chameleon housing

[Rainbow]

Hi,

new to this forum, have been lurking and gaining valuble knowlege in the care of chameleons. I'm trying to learn as much as possible before i go ahead and buy one.

I'm particularly interested in the type of housing required....i seem to be getting conflicting responses. I understand that chams require good ventilation, therefore making mesh flexariums a good choice, however living in the uk i've heard that this type of housing is difficult to maintain good humidity and temperature...so i was thinking about the perfecto chameleon tank, which is three sides mesh and one glass....now i know that glass is not favourable due to reflection and stress, but couldn't you cover the glass with some sort of backing like those landscape sheets that you can use in fish tanks? The only thing with these is that the opening is a sliding panel on the top and it doesn't seem as easily acessable as the zip opening mesh flexariums (which also seem to not have very good visability as the mesh is black so it would be harder to see your cham).

However, a while back i was flicking through the forum and i can't for the life of me find the thread, but someone posted a link to a site that made terrariums for chams and they were similar to the exo-terra flexarium except they were more sturdy as they had a metal frame instead of plastic and the mesh was metal too, making visability better and i think the opening was a front openeing door. I visited the site when i was shopping around but i can't find it anymore...it definately was posted on this forum and i think on the site it mentioned that they made these enclosures for zoos etc. If anyone knows of this site or one like it i'd greatly appreciate it. Also what is everyones opinion on the type of housing considering the climate that we have here in the uk?

your input would be hugely appreciated!

[manda]

inmy opinion i would get a normal cham viv 3xwood and glass sliding doors and just put loads of vents in it im really not a huge fan of flexivivs due to controling the humididty and temps as your weather goes up and down like a yo-yo you can pik up vents from bnq i use kitchen vents for all my viv including the waterdragon ones they work really well and you can open and close them as you wish
i dont keep chams so im no expert but thats just what i would do if i ever got some
manda xx

[scarlettvegetable]

I found these??

http://www.crislis.co.uk/thatcher/repcage/repcage.htm

Prices and stuff are on the main page...

[Rainbow]

lizard_lover: thanks for your input, sounds good but i'm put off by using due to cleaning difficulties and the rot factor....all the water misting and humidity is bound to affect the wood, is it not?

scarlettvegetable: you little beauty that is exactly the website i was after! thanks a million!!! what do you guys think of those repcages then? yay or nay? i understand the point thta lizard_lover made about the difficulties with humidity using mesh housing, but is there no way round this, like adding some plastic sheeting on a few of the sides? i just really like the idea of them as they are practical and easy to clean....

input guys=mucho appreciated! so so very confused! i really want to make the best choice for the little cham here :P

[manda]

you can waterproff the wood before using it and sell all the edges so it doesnt rot ive never had a problem as my wd's need atleast 80% hunidity
manda xx

[Rainbow]

ah right, didn't think of that...what sort of product do you use to treat your wood? the chemicals obviously don't have any affect on the animals then?

p.s. thanks for all your help and suggestion, really appreciate this

[Rainbow]

oops, don't bother, i just searched the forum and found my answer, but thanks for the advice anyways x

[Rainbow]

oh another thing that just popped into my head which i've been meaning to ask...... would you advise getting a reptile heat map for a chameleon or would a basking lamp such as Exo Terra Reptile Sun Glo Tight Beam supply all the heat required? cheers guys

[manda]

i would say the bulbs i only use heatmatts in the winter to keep the heat up at night but do make sure it is very very wel covered as you dont want anything getting burnt
manda xx

[Triangulum]

I use an Exo Terra Glass Terrarium. I know the stress factor with glass. But im going to cover up the side glass. To prevent stress. The size is the largest, 60x45x60cm's (LxWxH) It wont be a permanent home for a cham, but for a youngster/yearling its suitable.

When The cham i eventually get (Still in search - Scotland Fie Area ). I will make my own wooden viv. With Mesh area's or alot of vents. It will be 3x3x5ft. And I will seal it with sealent and treat the word.

It's cheaper to make your own viv then purchase. Although i did get my exo terra viv for extremely cheap due to on a offer (53 pounds for an exo terra 2ftx1.5ftx2ft! Bargain i'll think you say)

Well I suggest what you have found, But to keep humiderty, Wood Is the best bet. But theres many oponions out there. And i hope you get the majorit of them all. As i dont have a cham right now. Im not the best to be telling this. But people have said that the exo terra glass terrarum will do for the first 6-12 months of the chams life.

Scott