love to find out if it does.

 

[joshuadh2310]

so if i were to do a greenhouse i was thinking of replacing some of the roof panels with screen to allow uvb light in so i dont have to run lights everywhere? I was looking at some large outdoor enclosure ideas and i saw one that was just like a big screened in cage pretty much but big enough to walk in and i loved it but thought it wouldn't work in the winter as you can't really climate control something like that outside. Thoughts?

 

[FancyRaptor]

I believe there is greenhouse material that allows UV to pass through but it is more expensive. I don't know what it is as I saw it in another thread. Also do the winters get that cool in Florida where it becomes a concern?

 

[bobcochran]

There is uvb transmitting plastics available, but are very expensive. I think a 4X10 foot sheet is about $1,100.00. When I was checking into it there might have been another manufacturer that was somewhat cheaper in the state of Washington. If you can use screen it's going to be difficult to control temps and humidity. I don't know about the humidity in Florida, but a possible alternative might be an evaporative cooler which would produce a lot of humidity. But they don't work really well if the ambient humidity is already high.

 

[joshuadh2310]

I believe there is greenhouse material that allows UV to pass through but it is more expensive. I don't know what it is as I saw it in another thread. Also do the winters get that cool in Florida where it becomes a concern?

Yes they do over the winter we had 30 degree mornings and went up to mid to low 50s and so on. We don't have any snowy winters but it does get too cold for chams during our winters even though they are nothing compaired to up north and such.

There is uvb transmitting plastics available, but are very expensive. I think a 4X10 foot sheet is about $1,100.00. When I was checking into it there might have been another manufacturer that was somewhat cheaper in the state of Washington. If you can use screen it's going to be difficult to control temps and humidity. I don't know about the humidity in Florida, but a possible alternative might be an evaporative cooler which would produce a lot of humidity. But they don't work really well if the ambient humidity is already high.

We have high humidity here. But yeah that's a bit too expensive compared to putting up uvb bulbs lol. I think that's going to really be my only option is just build a greenhouse and put up uvb bulbs for them unless I can find a reasonable materiel that allows uvb when in all reality asking for such thing isn't going to come with a reasonable price I feel like.