First chameleon enclosure! Please evaluate!

[TRohr]

Having trouble uploading photos so I'm going to make this quick.

First Cham. enclosure.

48"H x 24"W x 24"D dimensions, large, coated mesh. Going to partition it with large gauge, coated chicken wire soon- pretty damn sure chams. couldn't get their head through the stuff. Plants are fake vines, schefflera arboricola, and pothos in a large plastic pot with drainage layer, happy frog organic soil mix, topped with coco coir and large river rocks to prevent cham. from eating soil. I plan on placing dowels horizontally throughout enclosure, and then I am going to zip tie sticks of varying sizes to them.

MistKing kicks on 7 times between 8am-8pm, lights are on from 8am-9pm, humidity hovers around 70-85% the entire day. Temperature hovers around 84 at very top of enclosure, 70s at very bottom throughout day. At one point temperature reached 90 about 6 inches below spot bulb. Room ambient temperature is about 75. Night temperatures drop to low 70's. I have a 24" Reptisun 5.0, a spot basking bulb, and backup night bulb if it gets too cold. I plan on raising spot bulbs slightly to prevent burns. Depending on age of cham. I get I might not use spot bulbs at all.

Working on drip cup as I type this.

I have an existing cricket farm. Crickets are fed broccoli, carrots, spinach greens, peas, Flukers high-calcium cricket diet, and now small doses of Cricket Crack supplied by SSimsswiSS the night before feedings. This Thursday I am going to be getting a shipment of dubia that I will start breeding as well.

I have calcium w/ vitD, Herptivite, and calcium w/o D3. Bought myself a calendar with feeding schedule to go with them.

I'm working on building a large free range jungle gym of fake leaves and sticks up and around my desk, and I am buying a large Ficus that I can sun the cham. on outside when I'm home.

Think that's everything.... Feedback, suggestions, thoughts, information, etc., etc. greatly appreciated.

 

[mlw50]

I would suggest eliminating the broccoli from the gutload. It can interfere with calcium absorption in your chameleon.

 

[TRohr]

I would suggest eliminating the broccoli from the gutload. It can interfere with calcium absorption in your chameleon.

Aaaah, strange. Will do. How does everything else look?

 

[beeze]

Welcome to the forums. It's really nice to see someone on here doing there homework before they buy their chameleon. Great set up! Big investment, huh? I have just a few suggestions.

For your basking bulb you only need a regular household bulb......depending on your chams age, 40 watt or so. Don't need a light at night, it needs to be totally dark for sleep. If it gets really cold in your house in the winter (below 65) try a ceramic bulb.

I would suggest using something besides zip ties.....my cham tried to eat them. Hot glue works well or tacts at the end of your branches.

Spinach and broccoli both are no good to use as gutload for chams. Try collard greens. My feeders and my cham both eat those.

I would find something else to use beside coated chicken wire to partition off your cage if you get a young cham. The feeders would go right through it. You may not even need to partition it off depending on the age of your cham. Veileds are quite large even as juveniles and a 4 or 5 month old could go in there no problem. Now, panthers or other species would need to be older....I'd say 6 months at least on a panther....depending on it's size.

Most chams go to sleep before dark. I'd have the lights out by 7:30 or 8:00.

Can't wait to see it when you are completely finished. One lucky cham going in there!

 

[jamncristian]

is that chicken wire metal or plastic??

plastic would be better so he will
have something soft to climb on

other than that everything looks great

ditch the spinach and brocoli

dandelion greens
mustard greens
collard greens
turnip greens

are a way better option than brocoli or spinach

try that

uhh... you could also use some horizontal branches for him/her to climb on

the cricket cage could also use some screen in the front or side
crickets when they die tend to release a gas that starts killing all the others
unless there is ventilation

 

[TRohr]

I'll ditch the brocoli, etc. and try to find some decent collard greens tonight. The cricket box has two small cutouts covered in screen. So does the dubia box.

I have regular 60 watt house bulbs in the garage I think. I'll change the light and misting schedule in a minute or two.

The chicken wire is coated in an epoxy type plastic. I plan on trying to hand feed the cham. in the mornings and evenings, but if he isn't up for it and if his feeders keep escaping I'll move him to the bottom portion.

 

[jannb]

It looks great Tyler! You've done a great job. I agree with all the post above. Just a few minor changes and you'll have a perfect cage set up for your chameleon.

 

[adamkwas]

May I inquire as to what's set-up in that large enclosure just left of the chameleon enclosure?

 

[TRohr]

May I inquire as to what's set-up in that large enclosure just left of the chameleon enclosure?

Two White's Tree Frogs, and about 13 9" banana slugs that I got from Rialto Beach, Washington!

 

[ghettomike]

besides the previous recommendations it looks really good. you have done your homework and seem ready to get your new cham. The only thing I recommend is instead of using zip ties, which tend to be a bit big to go through the screen, is to go to your local hardware store and buy a roll of plastic coated tie wire, its cheap, real easy to use and clip excess off, its green so it blends in and best of all you can tie stuff off to the screen without damaging it. Your setup looks great, have fun.

 

[laurie]

WOW you are officially hired to come to my house and build cages! That is a excellent job, and for a first timer before you ever get your chameleon, it is nothing short or wonderful to see. I predict a very happy cham and a excellent new keeper joining our ranks.