moviemanmania
Avid Member
Hello All,
I'm in the process of conceptualizing a new panther chameleon cage and have some very new approaches to handling some of the issues of current enclosures.
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Here's the concept.
Construction:
Walls:
Three Plexiglas sides. Two side Plexiglas and a one epic hinged front door. The background will be wood painted and sealed with clear lacquer.
Frame:
Wood painted frame with plexiglass walls siliconed to frame.
Top of Cage:
The top of the cage would house the misting nozzle, drip system, Florissant light, and basking light. Build into the back of the wall would be a small computer case fan that would have a screen in front of it to prevent crickets from escaping.
Bottom of Enclosure:
In the bottom would be a large tuba-wear to collect water from drip, and misting system. I would install a disconnect-able drain pipe leading to a large reservoir for drainage. There would be live plants in buckets in sitting in the tub-a-wear container. In the back wall of the bottom of the enclosure would be another small screened computer fan.
Cycles:
Here's where it gets interesting! Here's the cycle from around 7am to 7pm.
Morning: Timers turn lights and activate small mist cycle. Humidity is created to required amount and regulated for a set amount of hours. I'm guessing 3-4 hours?
After the 'wet' cycle the enclosure then goes into a 'dry' cycle, where the two small computer fans are turned on for a set amount of time to dry the enclosure. The enclosure would remain dry for a set amount of time. Guessing 1-2 hours to dry things up and increase ventilation.
This cycle could be repeated as much as necessary to adapt to whatever subspecies of chameleon is in the enclosure.
_________________________________________________________________
Considering all of the timing and systems could have changeable parameters do you think that the cage design would suit the needs for the chameleon adequately?
My thoughts in using plexiglass rather than screen is for efficiency loss in humidity. It is very easy to maintain humidity within a solid environment. The downside to doing this is the possibility of build up of mold/bacteria in the enclosure that would make the cham sick. By introducing a timed dry cycle allowing the enclosure to dry out adequately would (IN THEORY) eleviate this problem.
I know plexiglass is not preferable in construction because of them seeing their reflections and becoming stressed, however I see chams in many pet shops etc. that are thriving in them!? So I'm wondering if this is urban chameleon legend?
What do the Seniors think of the cage concept, will it work?
This is obviously something I have been thinking of for some time now and would really like to hear what you guys think.
I'm in the process of conceptualizing a new panther chameleon cage and have some very new approaches to handling some of the issues of current enclosures.
_________________________________________________________________
Here's the concept.
Construction:
Walls:
Three Plexiglas sides. Two side Plexiglas and a one epic hinged front door. The background will be wood painted and sealed with clear lacquer.
Frame:
Wood painted frame with plexiglass walls siliconed to frame.
Top of Cage:
The top of the cage would house the misting nozzle, drip system, Florissant light, and basking light. Build into the back of the wall would be a small computer case fan that would have a screen in front of it to prevent crickets from escaping.
Bottom of Enclosure:
In the bottom would be a large tuba-wear to collect water from drip, and misting system. I would install a disconnect-able drain pipe leading to a large reservoir for drainage. There would be live plants in buckets in sitting in the tub-a-wear container. In the back wall of the bottom of the enclosure would be another small screened computer fan.
Cycles:
Here's where it gets interesting! Here's the cycle from around 7am to 7pm.
Morning: Timers turn lights and activate small mist cycle. Humidity is created to required amount and regulated for a set amount of hours. I'm guessing 3-4 hours?
After the 'wet' cycle the enclosure then goes into a 'dry' cycle, where the two small computer fans are turned on for a set amount of time to dry the enclosure. The enclosure would remain dry for a set amount of time. Guessing 1-2 hours to dry things up and increase ventilation.
This cycle could be repeated as much as necessary to adapt to whatever subspecies of chameleon is in the enclosure.
_________________________________________________________________
Considering all of the timing and systems could have changeable parameters do you think that the cage design would suit the needs for the chameleon adequately?
My thoughts in using plexiglass rather than screen is for efficiency loss in humidity. It is very easy to maintain humidity within a solid environment. The downside to doing this is the possibility of build up of mold/bacteria in the enclosure that would make the cham sick. By introducing a timed dry cycle allowing the enclosure to dry out adequately would (IN THEORY) eleviate this problem.
I know plexiglass is not preferable in construction because of them seeing their reflections and becoming stressed, however I see chams in many pet shops etc. that are thriving in them!? So I'm wondering if this is urban chameleon legend?
What do the Seniors think of the cage concept, will it work?
This is obviously something I have been thinking of for some time now and would really like to hear what you guys think.