Missing anything? Prepping for a baby panther!

[Norbert]

Purchased a male ambanja panther chameleon from Kammerflage Kreations. Hatch date was November 24-25 so he will be 3 months. Expecting little Norbert as soon as weather is safe for shipping! <3
I am a first time reptile owner. Doing a final check before he arrives, wondering if I am missing anything or if my setup looks ready? (Side note: living in Virginia area near DC, we have very humid summers and dry winters)
Water: I will be manually misting with battery powered mister since I’m doing online classes due to covid and I am home all day to do so. This will change when I am able to go back to in-person and I will upgrade to an automatic system. I mist 5-10 minutes at 9am, 30min after lights come on, and 8pm, 30min before lights out. I am also going to mist mid day but may change according to humidity needs. I also have the reptizoo automatic fogger for night time. Using distilled water but I bought reptile water conditioner in case this isn’t correct?
Feeders/ Gutload: I have 1/4” crickets since this is what the breeder uses and I will hopefully switch to Dubia roaches if he isn’t a picky eater. I will also be rotating Phoenix worms (BSFL) and I have small super worms. Treat bugs are hornworms and wax worms. Will be gutloading with Repashy bug burger as well as vegetables and fruits when he gets here. For now I am feeding just for hydration.
supplement: Open to corrections!!! I originally was going with the supplements that I saw on Neptune the Chameleon’s YouTube: 6 days calcium without d3, one day every other week calcium with d3, one day every other week multivitamin without d3. Pretty sure I bought every supplement and heard different opinions and changed my mind several times lol. I have now decided on the Repashy superfoods calcium plus every feeding as this is what the breeder uses and they are very reputable. Please let me know if this sounds correct?
Cage info: Custom built combo cage. Dimensions 2x2x4 feet. The back is solid wood, 3 screen sides, top is chicken wire. Detachable shower curtain on sides since our humidity fluctuates by season. Also added curtains to put on the sides at night since the cage is in my room, to prevent tv light at night. Lighting: Reptisun T5 HO 22” bulb, Reptisun 24” hood. 75 watt basking light. Automatic timers set to 8:30am-8:30pm this schedule may change. Occasionally use a an LED plant light, is this okay? I can’t see any red light but it is a full spectrum light so I don’t know if he can see something I can’t?
Temperature: Basking: 88F-91F this is what was recommended by the breeder. I have also heard lower 80s being used for babies so I may adjust. Middle cage is about 78F and bottom/ambient is low 70s usually 72F. I use a small thermometer/ hygrometer from amazon.
Humidity: 25%-45% in basking area. The middle and bottom of cage vary from 40% if completely dry not misted all day, to 70-78% right after misting. Fogger used at night.
Live Plants: golden pathos, corn plant, birds nest fern, ti plant, and some sort of Dracaena.
Placement: bedroom, about 1.5 feet off the ground, between 2 windows which have blackout curtains when necessary. The cage is under a vent but I have added a vent cover that redirects airflow. Top of cage is taller than me (5’2) so I would guess 5’4. No traffic during the day only in the morning waking up.
I have been researching for a couple months but there is always room for improvement. I have never owned a reptile before, I know I have a lot to learn!

 

[Haley Hendrix]

Give me on moment and i’ll review everything.

 

[Haley Hendrix]

Feedback will be bolded


Purchased a male ambanja panther chameleon from Kammerflage Kreations. Hatch date was November 24-25 so he will be 3 months. Expecting little Norbert as soon as weather is safe for shipping! <3
I am a first time reptile owner. Doing a final check before he arrives, wondering if I am missing anything or if my setup looks ready? (Side note: living in Virginia area near DC, we have very humid summers and dry winters)
Water: I will be manually misting with battery powered mister since I’m doing online classes due to covid and I am home all day to do so. This will change when I am able to go back to in-person and I will upgrade to an automatic system. I mist 5-10 minutes at 9am, 30min after lights come on, and 8pm, 30min before lights out. I am also going to mist mid day but may change according to humidity needs. I also have the reptizoo automatic fogger for night time. Using distilled water but I bought reptile water conditioner in case this isn’t correct?
I personally think 5-10 min is too long. I would aim for 2-5. He should have a 12 hour light cycle. Meaning lights come on and go off at the same time. If you pick 8, then lights on at 8am, off at 8pm.


Feeders/ Gutload: I have 1/4” crickets since this is what the breeder uses and I will hopefully switch to Dubia roaches if he isn’t a picky eater. I will also be rotating Phoenix worms (BSFL) and I have small super worms. Treat bugs are hornworms and wax worms. Will be gutloading with Repashy bug burger as well as vegetables and fruits when he gets here. For now I am feeding just for hydration.

Dubia Roaches are a hit or miss with chams. I would try a variety of different roaches just to find out what he likes. There are some keepers on here that sell roaches that you can reach out to. Superworms are strictly a treat, if you feed them to often the chameleon will become addicted to them and not except anything but them. Hornworms are great for hydration. Waxworms I would only feed while he is a baby and growing, they are very fatty and have no real nutrition. What vegtables and fruits are you planning on using?

supplement: Open to corrections!!! I originally was going with the supplements that I saw on Neptune the Chameleon’s YouTube: 6 days calcium without d3, one day every other week calcium with d3, one day every other week multivitamin without d3. Pretty sure I bought every supplement and heard different opinions and changed my mind several times lol. I have now decided on the Repashy superfoods calcium plus every feeding as this is what the breeder uses and they are very reputable. Please let me know if this sounds correct?

I wouldnt do an all in one personally. Some keepers have had issues with the all in one supplements. I would go with everything separate, so what Neptunethechameleon does. I feel it is safer to avoid any issues.

Cage info: Custom built combo cage. Dimensions 2x2x4 feet. The back is solid wood, 3 screen sides, top is chicken wire. Detachable shower curtain on sides since our humidity fluctuates by season. Also added curtains to put on the sides at night since the cage is in my room, to prevent tv light at night

Lighting: Reptisun T5 HO 22” bulb, Reptisun 24” hood. 75 watt basking light. Automatic timers set to 8:30am-8:30pm this schedule may change. Occasionally use a an LED plant light, is this okay? I can’t see any red light but it is a full spectrum light so I don’t know if he can see something I can’t?

Yes that light should be fine. As long as its not colored. Is this your grow light(plant light)?

Temperature: Basking: 88F-91F this is what was recommended by the breeder. I have also heard lower 80s being used for babies so I may adjust. Middle cage is about 78F and bottom/ambient is low 70s usually 72F. I use a small thermometer/ hygrometer from amazon.

Wow! Thats way to hot. For a baby I would aim for around 80-81. As he grows older you can raise it but i wouldnt go higher than 88 even at adult age. I would recommend raising the lights off the top of the screen. The baby will screen climb and hang out under his lights.

Humidity: 25%-45% in basking area. The middle and bottom of cage vary from 40% if completely dry not misted all day, to 70-78% right after misting. Fogger used at night.

Pathers humidity needs to be a bit higher around 55-65%

Live Plants: golden pathos, corn plant, birds nest fern, ti plant, and some sort of Dracaena.

Placement: bedroom, about 1.5 feet off the ground, between 2 windows which have blackout curtains when necessary. The cage is under a vent but I have added a vent cover that redirects airflow. Top of cage is taller than me (5’2) so I would guess 5’4. No traffic during the day only in the morning waking up.
I have been researching for a couple months but there is always room for improvement. I have never owned a reptile before, I know I have a lot to learn!

Youre doing better than most people. Im so glad you did research before just buying one.

I would add more branches for him to climb on. How far away is your basking branch from the light? How far away is your highest branch (besides basking if thats the highest)?

 

[skywes13]

I mist 5-10 minutes at 9am, 30min after lights come on, and 8pm, 30min before lights out.

IMO I would suggest shortening your misting sessions to half that and change the morning misting session to sometime before lights come on, so something like 8am.

Will be gutloading with Repashy bug burger as well as vegetables and fruits

You'd be better off not using the bug burger and instead just gutloading with fresh fruits and veggies, which would account for both nutrition and hydration. I'll include a gutloading info sheet for you to make sure you're gutloading correctly:

Basking: 88F-91F this is what was recommended by the breeder

This sounds extremely high! Normally I would say something closer to the lower 80s is what the basking temp should be, but I'm hesitant because I know that kammerflage kreations is extremely reputable and produces beautiful babies. Perhaps they start their babies off at a high temp when they're young and therefore they've already acclimated to the high basking temp? Maybe follow their instructions but just watch carefully for any signs of your cham overheating (light colors and open mouth) ? However; I'm not sure, hopefully someone else chimes in and answers that one with the correct answer.

How far away is your basking branch from your lighting? They should be something like 8-9'' away from the UVB given its a t5.

How are you measuring your temperature & humidity levels? If you're not already, I would suggest finding a digital thermometer and hygrometer over using an analog one because those tend to not give the most accurate readings.

I think that's all I can speak on, others with more experience than me will chime in for the more grey questions. You've done a great job researching! Congrats on your new baby, I wish him a happy & healthy life!

 

[Norbert]

I have been doing about 5 minutes for misting but I see some people going longer so I will keep mine around 5 minutes or less. And my light cycle is 8:30am-8:30pm, I mist at 9am for the first mist of the day and 8pm for the last of the day. Also I didn’t mention but I will have a diy dripper go in the daytime.
I will adjust my feeders as you said. Gutload will alternate sweet potatoes, carrots, mustard greens, kale, mangos, apples, zucchini. I am also planning to feed 10-15 feeders in the morning time 7 days a week? Is this correct?
I see a lot on the supplements and wasn’t sure what to go with so thank you! I listen to the chameleon breeder podcast and went based off the care sheet kammerflage provided and they both suggested the all-in-one which is why I got it. I will stick to my original plan.
The light you asked about is a grow light for the plants and there are no visible colors in it.
Heat wise I agree this is hot I only started at this temperature because of the breeder recommendation but later saw other temps elsewhere. I will raise it off of the screen and keep it a lower 80.
I will also add more branches, I have a lot leftover I wasn’t sure how many were necessary! Basking branch is the highest branch, I believe it is 8inches from the top screen. I also have a reptile vine trailing around the back. A lot of branches aren’t visible in the photo since I gave him lots of hiding spots there are around 10 in there.
Thank you for your help! I’ve been reading lots of threads on the forum and listening to podcasts/ YouTube so I can be as ready as possible.

 

[Norbert]

IMO I would suggest shortening your misting sessions to half that and change the morning misting session to sometime before lights come on, so something like 8am.

Thank you, I wasn’t sure if I should do before or after lights on! And I will be shortening the sessions.

 

[skywes13]

I see a lot on the supplements and wasn’t sure what to go with so thank you! I listen to the chameleon breeder podcast and went based off the care sheet kammerflage provided and they both suggested the all-in-one which is why I got it. I will stick to my original plan.

Use the all in one! Especially if those sources suggested it. Personally, I like the Repashy calcium plus LoD.

 

[Haley Hendrix]

I have been doing about 5 minutes for misting but I see some people going longer so I will keep mine around 5 minutes or less. And my light cycle is 8:30am-8:30pm, I mist at 9am for the first mist of the day and 8pm for the last of the day. Also I didn’t mention but I will have a diy dripper go in the daytime.
I will adjust my feeders as you said. Gutload will alternate sweet potatoes, carrots, mustard greens, kale, mangos, apples, zucchini. I am also planning to feed 10-15 feeders in the morning time 7 days a week? Is this correct?
I see a lot on the supplements and wasn’t sure what to go with so thank you! I listen to the chameleon breeder podcast and went based off the care sheet kammerflage provided and they both suggested the all-in-one which is why I got it. I will stick to my original plan.
The light you asked about is a grow light for the plants and there are no visible colors in it.
Heat wise I agree this is hot I only started at this temperature because of the breeder recommendation but later saw other temps elsewhere. I will raise it off of the screen and keep it a lower 80.
I will also add more branches, I have a lot leftover I wasn’t sure how many were necessary! Basking branch is the highest branch, I believe it is 8inches from the top screen. I also have a reptile vine trailing around the back. A lot of branches aren’t visible in the photo since I gave him lots of hiding spots there are around 10 in there.
Thank you for your help! I’ve been reading lots of threads on the forum and listening to podcasts/ YouTube so I can be as ready as possible.

Okay perfect. Im not sure about zucchini but all other gut loading options are great.

You shouldnt feed based off age rather feed based of weight. So, depending on his size will give you that answer. If hes on the small side then feed him as much as he will eat in 10 min and if hes on the right track then yes 10-15 feeders in the morning everyday.

I would defiently lower that basking, the last thing you want is him getting burned.

The more the better. WIth the branches you need one 9in away from the UVB so he can absorb the correct amount. Basking can be lowered/raised to get the correct basking temp.

 

[Haley Hendrix]

Use the all in one! Especially if those sources suggested it. Personally, I like the Repashy calcium plus LoD.

I dont mean this in a mean way to you but...the only reason I wouldnt recommend this is because with some keepers it has caused a sick cham. Do what you want but I wouldnt risk that...It may be the easier way out but I would just go with the 3 and avoid any risk.

 

[Norbert]

IMO I would suggest shortening your misting sessions to half that and change the morning misting session to sometime before lights come on, so something like 8am.

You'd be better off not using the bug burger and instead just gutloading with fresh fruits and veggies, which would account for both nutrition and hydration. I'll include a gutloading info sheet for you to make sure you're gutloading correctly:
View attachment 294127


This sounds extremely high! Normally I would say something closer to the lower 80s is what the basking temp should be, but I'm hesitant because I know that kammerflage kreations is extremely reputable and produces beautiful babies. Perhaps they start their babies off at a high temp when they're young and therefore they've already acclimated to the high basking temp? Maybe follow their instructions but just watch carefully for any signs of your cham overheating (light colors and open mouth) ? However; I'm not sure, hopefully someone else chimes in and answers that one with the correct answer.

How far away is your basking branch from your lighting? They should be something like 8-9'' away from the UVB given its a t5.

How are you measuring your temperature & humidity levels? If you're not already, I would suggest finding a digital thermometer and hygrometer over using an analog one because those tend to not give the most accurate readings.

I think that's all I can speak on, others with more experience than me will chime in for the more grey questions. You've done a great job researching! Congrats on your new baby, I wish him a happy & healthy life!

I also thought this sounded high and only started at that temp because the breeder recommended, I think I will be lowering this though.
All my highest branches are 8inches from the top.
I have a digital thermometer/ hygrometer from amazon.
Thank you for the gutloading sheet! I forgot to mention I did buy bee pollen and I have a gutloading sheet from rainbow mealworms I bought from but some of it looked off compared to others I’ve seen. I’m going with the safest most recommended food I’ve seen.
Thank you for your help!

 

[Haley Hendrix]

I also thought this sounded high and only started at that temp because the breeder recommended, I think I will be lowering this though.
All my highest branches are 8inches from the top.
I have a digital thermometer/ hygrometer from amazon.
Thank you for the gutloading sheet! I forgot to mention I did buy bee pollen and I have a gutloading sheet from rainbow mealworms I bought from but some of it looked off compared to others I’ve seen. I’m going with the safest most recommended food I’ve seen.
Thank you for your help!

If you have any other questions of concerns please reach out.

 

[Norbert]

Okay perfect. Im not sure about zucchini but all other gut loading options are great.

You shouldnt feed based off age rather feed based of weight. So, depending on his size will give you that answer. If hes on the small side then feed him as much as he will eat in 10 min and if hes on the right track then yes 10-15 feeders in the morning everyday.

I would defiently lower that basking, the last thing you want is him getting burned.

The more the better. WIth the branches you need one 9in away from the UVB so he can absorb the correct amount. Basking can be lowered/raised to get the correct basking temp.

Okay, I will add and adjust the branches. Thank you so much for the help!

 

[suprdude]

I like that you organized your supplies in baskets. I lot of people have a beautiful vivarium but the clutter around it detracts from it's appearance.

 

[Norbert]

I like that you organized your supplies in baskets. I lot of people have a beautiful vivarium but the clutter around it detracts from it's appearance.

Thank you! It was a mess all week and my OCD couldn’t take it anymore.