Cham in a Closet

[Andrew1283]

I found an amazing plant, reptile, and amphibian store downtown in Philly called Illexotics. They have panther, Jacksons, and veiled chameleons, amongst other reptiles, amphibians, and even bugs. I first heard of IllExotics at the Philadelphia Flower Show, which caused me to break out Google and then pay them a visit. There I met a beautiful 16 month old male Ambilobe panther chameleon. If you aren’t familiar with IllExotics, check them out! They will not sell any cham or living creature for that matter until you first prove that you have a suitable habitat ready, you go through a training with their staff to discuss husbandry, and have a meet and greet with the cham. They don’t just sell a cham to people who walk through the door, that happens when you schedule an appointment with a reptile expert on their staff and sign an affidavit confirming you will provide care for your cham at a reptile specialist vet (they give you a list) or return the cham if you’re unable to care for it. The caveat is they won’t sell you another cham if they take one back. Sounds perfect to me. It was a wonderful time and I went about building a home for this cham, who had yet to be named.

 

[Andrew1283]

We have an unused coat closet in our office, so I went about tearing down the old drywall and installed wood paneling, which would be caulked at the seams and then painted with a water/mold/mildew resistant, low odor and VOC paint from Sherwin Williams.

 

[Andrew1283]

Next I went about converting a new Reptibreeze XL into a hybrid enclosure by installing some coroplast sheets on the back and left sides. I used some offset clips from Home Depot, which are typically used for picture frames. They worked great. As an update, I originally used two 24” tall sheets, which were cheaper but then swapped them for one solid sheet per side to avoid that unsightly middle seam, which can also leak….

 

[Andrew1283]

I added an aglonema atop a short potting stand for good water drainage and hung two beautiful pothos plants with plenty of vines for climbing.

 

[Andrew1283]

Equipment used:
Mist King pump
Mist King Rain Zone XL
Arcadia T5 UVB 6% - 18”
Fluval Plant LED light - 18”
Arcadia heat lamp gets me 82-85 degrees at basking: where the ridge of his back sits.

i am installing a through-wall fan unit, that equalizes the temps between rooms. It will fit perfectly above his cage, and exhaust any warm air above his enclosure, our into the office. In warmer months that will be especially important.

 

[Andrew1283]

And here’s my buddy, Gillbert. Coming from IllExotics, it’s only fitting I put an Ill in his name

 

[MissSkittles]

I found an amazing plant, reptile, and amphibian store downtown in Philly called Illexotics. They have panther, Jacksons, and veiled chameleons, amongst other reptiles, amphibians, and even bugs. I first heard of IllExotics at the Philadelphia Flower Show, which caused me to break out Google and then pay them a visit. There I met a beautiful 16 month old male Ambilobe panther chameleon. If you aren’t familiar with IllExotics, check them out! They will not sell any cham or living creature for that matter until you first prove that you have a suitable habitat ready, you go through a training with their staff to discuss husbandry, and have a meet and greet with the cham. They don’t just sell a cham to people who walk through the door, that happens when you schedule an appointment with a reptile expert on their staff and sign an affidavit confirming you will provide care for your cham at a reptile specialist vet (they give you a list) or return the cham if you’re unable to care for it. The caveat is they won’t sell you another cham if they take one back. Sounds perfect to me. It was a wonderful time and I went about building a home for this cham, who had yet to be named.

Wow! I think I’d just have a massive shopping spree there. Love the way they sell animals! A store with a conscious!

 

[Andrew1283]

Wow! I think I’d just have a massive shopping spree there. Love the way they sell animals! A store with a conscious!

These were not sad animals crammed into little glass boxes at Petco….that’s for sure! Captive bred chams given a healthy diet and suitable enclosures. I know the date Gill was born, his diet, vet’s name, and misting schedule before I left the store.

 

[elizaann2]

I found an amazing plant, reptile, and amphibian store downtown in Philly called Illexotics. They have panther, Jacksons, and veiled chameleons, amongst other reptiles, amphibians, and even bugs. I first heard of IllExotics at the Philadelphia Flower Show, which caused me to break out Google and then pay them a visit. There I met a beautiful 16 month old male Ambilobe panther chameleon. If you aren’t familiar with IllExotics, check them out! They will not sell any cham or living creature for that matter until you first prove that you have a suitable habitat ready, you go through a training with their staff to discuss husbandry, and have a meet and greet with the cham. They don’t just sell a cham to people who walk through the door, that happens when you schedule an appointment with a reptile expert on their staff and sign an affidavit confirming you will provide care for your cham at a reptile specialist vet (they give you a list) or return the cham if you’re unable to care for it. The caveat is they won’t sell you another cham if they take one back. Sounds perfect to me. It was a wonderful time and I went about building a home for this cham, who had yet to be named.

I love this so much! All pet stores should do this.

 

[Andrew1283]

I added a through-wall fan system with a smart thermostat to control the air flow and temp within the closet. The fan on the left blows air in and the fan on the right blows it out. There is a temp sensor attached to the upper right/rear wall. When the lights are on, the temp goes up and the fan system kicks in. At night when the temp equalizes the fan goes off, which lets the humidity stay put until morning.

 

[Andrew1283]

I forgot to add he has night lights from 8-10 PM and a “sunrise” from 6-7:30 AM

 

[Tkrd69]

Great looking setup

 

[Andrew1283]

Great looking setup

Thanks! I figured out how to flip the motor in the one fan so they’re both exhaust. That should help pull air up and out for good air exchange. The motors run at 18 db which is less thank a whisper