What Material to use for cage

[ramhemi55]

Hey all, well first post on the site. I have a veiled chameleon thats about the size of a half dollar, hes a little guy. I want to build a cage for him but my question is what kind of screening do i use for it. i would use regular mesh but im worried about crickets and such insects that i feed him getting out. what should i do?? what should i use?? i dont need to wake up and all of a sudden notice a bunch of crickets running around lol. Any help would be great!!

 

[Surfrat]

Hey all, well first post on the site. I have a veiled chameleon thats about the size of a half dollar, hes a little guy. I want to build a cage for him but my question is what kind of screening do i use for it. i would use regular mesh but im worried about crickets and such insects that i feed him getting out. what should i do?? what should i use?? i dont need to wake up and all of a sudden notice a bunch of crickets running around lol. Any help would be great!!

At that age you can place him in a large plastic tub or 10 gallon aquarium, with some fake vines and such. As he grows, most people will recommend aluminum screen so that the insects can't chew out, assuming you free range feed. If you cup/hand feed then regular screen or a 1/4 inch hardware cloth works well.

There are tons and tons of posts here about enclosures. Search through them and you will get plenty of ideas!

One very easy and inexpensive option is to buy the screen cage from lllreptile or DIY cages.

http://www.diycages.com/1915.html?shopCountry=US&strReqMode=execStored&shopLanguage=en

 

[ramhemi55]

ok so just real small screen then. def aluminum then. ok cool thanks!!

 

[Surfrat]

ok so just real small screen then. def aluminum then. ok cool thanks!!

Yea, just remember aluminum has sharp edges, so if you use wood, staple it to the outside or use trim pieces to cover it on the inside.

 

[sandrachameleon]

A potential danger of using that fine screen is the chameleon may try to climb it, and as it gets older and heavier, this puts a strain on the toenails. Toenails can also get caught in the screen. Some people mitigate this by ensuring there are lots of branches and vines, and/or by putting a wider mesh in front of the fine screen.

You may find some of the previous threads on the topic of enclosures/housing chameleons interesting to read through, especially those regarding making cages. Some of the ones I found interesting or useful are grouped in this blog entry:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/82-enclosures-housing.html