Stop Using Screen Caging for Chameleons Indoors

We've all heard it a thousand times. "Chameleons must be kept in all screen caging". This is outdated and harmful advice, that we really need to look at, especially here in the north. 

This advice can easily be discounted when we do the appropriate research, instead of just accepting blindly what people or breeders are telling us to do. Where is your chameleon species from natively? What do the parameters there look like? I have a feeling it's much different than the temperature and humidity that we see in your home. For us personally, our home can drop to 10% humidity during winter here in the Canadian prairies with forced air heat, and this can be very harmful to chameleons. This can cause chronic respiratory issues, shedding issues, lethargy, shortened life span and more. There is no amount of watering them that can make up for the lack of ambient humidity. 

So what's the difference between moisture and ambient humidity? You'll notice when you mist them, your humidity gage will go up, giving you the impression that the cage has good humidity. Unfortunately, the second the water dries, the humidity that it offered goes with it. Ambient, or atmospheric humidity is the amount of water vapor carried in the air. We need 40-70%, the highest being at night, on average constant humidity for Panther Chameleons for example, which we simply cannot maintain in the home, unless there are special circumstances such as an indoor solarium or greenhouse. Keeping our cages wet to increase humidity isn't the answer either, as this can also cause a heap of health issues like bacteria and mold growth, respiratory infections, skin and tail issues like rot or fungal infections, and more! This is where ventilation is key to allow the water to dry out, while still keeping your humidity high.

Let's look at the facts! We're going to use Panther Chameleons as the example because that's what we personally offer the most of. They are native to Madagascar, a tropical Island in Africa. In the peak of the afternoon, the humidity sits at 50% on average, and in the high 70's for ambient temperature. This changes greatly at night, with the humidity rising all the way up to the 90% range, and temperature dropping to the low 60's. This tells us so much about keeping them, with just that small amount of information. Night time temp drops and high night time humidity are the two things really looked over in modern indoor keeping! Replicating this to the best of our ability is crucial to the long term health and survival of your animal. You can do this by going off the parameters in your home to start, and for example making sure all their lights and heat are off at night (no ceramic heater or red/blue bulbs), and running an automatic mister and fogger through the night. We need their enclosure to heat up and dry out during the day, while maintaining that humidity level. 

There are good caging options available for chameleons, they've just never been marketed for them. There are Hybrid cages, where one or two of the sides are screen, and the rest are solid, and specific glass enclosures such as Exo-Terra Terrariums that have just a screen top and a strip of ventilation across the front. We can also DIY screen caging by adding shower curtain, coroplast or plastic panels to the sides to cover the screen, and keep the humidity and heat in. To figure out which cage is going to work for you, buy an accurate digital hydrometer and get a feel of what humidity level is average in your home. Here in the prairies will be much different than right on the east or west coast. 

If you're in the US, you have readily available caging options that are hybrid or fully enclosed, such as Tamura Designs, Dragon Strand and Leap Habitats. But, if you're in Canada like we are, we are largely ignored and just don't have the options that our southern neighbors have. Our best options are DIY hacks on screen caging, glass enclosures with ventilation when called for, or home made. Not the greatest, we know, so here's some helpful suggestions on hacking the caging we have available:

Glass enclosures: These are going to be the most reliable option for maintaining humidity, especially if you go bioactive. Front opening enclosures are your best option here, brands like Exo-Terra, ZooMed and Zilla all offer caging. The downsize is the weight, cost, and lack of sizing availability. Exo-Terra doe offer larger sizes, but as we know they need arboreal climbing spaces, and finding a 4x2x2 glass enclosure can prove to be very difficult. The one concern we tend to have with glass enclosures is the lack of air flow. This can be easily remedied by adding a small computer fan to the top of the enclosure to one side, moving stagnant air up and out. Watch your parameters closely here, take your temperature and humidity often to make sure it's not overheating. 

Screen Caging: The best screen cage we've found is the ReptiZoo screen cage, as the front door is acrylic instead of screen, and it comes with a cage floor liner and side port for tubing and cords if needed. The biggest size it comes in though is 36x24x18. Even with the acrylic front, our facility requires that we close off the sides and back of the enclosure to maintain humidity. We use cut to fit coroplast and secure it to the three sides, leaving the bottom panel and top as open screen. You can use this hack with Reptibreeze, but you'll need to really find what works for you as far as how much is covered. 

We are huge believers in live plant only enclosures. Not only does this offer a more natural environment, but they keep water droplets on their leaves longer than artificial, offering more hydration opportunities for your chameleons, but will help raise your humidity a considerable amount compared to using artificial plants.

Using substrate that can drain well is another great option that can add humidity to your enclosure. Keeping this substrate bioactive with a clean up crew (isopods, spring tails and natural microbes) will help reduce bacteria growth as well. 

Chameleons keeping has been made much harder than it has to be for decades, especially in Canada with tricky weather and humidity, and a huge lack of caging and supplies, but we're here to help! Feel free to email us or message us anytime for help with indoor keeping struggles. We want your chameleon to thrive in your care, while dispelling harmful old keeping narratives. Always remember that when using screen caging, the parameters in your home are the parameters in your chameleons enclosure.

I hope this has been helpful!