Want to try the Reptile thing

[mshill90]

Why don't you go with Sudan Plated Lizards.. They max at about 24" are extremely personable, and you can keep multiples together. they also are climbers, so even the tall rocky tank would work.

But they require desert temps.. so you would have to figure out how to achieve that with an open tank.

 

[malawidave]

Why don't you go with Sudan Plated Lizards.. They max at about 24" are extremely personable, and you can keep multiples together. they also are climbers, so even the tall rocky tank would work.

But they require desert temps.. so you would have to figure out how to achieve that with an open tank.

nah... im fine with the chameleon, I've wanted one since I was a kid, just way back then they were super exotic, you could hardly find snakes in a petstore... your choices were dog, cat, goldfish, hamster, or parakeet... pretty much it... parakeets I think were even like $20 and in the 70s and 80s that was like $100 today.... but all in all thanks for the suggestion really

I was trying to find a use for the extra space in a 4' T x 3' L x 3' W cage

OH!!! while I'm here I was doing some researching... and came up with a design for the bottom of the cage to let the standing water out. Using an acrylic bottom which I had planned on doing to hold the sand in the bottom anyways (not seen by chameleon) drilling small holes throughout the bottom, fill with a layer of gravel then layer the sand or whatever on top, so when I run the mister or rain system, the excess can then filter through the sand and rock into an acrylic box hidden beneath... again, I'll do my finger painting to explain more

 

[malawidave]

ok heres my recent crappy sketch...

I love designing things... I think I should have become an architect, that way I'd actually know what I was doing lol

 

[Pazzoman]

Cool your designs aren't crappy at all. Are all the sides have screen? Just curious...I just emailed screameleons because after reading on your thread it made me want to get a chameleon lol...however it's going to be awhile.

Also if your looking for a chameleon that is personable where they are more tolerant then other chameleons it would be the panther chameleon...unless your still thinking about the rare chameleon which isn't a bad choice if your not going to handle it a lot.

If I was to get one it would probably be a panther chameleon.. mainly because I think thier a hardier species...

Last but not least, see if you can contruct a cage that has the back and sides made of screen and front glass/acrylic so viewing the chameleon is much easier and more show worthy.

 

[Pazzoman]

Also I think you can get away with keeping a small tortoise or turtle at the bottom...but I would look into it more because usually it's not recommended keeping different reptiles together in one enclosure. (Might be difficult for tortoise to receive heat....unless under the tank heater is used)

 

[malawidave]

yeah... i may look into the panther... and the acrylic front... i was under the impression that that was a bad idea because of reflections and such... but this is going to be quite a while of a process so i got plenty of time to get the plans right before my little buddy comes home

 

[Jessica Dring]

Haven't had a close look at your diagrams since my netbooks crappy and cutting half of the pics off but, on the tortoise front.. You could theoretically keep a tropical species of tort in the same enclosure as a cham providing that the conditions of the origin of each species matches pretty close.

Thats not all though. Behaviour needs to be taken into account. Whilst a ground dwelling tort isn't going to stress an arboreal cham or vice versa, torts will generally stress themselves out if they can SEE out of enclosures. This includes repeatedly banging against the sides in an effort to get out. THIS is what could stress a cham out.

Natural behaviour wise the tort needs to be able to dig so the substrate will need to be taken into account. Also UV lighting will need to be positioned much lower down to reach the tort. Tortoises also need excellent ventilation. Hope this helps a bit.

 

[Pazzoman]

Haven't had a close look at your diagrams since my netbooks crappy and cutting half of the pics off but, on the tortoise front.. You could theoretically keep a tropical species of tort in the same enclosure as a cham providing that the conditions of the origin of each species matches pretty close.

Thats not all though. Behaviour needs to be taken into account. Whilst a ground dwelling tort isn't going to stress an arboreal cham or vice versa, torts will generally stress themselves out if they can SEE out of enclosures. This includes repeatedly banging against the sides in an effort to get out. THIS is what could stress a cham out.

Natural behaviour wise the tort needs to be able to dig so the substrate will need to be taken into account. Also UV lighting will need to be positioned much lower down to reach the tort. Tortoises also need excellent ventilation. Hope this helps a bit.

+1

What you can do to help with keeping the stress of tortoise down, is to add a sheet of glass around the bottom of the cage at about 4-8 inches depending how high this tortoise can reach his head. Then you paint the glass black or green for a more tropical forest look.

 

[malawidave]

cool... the substrate was going to be in an acrylic container anyways, I could just make it a little higher and ... wait a sec.. the Acrylic part was going to be hidden by the wood... he wouldnt be able to see out anyways...


I'll just keep these things in mind when I begin the build... I'll make it right for whatever I get for it...

what about like Geckos or Green tree frogs or something???????????????????????????????????? I have both of those on my front door every night when I come home... I can get some for free lol


(EDIT)................DING!!!!!!........... Idea Lightbulb.... A FROG TANK TOO!!!!!!!!!!!! F it... I might as well have a zoo lol... Im about to reasearch Dartfrogs.... yes I know theyre poisonous... theyre not for toad licking lol... ... I need to settle... I had one too many monster energys tonight

 

[Jessica Dring]

As long as he can't see the acrylic then spot on

You'd be better off deciding the species of Cham you want before deciding what other creatures to put there in there, tbh. Once you know the Cham, then you know what humidity, temp, ventilation, lighting levels etc you have to work with on choosing another species.

Dart frogs. Need lots of humidity. Also I think some species climb so there is the possibility (however unlikely it may seem) that your cham might take a whack at gobbling one up if it crosses his path. Also as pretty as they are, you're not going to see them much. They're teeny. If you're wanting frogs I would go with a leaf frog of some kind, which make the best display amphibs really. Again this is totally dependent on the conditions the cham requires. You really need to decide on a cham and stick with it before considering other animals.

Putting other lizards with a cham is a big no-no for aggression reasons. Also, I'm pretty sure the habitat of the area you live in, and those where chameleons inhabit, is vastly different conditions wise. So your enclosure wouldn't be suitable for both I'm afraid.