Husbandry check

[chloe_bongo]

Hi I’m a new chameleon keeper and I’m new to this website, so far I’ve found it really helpful. I’ve just set up my chameleon enclosure with the idea of leaving it for a week and then getting my chameleon in a weeks time (I’m getting a panther chameleon), but I want to make sure everything’s correct. I’m from the uk and it’s colder so I’m using a glass enclosure to keep heat and humidity at the right temperature, the enclosure is the Exo Terra 90” x 90” x 45”
I’m using a 100 watt heat bulb and a T-5 UVB bulb. The basking spot temperature is at 34 degrees C (93 degrees Fahrenheit) and the daytime temperature in the rest of the enclosure is about 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit). I don’t know what other information I need to give (comment if I do. Thank you so much for any help

 

[elizaann2]

Hello and warmest welcomes to you! You've found a great place to learn more about husbandry and chameleons and extra bonus, everyone on here is super nice and understanding! I'd be more than happy to go over your set up with you, just give me a few minutes to go over everything you just shared.

 

[nightanole]

You have i assume a coconut fiber mulch floor. This can be fine, as long as two crickets dont fall in love etc. Its generally not recommended for beginners. If you throw in some cleaner crew, the poop will be self cleaning however.

Basking spot, surprised a 100 watt only gets to 34c, but that temp is on the money in my book. Might want to do a "top of the chameleon" check just to make sure the head doesnt get burnt, and its only the stick that is 34c.

27c at the coldest point of the enclosure is too high in my opinion. Maybe put in a wee fan to get some of that hot air out.

I assume you do not have a uv meter, and im making a big assume that you are using an arcadia 6%. What is your lamp to chameleon distance?

Finally i guess what is your day and night humidity levels, and how are you misting?

 

[elizaann2]

See my responses in bold:

I’ve just set up my chameleon enclosure with the idea of leaving it for a week and then getting my chameleon in a weeks time (I’m getting a panther chameleon), but I want to make sure everything’s correct. Super smart! This week is the perfect time to make sure you have everything set up correctly for your new family member. Its super stressful (at least for me) to get the cham and THEN make adjustments.

I’m from the uk and it’s colder so I’m using a glass enclosure to keep heat and humidity at the right temperature, the enclosure is the Exo Terra 90” x 90” x 45”. Very good, glass enclosures are great to help hold in heat and humidity if you need. If you are finding that you are struggling with temps or humidity levels a hybrid enclosure is also another great option. I am assuming your measurements are in cm, not inches. How old is the panther you are getting? If he/she is young this size enclosure will be fine for now, but keep in mind that the minimum recommended size is 61x61x122 cm. Baby is going to grow quickly so this may be an upgrade you do sooner than expected.
I’m using a 100 watt heat bulb and a T-5 UVB bulb. 100 watt may be a bit too hot especially knowing you have a glass enclosure. You could get a lower watt or attach something that will help control and monitor the intensity of the bulb like this dimming thermostat. If you get something like this be sure to have a good thermometer nearby in case the dimming thermostat is not working correctly. Chameleons do not register that they are burning for some reason so you'll want to be very careful with that heat intensity. Another option is to raise it above the enclosure.
The basking spot temperature is at 34 degrees C (93 degrees Fahrenheit) and the daytime temperature in the rest of the enclosure is about 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit). This is far too hot for your panther. Your basking spot should be 26 degreec c, the ambient temp of your enclosure should have a gradient of 25 degrees to 22 degrees. At night you will want a temperature drop for your guy to get a good nights rest. Night time temps you'll want to be about 20 degrees C.

I do love what you have put together so far for your chameleon, you've done a beautiful job putting the inside of the enclosure together!

Some things I've noticed about your set up that you may want to consider adjusting:
- Adding a few more vines for your chameleon to find climates that he/she is comfortable in
- Adding a few more plants in the front of the enclosure to create a 'curtain' of safety for your chameleon. They are very shy lizards and having somewhere to retreat from our sight is a necessity for them.


Other details that would be helpful are:
What are your humidity levels?
What is your hydration method?
How many inches below the top branch is your T5HO UVB light?
What kind of UVB light are you using?
What is your supplementation schedule?
What is your feeding schedule? How many bugs are you going to be feeding? How big are the bugs?
What kinds of bugs will you be feeding?
What are you feeing your bugs?
Are you getting a male or female?
Where is your enclosure at in your home?
How high up is the enclosure from the floor?

 

[chloe_bongo]

See my responses in bold:

I’ve just set up my chameleon enclosure with the idea of leaving it for a week and then getting my chameleon in a weeks time (I’m getting a panther chameleon), but I want to make sure everything’s correct. Super smart! This week is the perfect time to make sure you have everything set up correctly for your new family member. Its super stressful (at least for me) to get the cham and THEN make adjustments.

I’m from the uk and it’s colder so I’m using a glass enclosure to keep heat and humidity at the right temperature, the enclosure is the Exo Terra 90” x 90” x 45”. Very good, glass enclosures are great to help hold in heat and humidity if you need. If you are finding that you are struggling with temps or humidity levels a hybrid enclosure is also another great option. I am assuming your measurements are in cm, not inches. How old is the panther you are getting? If he/she is young this size enclosure will be fine for now, but keep in mind that the minimum recommended size is 61x61x122 cm. Baby is going to grow quickly so this may be an upgrade you do sooner than expected.
I’m using a 100 watt heat bulb and a T-5 UVB bulb. 100 watt may be a bit too hot especially knowing you have a glass enclosure. You could get a lower watt or attach something that will help control and monitor the intensity of the bulb like this dimming thermostat. If you get something like this be sure to have a good thermometer nearby in case the dimming thermostat is not working correctly. Chameleons do not register that they are burning for some reason so you'll want to be very careful with that heat intensity. Another option is to raise it above the enclosure.
The basking spot temperature is at 34 degrees C (93 degrees Fahrenheit) and the daytime temperature in the rest of the enclosure is about 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit). This is far too hot for your panther. Your basking spot should be 26 degreec c, the ambient temp of your enclosure should have a gradient of 25 degrees to 22 degrees. At night you will want a temperature drop for your guy to get a good nights rest. Night time temps you'll want to be about 20 degrees C.

I do love what you have put together so far for your chameleon, you've done a beautiful job putting the inside of the enclosure together!

Some things I've noticed about your set up that you may want to consider adjusting:
- Adding a few more vines for your chameleon to find climates that he/she is comfortable in
- Adding a few more plants in the front of the enclosure to create a 'curtain' of safety for your chameleon. They are very shy lizards and having somewhere to retreat from our sight is a necessity for them.


Other details that would be helpful are:
What are your humidity levels?
What is your hydration method?
How many inches below the top branch is your T5HO UVB light?
What kind of UVB light are you using?
What is your supplementation schedule?
What is your feeding schedule? How many bugs are you going to be feeding? How big are the bugs?
What kinds of bugs will you be feeding?
What are you feeing your bugs?
Are you getting a male or female?
Where is your enclosure at in your home?
How high up is the enclosure from the floor?

Hi thank you so much for the reply, the enclosure is in inches we had enough room to be as big as possible so that’s what we went for. We were aware that 100 W is quite high but we have moved it up from the enclosure and if is not resting on the roof, and we already have a dimming thermostat which is all set up, I forgot to mention sorry. I only set this up today so I will work on cooling it down to slightly cooler temperatures. We haven’t got a hygrometer yet it is coming tomorrow, our watering system is mist every morning and evening and a dripper going consistently only during the day. We are getting a male ambilobe panther chameleon. Our enclosure is in our living room about 90 inches off the ground. We are planning on feeding, dubia roaches, crickets and locusts. When younger about 10-15 a day and as it gets older less and less. Our supplement schedule is correct as I have checked with an amazing reptile store near us. And the branch closest to our UVB is about 7 inches away and we are using the T5 UVB bulb from the brand Arcadia, thank you so much for your helpful reply

 

[elizaann2]

Hi thank you so much for the reply, the enclosure is in inches we had enough room to be as big as possible so that’s what we went for. We were aware that 100 W is quite high but we have moved it up from the enclosure and if is not resting on the roof, and we already have a dimming thermostat which is all set up, I forgot to mention sorry. I only set this up today so I will work on cooling it down to slightly cooler temperatures. We haven’t got a hygrometer yet it is coming tomorrow, our watering system is mist every morning and evening and a dripper going consistently only during the day. We are getting a male ambilobe panther chameleon. Our enclosure is in our living room about 90 inches off the ground. We are planning on feeding, dubia roaches, crickets and locusts. When younger about 10-15 a day and as it gets older less and less. Our supplement schedule is correct as I have checked with an amazing reptile store near us. And the branch closest to our UVB is about 7 inches away and we are using the T5 UVB bulb from the brand Arcadia, thank you so much for your helpful reply

Perfection!! Is your Arcadia light a 6%?

 

[chloe_bongo]

Perfection!! Is your Arcadia light a 6%?

12% - that’s what we were recommended by our reptile shop as we have a very large enclosure is that ok?

 

[elizaann2]

12% - that’s what we were recommended by our reptile shop as we have a very large enclosure is that ok?

I would say that the strength of the UVB light isn't necessarily dependent on the size of the enclosure but the distance between the light and the top branch. Your baby needs a UV index of 3 or 4 at the top branch. With a 12% UVB you could accidentally give too high levels, which can cause health problems too. I actually use a solarmeter 6.5 to help me know where my levels are at in my enclosures. If you do not have one, then this care sheet should be able to help you decipher the distance between your 12% light and your top branches. Based on this, I believe 7 inches below is fine. I think others on here actually recommend a bit more distance with a 12% as well.

https://chameleonacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Panther-Chameleon-Care-Guide-2023.pdf

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum and the world of chameleons!
There is so much to learn, but you can learn here! We try not to scare people or attack them here…we just want to help you ensure the chameleon has the best chance at a good life with you!

@elizaann2 asked “How old is the panther you are getting?”…this is important for us to know for temperatures, food size, etc.

Do you know if it’s a male or female? I usually suggest getting a male for a first chameleon so you can avoid issues with reproduction (especially dystocia/egg binding and follicular stasis/failure of follicles to progress to eggs, that kill so many females that lay eggs without a male).

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi. With a 12% uvb, you want the distance between basking area and light to be around 10-12”. With a 6%, the distance would be 8-9”.

 

[elizaann2]

Hi. With a 12% uvb, you want the distance between basking area and light to be around 10-12”. With a 6%, the distance would be 8-9”.

Thanks Miss Skittles!

 

[chloe_bongo]

Hi. With a 12% uvb, you want the distance between basking area and light to be around 10-12”. With a 6%, the distance would be 8-9”.

Ok thank you for this, the closest branch is currently about 7” away so we are going to raise the uvb up, any ideas how to do this? Thank you

 

[MissSkittles]

Ok thank you for this, the closest branch is currently about 7” away so we are going to raise the uvb up, any ideas how to do this? Thank you

I use small wire baskets that I get from the dollar store. It’s not terribly pretty, but it works well for me. On Etsy you can find Repti-Risers, but I’m not sure how high they can go.