Question on Custom Enclosure

[Danimal420]

New to the site but been a long time occasional lurker. I am not new to the hobby tho as I when I was much younger I owned a few Jackson's, a Carpet, and a Fischer.

For the last year I have had an itch to set up a very custom vivarium. Possibly quite large too (3'x3'x5') out of plexi glass. I will be creating false bottom, with drainage layer, automatic misting, fogging. As far as interior this is what Im looking to create :




I have also had the itch to get a Panther morph. I have always loved reptiles and theres nothing cooler than a chameleon, especially a panther morph.
So what cooler to add to the vivarium once it's finished, and dialed in temp and humidity wise to be able to house a chameleon. Im confident in caring for them, so I know whats involved.

I'd like to know why ( and I have searched) I have yet to see someone go at length making a setup like this for their chameleon. The chameleon is pretty expensive in an of itself, and live a pretty long life if cared for, so why do I not see people ever really going all the way and creating something like this. It would seem to me putting such a fascinating, aesthetically pleasing animal in a sub-par (which is mostly what I see) cage would be a waste, and the animal would just look that much better amongst a very realistic setting.

Other than maybe a monetary issue, am I missing something here?

 

[Sticktongue]

Guessing those are dart frog set ups? They look great. I have wanted to do the same, but havnt. A few members have done this. Showjet and Chris Anderson.

 

[camimom]

Money, permanency ( f you rent its a B to move all that, if you can at all)

as well as the fact that many of us keep several chameleons.

I personally keep 10 chams.

 

[Lathis]

I built a custom enclosure and have it heavily vegetative like those pics. I agree with you regarding the aesthetics and hope it contributes to the general health and well being of my cham.

Two issues that might discourage people from doing something similar are cost and hassle.

I dropped some major dough building and furnishing my custom viv. It's huge, 3' x 2' x 6' plus base and hood. I wanted something that looked furniture quality, so I splurged. I have a Jackson's cham, and he uses every inch of his space, and I'm thrilled to be able to provide it.

The hassle comes with cleaning. With all the interconnected plants, vines, sticks, and etc, it is a big production to scrub everything down. Plus the viv is 7-1/2 feet tall and a couple hundred pounds, lol.

I think it is worth it though, so I highly encourage you to go for it