If you are thinking to house a chameleon in your house then it is necessary that you get a good cage for your pet. This is necessary so that it helps in providing the chameleon with the right kind of environment and it will also add a source of beauty in your home. There are so many options when you think of purchasing a cagé for your pet.
For this you need to know that to get the best product for your pet you have to do dome research and based on your goal you can easily select some.
We see that there are do many options available in the market and for sure not every item is suitable for your pet. So we will discuss regarding a size guide for the chameleon cages in this article which will help you get an idea for what will be the most suitable product for your pet.
How to choose the best Chameleon cage?
Also, whichever product you decide to buy, it should not let your pet escape it.
If your pet is able to escape the cage then there are very less chances that you are going to see it again. This is because it moves very fast and it can easily squeeze and escape.
Size
Now, when we are talking about the size of the cage, you should know that it is related to the budget as well as the type of chameleon you are housing. Also, you need to consider age as an important factor as well when you are purchasing a cage.
The baby chameleons would not need very big cages. Also, it might happen that your baby chameleon would starve in the bigger cage. Apart from this the smaller ones would hide and they would try to stay at a position in cage which is higher. Which means that if you have placed the food at a low level then your pet might ignore it.
Adult chameleons
There are so many variations if we talk about the adult chameleons. Before you shoo anything for the chameleon consider the points which are listed below. These will help you in knowing what sort of requirements you have to take into consideration.
- The cage must be ventilated properly.
- It should be such that your pet does not escape it easily
- Also, make sure someone source of UV rays is there
- There must be a drainage system
- Temperature should be controlled as per the requirement.
Once you have done this then you can be sure about the housing. If you are having a very big cage then it is suitable for the adult one, and you can even keep it for two. But housing two chameleons would not be considered a good option, this is because they might get into a fight any time and even stay stressed.
Gradients
The chameleons as like other animals need a regulated temperature and also exposure to light. This is basically related to the gradients and also with the concept f keeping your chameleon in the necessary and optimum conditions.
Also it’s important that the users know, that they not only need to provide them with the appropriate basking temperatures but also with varied levels heat.
Through this they can select their spot on their own for where they should spend their most of the time. Also, there should be a cooler spot too, so when they need fewer temperatures they can shift to that spot. So in general you need a hot spot and a cool spot. And one spot that is in between the two.
Moreover, the users also need to provide the heat sources in the cage, which might include an incandescent bulb which can dissipate the heat evenly.
This basically means that the users need to provide enough suitable conditions to their pet so that both the adult and baby chameleon fit suitably in the cage and reside without any temperature and other issues.
Also, the owners can set up a temperature gradient that has a difference of 10 degrees from the hot side to the cool side. Also, if you do not do and one side is too hot, your pet can end up burning itself. Therefore, it is necessary that you need to understand the four gradients that are required to be maintained in the enclosure.
Glass cages
If you are getting a glass cage for your pet then you must be aware of the fact that it might cause dome issues. These are:
- Ventilation problems
- Reflections that might be irritating
- Cause damage to the chameleons tongue
- Will not have a good drainage system
Let us discuss these points deeply.
Ventilation
One of the most important points while thinking of buying a cage apart from the UV source is the ventilation. Most of the people thought that of they provide high humid conditions then the environment would match with that of the wild. But this is not perfect for all of the reptiles. If the chameleons are not provided with good ventilation conditions then they can even have respiratory problems.
In the glass cages ventilation is a problem. But in some cases where the glass cages are big, they too have good ventilation. But most of the cages do not have.
UVB
The UVB is one of the most important gradients. This is because it will help inn synthesizing Vitamin D3.
Humidity
The owners have to take care of the humidity as well. If there is high humidity at night and less in the day, the cage will dry out. Also, to ensure proper humidity, the plants should be used.
Also, you need to provide exposure as well. Make sure there are enough hiding places in the cage. This is because the chameleons love to hide, also because they feel safe
Reflection
One of the biggest problem of the glass cages is that it will cause reflection of your pet. As a result of this your pet will try to change a lot of display as well as colors and try to make the interruptor leave the territory. But obviously the intruders appearance would match and the pet will get stressed.
You can also keep the cage in such a way that it does not receive much light and the reflection is less.
Damage to tongue
The chameleon might damage its tongue thinking that the prey is in the cage because of the transparent nature of the cage.
Drainage
The glass cages do not have good drainage and are also sealed near the base. So if you spray your chameleon a lot of times, then water will accumulate at the bottom of the cage and there are chances that the base might crack.
Is Using glass safe?
It is better if you avoid cages made of glass. This is because in the glass cage you might notice a lot of problems. Apart from this, it is not similar to keeping a fish in a glass tank.
Also, you have to use glass cages where you cannot provide proper heating. But if you take proper care these cages are also suitable and will be a good choice for your pet.
The standard size for the cage
There are specific sizes mentioned for the chameleon in the care sheets and guides. For the chameleons of standard size like the Veileds as well as the panthers the cage of size 2,2,4 inches would be the best.
It is seen it cannot be Known who developed this standard originally but over the years people have used it as a standard size for the cages.
We see that this size cages were regarded as the acceptable ones by the customers and some also regarded the vertical ones as the best. This was basically because the chameleons needed high cages. Therefore it is important to understand the requirements of your pet rather than just checking the care sheets and the guides.
The cages that are vertically oriented work perfectly and they are made in vertical way because they are easy to ship and carry.
These cages are very suitable and they almost work fine for the chameleons as they like heights.
Height and width of the chameleon cages
The chameleons which are kept in captivity like to have things with heights. Now, when it comes to heights it does not mean that the branches you keep in the cage are a height. The chameleons see the height of the branches with respect to the person that are moving around and not with the cage itself.
For this reason the horizontal cages might not be that suitable and will not bring that vision of height. If you keep the cage on a table and is not that high itself will still meet the requirements than the cage that is high still placed on the floor. If you have the suitable options then you can surely give them cage with both height as well as width options.
But if is more important that you give attention to the set up of the cage rather than the dimensions.
This is because even the cages with the perfect dimensions might not be suitable according to your pet and if it is not happy in it is of no use.
Also, some owners have also witnessed their chameleons not willing to stay in the cage that was large enough and was of the dimensions 22, 16, 45 inches. So, we see that it is not the size of the cage that matters but the interior set up that you do.
Also, there is a mistake that almost every chameleon owner does and is the reason for complete transformation. Now, when the owners do the set up of the cage they do place the branches and the plants along the edges. What happens by doing this is that your pet does not get the appropriate or the real view and also does not get the appropriate hiding spot that it needs.
So, you need to place the branches and the plants in such a way that the pet gets appropriate hiding spots as we as it can climb easily. Also, do take your pet out of the cage once in a while. This will help it to relax and also feel safe.
Another important thing that we see is that no matter how close your pet is to you, it will need certain optimum surroundings to sleep. And if it is disturbed it might feel scared or stressed. So you need to give them the optimum conditions so that they ca sleep and relax well.
Most important thing that you need to know is that the pet does not need so much space in the cage, rather it is you who would need that to do the necessary set up as well as for the cleaning process. So choose the café that you can easily maintain and clean and which is enough large to occupy your pet and the material you need to develop a surrounding for it. Also, it is better that you go for the larger cage as it has more space and therefore you can easily provide them the environment they would need. Wider cages are also suitable for the chameleons.
Juvenile chameleons
It is better that you get a cage that would be suitable for the adult chameleon. Do this from the start only. Also do the set up as you would do for the adult chameleon.
Just you need to make sure that you provide an open space there in the cage and hang a feeder up. This cup is used for the feeder insects. It has drainage holes at the bottom. These are very useful, as you can put the insects in it and they won’t get lost in the cage. Also, the backing of this will help ensure that your pet notices it.
So, you can easily see your pet lingering around this, and will also slip around the leaves to feel protected. The pet is very smart and will quickly learn about the working of the feeder cup. If you are consistent on feeding your pet, then you will notice that it would wait around it for food.
The adult chameleons would easily find their food no matter what the size of the cage, but it is necessary for the juveniles.
Conclusion
The larger cage is recommended for the chameleons as it is easy to provide the necessary requirements in it. Along with that you can easily clean it.
You can even go for the smaller one as it is easy to handle and maintain.
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