How to Build a Greenhouse for Chameleons

Greenhouses can create the warm and humid atmosphere which chameleons thrive in.

Chameleons can be a challenging pet to care for because they prefer environments that present both high temperatures as well as high levels of humidity. In northern climates, one of the best ways to create this warm, wet atmosphere is to keep your chameleons in a specially designed greenhouse. Although time consuming, this can be a great project for chameleon admirers who want to be able to keep their many pets in a comfortable and healthy environment.

Things You'll Need

• 2 x 6 hardwood beams (length will vary)
• Wood glue
• Cordless drill with screw and drill bits
• 3-inch wood screws
• 2-inch wood screws
• 2-inch acrylic screws
• 2 door hinges
• Latch and bracket
• Clear acrylic sheeting
• Rubber hose
• 1/2-inch PVC piping (length will vary)
• Hose-to-PVC adapter
• PVC mounting brackets
• PVC joints (number will vary)
• PVC T-connectors (number will vary)
• Fine mist heads (number will vary)
• Duct tape
• Screened cages

Instructions

1. 

   Plan ahead to determine how much wood you'll need to construct the greenhouse.

   Create the frame of the greenhouse with the 2x6 hardwood beams. Have another person help you during this process. Join two lengths parallel to the ground so that the top of one is touching the bottom of another piece. Position another piece at an angle perpendicular to the other pieces, and make sure that the perpendicular 2x6 spans the joint between the ground pieces. Apply wood glue to all wood connections and secure them with a cordless drill with screw bit and 3-inch screws. Continue in this fashion until you have completed the perimeter of your greenhouse, leaving a space open to install the door frame. Make sure that this open space is directly flanked by two 2x6 pieces; these will be used to secure the door hinges and the latch and bracket.

2. Create a basic door frame by attaching two parallel lengths of 2x6 hardwood pieces with two shorter intersecting lengths of 2x6. Secure with wood glue and 3-inch screws. Install two door hinges on one side of the door frame about one foot away from both the top and bottom of the frame using 2-inch screws. Bring the door frame to the opening in the greenhouse frame and connect the other side of the door hinge to the corresponding standing 2x6 piece that is positioned to the side of the opening for the door frame.

3. Complete the greenhouse frame by connecting the tops of the standing 2x6 pieces around the perimeter in the same way that you created the bottom perimeter. Install a few 2x6 pieces as crossbeams running across the top of the greenhouse frame.

4. Install clear acrylic sheeting to cover all the openings between 2x6 frame pieces. Use acrylic sheeting that allows for a maximum permeation of UV radiation, ideally about 90 percent. Secure acrylic sheeting to the wooden frame with acrylic screws.

5. 

   A latch and bracket will allow you to keep the indoor environment from losing its humidity.

   Install the latch and bracket on the side of the door frame opposite the hinges, drilling holes with a cordless drill and drill bit. The latch should be secured to the door frame and the bracket will be secured to the opposite 2x6 piece. Make sure that they are spaced properly so that the latch can fit easily into the bracket.

6. Using your cordless drill and a large drill bit, create a hole in the bottom wooden perimeter large enough for a rubber hose to easily fit through. Connect one end of the rubber hose to a water source, and run it through the hole into the greenhouse.

7. Attach a hose-to-PVC adapter to the end of the rubber hose. Begin running lengths of 1/2-inch PVC pipe up to the top of the frame and across the length of the greenhouse, using PVC joints whenever you need the piping to turn. Secure the PVC piping to the frame with PVC mounting brackets. Across the top of the frame, install a few PVC T-connectors between PVC pipe joints. Run a few feet of PVC piping toward the ground and secure another T-connector to the bottom of each pipe. Install a fine mist head at each end of the T-connector.

8. Turn on the water source for the hose. Go inside the greenhouse and note any leaks. Turn off the water, and cover the leaks with duct tape.

9. 

   Use screened cages that chameleons cannot escape through.

   Place screened cages inside the greenhouse to house your chameleons. While your chameleons are living in the greenhouse, turn on the water source twice a day for at least an hour at a time.

Tips & Warnings

• You may want to invest in an electronic weather station to make quick and easy readings of the atmosphere inside the greenhouse. Different species of chameleons have different temperature and humidity requirements, but temperatures should range between 60 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and barometric readings should be between 70 to 85 percent humidity.

References

• ChamEO.org: Greenhouse
• ReptileChannel.com: Build Your Own Chameleon Lizard Cage
• Chameleon Crazy: Enclosure

Resources

• Spartech: Solacryl SUVT
• CoRA: Outdoor Misting Systems