Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just a quick question guys...

I'm going to build a 7' x 4' x 3' cage for my mellers chameleon that im getting in the spring. I know they need tons of humidity and im going to build my own misting system, but i was wondering if it would be possible to build the cage so that the back and one half of each side was melamine. This theoretically would hold some humidity in while still allowing airflow because half of each side woudl still be screen. I plan to use as many live plants as possible on the inside, but the 90% requirement is still a little daunting.

So..what do you guys think?

Any advice from those of you who KEEP melleri?

Thanks guys,
Jamie
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Jamie A. Stine and the Gang:

1.1 Bearded Dragons (Lancelot & Guenivere)
0.1 Borneo Short Tailed Python (Ezmerelda)
0.1 Red Tailed Boa (Buffy)
1.1 Cook's Tree Boas (Sharon & Ozzy)
1.0 Short Tailed O'possum (Jethro)
1.2 Guinea Pigs (Bud, Buffy, & Belinda)
1.0 Greyhound (Hank)

Save a life, adopt a retired racer!

that big of a cage you could most likly make all of the sides solid and the front screen and place a humidifier inside the cage.

for you are still worried about the circulation place some spall computer fans in the cage they couls be hooked up to make a nice gently tropcal wind with the mist and heat lamps!!

That's a good idea!

I hadn't thought of that!

I reallyw ant this cage to be great so my melleri lives its longest in captivity.. I know they dont typically live that long, but i want this to be a real showpiece.

i also thought of maybe doing two sides plexi with holes drilled in the top and bottom for ventilation, and then the front screen, but we'll have to see.

Any other input would be welcomed!
Thanks guys!
Jamie
-----
Jamie A. Stine and the Gang:

1.1 Bearded Dragons (Lancelot & Guenivere)
0.1 Borneo Short Tailed Python (Ezmerelda)
0.1 Red Tailed Boa (Buffy)
1.1 Cook's Tree Boas (Sharon & Ozzy)
1.0 Short Tailed O'possum (Jethro)
1.2 Guinea Pigs (Bud, Buffy, & Belinda)
1.0 Greyhound (Hank)

Save a life, adopt a retired racer!

Before you get all set on this a bit of info. Melleri need lots of humidity, but not constant humidity like quads or montiums. They do better with a cycle of dry (50%) to wet (80%). If your climate is humid and warm in summer this might be a real problem to regulate. A solid sided enclosure may not cycle enough, and an enclosure big enough for a single melleri would be huge (try the size of a full tub/shower) and probably very expensive to build. They are prone to fungal infections too. Not all melleri tolerate cages. If you have one that refuses to be caged it will rub snout and damage its feet trying to escape. I don't know anyone who has successfully kept melleri in solid sided cages, but there are always exceptions. I also found that putting the humidifier inside the cage caused corrosion inside the unit fairly quickly. I lost 2 Sunbeam units within 4 months trying this.

Well, i live in dallas, so its HOT in the summer and humid, but usually its so hot that things are very very dry. I'm just pushing ideas around at the moment, getting some tentative plans together and getting some prices. I was planning on putting a mist system in the enclosure to mist probably twice and hour for 8 hours a day, with a heavier misting first thing in the morning and last thing at night, to simulate dew. (?) Its going to have live plants and then a few bio vines or somesuch for the cham to be able to use the whole thing, etc. I just wasnt sure if i could keep the humidity up in a cage that size without having part of it be solid. It's going to be a display cage, so i want it to look really really nice and also be very functional.

Oh, Carlton, i joined the melleri group but my membership hasnt been approved yet, i'm also looking forward to that... hopefully learning a lot.

Talk to you soon,
Jamie
-----
Jamie A. Stine and the Gang:

1.1 Bearded Dragons (Lancelot & Guenivere)
0.1 Borneo Short Tailed Python (Ezmerelda)
0.1 Red Tailed Boa (Buffy)
1.1 Cook's Tree Boas (Sharon & Ozzy)
1.0 Short Tailed O'possum (Jethro)
1.2 Guinea Pigs (Bud, Buffy, & Belinda)
1.0 Greyhound (Hank)

Save a life, adopt a retired racer!

In summer you will probably have trouble with bacterial infections. Melleri tend to get skin problems when kept constantly humid when very warm. When you get on the melleri forum read the caresheet. It explains this, and you may decide not to do this. I've often wondered if one of those self standing shower stalls with a screen top and screen to replace the glass door might work.