help im stressed

[clairebear]

So I was really excited to get my eclosure and i ordered an extra large screen zoo med because i wanted the best for my charm but it got here today and its so big i feel too big, im in a one bed apartment and it takes up the whole room not only that but i got a screen enclosure and im worried about spraying the enclouse because wont the walls of my house get wet because its a screen enclosure? and the bottom is just a heavy white sheet so wont the wet from spraying leak out onto the floor? I really dont know what to do i payed alot for the enclosure and ive put a deposit down on a charm and was going to pck him up this or next week.

 

[windex]

as far as the size goes there isn't anything you can do, the dimensions would of been there when you ordered. as far as the water getting on the walls, people on here have put plastic on the back and sides for that reason. The drainage has always been a big topic and they have a dedicated thread for drainage ideas. There is a pan you can purchase that fits the bottom of the screen cages then you can put a bucket under the drain hole.
You need a 2x2x4 enclosure MINIMUM for an adult cham so if you can't or don't have room for a cage of this size then you may need to think about getting a different animal

 

[clairebear]

as far as the size goes there isn't anything you can do, the dimensions would of been there when you ordered. as far as the water getting on the walls, people on here have put plastic on the back and sides for that reason. The drainage has always been a big topic and they have a dedicated thread for drainage ideas. There is a pan you can purchase that fits the bottom of the screen cages then you can put a bucket under the drain hole.
You need a 2x2x4 enclosure MINIMUM for an adult cham so if you can't or don't have room for a cage of this size then you may need to think about getting a different animal

To be honest i find your reply a tad rude and offensive.
I have wanted a chameleon for months and have been responsible and joined this forum read countless books and done loads of research, I wanted advice because i am overwhelmed when seeing the enclosure in real life, i knew it was big when i ordered it, i did this for the benifit of my chameleon i want the best for all my animals, my emclosure is 61x61x122 so yeah its biger than 2x2x4! but when i got it today and built it i realise i could have gone for the slightly smaller one, i got a screen enclosure as this is cosidered the best enclosure for charms however i feel i could have probably got a viv/screen eclosure a bit of both to make it so my house does not get drenched.
None of these things mean i "should consider a different animal" I am inteleigent and caring and im studing a degree in animal care so as far as the animals i get I think i can make an informed choice, but thankyou anyhow for the helpful part in your comments. i have posted on here on a few occasions and usually get helpful frendly replies from lovely people so i was taken aback by your frosty patronising reply

 

[CarlC]

Ok so you got a cage that's way to big because you didn't know what you were ordering. Its not the end of the world. Figure out a way to partion the cage to a size you can use now. Any of you big box hardware stores sell plexi- glass. Get some cut to the size you need and attach.

If you don't want to the water spraying all over the place do as was suggested. Cover the sides with plastic of some type. A shower curtain would probably work.

Take a glance at the sidebar and check out the Care Resources section as most of your issue's can be answered there.

Carl

 

[Coded]

If you do indeed have the Zoo Med XL then I think the confusion may be in part by the difference in the measuring system. In the US it measures 24 inches x 24 inches x 48 inches(which is 2 feet x 2 feet x 4 feet, which is what windex was saying; 2x2x4). That also measures to 61 centimeters x 61 centimeters x 122 centimeters(which is what you are saying).

All the being cleared up....that is the minimum recommended cage size for an adult chameleon.

I have no drainage for my cage(I only have 18 inches x 18 inches x 36 inches; but will be upgrading to a larger enclosure soon). But I do put a bunch of paper towels at the bottom and replace them regularly(every 2-3 weeks). If you have a lot of foliage in your enclosure then it should catch and hold most of the water until if evaporates(depending on how much and how often you water). I also do not place anything against the screen to protect the wall(only one side touches the wall) and it doesn't really get wet. This will also depend on what kind of water deliver system you use. Spraying from the top down usually keeps most of the water inside the enclosure.

 

[clairebear]

If you do indeed have the Zoo Med XL then I think the confusion may be in part by the difference in the measuring system. In the US it measures 24 inches x 24 inches x 48 inches(which is 2 feet x 2 feet x 4 feet, which is what windex was saying; 2x2x4). That also measures to 61 centimeters x 61 centimeters x 122 centimeters(which is what you are saying).

All the being cleared up....that is the minimum recommended cage size for an adult chameleon.

I have no drainage for my cage(I only have 18 inches x 18 inches x 36 inches; but will be upgrading to a larger enclosure soon). But I do put a bunch of paper towels at the bottom and replace them regularly(every 2-3 weeks). If you have a lot of foliage in your enclosure then it should catch and hold most of the water until if evaporates(depending on how much and how often you water). I also do not place anything against the screen to protect the wall(only one side touches the wall) and it doesn't really get wet. This will also depend on what kind of water deliver system you use. Spraying from the top down usually keeps most of the water inside the enclosure.

Thankyou for your reply it helped me lots

 

[clairebear]

Ok so you got a cage that's way to big because you didn't know what you were ordering. Its not the end of the world. Figure out a way to partion the cage to a size you can use now. Any of you big box hardware stores sell plexi- glass. Get some cut to the size you need and attach.

If you don't want to the water spraying all over the place do as was suggested. Cover the sides with plastic of some type. A shower curtain would probably work.

Take a glance at the sidebar and check out the Care Resources section as most of your issue's can be answered there.

Carl[/QUO
Thanks I am a total stress head I want everything to go well,
also im going to put in live plants and i got some vine to put in my enclosure but as its screen i dont know hoe to attach it to the cage? so its sturdy and my charm can walk around ok?

 

[FlChamMom]

I use 24x24x48 screen cages for my two guys. If you only have one cham I would put him in the corner of the room- it will seem less in the way. As for overspray on the walls, I have an automatic mister aimed in the opposite direction so I do not have that problem, but I have seen people put Contact paper (drawer liner) on the walls behind the cage. The make clear and it is easily removable. When you get the plants and lights in you will be fine with the size- call it Jungle Decor!

61x61x122!!! Awesome for the cham but I see your issue... You may want to return and get a smaller cage. I think you are great for doing so much research ahead of time!

 

[Chameleon Creator]

All of the cages described are the same sizes, to clear up the confusion, just using different measurement units. One is measured in centimeter, one in inches, and one in feet. All the same.
I really looked hard into a drainage system and built many failed attempts and had to keep figuring something new.
I ended up with one that works, I removed the white tray square at the bottom
Went to menards or Home Depot and bought a thick piece of fiber glass and had them cut it equally into 2 feet by 2 feet. This will fit your enclosure.
I drilled a inch wide hole in the middle
I bought some aquarium safe silicone sealant
I used the sealant around the cage on the fiber glass piece that I am now using instead of the white piece that came with it, to keep water from leaking out
Also I bought a storage container that can be found for about $40 at menards or Home Depot, look at garage storage and find the four piece shelf unit
You only need two pieces
I set his cage on top of the shelf unit and placed a 5 gallon bucket underneath where I drilled the hole in the middle.
This forces all the water into the bucket as far as floor draining.
The shelving unit is plastic and sturdy enough to hold the cage
You don't want to use wood unless you double coat it with a water proofing.
I aim my misting system nozzles towards the front of the cage (away from the wall) and the wall rarely gets wet.
Hope this helps, I also caught myself into a panic trying to figure out a drainage system
I also have a ficus plant placed behind the hole (so it doesn't block water flowing out) and the weight creates a nice slope effect which assists the water draining towards the center.

 

[clairebear]

I use 24x24x48 screen cages for my two guys. If you only have one cham I would put him in the corner of the room- it will seem less in the way. As for overspray on the walls, I have an automatic mister aimed in the opposite direction so I do not have that problem, but I have seen people put Contact paper (drawer liner) on the walls behind the cage. The make clear and it is easily removable. When you get the plants and lights in you will be fine with the size- call it Jungle Decor!

61x61x122!!! Awesome for the cham but I see your issue... You may want to return and get a smaller cage. I think you are great for doing so much research ahead of time!

Thankyou i think it translates to your 24x24x28 it has two sizes on the box but it is still pretty big for one veiled charm, I have put it in the corner of the room i am going to keep it because it will be too much hassel to take back, it will be better once i have the live plants in and everything i tried to put up a pic but can make it work. p.s How do you attach vines to screened enclosure?

 

[Chameleon Creator]

Here's a picture of what I'm describing

 

[FlChamMom]

If it is the same as a 24x24x48 then he will use it all as an adult. My veiled boy is 6 months and he uses every square inch! To attach vines to the side of the cage I use galvanized wire poked through the screen and twisted on the outside. I use thumbtacks to attach the branches horizontally- just push through the screen into the end of the branch- they work great!

 

[PoshPenny]

Clair bear, no need to stress girl!!! Yes that sucker is big, but try putting it in a corner to maximize space usage. Use a small paper clip to make the screen holes bigger and slide a small zip tie through to secure vines. I personally wouldn't return it.

You're thinking logically right now. But once you meet your Cham and fall in love with it's little neurotic personality all logic will go out the door and you'll be like, ""who needs furniture, heck, I need 3 more chams and a palm tree planted in the middle of the room!!"

Point and case, you drank the kool aid Clair, soon we will find you browsing the classifieds looking for more and more chams. This is only the beginning. Welcome to the dark side. Where you have crickets in your bed and feed roaches 3 course meals.

I can attach pics of my enclosure if you want and how I did my vines.

 

[clairebear]

Clair bear, no need to stress girl!!! Yes that sucker is big, but try putting it in a corner to maximize space usage. Use a small paper clip to make the screen holes bigger and slide a small zip tie through to secure vines. I personally wouldn't return it.

You're thinking logically right now. But once you meet your Cham and fall in love with it's little neurotic personality all logic will go out the door and you'll be like, ""who needs furniture, heck, I need 3 more chams and a palm tree planted in the middle of the room!!"

Point and case, you drank the kool aid Clair, soon we will find you browsing the classifieds looking for more and more chams. This is only the beginning. Welcome to the dark side. Where you have crickets in your bed and feed roaches 3 course meals.

I can attach pics of my enclosure if you want and how I did my vines.

that comment made me smile and giggle your right i know because I had never seen a charm before and then the day i met one for the first time i couldnt think about anything else and have been restless to have one of my own since. I would love it if you would post pics thankyou that would be really helpful

 

[Big Gulp]

and the bottom is just a heavy white sheet so wont the wet from spraying leak out onto the floor?

Here's what I did with my current cage (I'm in the process of setting up a cage the same size you just got). Take 100% silicone, or hot glue gun, and seal the bottom white floor to the cage. Just lay the white board in like it's supposed to be, and run a couple layers of the silicone/hot glue along all 4 sides so there's no way water (or smaller feeders) can get thru the cracks.

If you're planning on hand-misting, any water that hits the floor will just evaporate and dry up before it'd even get a chance to build up. If you're gonna do an automatic misting system, then you'll definitely wanna go the drainage route.

And make sure you have a dripper going throughout the day. What I do is make sure it's hitting a leaf. Then look and see where the water is actually falling on the floor. You can put a bowl in the spot to catch the water. Just put a screen over the bowl so the cham and feeders can't fall in. Empty the bowl every night.

Hope this helps.

 

[clairebear]

thankyou

 

[PoshPenny]

 

[PoshPenny]

The squiggly wood thing that runs along the top I got cause Fritas nails are getting super long! We are in the process of building a free range for our oustelets we are getting. Really excited for them.