Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have so many eggs incubating right now that I realize I better start organizing baby cages. The design I started with is intricate and proving too involved for "mass production" for the sheer # of baby cages I will need (35 Panther eggs just passed the 3-month mark). I am nervous to use any kind of glue product in case the food crix ingest it and then poison the baby chams, although gluing screen would really cut some time out of my cage production. Can anyone suggest a safe glue or an overall good design for baby cages that works well? I mean individual cages for once babies are separated, not the one big happy family cage that hatchlings first call home. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

~Kerry in NY
TwinOats@hotmail.com

Hi,

I just wrote a short DIY on how we house baby panthers. You can find it at the link on the bottom. I am also very curious about how other breeders are housing their hatchlings. Anyone else care to share?
DIY Baby Panther Cage

That is a great design! Much cheaper and easier than what I was trying to do. Your writeup is quite inspirational!

I just remembered Adcham had some photos of baby cages, too:

http://www.adcham.com/html/husbandry/babycare.html

~Kerry

I liked that article! Very interesting design and good idea. Do you just line those up with a UV bulb over the tops?
-----
Tyler Stewart
Las Vegas NV
www.BLUEBEASTREPTILE.com

Yep. If you use a fixture that holds 2 48" Reptisun 5.0 bulbs you can place cages side by side in row of two.

I have never hatched chameleons before but am breeding my chameleons within a couple of months, and my biggest problem was caging.
The water jug cage is a GREAT idea!
I live in Canada and our winters are very dry (don't forget the huge amounts of snow), I have often wondered about making a dome-like thing over the top of a baby cage to keep humidity in. Is that possible with the jug cages? Could you cimply keep more of the top on the jug (perhaps including the cap or not the cap, depending on the room's humidity or temp?)?
Also, what is everyone's favourite or the most informative book on the breeding of chameleons (mostly veileds, but i would like to keep/breed panthers in the future)?

The only thing about placing something directly over the top is that it will block out all the UVB from the Reptisun. I'm sure there are some more tweaks you could do to make it even more difficult to climb out of. But we honestly never had a problem yet. Knock on wood. Keep in mind that this is only meant for hatchlings, and eventually when they get big enough to climb out, you'll have already put them in a more appropriate sized enclosure.

Vince.

Can I use this to house baby veiled chameleons? No basking light?

The reptisun is placed fairly close to the babies to provide the heat source. But all the general rules still apply. Ambient room temperature still needs to be within range. I would not use a basking bulb unless it is a very very low wattage. I have not had a problem with temperature becuase the area in which we keep the hatchlings has a very stable temperature range.

all right, the top WOULD block the UV light, but I woudl still have the side open. COuld I run the tube along the side so the light runs in from there? I would probably need a low wattage bulb because of the lowwer temps here. I just built a stand for my three cages and there is a shelf inderneath at about 1 foot off of the ground. Could I put the baby cages there? or do they need the benefit of being raised off the ground as well?

I was starting to feel like the old lady who lived in a shoe.
This should really help me.

>>Hi,
>>
>>I just wrote a short DIY on how we house baby panthers. You can find it at the link on the bottom. I am also very curious about how other breeders are housing their hatchlings. Anyone else care to share?
>>DIY Baby Panther Cage
-----
0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta