Ugh. Last minute cage setup...

[IvoryBolt]

I was supposed to get a cage from a friend this weekend to house edgar in (he lives about 3 hours away)...well, he texted me this morning saying 'oh, I'm sick'. Great. Just freaking peachy...so I'm getting my cham on tuesday morning, and I just ordered a cage today from amazon...it should be okay to house him in a 20gal long tipped up for a couple days, right? I have his UVB pointed through the screen, everything is holding about 85 at the hot end, and I'm in the process of making a dripper...


In happier news, I went stick hunting up the mountain today!! Got some GREAT branches to put in his cage. should they be okay since it's been super cold (below freezing), or should I bleach them? (too big for oven...haha.). It's so close! I can't believe it's finally happening!!! AHHHHH!!!!

 

[TreyLcham]

I would sand down the branches so ur cham doesnt get splinters after that ya bleach should be good enough just make sure u clean of with water really good then let sit and fully dry to male sure all the bleach has evaped from insidd the sticks. On the glass tank im sure it will be ok if he is in it for a day or 2 but if u could post a pic of the glass tank so,i could get a better look at what ur doing to it

 

[IvoryBolt]

oh yeah, they're all sanded xD I'll take pics in a few. It's a screen top 20gal, so there's still ventilation, thank the lord xD

 

[CauseNAffect]

Honestly,

THEE..... most important part of keeping chameleons successfully is having a stable and appropriate environment. I would highly suggest delaying getting a chameleon until your temperatures and setup is complete. Otherwise you will only be doing the animal a disservice. It won't kill you to wait a few days, but it could kill him, with chameleons you just never know honestly. Best to be prepared for it than regret it later.

 

[IvoryBolt]

Honestly,

THEE..... most important part of keeping chameleons successfully is having a stable and appropriate environment. I would highly suggest delaying getting a chameleon until your temperatures and setup is complete. Otherwise you will only be doing the animal a disservice. It won't kill you to wait a few days, but it could kill him, with chameleons you just never know honestly. Best to be prepared for it than regret it later.

...if you read above, my temps are fine. 85 on a hotspot is spot on, and It's on a dimmer anyways...this may also be the last day we get to ship, due to the Polar Vortex that's headed this way...I've seen many people keep their chams healthy in a glass cage....it's all about being obsessive over temps and humidity...which I kinda already do with my retics. 2 Days in a glass cage..is it REALLY going to kill him? live plants...branches to climb on...appropriate temp gradient...keeps humidity good...what's so awful?

 

[Kate]

Keeping Chameleons in Glass Terrariums
By Christopher V. Anderson

Citation:
Anderson, C.V. (2010). Keeping Chameleons in Glass Terrariums. Chameleons! Online E-Zine, July 2010. (http://www.chameleonnews.com/10JulAndersonGlass.html)

For many years the standard for keeping chameleons has been to house them in enclosures made of screen or wire mesh. Because chameleons generally require taller enclosures with excellent ventilation, these screen-sided enclosures provide a relatively inexpensive source of housing that provides high levels of airflow and plenty of fresh air. Unfortunately, this standard of keeping has resulting in a widespread negative stigma and general misconception that you cannot keep chameleons in glass enclosures.

On the contrary, many keepers successfully keep many different chameleon species in glass enclosures. Having said that, however, it is important to differentiate between different types of glass enclosures, rather than simply assume that any glass enclosure makes a good chameleon enclosure.

Glass enclosures can broadly be divided into two types: aquariums and glass terrariums. These two types of glass enclosures vary in their purpose, as well as their appropriateness for keeping chameleons.

Aquariums are primarily designed to hold water and keep fish. They are not designed for airflow and even with screen tops, a large portion of the aquarium gets very poor airflow. Many aquariums are marketed as terrariums for keeping reptiles because they are made of thinner glass that cannot handle the weight and pressure of being filled with water, but their design is otherwise the same and they do not qualify as glass terrariums as I am describing them.

Glass terrariums are not designed to keep fish and are designed for airflow. They typically have screen mesh venting at the top of the enclosure and venting at the lower portion of one of the sides, often the front. The layout of these vents is critical toward explaining why these enclosures provide increased levels of air exchange. Their arrangement serves to create a chimney effect where as air warms in the enclosure, it rises and leaves through the top of the enclosure. As this warmed air rises, it frees up space inside the enclosure, thus drawing fresh air into the enclosure through the vent at the bottom side of the enclosure. The result is the efficient exchange of air in the enclosure providing continuous fresh air.

The mesh ventilation in these Protean Terrarium Design terrariums is seen just above the soil, below the sliding glass doors in the front. Photo courtesy of Daniel Neblock.

Simply put, aquariums are not good chameleon enclosures. First, few aquariums provide the vertical height required by chameleons. While some terrestrial species (pygmy chameleons) can be kept in them, this is simply because they live close to the ground and in these short enclosures, the top of the enclosure is not far from the bottom of the cage, thus allowing some airflow to be exchanged. For arboreal species, however, the enclosures need to be taller resulting in the distance between the source of fresh air and the bottom of the cage being larger and thus, less air exchange.

Breeders in Europe have kept many chameleon species in glass terrariums for decades with excellent results. In the US, glass terrariums have not been commercially available until relatively recently. Up until this point, a glass enclosure automatically meant an aquarium and the majority of US keepers didn't know the distinction between glass terrariums and glass aquariums—glass was glass.

Some of the author’s fully planted Exo-Terra Glass Terrariums used to house montane chameleon species

Now that true glass terrariums are available from a couple commercial sources, such as Exo-Terra and Protean Terrarium Designs, a few US chameleon keepers have started experimenting with keeping chameleons in them. Similar to our European counterparts, these have been with great results. Keeping in glass enclosures does require some changes in your husbandry techniques, however.

First, I have found that it is best to fully plant each glass terrarium with live plants, much like you would for a pygmy chameleon terrarium. I use an inch to an inch and a half layer of hydroton pebbles on the bottom for drainage, which I then cover with a layer of plastic window screen to maintain separation between the layers. I then plant a variety of live plants in the terrarium using organic potting soil. I try to have a combination of plants that will provide ground cover as well as arboreal foliage. I then seed the enclosure with springtails to act as a natural cleaning crew.

While some may claim that planting the terrarium poses a risk of ingestion of the substrate and subsequent impaction, I argue that there is no more risk of impaction then there would be for pygmy chameleons, which are routinely housed in fully planted enclosures, and that the benefits outweigh the risks as long as you are careful to observe your animals. By planting the enclosure, the plants grow better and remain fuller, there is natural drainage and no water buildup in the bottom of the enclosure, there are increased humidity levels in the enclosure, and it provides for a nicer looking setup in general that both you and your animal will appreciate. Of course, if an animal is observed actively consuming the soil, that animal should be housed in an enclosure without a soil substrate, but this is a rare occurrence and usually indicative of a nutritional issue that needs to be addressed.


A typical, fully planted 18”x18”x24” Exo-Terra Glass Terrarium the author uses to house adult montane chameleons. Ventilation is present immediately under the doors.

Next, because screen enclosures fail to maintain humidity well, often resulting in a dry interior environment, many chameleon keepers have gotten into the habit of misting their chameleon enclosures 3 or more times a day for prolonged periods each time in order to make sure their chameleons are able to drink plenty and humidity is maintained. This often requires elaborate drainage systems and a considerable amount of time and water every day. Fortunately, because glass terrariums maintain humidity better, chameleons do not need to be misted as frequently or for as long when housed in them. Montane species I previously misted twice a day for 20 minutes each misting when I kept them in screen enclosures, I now keep in glass terrariums and only mist once to twice per day for about a minute when using a handheld pressure sprayer or about 2 minutes with a MistKing mist system. This amount of misting thoroughly waters the enclosure providing ample water for the chameleon to drink and the humidity is maintained, thus resulting in a lower drinking requirement. Because the terrarium is planted, excess water is absorbed into the soil, watering the plants. Care must be taken to ensure the enclosure dries between misting sessions, but misting once or twice a day easily allows for this.

Finally, because glass maintains temperature better then mesh enclosures, a smaller wattage heat source is typically needed. For some species, little more than the heat from the UV lights is required for basking, however requirements will vary based on the species and enclosure size and layout. Using an infrared thermometer will easily provide you with the information needed to make sure temperatures are appropriate.

It is important to note that these enclosures should only be used for appropriately sized species. Adult male Veiled Chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus) or Panther Chameleons (Furcifer pardalis) require larger enclosures than are currently offered by many of these glass terrarium suppliers. Some sources, however, will custom build you enclosures of your desired dimensions, in which case adult males of these species could easily be kept in them. At large sizes, however, the enclosures become very heavy.

A large terrarium designed to keep larger chameleon species. Note the ventilation ports at the bottom below the doors. Photo courtesy of Steven Oosterhoff, calummaparsonii.com.

To get around the weight issue, many European keepers will construct their own large terrariums from solid walls and only use glass or plexiglass for the doors. These custom built enclosures are outfitted with ventilation low on the sides and a screen top, allowing for ventilation in these enclosures as well.

One of the biggest advantages of glass terrariums is their use in raising babies. When kept in small (12”x12”x18”), fully planted glass terrariums, baby chameleons flourish and grow quickly. The enclosures hold fruitflies much better than open toped baby tubs or your typical screen topped baby-rearing enclosure, and maintain humidity, while still allowing sufficient airflow better than other techniques. Because the humidity levels are maintained better in these enclosures, misting is required less frequently, with superior results.

Examples of an 18”x18”x18” pygmy (left) and a 12”x12”x18” baby-rearing Exo-Terra Glass Terrarium used by the author.

As with any chameleon setup, keeping chameleons in glass terrariums requires consistent care efforts and attention to detail. While care techniques in these enclosures are slightly different than in screen enclosures, glass terrariums are much easier to maintain in many ways and also provide a much more visually appealing enclosure for your chameleons.





Found this. Hope it will be helpful. Look forward to seeing pics of your little one.

 

[IvoryBolt]

I love that article!! Isn't ventilation more of a long term thing? Like this will literally be 2-3 days..if that. I have an umbrella tree in it to help with ventilation as well....just need a temp place to put him o.o as friends are not reliable, apparently xD Another thing I read, was that with it flipped up on it's end, the screen helps with ventilation...please correct me if I'm wrong!!

 

[CauseNAffect]

I'm confident it won't kill him, but better safe than sorry, it depends on what kind of person / keeper you are. I'd say your option should be to simply wait until you have everything set up. That is the most responsible thing to do, there is no rush to getting a new cham, take the time, get him shipped 2 weeks later if you must. That's the best advice that can be given.

 

[Kate]

Yes it is a long term thing . Just pointing out that different enclosures suit different situations. I use wood with glass doors and a screen top as I'm of the opinion that the temp and humidity in the N/E Scotland is not conducive to using all screen. I have kept babies in glass exoterra vivs very successfully.Good luck.

 

[IvoryBolt]

Yes it is a long term thing . Just pointing out that different enclosures suit different situations. I use wood with glass doors and a screen top as I'm of the opinion that the temp and humidity in the N/E Scotland is not conducive to using all screen. I have kept babies in glass exoterra vivs very successfully.Good luck.

Thank you for giving information instead of just telling me NO and that I'm irresponsible XP I'm in utah, so I feel you on the humidity thing...it's sooo dry here, I'll likely end up plexiglassing a couple sides on the cage to help xD I so can't wait for him to get here...here's a pic, courtesy of the breeder:

 

[Kate]

Nice. I think it better to be armed with as much knowledge as possible and then make up your own mind. You appear to have done your research but it's good that you are still asking questions. This forum has members from all over the world with lots of experience. Keep posting:

 

[IvoryBolt]

This is the *VERY* Temporary set up. I think I'm going to grab different branches, though. I don't like these ones, they're very brittle. Easy to fix, though. I'm going to secure them with hot glue...because it's as permanent as I need, and easy to get off glass...Lowest humidity has been 52%, which is GREAT for here. Overnight temps were 66. Highest temp acheived was 88, so I'll dim it juuuust a smidgen. Lights on at 630, off at 630. And dripper works..a little too well xD my Umbrella got a good watering last night, but didn't overflow. xD He's here tomorrow!! Oh, and it's not right there anymore...it's on top of the end table on the other side of the room xD

 

[IvoryBolt]

OH snap!! I just checked on the shipping status of his Screen cage, and it says it will be here tomorrow!! Hallelujah Amazon!! I love you so hard!!

 

[PoshPenny]

Lol @love you so hard. Congrats on your Cham. It's very pretty.