[Ododunn]

Hi,
I'm planning on buying a Yemen Chameleon soon and i see that there are mixed reviews on weather glass terrariums are safe to use for chameleons or not. I would like to ask what everyone else's opinion/expereince is? i have a large spare Exo Terra Glass Terrarium so it would be great if i can use that instead of buying a mesh screen cage. Exo terra terrariums have ventilation systems built it but is it still risky putting a chameleon in it even though Exo Terra say they have great ventilation. I see many people have had great success with keeping chameleons in Glass Exo Terra terrariums but thought i would double check.

Thankyou,
Owen

 

[SnakeLover89]

Chameleons require alot of ventilation and sometimes glass enclosures lack that even though some keepers have kept them successfully in glass but not recommended.

But personally I always preferred screen enclosures. For humidity, I just covered back and sides with plastic and did the job.

 

[gumienny187]

I agree with snakelover89, although many people have successfully kept/bred/maintaned a chameleon in a glass enclosure, it is usually a large glass enclosure many feet by many feet. Screen cages are recommended because ventilation is key to keeping a healthy chameleon the easiest way. If it is a baby yemen, it should be good till it gets a little bigger. I would also recomend just building a wooden rectangle frame, putting screen around all sides, and putting a big live plant in there with many branches until you can either sell the glass terrarium and buy a screen cage, or to use as temporary housing until a screen cage is purchased. All around screen cages are the way to go.
GOODLUCK!***128077;***127996;

 

[DChalo]

It's going to need a large screen cage eventually, so you might as well get one. I regret not doing this with my Frilled Dragon. I bought a 2 ft tall ExoTerra cage and regret the hell out of it because it was expensive and I have to upgrade in about a month.

 

[herper147]

I have and always will go with wood vivs for mine, stick some vents in the roof and a screen section at the bottom and job done.

Yemens really do not require as much humidity as people seem to think, I have had my two old guys for coming up to 9 years now and have often gone 3-4 days without misting, providing they are drinking and both will drink directly from the spray bottle or from a dripper.

When I first started with yemens I was told, bake them during the day and spray in the evening/morning if you need to.

I never liked the screen enclosures as they are terrible at holding any sort of humidity and even worse for allowing the animal to drink and so need to be modified to the point you might as well just go with a wooden viv as they look far nicer. I started off in a mesh enclosure and built wooden panels to cover the edges before giving up and just moving to a viv. But its something thats really up for debate and nobody seems to have a clear answer. Other species are another story but yemens (especially males) really are bullet proof.

 

[johne.ev]

I have and always will go with wood vivs for mine, stick some vents in the roof and a screen section at the bottom and job done.

Yemens really do not require as much humidity as people seem to think, I have had my two old guys for coming up to 9 years now and have often gone 3-4 days without misting, providing they are drinking and both will drink directly from the spray bottle or from a dripper.

When I first started with yemens I was told, bake them during the day and spray in the evening/morning if you need to.

I never liked the screen enclosures as they are terrible at holding any sort of humidity and even worse for allowing the animal to drink and so need to be modified to the point you might as well just go with a wooden viv as they look far nicer. I started off in a mesh enclosure and built wooden panels to cover the edges before giving up and just moving to a viv. But its something thats really up for debate and nobody seems to have a clear answer. Other species are another story but yemens (especially males) really are bullet proof.

Totally agree, never got on with all screen enclosures either for same reasons. Kept all my Yemens & Panthers in homemade melamine enclosures with mesh door & rear adjustable vents. Kept hatchling & juveniles in exo terras, along with different montane species, though not together obviously.

 

[Big Uli]

Chameleons require alot of ventilation and sometimes glass enclosures lack that even though some keepers have kept them successfully in glass but not recommended.

But personally I always preferred screen enclosures. For humidity, I just covered back and sides with plastic and did the job.

In that case why not have a viv with glass or wooden sides and back and just have a screen door and top.
Especially if you keep 2 cages next to each other that seems to make sense as they are supposedly getting stressed when seeing another chameleon due to the fact that all species are territorial.

 

[PancakeS]

I'm not going to say its a definite no about keeping chams in glass enclosures as Ive seen happy chams in it before but in my opinion it is best to go with a screen cage as chams need very good ventilation and plus its easier to clean as with the spraying for humidity levels you wont get any water spots, also its quite hard to find glass enclosures with measurements ideal for chams. If i were you id invest in a reptibreeze 4ft x 2ft x2ft as It is ideal.