Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,

I want to construct some kind of a rack system to house many many chameleons. I am aware that chams need a lot of ventilation, proper lighting, humidity, ect. This won't be an ordinary rack, obviously, How could I construct several cages that are attached together, yet still provide the ventilation, lighting, ect? At the same time, I need to keep them all visually separated.

Anyone have an idea or pic to help me on my journey?
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0.1 Chameleo Calyptratus 1.2 Tangerine Leopard Geckos
1.1 Blue Spiny Lizards 1.2 Uroplatus Phantasticus
0.1 Moroccan Uromastyx 0.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.1 Yellow-Throated-Plated-Lizard
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake 0.2 Mali Uromastyx
1.1 Jackson's Chameleon

What do you mean by a "rack"? Do you mean simply a rack of cages or do you mean a lidless rack system where a plastic tub slides in and out of a space between two shelves?

If the former, do you need the individual cages to be modular?

Regardless, I've built both for chameleons. Let me know more what you're looking for and I'll see if I can remember what I did.

Also, what size cages/containers do you need? I've worked with very small Brookesia all the way up to large Furcifer oustaleti. Obviously a true rack system would not be practical for the latter.

im not sure how much space you have and if you want it to look nice and all but if it were me, i would build something like kids use in kindergarden i think they are called cubby holes to put shoes in and stuff. the difference is that you would put screening on both the front and back for good ventilation. you could make the wall as big or as small as you needed. more or less it would be a bunch of connected squares with only front and sides open by means of mesh.
id say make the cages using wood and construct them as if they were shelves like the melamane kind you can buy for closests ( could possibly even use those). then add a light fixture or your heat source in each cage and for the mesh part i would sugest using pvc coated wire. i know you can order it online somewhere fairly cheap and just cover the entire rear with solid sheets. for the front doors i would say either frame out doors or even easier to mesh it all and make mesh doors like used on rabbit cages.
hope this helps.

that sounds like a good idea jayf. For more ventilation you might want to use pegboard instead of melamine for spacing the "cages" apart.
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0.1 "Tremper" looking Albino Leopard gecko (Lex)
0.0.1 normal ball python (felix)
1.1 Feral cats that we adopted (Fuzzy, and Bear)

"There are six genes which determine the amount of melanism present in a person's skink"-meretseger

I like the kubby hole idea - with pegboard backs and an all screen door. Would you think that pegboard between the cages would do the trick to keep them visualually speparated?
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0.1 Chameleo Calyptratus 1.2 Tangerine Leopard Geckos
1.1 Blue Spiny Lizards 1.2 Uroplatus Phantasticus
0.1 Moroccan Uromastyx 0.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.1 Yellow-Throated-Plated-Lizard
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake 0.2 Mali Uromastyx
1.1 Jackson's Chameleon