Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my local petstore is having a good deal on a 175 gallon screen cage. its black mesh and is a very large size (it can be stood tall for chameleons, or laid down on its side for an iguana or something) is this a good cage for a chameleon? will it be big enough to put a 5 gallon bucket in when she needs to lay eggs? will it be big enough so she wont stress out? have you guys seen this cage before? it was all broken down in a box so i couldn't get a good feel for the size.

rachel
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4.3 African Clawed Frog
3.3 Calfornia Newt
0.1 Leucistic Texas Ratsnake
1.1 Veiled Chameleon
0.1 Albino Cranwells Horned Frog
0.1 Paddle Tail Newt
0.1 Green Iguana
0.5.0 Indonesian Floating Frog

It sounds like you are talking about a reptarium. They have their good & bad points... (all re my opinion only bsed on my experience with one):

Good:
Light-weight
Easily moved
Good for outdoor sunning time
Plastic/Nylon
Machine-washable
difficult viewing (cham may be happier with this)

Bad:
Plastic/Nylon (melts under lights, NOT cricket-proof, siding doesn't support cage furniture)
Zipper breaks easily
can grow mold on the mesh if it stays wet
can be difficult to get into
difficult viewing
needs plstic liner (not included & can be almost as much as the reptarium itself)

It's all up to your preferences... but also look onlike at the various vendors, as they tend to be WAY CHEAPER than even a sale at a pet store... (I bought a 65 gal one for $50 on sale at a site that advertises on kingsnake).
Good luck
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1.1 Crazy dogs... (Gizmo & Sadie)
0.2 Vacationing Kitties (Puddy, PeeWee)
1.0 Veiled Chameleon (Charlie)
0.1 Amazing Fiance =o)

Yeah that sounds like a reptarium....I have experience with these and all screen aluminum cages. I agree, both have good and bad points, but it should be fine. Just make sure you don't put the heat lamp directly on it or it will melt the nylon mesh. That was the only major hinderance for me. I've seen the best prices for them at reptiledirect.com, you can get the 175 gallon you're talking about for $65.
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Experience and appreciate nature's creation.

www.zenexotics.com

As for melting under lights, it seems to depend on the type of light. If you have an ordinary house light bulb (not a heat bulb) the mesh should be fine as long as the bulb is not closer than an inch. I've used house light bulbs on a Reptarium and all it did was fade the mesh...no melting. Those more focused heat spots might be a problem. But, my Reptarium is an old one and possibly they have changed mesh material. I didn't have too much trouble with crix chewing through, but I don't free range them. Use a plastic box to contain them. Zoophobas DID chew through. That size is nice for one adult cham such as a med. veiled. Zippers tend to last longer if you rub a bit of lock ease or zipper lubricant on the outside occasionally. Still, I use it more for temporary caging as it is a bit too fussy for daily long term housing.