Glen & Glen's Enclosure: Thoughts & Advice Needed.

[BradGouldY]

Hey Everyone! I've had Glen (Male Nosy Be Panther) for around 3 months now. I've always wanted a chameleon & before i got him i did several months research a made sure i was ready a up to the task of keeping one of the gorgeous animals.

Since ive had him I have changed so much of what i originally thought would be fine for example, I started off with a screen enclosure however now have a glass enclosure & i have changed around his enclosure a few times to try make it a suitable and nice for him as possible.

ANYWAY.. here is everything I have for him:

Enclosure: Exo Terra Glass Terrarium 90x45x60cm
Mister: Super Rain Nano - Set to mist twice a day, 4 minutes & 3 minutes.
Plants: Devils Ivy & Geranium Column
Light & Heat: Arcadia 5% UVB & Exo Terra 100w Daylight bulb
Thermostat: Microclimate Evo Lite - basking set to 90°F
Enrichment: Bamboo sticks, Odd sticks from the garden & 1 small vine
Free Roam: I have ropes Setup at the top of my room to allow free roaming which he loves & happily comes straight out as soon as i open the enclosure door.

In terms of keeping him i feel like ive been getting on well, He is very friendly and more than happy to climb out under his own will onto my hand and climb all over me or go over his ropes and free roam. A couple of his poops have been slightly orange however im unsure how to get him to drink. His last poop (13/07/17) had no orange.

Here are pictures of everything ive spoken about & pictures of glen as well:

Here is his free roam ropes above my room:

 

[Tkkaplan]

The enclosure looks nice to me. But I really think that screen enclosures are the way to go. I've heard of people keeping chams successfully in glass I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[Tkkaplan]

Also this may just be me, but I would recommend a bit more foliage in the front. It may just be the picture, but it seems as tho all of the foliage is in the back of the enclosure. I had my Cham with about as much foliage as you have and when I added another plant that took up the entire enclosure and he definitely uses the extra foliage. This is just my opinion and you can get along fine with what you have, but I'm sure he would welcome the change.

 

[Goose502]

The enclosure looks nice to me. But I really think that screen enclosures are the way to go. I've heard of people keeping chams successfully in glass I wouldn't recommend it.

I agree with the foliage comment, though I've kept my panther in a glass exo terra(90x45x90) for over a year, he's done amazing.

 

[Tkkaplan]

I agree with the foliage comment, though I've kept my panther in a glass exo terra(90x45x90) for over a year, he's done amazing.

Like I said, it can be done but it's not something I would recommend or would do myself.

 

[Lennoncham]

It all depends where you live and what your climate is like for what enclosure works for you. If you live in a humid climate you definitely want a screen cage. But if you live in a dry climate then a glass enclosure will work better for humidity.

Here's a link to a very detailed explination of using glass enclosures succefully.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/for-everyone-who-knows-you-cant-keep-chams-in-glass.31937/

 

[absolutbill]

I have no issue with you using glass, if it works best for you and your location. I would say that the cage isn't large enough for him, though, and is probably a big reason why he's so keen on coming out to free-range. That is good you can free-range him, but depending on how long you have him out of his cage you may need to add a UVB bulb and basking light over the free-range. I see a CF bulb, but can't tell exactly what type it is, so sorry if it's UVB.

Also, don't worry about more foliage - that pothos will take over and fill the cage, so you can just take some of the runners and loop them to the front of the cage to cascade down. Good luck!

 

[jamest0o0]

Cage looks too small, the pothos won't grow faster than your cham will, if you can't upgrade the cage now, at least fill it with plants.

 

[jajeanpierre]

@BradGouldY An ExoTerra makes a great cage although it might be a bit too small. You might want to get the 90cm x 90cm one. That extra width makes a difference. I have some in ExoTerras. You need to be very careful about heat build up--100w seems like a lot of heat going into the cage. Maybe it is creating a good air flow with a chimney effect from the light bulb. (I have cooler montane species without basking bulbs.)

I'm surprised you don't flood the place with 7 minutes of misting a day.

I really hate bamboo sticks. they are very smooth and slippery. Can you get natural branches (with bark) of varying sizes? I agree the cage should be more filled up. You want to use all the space, not just the back wall. Since he gets out for a free range, you might be able to get away with that enclosure. I have a much smaller chameleon in the same cage you have. A panther just seem to be a bit too big, but my chameleons don't ever get out to free range so it might work fine for you.