I actually don't have any good pics of my setups online, and I'm not at my

home computer. I'll be glad to post some in the future.



I feel the 2'x2'3' cages that I made are a good minimum size for adult

chameleons as long as they're held 3' or more off the ground. However, in

the future, I do believe I will make mostly 2'x2'x4' cages. While they extra

height is good, the main reason is because ficus and sheffelera (or any

other tree for that matter) will soon grow taller than 3'. A size of 2x2x4 is

ideal. A taller cage is good, but if temperatures aren't too hot, they'll

almost never use the bottom foot. Make it shorter and put it on a shelf.



I think baby cages are best made out of plastic. It's pretty expensive to

make a little cage. The cost of the cage is disproportionatly larger the

smaller a cage is. A 18"x18"x24" cage cost me just a little less than a

2'x2'x3' cage. If you're making them yourself, no problem. It's just hard

to sell them, since they cost almost as much as a much larger cage.



What I do for baby and juvinile cages is not pretty, but it works.



I take 20 gallon plastic storage containers, cut the top out, replace it with

screen,and cut in some vent holes on the sides, replacing them with

screen. Less ventilation than a screen cage, which helps prevent

dessication. The plastic is easy to clean - just remove the babies and

rinse. They're eaiser to drain as well - just drill a few small holes in one

end, and tilt the who cage on a block. Excess water drips right out where

you drilled the holes. Plus, the plastic prevents tiny pinheads from

escaping...they can fit through some screen.



They are easy to store - when the babies are gone, just rinse them off,

stack them up and throw them in a garage or basement. they're not as

easy to destroy as aluminum screen.



The cages I made were very nice and strong (when I drilled the holes in

the right place!). Thing is, they took H O U R S to make - I had a chop

saw for cutting, which helped a lot. The screening process was

excruciating at first. I do not plan to make any more to sell like that.

When I have baby chameleons to sell, I will do something differently:

I am in contact with a supplier that will manufactuer premade screen

panels for a price that is LESS than what I have been paying for raw

materials. I just need to order in bulk. When I have babies to sell, I'll

order all these panels, drill them and make them into cages. So my

customers will not have to get those cheap, tiny tiny exo terra cages that

breeders sell.

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