Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I used the idea from Reptiles magazine. I made a few changes. I made it so you can use it indoors with a heat lamp over head. The only problem I have had is the size of the holes in the cage. My female Nosy Be can fit through them still.

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0.2 Chameleo Chameleo Calyptratus
1.0 Leopard Gecko
1.0 Furcifer Pardalis (Nosy Be)-Hooloovoo

here is the bottom...

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0.2 Chameleo Chameleo Calyptratus
1.0 Leopard Gecko
1.0 Furcifer Pardalis (Nosy Be)-Hooloovoo

and can't type....
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0.2 Chameleo Chameleo Calyptratus
1.0 Leopard Gecko
1.0 Furcifer Pardalis (Nosy Be)-Hooloovoo

n/t
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0.2 Chameleo Chameleo Calyptratus
1.0 Leopard Gecko
1.0 Furcifer Pardalis (Nosy Be)-Hooloovoo

Well first off chicken wire should never be used for Chameleons. The wire is too sharp and can and will cause injury to the Chameleons toes and feet. The design is a good design but you should re-build it utilizing a plastic coated screen that will not cause injury.
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Rob Trenor
RK Reptiles
www.rkreptiles.com
www.rkreptiles.net
www.oldworldchameleons.com
www.ballpythonmorphs.net
www.beardedragons.com

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The wire is so tightly wound that there is no way to injure my chams. The area that was twisted together was covered in silicone to take care of any sharp edges.
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0.2 Chameleo Chameleo Calyptratus
1.0 Leopard Gecko
1.0 Furcifer Pardalis (Nosy Be)-Hooloovoo

It's not the ends of the wires that cause damage, it's the wire itself. Think about how an egg slicer works - thin wires cut into the egg.

Chameleon feet are soft underneath, and when they walk on thin wire, they will cut themselves. Smaller gauge hardware cloth will cut their feet, chicken wire is even thinner, and far more dangerous.

It really is such a hazard, it's worth changing it. Normally, I'd say if you had any problems, THEN go ahead and change it, but keep an eye out for cuts in the mean time. Chicken wire is really bad though, unless you can be sure they never climb on the wire, your chameleons will eventually cut their feet.

The wire is thicker than normal hardware cloth. I honestly don't have any worries about it. I will watch for cuts though. I've though of adding that outdoor plastic fence stuff for a bigger grab...like the fence used for blocking snow?
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0.2 Chameleo Chameleo Calyptratus
1.0 Leopard Gecko
1.0 Furcifer Pardalis (Nosy Be)-Hooloovoo

Well I can say this with confidence....I have seen and heard many people say the same thing. "my chameleon can't get hurt on the wire because it is large enough, has no sharp edges, etc." But time and time again these people have learned the hard way at the Chameleon expense. The wire that is not twisted is very thin and acts just like Eric stated, an egg slicer. The Chameleon has its foot on the wire and falls for what ever reason. BAM! there goes a tow, or the foot, or just a nasty slice. It is most definitely your choice to use what ever screening material you wish but it is in my professional opinion not a good idea to use that kind at all. Best of luck with your Veileds and their new enclosure.
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Rob Trenor
RK Reptiles
www.rkreptiles.com
www.rkreptiles.net
www.oldworldchameleons.com
www.ballpythonmorphs.net
www.beardedragons.com

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lol! I have to scroll to see it - are they in the gallery? I saw that article in the magazine and thought about one for an outdoor cage
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Chameleon Help & Resource Info
1.0 Nosy Be Panther Chameleon - Cyrus
0.1 Veiled Chameleon - Luna. She's now hanging from her big jungle gym in the sky
1.0 Beardie - Darwin
1.1 Side-blotched lizards - Ana and Stan for now
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Lita
0.1 African Clawed Frog - Skippy
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula - Rosa Leigh, Died 4/21/06
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha, donated to science 4/4/06
?.? Pinktoe Tarantula - no name yet