Paint on dowels

[vangarret2000]

I was gonna build a new enclosure an was planning on using dowels to climb on. Is it ok to spray paint the dowels before hand to make them a greener color like the ficus that will go in? Or could the paint still be bad to have around the cham with all the mositure that will always be in the tank?

 

[reptilover]

I belive its okay escially if u go over it with a waterproofing clear coat.

 

[KarmaChameleon1337]

Some paints are thick and would make it really smooth, hopefully not too smooth to grip onto.

 

[vangarret2000]

I was also wondering what people use to attach the dowels to the metal mesh on the tank. I know some use just pins but are there other techniques people use?

 

[reptilover]

I've drilled a hole in either end and used fishingline but its moderatly unstable. I've found pins in the end with 2 on one end to keep it from spinning the best imo

 

[Carlton]

I was also wondering what people use to attach the dowels to the metal mesh on the tank. I know some use just pins but are there other techniques people use?

Coated florist's wire or smaller plastic cable ties.

 

[Carlton]

I was gonna build a new enclosure an was planning on using dowels to climb on. Is it ok to spray paint the dowels before hand to make them a greener color like the ficus that will go in? Or could the paint still be bad to have around the cham with all the mositure that will always be in the tank?

I haven't used dowels in my cham cages for several reasons...

They look boring. I like natural barked branches instead.
Naturally shaped branches may be easier for your cham to climb and the variable shapes and diameters will exercise their feet more than uniform dowels.
Dowels are made from soft woods, and unless you seal them well they will absorb moisture and mold. Also, they might be harder to keep clean. Some chams rub their vents on perches after pooping. It might be a type of territorial marking but I'm not sure about that given their poor sense of smell. If you have to keep scrubbing them the coating and paint may wear off exposing the soft wood to water again.

 

[vangarret2000]

I haven't used dowels in my cham cages for several reasons...

They look boring. I like natural barked branches instead.
Naturally shaped branches may be easier for your cham to climb and the variable shapes and diameters will exercise their feet more than uniform dowels.
Dowels are made from soft woods, and unless you seal them well they will absorb moisture and mold. Also, they might be harder to keep clean. Some chams rub their vents on perches after pooping. It might be a type of territorial marking but I'm not sure about that given their poor sense of smell. If you have to keep scrubbing them the coating and paint may wear off exposing the soft wood to water again.

Have you ever tried the green bamboo poles for gardens? They have the different shape. Thy shouldn't mold. I was thinking of using these too but thought dowels would be easier to pin.

 

[ibdragons]

Sometimes chameleons bite the vines and wooden dowels ,I don't know why teething,vitamin deficiency,I don't know but they can eat some of the paint .I wouldn't do it why risk it not to go against any one but u never know the paint can be toxic?

 

[AlecWade]

I've been using several dowel rods in my juvenile veiled's cage. I thought the plain wood was indeed ugly so I started using a really cool technique that makes them much more pleasing to the eye. I attach the dowels to the cage by measuring and cutting them to the exact desired length and wedging them tightly against screen and wood! Plenty sturdy for a light chameleon! Just make sure you wedge them very well. I have not had any fall loose when they shouldn't and they are very easy to clean which I do weekly so far.

A quick way to make your dowels look better is by lightly burning them with a blow torch! Set the torch to a medium low heat and "paint" the dowel rod with the flame making them tan to brown to black however you'd like them to look! This gives them a much more natural look while burning off any irritating sap and bacteria that may be on them!

Once you have burned and cut your rods you should wash them thoroughly as well as dry them and air them out for a day atleast. The finished product will look much better and seem clean and quite safe for my Cham! What do you think??

 

[vangarret2000]

The blow torch sounds like a good idea. Wish I had one to use.

So I am not gonna use paint as it seems from what some people say it could lead to an issue. Someone mentioned that they will get moldy. Is that true? I have dowels in a snake tank of mine for climbing. It has humidity in there but obvious it won't get as wet as it will in the Cham tank, buy I have never had it mold in me. Anyone else have mild issues with dowels?

For those that are against using dowels what do you recommend? Pics would be appreciated too.