Screen vs. Glass in a cold house

[zlew]

Hi, right now i have my chameleon in a screen glass combo which is 16x16x24. I have a full screen 24x24x48 ready for when he is big enough, but Im wondering how hard it might be to keep up temperatures considering my house is 64/66 degrees Fahrenheit. Should I get one of the exo terra unique ventilation system terrariums?

 

[sandrachameleon]

66F isn't too bad, depending on the type of chameleon. My home is also not super warm most of the year. I found a more solid-walled enclosure helped retain heat and was a better choice for me than screen. You might retro-fit your screen cage with Plexiglas or plastic panels on the back and sides. Or you could just heat that room a little bit more than the rest of the house and provide adequate basking opportunities (though you don't want a huge difference between ambient and basking temps).

 

[jamjam]

good advice ^^ looked at this earlier but didnt respond. i also thought 66 isnt too cold. but i'm trying to wonder why only 66 ny weather cant be too much different than ontarios. proper lighting should fix that for summer months. and I havent had my guy for a winter yet but i do have left over clear acrylic sheeting from my drainage i plan to add to my sides for the winter

 

[zlew]

Everyone in my family runs hot, so we only go up to like 70 at the highest even during winter. I could move him (he is a 3 or 4 month old panther, btw) into my basement and out of my bedroom, but I don't like that just because its public space and I don't REALLY trust my little sister not to show her friends ad even try to take him out, although I have explicitly told her not to do that. However, bedrooms in my house are off-limits to everyone except the person who lives there, so that's where I have kept my pets. I like the idea of retro-fitting plexiglass, although Im only 14 so I'm not totally sure how to do it. But if you guys think that a temp of around 66 is ok, then I'm fine. New question:
How do you guys get branches and then keep them attached to the cages? I see pics of people with "bark-free" branches, but I don't know where to get them, and I don't know how to keep them on the cage. I have a reptibreeze cage, which is a pretty fine mesh, so Im not sure if zip-ties will work. Thanks

 

[jamjam]

my house during the winter will probably 66-68 at the most. havent experienced a winter yet but your not in THAT cold of an environment to keep a cham. how to retrofit not quite sure how to tell you to go about doing so havent decided how im going too. many people including myself simply use thumbtacks pushed through the screen into the branches and some people buy wooden dowels from home depot. All my branches are from outside that were baked/bleached rinsed and aired for several weeks and rinsed again.

 

[zlew]

does it matter the type of tree it came from?

 

[jamjam]

avoid trees with saps, and pieces that are rotting. for specific trees im not sure if there are specifics i thnk a quick search may help you out or maybe start a new thread just to be sure

 

[zlew]

trees with visible saps? I think all trees have sap...

 

[sandrachameleon]

I like arbutus tree
but most any type of branch works. wash in hot water with white vinegar / peroxide / oven bake or otherwise clear off most pests /bacteria/fungus. Avoid cedar and anything toxic, obviously.


My cages are sturdy wood frame so I don't have the issue of how to secure stuff to screen, but
Some people use thumb tacks poked through from the outside of the screen to help secure branches.

is 66F the temperature all the time day or night at mid-cage? What is the temperature in the cage itself near the bottom, middle and top and in the basking area during the day? what are the night temps?

 

[Psychobunny]

I like natural tree branches too. I rob them from my poor dogwood tree in my back yard. It is smooth, no bark for little critters to hide under.
I just scrub them (after cutting to size of cage) with a scrub brush and dish soap. Then let them dry.
They last for years, and never had any problems.