Iggy's Got New Digs!

[narnythegreat]

I was able to get a killer deal on Iggys new enclosure this weekend. It's a 24x24x48 Reptibreeze LED Deluxe with the clear Plexi front. I didn't care at all about the LEDs since they don't do anything and I have a 4 bulbs fixture but I really wanted the clear front. This cage is SO much bigger than the 18x18x36 that my husband kept asking if I was SURE he needed/would use that much space lol.

The open screen cage all around just did not work for me. I needed the ability to keep the area around the cage as a dry environment while giving Iggy all the water and air circulation he needed. Thanks to Daesie11 for sharing the link to the window insulation kit. It worked like a charm!

I read something yesterday about how the sap of a Ficus tree is toxic to Chams so I decided to take mine out and replace it with a Star Jasmine and Hibiscus tree. The bottom is lined with my Queen Pathos.

It's a bioactive cage with dwarf isopods and springtails that I use for my PDF's. On top of the soil I put sphagnum moss then a layer of hydroton and then large Caribbean beach pebbles from Home Depot. It looks pretty good.

I put back in the second 6% bulb in my t5 fixture since this is a much deeper cage. The highest point of Basking under this light is 12in from fixture to basking point.

I still have to set up the drip and/or the DIY misting/rain setup that I'm looking into. But that's okay I've been missing him like four or five times a day for weeks just to keep the humidity up to even 60%.

The only other thing that I still need to do is add a camo feeder. I'm looking into DIY options today. If I can't find one I like then I'm going to buy one from my local pet shop today. I know I could make one for like five bucks but I have to come up with the reasonable solution that I like that will allow a high level of visibility. So, we'll see.

I am really pleased with how this turned out. It looks really good. It's in a high activity space so I wanted it to really be reptile exhibit quality. And whilst it's not the Exo Terra I really wanted to go with (because of space reasons I didn't) it also doesn't look like a ghetto rigged crazy setup with trash bags hanging on the side and holes punched all the way through all over like his 18x18x36 LOL.

 

[nightanole]

Drop dead cage layout, iggy just wants to climb on the screen, lol.

 

[Herpcentric]

A Benjamin Ficus is only toxic if INGESTED in large amounts. It’s milky sap is also a skin irritant if not washed off immediately. So they are relatively safe for panthers as panthers don’t eat foliage. But if you house veileds i would be careful. Otherwise they are fine love the set up! So beautiful. Wonder what it’ll look like when it grows in!

 

[narnythegreat]

A Benjamin Ficus is only toxic if INGESTED in large amounts. It’s milky sap is also a skin irritant if not washed off immediately. So they are relatively safe for panthers as panthers don’t eat foliage. But if you house veileds i would be careful. Otherwise they are fine love the set up! So beautiful. Wonder what it’ll look like when it grows in!

So about a week ago Iggy saw a part of a fake vine that he thought was a bug and he tried to eat it for the next two to three hours until I finally decided to cut off that bit so he wouldn't hurt his mouth. So after I read the thread that I read yesterday about the Ficus I decided to just pull it.

I think the star jasmine was a great addition. I just added zip ties and braided the vines to each other and attach them on certain sides of the enclosure.

It is both form and function which appeals to my sensibilities.

 

[Tony_S]

great looking enclosure

 

[Reptofreak]

Looks beautiful!

 

[Thatwizard420]

A Benjamin Ficus is only toxic if INGESTED in large amounts. It’s milky sap is also a skin irritant if not washed off immediately. So they are relatively safe for panthers as panthers don’t eat foliage. But if you house veileds i would be careful. Otherwise they are fine love the set up! So beautiful. Wonder what it’ll look like when it grows in!

My veiled went tru 3 Ficus Benjamina plants in 2 weeks

 

[AmandaS]

He looks so tiny in there!!

 

[narnythegreat]

He looks so tiny in there!!

He was kind of small when I rescued him about six weeks ago. I guess the average weight of a panther male chameleon adult is around 120 grams and he was 70 grams. But comparatively he does look really small LOL.

 

[Hashtag ChamLife]

I was able to get a killer deal on Iggys new enclosure this weekend. It's a 24x24x48 Reptibreeze LED Deluxe with the clear Plexi front. I didn't care at all about the LEDs since they don't do anything and I have a 4 bulbs fixture but I really wanted the clear front. This cage is SO much bigger than the 18x18x36 that my husband kept asking if I was SURE he needed/would use that much space lol.

The open screen cage all around just did not work for me. I needed the ability to keep the area around the cage as a dry environment while giving Iggy all the water and air circulation he needed. Thanks to Daesie11 for sharing the link to the window insulation kit. It worked like a charm!

I read something yesterday about how the sap of a Ficus tree is toxic to Chams so I decided to take mine out and replace it with a Star Jasmine and Hibiscus tree. The bottom is lined with my Queen Pathos.

It's a bioactive cage with dwarf isopods and springtails that I use for my PDF's. On top of the soil I put sphagnum moss then a layer of hydroton and then large Caribbean beach pebbles from Home Depot. It looks pretty good.

I put back in the second 6% bulb in my t5 fixture since this is a much deeper cage. The highest point of Basking under this light is 12in from fixture to basking point.

I still have to set up the drip and/or the DIY misting/rain setup that I'm looking into. But that's okay I've been missing him like four or five times a day for weeks just to keep the humidity up to even 60%.

The only other thing that I still need to do is add a camo feeder. I'm looking into DIY options today. If I can't find one I like then I'm going to buy one from my local pet shop today. I know I could make one for like five bucks but I have to come up with the reasonable solution that I like that will allow a high level of visibility. So, we'll see.

I am really pleased with how this turned out. It looks really good. It's in a high activity space so I wanted it to really be reptile exhibit quality. And whilst it's not the Exo Terra I really wanted to go with (because of space reasons I didn't) it also doesn't look like a ghetto rigged crazy setup with trash bags hanging on the side and holes punched all the way through all over like his 18x18x36 LOL.

Awesome job! And yes, my wife gave me the same line when I built my hutch, lol. My male occasionally gets to hang out on the hibiscus right outside my door and now he thinks the whole house is his...

I wanted to ask you about your lighting. I kind of had the same issue as you with distance to bulb. You said you added a 2nd 6% UVB, do you have a light sensor to measure it? This is a genuine question, not a knock. I'm curious for myself as I had the same issue. I ended up adding more vines to make closer spots to the light (not by much, closest point may be 6-7inches) and increasing one of my bulbs to a 10/12%. Now I'm wondering if i need to switch my other 6% to another 12%, switch back to a 6, or just add another 10k.

The way I broke mine down was like this: the 6% was enough UV at around 7-8 Inches. The 10% was enough at 10 inches PLUS was able to penetrate the thick foliage of the hibiscus. [But not so much that they don't have hides. The screen on the top reduces the effectiveness of the bulb by around 20% (depending on who you ask). Basically I think I'm going to have to get a light meter.

Best wishes!

 

[narnythegreat]

Awesome job! And yes, my wife gave me the same line when I built my hutch, lol. My male occasionally gets to hang out on the hibiscus right outside my door and now he thinks the whole house is his...

I wanted to ask you about your lighting. I kind of had the same issue as you with distance to bulb. You said you added a 2nd 6% UVB, do you have a light sensor to measure it? This is a genuine question, not a knock. I'm curious for myself as I had the same issue. I ended up adding more vines to make closer spots to the light (not by much, closest point may be 6-7inches) and increasing one of my bulbs to a 10/12%. Now I'm wondering if i need to switch my other 6% to another 12%, switch back to a 6, or just add another 10k.

The way I broke mine down was like this: the 6% was enough UV at around 7-8 Inches. The 10% was enough at 10 inches PLUS was able to penetrate the thick foliage of the hibiscus. [But not so much that they don't have hides. The screen on the top reduces the effectiveness of the bulb by around 20% (depending on who you ask). Basically I think I'm going to have to get a light meter.

Best wishes!

I don't have a light meter, no. When I first rescue Iggy I asked for general assistance with the lighting needs and one of the people told me that when I switch to the 24 by 24 by 48 I should use a higher percentage of UVB.

 

[Hashtag ChamLife]

I don't have a light meter, no. When I first rescue Iggy I asked for general assistance with the lighting needs and one of the people told me that when I switch to the 24 by 24 by 48 I should use a higher percentage of UVB.

Right, but I'm more asking about your positioning of the branch. You said it's about 12" away from the source? Even with 2 6% bulbs that "could" be too far depending on a number of factors. By "higher percent UV" I'd take that to mean a 10/12% vs a 6%. Adding 2 6%s is just twice as much 6% light... not 12%.

I guess I've added to many words to make a simple suggestion, lol, sorry.

In a nutshell, are you confident that with 2 6% bulbs having to pass through the screened top and 12", that you're cham is getting enough light?

 

[Hashtag ChamLife]

I don't have a light meter, no. When I first rescue Iggy I asked for general assistance with the lighting needs and one of the people told me that when I switch to the 24 by 24 by 48 I should use a higher percentage of UVB.

And sorry for being confusing... I'm bored at work today and overly talkative. Don't take this as a criticism, I'm still trying to figure out my own lights.

 

[narnythegreat]

In a nutshell, are you confident that with 2 6% bulbs having to pass through the screened top and 12", that you're cham is getting enough light?

I am pretty confident that it is sufficient for the 12 in distance. When Iggy was in his 18 by 18 by 36 enclosure I had both bulbs in and it was 8 inches from the light and that was too much light. He was almost glowing he had so much UV light. So it was suggested to me that I should remove one of the UVB bulbs until I got the larger enclosure. Now that I have the larger enclosure I don't see why this would be too little.

 

[narnythegreat]

And sorry for being confusing... I'm bored at work today and overly talkative. Don't take this as a criticism, I'm still trying to figure out my own lights.

No worries. I get that.

 

[narnythegreat]

I was able to get Iggys feeding station completed. Heres a video I posted.

 

[Beman]

@Hashtag ChamLife @narnythegreat

Ok I want to throw this info out there as all I did was scan through and saw that neither of you got feedback on it...
When you are using a single or Dual T5HO fixture. You will use one 5.0 or 6% Arcadia bulb.

When you are using a quad that has individual reflectors for each bulb you will still use one 5.0 or 6% Arcadia bulb.

When you are using a quad that SHARES a single reflector for all 4 bulbs this is when you up the bulb strength to one 10.0 or a 12% UVB bulb.

With all of these you want your basking level to be approximately 7-8 inches away from the top of the screen and the fixture should sit directly on the cage top. If your fixture is raised 2 inches then your basking should be as well. Taking into consideration that the heat fixture should also be raised so there is not a thermal burn risk.

Using the measurement of 7-8 inches and the bulb/fixture combos should give you a 3-4UVI at basking. You do not want higher and you do not want too much lower then this.

Please let me know if this does not make sense. If you are going to do something different then the above I highly recommend buying a solarmeter 6.5 to ensure you are not over exposing or under exposing your chams.

 

[nightanole]

@Hashtag ChamLife @narnythegreat

Ok I want to throw this info out there as all I did was scan through and saw that neither of you got feedback on it...
When you are using a single or Dual T5HO fixture. You will use one 5.0 or 6% Arcadia bulb.

When you are using a quad that has individual reflectors for each bulb you will still use one 5.0 or 6% Arcadia bulb.

When you are using a quad that SHARES a single reflector for all 4 bulbs this is when you up the bulb strength to one 10.0 or a 12% UVB bulb.

With all of these you want your basking level to be approximately 7-8 inches away from the top of the screen and the fixture should sit directly on the cage top. If your fixture is raised 2 inches then your basking should be as well. Taking into consideration that the heat fixture should also be raised so there is not a thermal burn risk.

Using the measurement of 7-8 inches and the bulb/fixture combos should give you a 3-4UVI at basking. You do not want higher and you do not want too much lower then this.

Please let me know if this does not make sense. If you are going to do something different then the above I highly recommend buying a solarmeter 6.5 to ensure you are not over exposing or under exposing your chams.

Meh he split the difference. 12" away and 2 bulbs, so a much wider play area for peak UVB. Plus who knows how old the bulbs are. They may start fresh at 3 UVI, but you dont change them till output goes down by half. Plus the cham isnt going to be hanging out at the perfect 3.0 stick the same amount every day.

And it looks like its a quad, but 2 sets of reflectors. So are both in one pod and then the other pod is full of 6500k bulbs? And what is the maths running 2 6% at 80% output. That would be 160% of 1 6%, so the stick would need to be farther than 7-8" away. Oh the joys of setups with no meters...