is this ok?

joshuadh2310

joshuadh2310

Established Member
so if i were to refurbish this a bit and make it into a cage for 2 panthers would taking out that front glass and putting in screen there and on the top of the cage be good enough for ventilation? i know it would be good to keep in humidity but just want to hear from you guys if i do that would it be enough ventilation going through the cage?
fullsizeoutput_215.jpeg
 
I was thinking on the top of it where all the lighting and stuff is to put a small fan on each side to get some air flow through?
 
I would avoid something like this like the plague for various reasons.

1. The wood has been treated with varnish and chemicals and is immediately unsafe for chameleons.
2. Chameleons need a lot of moisture (misting and dripping) and this thing would likely soak up water and be destroyed quickly.
3. Don't house two chameleons together. Bad juju. Stress and fighting will lead to one (or both) ending up dead quickly. Chams are solitary.
4. It also doesn't look deep enough. It is likely plenty tall and wide, but not deep enough. Adult panthers should have a MINIMUM cage dimension of 24" wide, 24" deep, and 48" tall.

Honestly my friend, don't waste your money. Sure it is a pretty peace and would be a nice display, but it is going to be more trouble than it is worth. Save your cash and buy a nice Dragon Strand cage.
 
MedicMan1 said:
I would avoid something like this like the plague for various reasons.

1. The wood has been treated with varnish and chemicals and is immediately unsafe for chameleons.
2. Chameleons need a lot of moisture (misting and dripping) and this thing would likely soak up water and be destroyed quickly.
3. Don't house two chameleons together. Bad juju. Stress and fighting will lead to one (or both) ending up dead quickly. Chams are solitary.
4. It also doesn't look deep enough. It is likely plenty tall and wide, but not deep enough. Adult panthers should have a MINIMUM cage dimension of 24" wide, 24" deep, and 48" tall.

Honestly my friend, don't waste your money. Sure it is a pretty peace and would be a nice display, but it is going to be more trouble than it is worth. Save your cash and buy a nice Dragon Strand cage.
Click to expand...
It is actually 24x24 and taller than 48 also it's split down the middle I understand the not housing the together it's two separate sides . But I do agree with you on the probably has chemicals in it so I will most likely build my own wood piece like this and treat it with water resistant stuff and also cover the sides that don't have screen in a vinyl jungle material. I don't want to go with the dragon strands because I have a nice setup in a screen cage like that but It just looks too out of place to me I would like for a nice peace of furniture that still houses two separate chameleons in a very comfortable way.
 
Not big enough to divide up for 2 chams. Probably not big enough for one as they said already. You would need to pop out the back and add more depth. The interior would need to be lined bottom and sides with pond liner with a drain. The sides should be cut out for ventilation. There are threads about doing this but it would be a big project.
 
joshuadh2310 said:
It is actually 24x24 and taller than 48 also it's split down the middle I understand the not housing the together it's two separate sides . But I do agree with you on the probably has chemicals in it so I will most likely build my own wood piece like this and treat it with water resistant stuff and also cover the sides that don't have screen in a vinyl jungle material. I don't want to go with the dragon strands because I have a nice setup in a screen cage like that but It just looks too out of place to me I would like for a nice peace of furniture that still houses two separate chameleons in a very comfortable way.
Click to expand...

Ahh that makes more sense. I would be extremely hesitant to use any type of water resistant finish though, even when using vinyl over the top. Those chemicals can still seep out and cause issues.
 
I am not an expert.

I think it could be done, but only for one chameleon. I'd be a little concerned about water damage, but less so about off gassing chemicals personally, particularly with adequate ventilation. It has been done for bird aviaries, and birds have very sensitive respiratory systems.

I have seen people talk of using computer fans, but I'd check into the European style glass cages. They are vented on both top and bottom, creating a natural chimney effect.

One thought, the bottom door on your standard cage is awful nice for not letting your insects out. You will need a custom drip pan for drainage. I think it could be a fantastic build. I've thought about doing the same thing.

Still don't think it would work for two. You need another China cabinet.
 
Mtnlaurel said:
And I'd look into adding extra ventilation on the sides
Click to expand...
i have gone ahead and decided that I'm going to build my own custom piece for 2 chams as i think cutting that one up just woulnt be worth it. so I'm going to build one out of pine and use polyurethane to keep it lasting from the water. i think I'm going to go with a glass front for the doors to help with humidity and a screen side and top for ventilation. Also since i am building my own should i make the dimensions 24x24x48 on the inside on the cage or should i make it a little larger since i am building it all from scratch i have this option. i also will have some kind of devider in the middle a couple of people have said something about housing them together and i know that you can't that was never going to happen in the first place. but since i am building my own and it is proven that wood with polyurethane is safe for the chams as long as you let it cure all the way before putting them in it. that being said i would love to hear some ideas about doing this from everyone.
 
Any divider must not be lucent. Two chams cannot should not even see each other or they will get stressed and might even try to fight [through glass or screen]. So use an opaque divider if that is what you plan to do. And do not forget about drainage. Good luck and try to post some pics along the way.
 
joshuadh2310 said:
i have gone ahead and decided that I'm going to build my own custom piece for 2 chams as i think cutting that one up just woulnt be worth it. so I'm going to build one out of pine and use polyurethane to keep it lasting from the water. i think I'm going to go with a glass front for the doors to help with humidity and a screen side and top for ventilation. Also since i am building my own should i make the dimensions 24x24x48 on the inside on the cage or should i make it a little larger since i am building it all from scratch i have this option. i also will have some kind of devider in the middle a couple of people have said something about housing them together and i know that you can't that was never going to happen in the first place. but since i am building my own and it is proven that wood with polyurethane is safe for the chams as long as you let it cure all the way before putting them in it. that being said i would love to hear some ideas about doing this from everyone.
Click to expand...

Dear joshadh2310, Here is a couple links I want to share with you:)(y)
:rolleyes:

http://jworlds.net/intro.html :cool:
 
Mtnlaurel said:
I'm guessing you meant 24 x 48 x 48 right? Since you are housing two?
Click to expand...
well the enclosure itself will probably be a little bigger but the inside on each side of the cage i will probably make 26x26x50 just to be different lol. but yes the divided will be something where the chams have no way of seeing each other i want my chams to be happy a stress free. i will also post a new thread about it when i get started on it and post progress picture through out the build might take me about a month until i get started just to get the funds and prep ready to go and then a couple weeks to build as i want it perfect. But thanks for the help and feel free to continue to chim in as i love other peoples input!
 
joshuadh2310 said:
well the enclosure itself will probably be a little bigger but the inside on each side of the cage i will probably make 26x26x50 just to be different lol. but yes the divided will be something where the chams have no way of seeing each other i want my chams to be happy a stress free. i will also post a new thread about it when i get started on it and post progress picture through out the build might take me about a month until i get started just to get the funds and prep ready to go and then a couple weeks to build as i want it perfect. But thanks for the help and feel free to continue to chim in as i love other peoples input!
Click to expand...
You da man! Can't wait to see the progress.
 
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