If you are planning to have a chameleon as a pet, the first thing you need to do is create an optimal chameleon tank. Chameleons are unique and fascinating creatures that require specific environmental conditions to thrive, so understanding how to keep a chameleon happy in cages sized 18 

This guide will provide comprehensive insights into the essential aspects of establishing a perfect chameleon tank, offering a comfortable and healthy living space for these remarkable reptiles.

Understanding Chameleon Cage Requirements

Before creating a chameleon habitat, you need to research this specific species at resources like the Chameleon Academy. Understanding their natural habitat, behavior, climate preferences, and the required temperature range is essential to creating an environment and replicating the ideal chameleon tank.

Chameleon size and growth potential play a significant role in determining the appropriate tank size. It is critical to provide enough vertical space for climbing and basking. Adding living plants and hiding places enriches the habitat even more.

Things You Need to Set Up A Chameleon Tank

To set up a chameleon tank, cage, or vivarium, you need to be considerate of many things such as size, location, humidity management, misting system, heating, and more. 

Cage Location

To begin, the initial step involves selecting an appropriate location for your cage. This location could be within a room, a garage, a shed, or even outdoors. It’s essential to ensure that there are no light sources like windows or doors that might permit entry to insects, and that the sides and back of the cage are secured against escape.

Size

Choose a cage that is at least 16 x 16 x 30 inches in size and well-ventilated. Line the bottom of the enclosure with 2 to 3 inches of reptile carpet or reptile bark.

Heat Lamp

Regulate your chameleon’s body temperature by maintaining a cooler bottom (65-80°F) and a warmer top (80-85°F for Jackson’s, 90-100°F for veiled chameleons), which helps in managing the amount of heat within the enclosure. Employ two thermometers—one for each section of the enclosure for retaining heat.

UVB Lighting

Create a balanced 12-hour day/night cycle using UVB lighting, recognized as optimal for reptile health.

Humidity Management And Hydration

Emulate their natural habitat by providing water droplets and humidity, especially in enclosures with sides and back designed to retain moisture better. Employ a humidity gauge to monitor and adjust the terrarium’s climate, ensuring the bottom of the cage remains optimal.

Substrate

Facilitate moisture absorption, waste management, and easy cleanup with suitable substrate or bedding in a chameleon enclosure, even though chameleons don’t typically dwell on the enclosure floor.

Nutritional Supplies

Satisfy their dietary needs with a variety of insect prey like crickets, mealworms, grasshoppers, and caterpillars. Enhance nutrition by feeding crickets high-calcium supplements, ensuring your chameleon’s essential nutrient intake.

Selecting the Right Terrarium

When it comes to selecting the appropriate enclosure for your chameleon, the choice between glass and reptile enclosures screen enclosures designed specifically as a screen chameleon cage. is a significant consideration, particularly when selecting cages that come in sizes suitable for different species, such as 16 , so it is important to research the specific needs of your chameleon species when setting up their tank with a dragon ledge to ensure the entire cage is suited for their wellbeing. 

Sometimes, it’s good to use screen cages for chameleons, and other times glass cages are better. There are also times when a mix of screen and solid sides works well. 

It depends on how much air your pet chameleon needs in their chameleon enclosure, based on where you live, employing an air screen may be advisable for optimal ventilation. If your area is already suitable for chameleons, a screen cage is fine. But if you need more control over heat and humidity, a glass cage is the right choice. Let’s learn more about these cages.

Screen Cages

Screen cages are usually made from a lightweight material called aluminum. This material is similar to what’s used for window screens in houses. Even though each piece of this material is thin and weak on its own, when these pieces are screwed together into a box shape, they become sturdy and stable. This principle is similar when constructing arboreal enclosures, where stability is key, particularly if the cage is designed for arboreal species and includes features like a screen floor for drainage. 

This is how chameleon keepers can have large cages for their chameleons without them being too heavy. Some people think these cages are not strong enough, but in reality, they don’t need to be very strong. Chameleons don’t weigh much, so the cages just need to be sturdy enough to hold their weight, even when equipped with a screen panel for added ventilation. 

If you’re buying a cage, be careful with cheap, mass-produced ones, especially if the cage would not be suitable for the specific needs of species like bearded dragons or chameleons. Sometimes they use low-quality materials, like painted metal screens, which can rust and damage the cage. 

You can check if a cage has this issue by using a magnet, especially if the cages come with metal components. If the magnet sticks, it means there might be a rust problem with the screen, frame, screws, or hinge pins of the cage. 

Screen cages offer better ventilation and humidity control and mimic natural conditions, reducing respiratory issues and promoting skin health in lizards and amphibians. So, you need to be careful about choosing, building, and buying cages for your beloved chameleon, ensuring they have enough space, such as 18

Glass Chameleon Cage 

Every material we use has different qualities that can be good or bad depending on what you need for building your own chameleon cage. Enclosures made of glass can restrict airflow, cause humidity imbalances in a chameleon enclosure, and are prone to breakage.

Glass is a good insulator, meaning it keeps heat inside for a long time. Unlike cages with screens, where heat constantly escapes, a glass cage traps heat, making it build up. This is great if you live in a cold place and want to keep your pet warm. But if you live somewhere hot, it can make the cage too hot for your pet. 

Also, a glass terrarium traps humidity, which is good if you need to make the environment more humid for chameleons. But it can be a problem if your place is already humid. You can’t just keep adding heat to a screen chameleon cage. glass cage because it traps heat so well. 

You have to turn off the heat lamp when it’s warm enough inside and watch the humidity so it doesn’t get too high. If you’re used to using cages with screens, you have to change how you take care of your pet in a glass cage, potentially adding mesh screen side panels for airflow. Using the same methods will harm your pet.

Glass cages are heavy, don’t usually have good drainage for a chameleon enclosure, can break easily, and might be hard to find in the right size for your pet. But if you need a cage that keeps heat and humidity well, these problems can be managed.

Hybrid Reptile Tanks

A hybrid cage or tank is a special type of cage for chameleons. It has both solid and screen sides. Chameleon owners like using hybrid cages with dragon ledges and a screen top because they help control humidity without making the temperature too hot. These innovative designs epitomize the knock-down approach favored by the community for easy setup and teardown. 

Chameleons are usually comfortable in human home temperatures around 75 degrees Fahrenheit, but they need high humidity, almost 100%, especially at night. A well-made hybrid cage allows for these high humidity levels.

A hybrid chameleon tank may provide a compromise. But, you must consider the local climate and species-specific needs for a suitable choice. 

What Temperature Should You Keep in Your Chameleon’s Tank?

You should keep the temperature of your chameleon’s tank within 70° to 95° F depending on your chameleon species and your living area. Chameleons have different temperature preferences, so it is important to research the specific needs of your chameleon species when setting up their tank with a dragon ledge. 

Before setting up the temperature, you need to know an interesting thing about the chameleon’s cage’s temperature, and that is to create a temperature gradient. This means that one side of the cage should be cooler than the other. 

The temperature gradient between the cooler and warmer sides of the cage should be about 10-15 degrees Fahrenheit. Here’s a chart to help you understand what temperature you should keep for various chameleon species.

Species	Cooler side	Warmer side
Jackson Chameleon	70° to 80°F, which is the ideal temperature range for most chameleon species, can be achieved by monitoring the amount of heat produced by the lighting setup.	80 and 85°F.
Veiled Chameleon, often housed in reptile tall enclosures designed to accommodate their climbing habits.	For a chameleon cage, you will need to maintain a temperature gradient of 70° to 80°F.	90 and 100°F
Panther Chameleon, a fascinating arboreal lizard.	70° to 80°F	85 to 95°F in a PVC x 16

Lighting A Reptile Cage

Every reptile needs a 12-hour cycle of light and darkness, and a UVA/UVB fluorescent lamp will provide your chameleon the rays it needs to absorb calcium effectively. This is common knowledge in the chameleon community.  To set up UV light for your chameleon, pick a good UVB fluorescent bulb or a light fixture suitable for a reptile tank that is able to raise the UV levels appropriately for the species housed.

You have to put it at the top of the enclosure within the suggested distance and make sure that direct access is given, similar to ensuring that side panels do not obstruct the lamp. Every six to twelve months, check the bulb and replace it. Remember, lighting is a vital thing in a chameleon’s cage.

Your chameleon will slowly degrade and become brittle and deformed if they don’t get enough D3 from the light.

How To Maintain Humidity In A Chameleon’s Cage?

A chameleon requires an environment humidity of at least 40% and up to 70% in addition to hydration, a range well-suited for a reptile cage. Misting every few hours during the day will maintain moisture levels stable. Regular misting can be done with water using a spray bottle or an automatic misting system, like a mister, to maintain the humidity in a chameleon cage you will need.

The presence of live plants in the chameleon tank contributes to humidity through transpiration, releasing moisture into the air. Providing water sources such as drippers or shallow bowls not only offers drinking options but also adds to the overall humidity. Let’s know more about these systems-

Pressure Sprayers For A Large Reptile Terrarium

You can use a sprayer to mist the chameleon enclosure twice a day, in the morning and afternoon, for at least a minute each time. Misting from above is better than misting from the side because it doesn’t stress your chameleon as much. But, spraying this way can be tiring if you have a busy schedule.

Automatic Mister In An Amphibian Glass Tank

These systems can be set to spray every 3-4 hours during the day for 3-10 minutes each time inside your cage. You can experiment with different misting durations to see what your chameleon prefers. Just make sure not to wet the whole enclosure, particularly if it has a screen floor that needs to avoid becoming overly damp.

Also, you should avoid spraying the heat bulb directly in a glass terrarium because it can break and harm your chameleon. 

Cool Mist Foggers

These are great for increasing humidity without making the enclosure hotter, especially if you live in a dry area. But be careful not to run the fogger when the heat lamp is on, as it can make the air too hot. You must clean the fogger weekly to prevent bacteria, and always use distilled water, not tap water.

Most people like to use a combination of methods for the best results. For instance-

Morning

Spray with a pressure sprayer before the lights come on.

Daytime

You can use a dripper to keep the chameleon hydrated while the enclosure dries, employing a siphon gravel cleaner set for thorough cleaning inside your cage.

Night 

Spray again with a pressure sprayer after the lights turn off.

Run a reptile fogger, or a mister at a medium or medium-low setting to fill the enclosure with fog without making it too wet, ensuring the amount of heat in the enclosure remains optimal. But, if you’re busy, automatic misting systems are a great choice.

While maintaining humidity in the chameleon enclosure, proper ventilation should also be ensured to prevent stagnant air. Also, choosing suitable feeding dishes and water containers according to your chameleon tank ensures easy access to food and hydration for the chameleon.

Designing a Natural and Enriching Environment For Lizards

When designing your chameleon’s enclosure, it’s important to mimic its natural habitat as much as possible. This means including vertical and horizontal branches and plants for them to climb on, as well as live plants for them to hide in and explore.

Live plants help to regulate the temperature and humidity in the enclosure, and they also provide hiding spots for your chameleon to feel safe. It’s important to choose chameleon-friendly plants when decorating your enclosure.

Some good options include golden pothos, grape ivy, parlor palm, corn plant, and rubber plant. These plants are non-toxic and will provide your chameleon with hours of entertainment.

Health and Hygiene Practices

Maintaining a clean and healthy chameleon habitat is crucial for your pet’s well-being. Here is a table that will help you understand the schedule you must follow to keep the cage clean.

Time	Task
Everyday	Spot cleaning to remove waste, wiping surfaces, and using tweezers for debris are crucial for maintaining a healthy environment for your lizard or amphibian.
Once a Week	Substrate replacement, thorough wiping, and removing fallen leaves, tasks necessary for maintaining a clean environment in reptile tall cages.
Annually	A deep cleaning of the chameleon tank by soaking accessories and thoroughly cleaning the entire enclosure.

These practices, outlined from the provided sources, help prevent bacterial growth, reduce stress, and create a pleasant environment for your chameleon and yourself. 

Chameleon Tank FAQs

Is it necessary to use a UVB light if my chameleon gets natural sunlight?

While natural sunlight is beneficial, UVB lighting is still important as it ensures the chameleon receives the required UVB spectrum, even on cloudy days.

Can I handle my chameleon?

While some chameleons tolerate handling, they generally prefer not to be held in a dragon-strand chameleon enclosure. Minimize handling to reduce stress.

How do I set up branches and plants in a chameleon enclosure?

Provide sturdy branches and perches at different heights and angles, allowing the chameleon to climb and move freely. Chameleons mostly live in trees. Branches and potted plants inside the cage are great for preserving a natural environment for your pet chameleon.

How important is a fogger and ventilation in a reptile glass terrarium kit?

Ventilation and fogging are crucial to make cages work. Terrarium kits or cages you build should have good airflow (ventilation) to keep your chameleon healthy. Foggers can help with humidity, but proper terrarium design (tall cage) and substrate can often be enough for most chameleons.

How to Install A Feeder in A Chameleon Terrarium?

To install a feeder in a chameleon terrarium, choose an elevated spot to attach a bowl or cup with a suction cup or clip. Make sure it’s easily accessible for feeding and cleaning.