# Chameleon, Mesh, Glass or Wood vivarium.



## Rawwwrchazli (Mar 16, 2012)

So I'm gonna be 100% honest, I've never really seen the appeal of Chameleons, but I spent an evening at a friends house and had a hold of theirs and he was amazing. I mean I know some don't take too kindly to being handled, but even just watching him was mesmerising. 
Anyway; I'm a bit of a Leo nut, but I'd like my next Reptile to be a Chameleon, preferably a Panther of some Locale, not entirely sure which, though I think theirs was a Veiled Chameleon and he was stunning. I've never had a Chameloen before, I understand thier requirements are a lot more 'specific' and not as straight forward as a Leo's. I'd have to get a misting system as I'm not here during the day to mist the viv, what I'd like to know most really, for now, is what type of Vivarium is best?

Mesh
Glass (ExoTera)
Wooden 

I'd like to have the vivarium bought WAY in advance, then I'll get all the equipment as I have the money  I mean I might not get the Chameleon for a year, but this is how far in advance I prepare myself.

Any advice on the most amenable Panther locale?

I'm not one to handle an animal that gets stressed when I do so, so maybe even the most interesting Species of Chameleon in general. I have no experience with them and figured here is a good place to start 
Just to say I'd never have a Pygmy, they wound get broken, I'm such a heavy handed, two left footed, klutz.
Once I have a viv, I'll be back asking what misting system is best


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## soolonger (Apr 18, 2012)

I did a thread on friday that covers some of what you asked here http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/lizards/880226-chameleon-equipment-help.html if that helps. also, glass will stress them as they see reflections as threats, mesh is best and wood is ok but needs lots of ventilation.


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## switchback (Nov 25, 2011)

When i got my yemen as a baby i started with an exo terra 45x45x60 l/d/h as even thought they are great climbers they can fall so you dont want it too big to start with. After 4 months i upgraded him to the 4 foot flexibreeze.

The exo-terra.... Found this great. I bought the canopy hood for it. It has mesh at the top which aids the ventilation which is a key thing for healthy chams. Very easy to clean and is great to look at imo. Obviously you will need the biggest (tallest) you can for when they are an adult. But they are pricy the bigger they get 

The reptibreeze comes as a flat pack but is really easy to set up took about 10mins to screw together. Many people worry that you loose heat, cant hold humidity and such. If you experience this you can just cover some of the sides. 

You say about the misting system....I spray twice aday. morning before work and then when i get in and its fine. Not sure about panthers though...
Yemens need spikes in humidity not constant. So 2 sprays would be fine. The mist systems are great the 1 i want is about £200 so im waiting till i get another cham and setup 

Wood is fine also but you will need alot of vents in it.

You will have lots of peeps saying this is better etc its your personal preference to what you want. I dont really like the look of the reptibreeze...I would love a 4ft tall exo terra


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## switchback (Nov 25, 2011)

soolonger said:


> I did a thread on friday that covers some of what you asked here http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/lizards/880226-chameleon-equipment-help.html if that helps. also, glass will stress them as they see reflections as threats, mesh is best and wood is ok but needs lots of ventilation.


My dude was never stressed due the glass....he actually prefered licking the water droplets off the glass than the plants i had in there.


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## benton1576 (Nov 7, 2009)

Mesh and wood are best for chameleons. They need to have a good airflow to avoid respiritory problems, I personally custom build my vivs to suit what I want. Theyre wooden back and sides, mesh top and front, with a raised floor that allows me to put a cat litter tray underneath to catch excess water from spraying by drilling a small hole in the floor. I find that with the solid back and sides, my humidity levels are a lot more stable.

You will get a lot of conflicting answers as theres no right or wrong when it comes to cages/vivs for them. Many people have had good success with Glass, but the majority of us prefer mesh, or in my case a combination of both. Its down to personal choice and your own circumstances, for example, if you house is cold, then an all mesh cage may not be suitable and glass might be a better option to hold the temps/humidity. A combination of both mesh and wood seems to be a good all rounder, but thats my own personal opinion and perhaps not shared by others.

A huge :2thumb: for doing your reasearch well in advance! The more you learn before you get one, the better. They can be quite complicated but dont let that put you off, you doing the right thing by gathering knowledge beforehand, theyre so rewarding and interesting to watch. You will soon find yourself wanting more! lol


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## XtremeReptiles (Aug 10, 2011)

Benton has covered everything tbh honest but i thought i would help you out regarding locale. My panther is in my sig, its called an ambilobe there known for there a varity of colours : victory:. I got to be honest im a big fan of the tamatave and masoala locale, i like the reds :mf_dribble:.


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## benton1576 (Nov 7, 2009)

XtremeReptiles said:


> Benton has covered everything tbh honest but i thought i would help you out regarding locale. My panther is in my sig, its called an ambilobe there known for there a varity of colours : victory:. I got to be honest im a big fan of the tamatave and masoala locale, i like the reds :mf_dribble:.


I have them both, :Na_Na_Na_Na:

And Mitsio, and Nosy faly. 

To be fair, I am very partial to Ambilobe but would absolutely cut both my arms off for an unrelated pair of Ankaramy!!! The pink body and red spots are amazing. :flrt:

Rawwwrchazli, If you are going to buy a Chameleon, the best advise for you is to get a veiled/yemen Cham first because they are hardier than all the Chameleons out there, plus very very cheap too should the worst happen.


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## chameleonkev (Nov 27, 2011)

benton1576 said:


> I have them both, :Na_Na_Na_Na:
> 
> And Mitsio, and Nosy faly.
> 
> ...


If you ever find Ankaramy you no my number!!!!


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## Yemen (Jul 23, 2012)

Rawwwrchazli said:


> So I'm gonna be 100% honest, I've never really seen the appeal of Chameleons, but I spent an evening at a friends house and had a hold of theirs and he was amazing. I mean I know some don't take too kindly to being handled, but even just watching him was mesmerising.
> Anyway; I'm a bit of a Leo nut, but I'd like my next Reptile to be a Chameleon, preferably a Panther of some Locale, not entirely sure which, though I think theirs was a Veiled Chameleon and he was stunning. I've never had a Chameloen before, I understand thier requirements are a lot more 'specific' and not as straight forward as a Leo's. I'd have to get a misting system as I'm not here during the day to mist the viv, what I'd like to know most really, for now, is what type of Vivarium is best?
> 
> Mesh
> ...


As young they can be housed in exo terra but adults I keep in wooden vivs


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## _simon_ (Nov 27, 2007)

When I first got my Chameleon (3 1/2 years ago) it was hammered into me that mesh was the only way due to the importance of air flow. So as a baby mine had a small mesh enclosure and as he got bigger, a bigger mesh enclosure. Since then opinions have changed and there's a growing trend towards exo terras and wooden vivs. If you think about it a more enclosed space like a wooden viv makes more sense as you have greater heat and humidity control than an open enclosure. I do actually plan to move mine into a larger wooden viv at some point.

Re misting systems, take a look at Mistkings. Until now we've had to buy them from either Poland or the USA but Welcome to Jungle frog in the UK are just about to start selling them.


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## XtremeReptiles (Aug 10, 2011)

benton1576 said:


> I have them both, :Na_Na_Na_Na:
> 
> And Mitsio, and Nosy faly.
> 
> ...


I may be buying a baby Masoala if i find out good news next week and i have the money :Na_Na_Na_Na:. I also do love a nosy faly i love how there blue with red spots:Na_Na_Na_Na:. I complete agree about buying a veiled cham first, mine was my first rep and she is 7yrs old now (first got her at 6months) she was an import from germany but not sure what breeder thats all i got told :whistling2:. As soon as i found out that i had a female i made sure i lower temps and not fed her too much so she wouldnt lay and she hasnt since ive had her so there is also a way around things. Btw Mark how much was the masoala baby in total and how males do u have left atm :whistling2:


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