Critique new owner enclosure

[ReptileRampage]

I am new to the world of chameleons and just got my new ambilobe panther chameleon Finnick, on friday. The cage was majorly delayed and didn't show up until today, I had a temporary cage set up for him and things were basic, a heat lamp, a couple plants, and vines. Below I've added some pictures of his new enclosure. There are 2 big driftwood pieces of wood (the kind you get from the petstore) a few vines, 3 big fake plants, and then 2 real plants, which are kind of hard to see. There is a spider plant in the back, and a golden pothos in front. I gently washed the leaves of the plants and put in safe soil as well. His heat lamp is a dual mini deep dope, with just a 60 watt and a 40 watt light bulbs in there. I also have a reptisun 5.0 uvb bulb on the cage as well. There is a dripper set up in back on the dark green plant, but I am having issues with trying to have the container catch the water at the bottom. It changes where the main stream is, so the dripper might be taken out for a while until i can figure something else out. The cage will get misted often by hand. Finnick instantly lightened up when he got in his new cage, I hope he likes it. Let me know if anything needs to be changed thank you.

 

[Hakai]

Looks pretty good to me. You've obviously done your research and you are to be commended for that. Just a few things:

I can't tell from the pics, but if you haven't already, it's always a good idea to put some river rocks on top of the soil in the pots so that if your cham tries to eat any feeders that land on it, he won't accidentally swallow some soil which can cause impaction.

Also you might want to upgrade to a 10.0 reptisun at some point since you have live plants, they tend to do better with a little more uvb/uva output.

When that pothos grows out, wrap the vines around the horizontal pathways to give him some more coverage.

Other than that, a great first try! Hopefully someone will point out anything I might have missed. I don't see anything life threatening besides the possible exposed loose soil.

~Ben

 

[Lathis]

Really long post...

First of all, you are off to a really great start. That enclosure looks amazing, and you have done a number of things right. A few thoughts:

1. You don't need a 60W and a 40W basking bulb for this size enclosure. The 60W by itself is probably enough. Do you measure your temperatures and humidity? You need to - I recommend a digital thermometer/hygrometer. I bought one for about $12 at a pet store.
2. The 5.0 UVB light is perfect for this application. Good job on doing your research!
3. I really like that you have fake plants and real plants. The golden pothos will grow really large over time allowing you to remove the fake plants as it fills out. I am a fan of real plants whenever possible.
4. A combination of fake and real vines/branches is really good. I like that you included the grapewood branches in your enclosure. Just be aware that they are very porous and have a tendency to grow mildew, so you may have to clean and bake them regularly. Mind get scrubbed and baked for 30 minutes at 300 degrees every month whether they need it or not.
5. I like that you have a bare bottom (no moss, no dirt). This makes it much easier to keep clean and catch excess water. Dirt on the bottom has a tendency to grow bacteria and other nastiness. It's easier to avoid for a new keeper.
6. The dripper is fantastic. My cham loves dripping water for drinking (as do most chams). Catching and controlling drip water is a big of a challenge for us all. Over time, you may find that you need to install a drainage system. There are tons of resources here to help you with that!
7. You have a great gradient for exposed basking areas and concealed foliage areas. I might recommend more horizontal pathways.
8. The cage size seems a bit small. 24x24x48 is the minimum size recommended for a panther - your little guy looks big enough to tackle a cage of that size. You should start saving up to buy a larger screen cage when you can. Generally, taller than wider is what you want, and honestly the more space you can provide, the happier your chameleon will be.
9. Have you read through the info on this forum? The care sheets, enclosure information, and feeder section? This is fantastic info that will give you the basics. We can help you out with anything else specific you have questions on! This is your new bible: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/chameleons/
10. Have you got your supplement schedule all figured out? Any questions?
11. Do you have a vet just... in case? If not, now is the time to find one, well before you actually need it! Don't be shy about "interviewing" the vet on his chameleon experience. Chameleons are very different from other common reptile pets.

Overall, that is great looking enclosure. The size is a small, so that would be a big priority to upgrade. A misting system would be a fantastic addition when you can afford one. Spend the extra bucks and get a MistKing or Aquazamp starter/basic kit.

The people here are great resources and very friendly. As my mother always said: "There are no stupid questions... only stupid people" (yes, she actually said that to me as a child!). Don't be shy about asking questions; we are here to help and want you to succeed!

Cheers and best of luck! I think Finnick is a fantastic name for a cham

 

[carol5208]

I think it looks very nice. The only thing I see negative is the frayed rope. Maybe I am a bit neurotic, but chameleons will sometimes eat and gnaw on things for whatever reason so I would use vines that are smooth instead.

 

[Lathis]

it's always a good idea to put some river rocks on top of the soil in the pots so that if your cham tries to eat any feeders that land on it, he won't accidentally swallow some soil which can cause impaction.

That's what I forgot! Always a good idea to cover the soil in your plants. That way, you don't even have to worry about it

I think it looks very nice. The only thing I see negative is the frayed rope. Maybe I am a bit neurotic, but chameleons will sometimes eat and gnaw on things for whatever reason so I would use vines that are smooth instead.

Listen to Carol. She knows what she's talking about.

 

[choppers1]

Very nice setup. I like to lift everything off the floor for cleaning purposes. U could try and hang to pothos.

 

[Hakai]

[*]The cage size seems a big small. 24x24x48 is the minimum size recommended for a panther - your little guy looks big enough to tackle a cage of that size. You should start saving up to buy a larger screen cage when you can.

Just wanna say, while I agree that you should eventually upgrade to a 24x24x48, the size you have at the moment is fine for now. Of course you should definitely start saving, as these cages aren't cheap, but I'd say you have another month or two before you need to upgrade. A smaller cage will make it easier for your cham to find its food and make it feel less lost. Just don't want you to feel too rushed. That's just my opinion though. Take others into consideration so you can come to your own conclusion.

 

[Lathis]

Just wanna say, while I agree that you should eventually upgrade to a 24x24x48, the size you have at the moment is fine for now. Of course you should definitely start saving, as these cages aren't cheap, but I'd say you have another month or two before you need to upgrade. A smaller cage will make it easier for your cham to find its food and make it feel less lost. Just don't want you to feel too rushed. That's just my opinion though. Take others into consideration so you can come to your own conclusion.

Agreed!

 

[ReptileRampage]

I can see that maybe the chameleon seems large in the picture, he's actually very tiny ( for the moment) I would say his body is possibly 2 inches, I understand they grow fast, but he would be completely lost in a 4 foot cage The cage is only the small size reptibreeze but its pretty good size for him right now. Of course I will upgrade as he gets bigger As for the plants, Yes i completely forgot to cover them in rocks, it was on my to-do list but I had a busy evening. Thank you for the person who mentioned the frayed rope, It's kind of temporary until the end of the week when i can go buy vine from the petstore I really just wanted him to be able to get close enough to the uvb lighting since they work only 12 inches. he spent friday - today with just a heat lamp and no uvb because of a shipping error with the cage and supplies so i wanted him to have access to the uvb) I do plenty of research on reptiles before i get one His supplement is that his crickets get dusted with plain calcium every feeding. I have been feeding him some wax worms and meal worms because crickets were escaping his temporary cage because the holes were too big, now that that isn't an issue he will be fed mostly crickets, with only worms as a treat. I also have an argentine tegu so i know all about the calcium and mbd and uvb importance, I have calcium with d3, as well as a multivitamin supplement, I plan on doing those one day, every other week (basically twice a month), as I read on here. When i ran to walmart to get live plants i forgot to get the temp gage so i will get that tomorrow, and will adjust the heat lamp bulbs if needed. I'm gonna read about drainage systems tomorrow so I can think of something. He seems really content in his new cage, he's been kinda dark today and he lightened up as soon as he went in the new home so i think thats a good sign. Yes i've read maybe 100 care sheets by now Thanks for all the compliments and advice!

 

[Montium]

As for the water, the plastic laundry sinks that you can get at the home improvement stores, can make a nice catch basin with a built in drain. Just a thought. Also if any of those plants are alive, I would put another strip over the enclosure.

 

[ReptileRampage]

Just wanna say, while I agree that you should eventually upgrade to a 24x24x48, the size you have at the moment is fine for now. Of course you should definitely start saving, as these cages aren't cheap

the screen cages have nothing compared to spending a couple hundred dollars building a giant custom cage for my tegu

 

[ReptileRampage]

First of all, you are off to a really great start. That enclosure looks amazing, and you have done a number of things right. A few thoughts:

Cheers and best of luck! I think Finnick is a fantastic name for a cham

My argentine tegu's name is Cato, and seeing as I am a big fan of the hunger games books I wanted to stick to my reptile names being hunger games characters, so I chose Finnick for my chameleon

 

[Hakai]

the screen cages have nothing compared to spending a couple hundred dollars building a giant custom cage for my tegu

Couldn't agree more. Didn't know you were up for the task. Good luck!

 

[Lathis]

Awesome! You're on top of it! Since I forgot to say it before (d'oh), welcome to the forum!