Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my parents dont believe me that my cham needs a screen cage. i have a glass enclosure right now. hes always pacing his cage, and tries climbing up the glass. the stress is horrible on him. he hates his cage. its a 29 gallon. i went to chameleonparadise.com, and got directions on building a cage. 2x2x4 is the cage i want to build. they dont want to spend money on this cage. he was raised in a screen cage, and when i bought him, he seemed happy. the change from screen to glass was hard on him. i want him to be able to stretch, and be happy. or, if any of you have a cage that you dont use, and you live in the southern california area, please let me know, post pics, and i'll make an offer. thank you.

please help me. all i need are plain facts to show my parents. please help!

What kind of reply are you looking for? I don't have a cage to sell you, but if you are looking for verification that a screen cage is what your chameleon needs then consider this your verification. The only time a glass enclosure should be considered for a chameleon is when the environment is hostile to the chameleon - such as in very cold climates. It is only then that the dangers of using an aquarium are offset by the need to be in more control of the chameleon's environment. Southern California is pretty close to chameleon paradise (at least during the summer) and a glass cage will cause you more grief than you really want to work with. Southern Californians should be keeping their chameleons in screen cages and outdoors if at all possible! All we really have to do is provide cover from the sun and a misting system for water and humidity!
Bill Strand

Aquariums can also lead to respiratory infections. If your parents are worried about the cost of a cage, just wait until they have to make multiple vet visits.
You could remind them that the cost of a cage is a lot less than looking after a healthy chameleon. Also, it is in his best interest healthwise anyway, money or not. good luck.

You need to give the forum more than an hour to reply...not all of us can just sit at a computer waiting for the next message to appear. Give your parents some good online sites to read for themselves. Refer them to www.adcham.com, www.chameleonnews.com, www.chameleonjournals.com, www.calumma.com for a start. They will hear the term "large screen cage" over and over.

Message to DumbKid's Parents:

Please Dumbkid''s Parents: don't be DumbParents...give the cham a screen cage. It is cost-effective, clean, and nicer looking than a glass one. It is also essential to the health of the chameleon.

You will find plenty of good deals on eBay. But get a real screen one, not one made of plastic mesh.

Once again, I repeat...Don't Be DumbParents. Help the kid to help the cham ~~~

Thank you for your support.
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5 Month Old Ambanja Male I - LESTER
5 Month Old Ambanja Male II - SHOGO

I went through EXACTLY what your going through now. in the end i had to attually drag him to local Chameleon Breeders to show them their setups. My parents still think it is a load of crap about screen cages, but i just buy them anyway :-P. I know this will sound very childish but it is my chameleon, i want to care for it, how i want...

Try and get them to talk on the phone to a local chameleon breeder? or somwere esle (not pet shops as they keep their chameleon in glass cages 90% of the time). Good luck.
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-Jamie Whitehouse
-corn_snake_123@msn.com
-formally known as corn_snake_123