Paint color?

[DkRhodes]

i'm building my enclosure now and was wondering if there is a color of
Paint to use that will not stress my Cham.I have a white latex in the shed but,
didn't know if black or green would be better, any suggestion?thanks

 

[wow]

i just put some clear coat on mine and let the wood show through make shure you let it air out very well be fore you use it either way

 

[DkRhodes]

i keep reading that if you put a clear coat on ,it will take weeks before it will
be safe for the cham??????????i hate how long it takes before fresh paint to
stop smelling fresh.I'm sure my cham won't like it either????????

 

[wow]

useing pressure treated lumber is also a option chameleon magazine has a article on it http://www.chameleonnews.com/diycage.html

 

[Tygerr]

I have a white latex in the shed but,
didn't know if black or green would be better, any suggestion?thanks

One of the reasons white panels are used on some chameleon cages is because it reflects and thus distributes light better to the bottom parts of the cage, which helps a bit with the plant growth in the cage.
I don't think inanimate white panels stress the cham out at all. Red or yellow would probably be good colours to avoid, but as long as the cage is densely planted, I don't think the colour of the cage affects the cham too much.

Personally, I've always used brown for the frame of the cage, but that's just because it matches the other dark woods and furniture in the chameleon room...

 

[DkRhodes]

^^^thanks , makes sense. I'm gonna do the walls in white to help the
plants.

 

[Tygerr]

^^^thanks , makes sense. I'm gonna do the walls in white to help the
plants.

I started using white corrugated plastic for the back and sides of my cages. It's cheap, and waterproof - so you end up saving a lot on paint.
Chris Anderson does somethign similar in his cage design in this article: http://www.chameleonnews.com/diycage.html

 

[Dankmeleon]

i don't know much about painting around cages but I'm pretty smart in general and the idea has always scared me, with fumes, and weather, it seems to me the toxicity of the paint may do your chameleon more harm than good, so with that being said make sure to do some research before you slap paint on there, some paints may be better than others, you may need to weatherproof it (which may be even worse for chameleon)... my best advice is to make sure you thouroughly let it dry out at least a week with fans blowing on the wood just to get all the fumes out of it

 

[ChromaChameleons]

FWIW, I would avoid reds and maroon colours. I have a red t-shirt that drives some of my chams nuts when I wear it near their cages. I've used white and green for wall colours in my cham rooms with good success.

 

[Tygerr]

Oh yeah, and whatever you do, don't use PLAID! Chameleons hate that

 

[Dankmeleon]

lol I'll second that plaid comment, its all I wear and my cham hates me

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Latex (waterbased paints) are absolutely fine to use and are safe in 24 hours.
Additionally if you use a waterbased polyurathane coat over the top of your paint (another 24 hours) you get a pretty waterproof surface that is easy to clean.
I would avoid anything oil-based...including spray paint.

-Brad

 

[BIGGUN]

Plaid isn't the problem paisley is.....duh!

Even if you paint the inside of the cage isn't it hard to keep it from warping with all the water exposure?

I want to build a nice wood enclosure but worry about the thing twisting.

Kevin

 

[davemailcall]

I used regular lumber, not fancy wood. I painted mine with white latex. The dirt and poop show up better, but other than that its fine.

On the floor of your cage...if you use wood...don't go for cheap plywood. As it gets hit with moisture, you'll have issues. Even if its painted. Trust me on that!