screen cage

[alan23]

hi im new to this site and is very useful i am purchasing my first chameleon and i im thinking of getting a screen cage and the size im looking at is 24x, 24x, 36 will this be big enuff the yemen will b about 3 to 6 months old and will this b ok for a adult if nt i will get a bigger enclosure http://www.crislis.co.uk/thatcher/repcage/repcage2.htm this is wht they look like if you could give me advise i wud b very thankful im from the uk and oursites r crap to b honest hope to hear from u thanks

 

[roo_71]

I personally think the minimum size for an adult male Yemen/veiled is 2x2x4 but whenever possible, if you have room, you should go wider. You don’t want a cage much deeper then 2 feet since it makes it difficult to manage the cage and 4 feet high is plenty since you can always get a metal rack/stand and elevate the cage closer to the ceiling and above eye level (chams will feel more comfortable if they are higher then you). So go wider whenever possible.

-roo

 

[alan23]

aluminum

is alumnium mesh ok for the yemen i just read someone said its harder on there claws thanks for the reply alan

 

[roo_71]

Well they shouldn’t be climbing on the screen in the first place, that may just mean that they are unhappy about something in their environment but then again you may just have a cham that likes to climb on the screen. To answer your question though, yes it can be hard on the nails if they climb excessively on the screen and they can loose their nails from it among other problems. Your other option is the reptarium type mesh but that can cause the same problems too – that or build your own cage with hardware cloth. Some chams may just climb on the screen in one section and keepers will put up some hardware cloth or fabric netting from a craft store for them to hang onto instead of the screen.

You just have to make the choice on what type of material you want to use (there are pros and cons for each type) and deal with the issues (if any) as they come.

-roo

 

[alan23]

chers man shud b fine best cage i have fount so far im from uk they sell these cages to london zoo so shud b ok and the thing with plastic mesh am worried bout crickets escaping dnt need tht lol wht plant wud u recomend to put in a 3ft tall cage? alan

 

[roo_71]

Ok, I think I translated your Engrish …

The hardware cloth does usually allow for feeders to escape and that’s something I deal with. Anything like crickets that can escape easily are cup fed but feeders like silkworms are free rainged in the cage so the cham can hunt them. Neither the plastic mesh (reptarium type) or the aluminum mesh should allow feeders to escape but roaches or larger crickets/locusts (even trevo/butter worms) can potential eat through the plastic type mesh if they are left in the cage for a while – which should be avoided for other reasons as well. I can’t comment on the “zoo” type cages … I have no idea what they look like.

Here are some of the most common plants used in cham cages …

Hibiscus
Umbrella / Schefflera
Ficus
Pothos

-roo