Glass
enclosures
Light/heat
placement
Heat retention
Ventilation
Humidity
Drainage
Cleaning
Stress Factors
Additional Comments
Light/heat
placement
- Hard
UVB light must be inside as glass absorbes UVB. Can be hard to attach
both heat bulb and UV light..
Maintains
heat
- Poor
Inside
can be covered in cork sheets which insulate. Alternatively the outside
can be insulated but care should be given to avoiding turning the
inside walls into "mirrors" where the chameleon will see
its reflection and stress.
Ventilation
- Variable
Adding ventilation is a specialist job. Not generally designed for
chameleons.
Open top/mesh
covered fish tanks are not suitable as the air soon becomes stale
at the bottom.
.
Maintains humidity
- Very good
Usually
too good and can lead to respiratory infection from stale air
Adding Drainage
- Hard
Good drainage
is a must but very hard to add.
Cleaning
- Easy
Can be
thoroughlty cleaned without much difficulty.
Stress
Factors
Reflections
and all round visibility can cause stress but covering inside walls
with cork sheets or fish tank backing helps.
Additional Comments
Purpose
built glass vivariums with proper ventilation, covered sides and good
drainage are much more suitable than fish tank varieties and also
handle water well. Still danger of burns (see Mesh - light/heat) if
mesh top used.
These types
of vivarium can not be moved outside in nice weather so the chameleon
will undergo a degree of stress when moved outside to a new enclosure.
Plastic
Mesh - such as Reptarium
Aluminium
Mesh - black flyscreen such as the Terry Thatcher range
Plastic
- vision vivariums or purpose built
Wood
Freerange
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