Recommendation for new enclosure?

[Rosie42892]

I am looking for input on the best enclosure to buy for my year old Ambilobe Panther. Although he is comortable in his current enclosure, I would like to upgrade. I am looking for something taller then wide, and something that is not incredibly difficult to hang branches/vines from. Thankyou!

 

[steelheadchaser]

I believe most folks would recommend a 24"x24'x 48" screen cage for a sub-adult and older panther. l've had mine in that size since he was about 6 months old. I pin and wire vines to and through the mesh with tacks and floral wire with no problems.

I have both a DIY and LLL screen cages in that size. They both have some plusses and minuses but are a good value for the money.

 

[steelheadchaser]

Here is a comparison of the LLL and DIY I posted a while back in another thread:



The front of the LLL is divided into three sections; a fixed upper panel, the door section and a lower panel.

The lower panel can be opened by pivoting it on the pair of screws which hold it in place. It is held closed by two rotating plastic catches, as is the door. This makes for convenient access to the bottom of the cage, especially if your chameleon is like mine and comes to the front of the enclosure to crawl on your arm at every opportunity. However, I find that the combination of top panel and a shorter door makes moving taller plants in and out tricky. Also, the top panel seems to always be in the way when photographing Feldman, as it covers the elevation where he spends much of his time. The cage is held together by stainless steel sheet metal screws. Hinges are plated steel. The frame and screen material is aluminum.

The LLL has available at extra cost a shallow, fitted tray to catch small amounts of overflow from misting or a dripper. One could install a petcock or other device to drain this shallow pan into a larger container. It's a nice option to have if needed.

The front of the DIY cage has two two sections, consisting of a large door that extend approximately 36" from the top of the cage where it meets the fixed 12" tall bottom panel.

The DIY door has a metal handle and two metal latches. The latches appear to be stainless steel but the handle on mine clearly magnetic, as are the hinges and screws, indicating plated steel. The frame and screen material is aluminum. I find the handle useful and the two hasps contribute to the solid feel of the cage when secured. The hasps can be a bit "grabby" at times when engaging or disengaging them. The lower front panel is attached by seven sheet metal screws, two on each side and three across the bottom front. This solidly mounted panel contributes to the DIY cages more solid feel, in my opinion. It also makes access to the bottom of the cage more problematic. It would be a simple matter to remove one screw on each side and the three across the to make the bottom section pivot as on the LLL. The small plastic closures similar to the those used on the LLL are available at most hardware stores and could easily be fitted to the DIY cage. However, if one removes five of the seven screws to allow the panel to tilt open, much of what makes the DIY feel so rigid would likely be lost. There is no fixed top panel on the DIY to help compensate as the rest of the front is all door.

There is no drip tray available for the DIY cage and the one made for the LLL is too short in one dimension to fit the DIY cage.

Both cages have their share of pros and cons. Both cages are a good value for the money. Neither is perfect. If you want a black cage the choice is simpler - you are limited to the LLL, the DIY currently comes only in gray.

I can't really recommend one cage over the other. For me, there is no clear winner. One will need to decide for ones self which combination of features are the most important for their application.

 

[Rosie42892]

I believe most folks would recommend a 24"x24'x 48" screen cage for a sub-adult and older panther. l've had mine in that size since he was about 6 months old. I pin and wire vines to and through the mesh with tacks and floral wire with no problems.

I have both a DIY and LLL screen cages in that size. They both have some plusses and minuses but are a good value for the money.

Thank-you! LLL offers that size, and also a 29"x29"x72". I would prefer to give him a larger area, but I was wondering if you, or anyone else for that matter, had any experience with this size, or thought the humidity/temp would be too hard to control?

 

[steelheadchaser]

I don't have any experience with anything that large myself, but I know there are plenty of others here with large enclosures that could offer advice.

I think that large size would be great in a different climate than what I have to deal with in Seattle, in my drafty single-pane windowed home! My ceilings are also too low to accommodate something that tall and still have a catch basin underneath and lighting on top.