Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi to all! My wife and I have been researching panther chameleons. We are planning on getting a male ambanja but first want to make sure we have everything we need in the way of his living space. I would like to know what is the best type of caging for a panther chameleon? I have read that screen mess cages are bad. Where would be a good place to get a reccomended cage? I have been thinking about building my own cage. Does anyone have some good plans for doing this? I was thinking of using 1/2" PVC coated hardware cloth on the inside and mesh screen on the outside (to keep food from escaping ). I want to get a cage that is a big as possible and still fit nicely in the house. So I guess what I am looking for is the best overall solution. Any reccomendations are greatly appreciated.

Hi there,

The answer to your question depends on you. I dont use mesh cages because chameleons nails often become stuck and entangled in the mesh, which will harm the cham and possibly infect the nail. Some cool cages are known as "Cham Condos". These are basically two hanging plants with a large bowl at the bottom and a top with a dripper and 3 bulb fixtures. I have one of them and they are really nice. Go to www.chamcondo.com for more info. For screen cages, the rule of thumb is the bigger the better. However, i think that a 60x24x72. That, i think, is the minimum for a panther. Although i dont keep them, i know what their cage size is. Hope I helped!

Anthony

I think it is better for you to build your own cage because you can customize it, and have it for a better price than a store one. Here is a link to how to build your own cage from charm_paradise web-site. Hope this helps!
Cage Plan

Yes I think building my own would be the best bet. Thanks for the link that is a good start to what I want. Does anyone have any other places to find plans for a cage?

Almost everyone who has chams has designed their own cages at some point so there are lots of ideas. There are pics of keeper setups on www.adcham.com under member setups and member links. Also, using mesh itself is not always a problem, but the size of the mesh openings IS. For a larger species like panthers you want to look for mesh with larger openings such as PetScreen or plastic coated wire. If the cham can get his toes free of the mesh openings easily he'll be fine. I've used welded wire mesh successfully many times, but the drawback is it won't keep insects in. You can feed out of a container though, but flying insects won't be easy. If the cage is very large and you can put a good network of trees, shrubs, and branches inside the cham may not climb the mesh much at all. You can free range a cham in a cluster of potted Ficus and large schefflera in a corner of a room, but you'll have to protect walls and floor from spraying and really watch to make sure the humidity is high enough.

True... a lot of us build our own cages and enclosures. Fortunately, hubby is in construction and we have collaborated on the designs. We have constructed cages for both inside and outdoors.

After a few were made, we discovered the benefit of double screens - like you mentioned. We use either plastic 1/2" mesh inside or deer fencing (also plastic - but 1". On the outside of the cages for indoors, we use aluminum window screening - this keeps the feeder insects inside.

We have pictures of our panther enclosures at our MSN group - if you care to look. If you like the designs, we can send you the plans. http://groups.msn.com/REPTAYLSChameleons/

Hope this helps,
Morgana - Reptayls, Ltd.