New cage for pair of veileds- Dimension an plant ?'s

[BigR]

I'm going to be building a new enclosure for my veiled chameleon and hopefully her new mate. The cage will feature a removable midsection to keep them seperated and out of sight that can later be removed for breeding.

The cage as of now will be 30" deep by 48" wide and 72" tall. So each section will be 30" by 24" by 60" with the divider in and to allow for the 12"s or so of space needed for plant pots and my drainage/rain/mist system.

The cage won't be built until January so there's plenty of time for changes to the final design. I might be able get an extra 12"s of width to the entire thing and an extra 6"s of height for 30" x 30" x 66" sections.

Will these dimensions be fine for adult veileds and perhaps a pair of panthers in a few years?
I'm also at a loss for plants, I'm looking to have at least 3 for each section. Something low under 24", something taller 48" or so and some vines for throughout the cage (pothos?).

Any replies would be greatly appreciated. Will post pics in January.

 

[Chamero]

The dimensions sound ok only if you were going to get them both at an older age. Babies require smaller cages and a bit different setups. As for them being close together, it really does nothing for the chameleons. It would actually be more practical to have two separate cages. However, if you wanted them to be attached for different reasons, it could work with a permanent divider like you mentioned.

 

[BigR]

I am building this in anticipation of adult chameleons. I've got plenty of smaller enclosures for when they are younger. I'm keeping it as one unit for 2reasons:

1 - I'm installing a water filtration system in the bottom of the cage that will be hooked up to a misting or rain sytem. It recycles the water used in the tank, removing anything that may come from the plants or animals before the water is used again, reducing the need to top up a reservoir. It would be a pain, not to mention much more expensive to set up to seperate systems.

2 - If I ever choose to get another species, outside chameleons, that would require a large setup, I don't need to build another cage, I simply remove the mid-section and there is enough space to hold most large reptiles.

When I design a setup, I try to have as many things automated as possible. As it is right now, I just need to add feeders every day and clean as needed. It's one less thing to worry about when your not home.

When I design furniture, enclosres included, I do it so that 25 years from now It will still be usable and still be beautiful to look at, even if it's empty.

 

[Chamero]

Sounds good, my next question was going to be about the water, but it sounds like you got that all figured out. It actually seems we share the same ideologies about our cages. I too am currently working on a cage where all I have to do is throw food in. Ahh...how relaxed life will be...

 

[Oliver]

You asked about the plants:
I have an Umbrella Plant (dwarf shcefflera), a Ficus elastica, and a croton. I obtained these plants at home depot and all together i paid about 30 bucks. They are all under 34" at this point.

 

[Kat77]

I'm going to be building a new enclosure for my veiled chameleon and hopefully her new mate. The cage will feature a removable midsection to keep them seperated and out of sight that can later be removed for breeding.

The cage as of now will be 30" deep by 48" wide and 72" tall. So each section will be 30" by 24" by 60" with the divider in and to allow for the 12"s or so of space needed for plant pots and my drainage/rain/mist system.

The cage won't be built until January so there's plenty of time for changes to the final design. I might be able get an extra 12"s of width to the entire thing and an extra 6"s of height for 30" x 30" x 66" sections.

Will these dimensions be fine for adult veileds and perhaps a pair of panthers in a few years?
I'm also at a loss for plants, I'm looking to have at least 3 for each section. Something low under 24", something taller 48" or so and some vines for throughout the cage (pothos?).

Any replies would be greatly appreciated. Will post pics in January.

All I have to say is: WHY OH WHY do I not have cage building skills like this?! It sounds great. The dimensions are perfect, you will have some happy chameleons.
Most larger plant nurseries will carry ficus and scheffellera, and you can get them as short or tall as you would like. I've never found either at Home Depot that is taller than 35 inches, but you can look. They have a live plant guarantee. I buy most of my plants from Bachman's, but I don't know if they have Bachman's in Toronto. Good luck! And PLEASE do post photos.

 

[wheresstimpy]

kind of like this? Cage is 4' tall on 2' legs and 4' wide. The center is removable for breeding, but i have yet to use it. Have an umbrella pothos and ficus in each.

and yes my girlfriend demands to have pink and zebra all stuff in our bedroom....

 

[BigR]

You asked about the plants:
I have an Umbrella Plant (dwarf shcefflera), a Ficus elastica, and a croton. I obtained these plants at home depot and all together i paid about 30 bucks. They are all under 34" at this point.

I'll look into those, should be easy to find. I'm only within 15 minutes of about 3 home depots (they're everywhere here, new one every 6 months or so) and a few plant nurseries.

All I have to say is: WHY OH WHY do I not have cage building skills like this?! It sounds great. The dimensions are perfect, you will have some happy chameleons.
Most larger plant nurseries will carry ficus and scheffellera, and you can get them as short or tall as you would like. I've never found either at Home Depot that is taller than 35 inches, but you can look. They have a live plant guarantee. I buy most of my plants from Bachman's, but I don't know if they have Bachman's in Toronto. Good luck! And PLEASE do post photos.

Never heard of Bachman's. I'm actually about 50-60 minutes drive east of Toronto, it's just that no one knows where Courtice is, or even Oshawa which is right next to us and about 100 times the size. (No one in Oshawa seems to know where Courtice is though. )
Photo's will come in January, December if I'm lucky. I'm still working out the list of lumber and other supplies I'll need. Its looking like it will replace my Christmas list at this point.

 

[wheresstimpy]

if your fancy with building stuff you could throw some cabinets on the bottom to contain the clutter and maybe a hood to hide the lights, throw some fancy moldings on it and paint it. in fact that may be a project i will take up.

 

[BigR]

@ wheresstimpy

That's it. Almost identical to what I have drawn up right now. Biggest difference is that the watering system will be enclosed and out of site. My cat would make a mess of the water and I have a bad habit of stubbing my toes on almost every piece of furniture in the house daily.

I could deal with the pink and all. Currently my flooring is red, blue, green and yellow foam tiles. I got got kicked out of my bedroom so my brother would have room for his geckos, so my basement had to get finished quickly and on the cheap, so foam tiles it is.

fancy molding and the lot, that's the plan. It's going to be stained though, to match the rest of my furniture and I just love a good wood finish.