so i am planning to get a chameleon and i want to make my tank out of Plexiglass ,but ive been researching and most sites recommend mesh so that the chameleon receives efficient air but i do not understand how the necessary humidity can be maintained in that type of enclosure. thank you in advance
Newbie chameleon enclosure questions
- Thread starter CINO
- Start date
vindicatedornot
New Member
You would use live plants and frequent mistings to keep the humidity up. A lot of people use humidifiers or DIY humidifiers that are the same thing in essence but usually have a tube running directly to the cage to deposit the "fog" inside. I don't use or need one. I have an automatic mister and my humidity is always atleast 60%. I have 3 very large plants in my cage also.
-Andrea
chambabysitter1
New Member
I agree with Andrea. Live plants are the best way to keep humidity in a screened enclosure. If you have trouble retaining the humidity, up your mistings and add even more plants.
Good job on doing your research, a screened enclosure is going to be better for your chameleon and you in the long run.
Good luck.
Good job on doing your research, a screened enclosure is going to be better for your chameleon and you in the long run.
Good luck.
my main reasoning for the plexiglass enclosure was so that i can set up a waterfall at the bottom since ive read chameleons prefer running water to still water,what if i were to drill several holes around the higher part of the enclosure and leave about a half a foot of undrilled space at the bottom for the running water. other than that the mesh caging seems much simpler and would probably be much cheaper. also what would be the best types of live plants
vindicatedornot
New Member
A waterfall is not the solution for water. It's a breeding ground for bacteria and will most likely be used as its toilet. Chameleons will happily drink from a dripper. (water dripping from a cup or mechanism onto a leaf) And many will drink mist off the leaves of their plants. They need to be misted frequently anyways to keep humidity up so they usually stay hydrated this way.
For drainage there are many different solutions. Most of us put our cages on metal racks and drill a hole in the bottom of it so the weight of the plants will cause the water to go downthe hole and out the cage into a bucket or something underneath the rack. here's some pics of my setup to help you out.
this is the newest pic.
this ones older but you get to see how the outside of it is setup.
My drainage goes in the white tub. The orange bucket is a water resivoir for my automatic mister.
thank you for the clarification on the waterfall being a bad idea.and the pics were a great help. i will setup a mesh cage. but i would like to line the bottom with a couple inches of plexiglass for the dirt for the live plants instead of placing potted plants in the enclosure,would this be ok?
xanthoman
Avid Member
you can also increase or help stabilize humidity in a screen enclosure, by putting an acyrlic panel (preferably frosted or white ,not clear) all or part way up , one, two, or three, sides depending on the species you are trying to keep or the conditions you are trying to achieve, you can also just attach a kitchen trash bag on one or more of the sides,/ in any event clear (all glass or plastic ) enclosures are not recomended for starter setups (except for maybe some of the pygmies) and generally speaking, actual water falls (dry ok) are considered to be not good by most established cham keepers , if drinking water is the issue, there will be plenty available in any properly setup enclosure, (via dripper or mister ) i would recomend learning as much as you can about any specific animal (especially when it comes to chams ) before getting one
vindicatedornot
New Member
You're very welcome! I'm glad to help out where I can.
PVC plastic or something might be better. Plexiglass is great but it would be bad if the cham could see its reflection. If you could work some way around that then that would be completely fine. Most of us don't use a substrate because you risk your animal getting impacted from trying to catch feeders and accidentally ingesting the dirt. Their bodies can't process these minerals and they have trouble crapping it out. Especially for baby/juvenile chams. Potted plants are easier to clean also. That will get really dirty really fast and its harder to find poo in dark colored dirt. If you do decide to use the dirt ( i strongly recommend the potted plants instead) make sure it is all organic and there are NO fertilizers. These can be VERY toxic to the cham.
xanthoman
Avid Member
generally speaking , all substrate should be kept to a minimum and covered to avoid impaction and other issues , before you actually build an enclosure, you may want to take your time and do some more research, it would be worth your time to look at dozens of pictures of other successful keepers enclosures, and also read many of the help posts, to see what HASN'T worked for others , a week or two of in depth study will give you the knowledge to build an infinitely better enclosure than just winging it.
Julirs
New Member
You will be using alot of water-so putting any kind of soil at the bottom is just going to produce a muddy mess and plants with stinky root rot.
thanks for all the help i will be researching more into it, i will not be getting the chameleon till september as i will be going to a reptile expedition to get it, i would like the enclosure to be setup and running nice so that i may simply place the cham in a happy healthy little enviroment but as of now i think i will be purchasing a mesh cage untill i am more experienced with Chams to build my own.
vindicatedornot
New Member
that's a great idea. Remember, a baby needs a smaller cage and needs a larger cage for when it's all grown up. If you use the search button you can look up TONS of threads with information on cages, drainage, plants, temps and humidity, etc.
-Andrea
dodolah
Retired Moderator
Reptile Expedition? Expedition as in "a journey or excursion undertaken for a specific purpose"?
Are you catching your own chameleon?
Pure
New Member
You definitely want to use a solid base. Screen bases are more trouble than they are worth. If you use screen for a bottom, you would need a container the same size if not bigger than the foot print of your cage to catch all the water. Not to mention the supports your going to have to put in to carry the weight of the plants and decor.
