enclosure help/suggetions

fishfreak

New Member
first of all, Hi....now heres where i am in this process.I have 30x30x18 screen enclosure for an adult panther.I have an 60watt ceramic light on an 51/2dome, and an 18in exo terra 5.0.right under the bulb(ceramic) its a 100degress, but down by the closest branch its about 80-82, and lower its 70-75....just about right?or should I upgrade the ceramic to a higher watt with a reostaht?and now the plants or lack there of, when I bought the cage the seller gave me a couple of those two tone branches, cool lookin but rather sharp in spots almost make me want to sand it in spots???(the kind you se in iguana tanks) are these o.k, aaannnddddd, thats it for now

thnx Fishfreak
 
I prefer the Repti-sun 5.0 linear tube (superior product) which will fit in the fixture you have.
Regular household bulb is preferred over a ceramic bulb. I've never used anything more than a 40 watt.(especially for an enclosure that small)
Panthers like it fairly cool.
I have no idea what branches you are talking about. Start fresh with live plants and some jungle vine.

-Brad
 
sounds good ,but the houshold bulb wont be any good for night(in my room)that is why I bought the ceramic, heat and no light, i will try to put some pix up of the wood later, and yes I think at the nursery I will be able to fill the cage no problem, and a couple of vines would definitley top it off. any favorites for sturdy climbing plants?
 
sounds good ,but the houshold bulb wont be any good for night(in my room)that is why I bought the ceramic, heat and no light, i will try to put some pix up of the wood later, and yes I think at the nursery I will be able to fill the cage no problem, and a couple of vines would definitley top it off. any favorites for sturdy climbing plants?

No heat required at night as long as your house temps don't go below 65 degrees f.

-Brad
 
so bright light basking spot,and flourecsnet uv, 12 on 12 off?and if night temps do drop below 65 at night, I can run the ceramic? or red bulb, I live in the sf bay area and the temps can really fluxuate, some night it gets a little chilly:)
 
Sounds good.
They really do need a drop in temps at night.
Panther's are not chameleons I have personal experience with or consider myself to be an expert on.
However, 65 degrees f. seems a very acceptable night time low.

-Brad
 
o.k sounds good, one more thing if I return the ceramic for an mv bulb could I run that for everthing(basking and uv)or can I run the tube at the same time???? oh will it ever end, lol

thnx fishfreak
 
I have not used mercury vapor bulbs.
In my opinion the safest way to go is with a traditional basking light with a not too hot bulb and a linear tube UVB (Repti-Sun 5.0 is my choice).

As far as night time temperatures here .. I have a space heater with a thermostat in the room where my chameleons live.
It is set to turn on only if the temperature in the room goes below the absolute low I am comfortable with.

-Brad
 
good info, o.k I will stick with a standard light for basking and my uv.Im going plant shopping today, is there ONE strong climbing safe plant that you can suggest.I was thinking ficus, now Im not so sure:confused:
 
Ficus and schefflera seem to be able to withstand abuse pretty well.
Hibiscus are great but need a lot of light.
One cautionary note about the ficus: they do produce a sap that has caused eye irritation in Panther chameleons.
Pothos work quite well to fill out the enclosure.
Bouganvilla are another good choice. Very thorny though.
Make sure you wash them well and re-pot them in safe, fertilizer, pesticide and perlite free soil.
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/plants.html

-Brad
 
I hope this plant is safe?I was told its an umbrella?, but it was at home depot marked "assorted"its really nice pleeeez say its cool..........

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Make sure this isnt the only plant inside of your cage because an adult chameleons will destroy it.
Try to include several climbing branches inside of the plant.
Also use several bendable vines too.
In about a month without the extra climbing sticks every limb of the main branches will be facing straight down.
Then you are left with a bare dead bush.
 
o.k , after trying the first plant,lol...I had to cram it into the enclosure:eek:, it was not good, so I picked up a smaller one and added the branches and a vine so he doesnt outright destroy the poor plant(I hope)anyway after all this here it is .and if somebody knows what type of panther I have I would love to know:confused:he is blazing red/orange with blue highlights when the mood strikes him:)
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