Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello All,

I am looking for a lightweight enclosure for my almost 2 year old panther male. I want something that is 2' x 2' x 3'. I also want something that can be used with a misting system. Are there any cages available with built in drainage?? Also, I know some enclosures do not have a small side where the bottom meets the sides, and I am worried the water will leak out the sides. Does anyone know of any places I could start looking for one???

Thanks,

Greg

ps. this picture is almost a year old,i dont have any ne ones online yet!!

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1.0 Ambilobe Panther Chameleon - (Seppi) - (12/28/03)
1.0 Ghost Phase Leopard Gecko - (12/15/02)
0.1 High Yellow Leopard Gecko - (06/17/02)
0.1 Blizzard Leopard Gecko - (4/14/04)

There are no commercial cages with drainage in the bottom. Welcome to one of the more challenging aspects of cham keeping! People solve it various ways. You can rest the cage frame on plastic sweater boxes (you will need a screened bottom to hold pots and keep feeders in), build a solid sided "box" out of plastic panels and silicone, put the whole cage in a shallow pan and tip it slightly so water runs down to one corner. I've used hydroponics "flood tables" which are ABS plastic pans that can be plumbed to drain into a bucket. I've also heard of cement mixing trays or molds for slabs that can work too. Reptarium has a "soft tray" of flexible vinyl that could work too if the size is right and you have a way to support it.

I am thinking about getting the reptarium 175 gallon, but isn't the nylon mesh bad for cham's feet. my cham doesn't ever walk on the screen on his cage now, but you never know.
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1.0 Ambilobe Panther Chameleon - (Seppi) - (12/28/03)
1.0 Ghost Phase Leopard Gecko - (12/15/02)
0.1 High Yellow Leopard Gecko - (06/17/02)
0.1 Blizzard Leopard Gecko - (4/14/04)

hello i personally prefer to build my own cages and i discourage people from the reptarium from others experiences i have witnessed personally like mesh further prohibits light from getting in,harder to see,toes getting stuck and most notable cricket can chew through i have witnessed this myself but many people like the reptarium so its up to you good luck

I have had no problems with:

-crickets chewing
-Mesh Melting
-Light blockage
-Toes getting stuck (Its more likely for toes to rip off on metal screan, then soft flexing mesh)

Although I still like the look of custome made cages. The one you have looks great!

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1.1 Bearded Dragons
1.2 Maroantsetra Panther Chameleons
1.0 Long Tailed Grass Lizard
500 Escaped Crickets

hey your pics are always great as well my buddy had a reptarium and the chricket did chew through the cage i was wandering if the chrickets just chewed or did they eat the mesh in the process if so if the cham ate the chrickets i wander how the mesh would act in the chams digestive tract as with many meathods of cham husbandry many opinions are out there and many people have sucess with many diferent ideas and meathods cham keeping shure is interesting! again your chams are beautiful cant wait to see them grow keep posting

That maye be possible with the large crickets. To have ingested the mesh. I don't think there would be enough inside a cricket to harm a chameleon, but there is still that small chance right...? And if that was the danger, then all these plastic plants and vines that we use have the same danger and same potential to harm the chameleons. Even the plastic cups we put in caves could be potentially chewed and cricket ingested.

I use both real and fake plants. Exo terra vines and treated driftwood.

Also, another way of keeping your crickets healthy while they are in the enclosue is to put a margerine lid, with a lettuce leaf flattened over it for the crickets to much on. They wont be hungry enough to chew on the mesh. And they should proove much more nutritous than a starving cricket.

If you keep krickets in cups rather than free range. Rip up a small peive of lettuce and sprinkle Tiny bits in the cup for crickets to much on, rather than starving and killing themselves or drying out.

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1.1 Bearded Dragons
1.2 Maroantsetra Panther Chameleons
1.0 Long Tailed Grass Lizard
500 Escaped Crickets

Is there a door on the 175 gallon?? I am just wondering on how easy it would be to clean.

Thanks
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1.0 Ambilobe Panther Chameleon - (Seppi) - (12/28/03)
1.0 Ghost Phase Leopard Gecko - (12/15/02)
0.1 High Yellow Leopard Gecko - (06/17/02)
0.1 Blizzard Leopard Gecko - (4/14/04)

Yes. All the Reptariums have one Full Side - Full open door.

Here is a photos of my 260 Gallon Reptarium in a horizontal position.

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1.1 Bearded Dragons
1.2 Maroantsetra Panther Chameleons
1.0 Long Tailed Grass Lizard
500 Escaped Crickets