Hi Lele,



You said that, "I find what Chris is saying makes sense but as has been pointed out the feasibility of a new cham owner setting up a glass enclosure there is more chance of error and death than in a screened one."



Why is there more chance of "error and death" in a more enclosed (not necessarily glass) enclosure than a screen one? What I have found, and what I would argue, is that a screen cage in many climates and many situations actually makes it much more difficult to provide healthy conditions to the chameleons and therefore makes "error and death" much more likely.



"Could I maintain better humidity in an enclosure with glass? Sure. Is it a feasible thing for me? No. First, I do not have the money to purchase the needed size nor could I possibly manage to get something of its size and weight up the twisted stairs in my 275 year old house. But besides the $$, why should I bother when the plastic works just as well."



I'm not necessarily arguing for glass enclosures or aquaria as preferable (indeed, for larger enclosure and chameleons this does NOT seem like the way to go to me). An enclosure made of weather-proofed wood on most sides, perhaps with a glass or acrylic viewing pane and modest ventilation, makes a lot of sense to me for many chameleons. This would make it much easier for many people to provide appropriate humidity and an appropriate temperature gradient, more similar to what the chameleon would encounter in nature. Besides, many chameleons really do become stressed if they are able to see their reflections, making glass or other similarly reflective material a less than ideal option for some species.



I recall that, years ago, Douglas Dix was keeping Ch. quadricornis in small "family groups" in modified shower enclosures. This made it much easier to keep humidity high and provided plenty of space to the animals. He also had much more success than many folks at the time with a number of montane species.



"So I am not questioning your reasoning, I am just saying that if a keeper has devised something that works and keeps her chameleon healthy then I think telling a new owner to use a tank is risky."



Again, why would it be risky? To me it would seem that providing improper conditions is "risky" If it is easier to obtain the proper conditions with screened cages, then for goodness sakes, use screen cages. If, however, it is easier to provide healthy conditions by using mostly-enclosed cages, then why would we want to use screen? The easiest and most likely method to provide the right conditions should be the one used, no?



Mostly enclosed terraria vs. screened terraria are no more nor any less functional in the right situation. If the ambient conditions are like those the animal requires, then use screen. If they are different, a modestly ventilated cage can make it much, much easier to keep the chameleons healthy and happy.



You wouldn't grow orchids outside in NH during the winter, but they can do wonderfully if kept in a greenhouse. Likewise, it just doesn't make sense to keep most chameleons in low-humidity houses (either heated or cooled with AC) in free-air habitats most of the time. It would be easier and most folks would be more successful if ventilation were limited, allowing proper humidty and temperature to be maintained in the cages. It would, frankly, just be a lot less work and frustration to get the right conditions, and anything that is easier to do is inherently more likely to be done.



Anyway, my two bits



Chris

[ Show Entire Thread ]