My Cham viv

myshed

New Member
Hi guys, newbie here......well, i've been floating around the forum for a while but not posting :)

Anyways, thought i'd pop a pic up and see what you all think of my set up

Here ya go,
P1010258.jpg
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Bit different to the normal screen cages and so on, but being from the UK we tend to do things differently!! Still waiting on some beading for the edges but you get the idea!

Any comments or critisicms welcome

Dave
 
looks really nice! My only suggestion would be smaller branches for your chameleon to wrap his feet around and maybe a few more vines.
 
What about ventilation? Is there more than the 12 small ones in the front?
Looks very nice, but as Carol says: Some more climbing branches wouldnt hurt.
 
What about ventilation? Is there more than the 12 small ones in the front?
Looks very nice, but as Carol says: Some more climbing branches wouldnt hurt.

Just the twelve 70 mm vents, which gives a good degree of air exchange. As the temperature range is from 20 degrees C at the bottom upto nearly 30 degrees at the top there is quite a swift convection current. I had all the equipment at the ready to install a couple of fans on two of the top vents to increase airflow but it hasn't proved necessary. More climbeing branches are the next order of business

Dave
 
What about ventilation? Is there more than the 12 small ones in the front?
Looks very nice, but as Carol says: Some more climbing branches wouldnt hurt.

heat rises, so this will create a natural air flow threw the cage...



LOVE THE SET UP:D
 
heat rises, so this will create a natural air flow threw the cage...



LOVE THE SET UP:D

Thank you :) Still got a few bits to do, few more climbing branches, and the left hand side is very bare, but I've been letting it all grow in for a few months before deciding on the placement of anything else, there's nothing worse than having a viv looking good, then a month later it being so dense with plants, branches, etc that you can't even open the door without it lunging out at you!!

Dave
 
I know that ;) But personally i would be worried with only 12 small holes for ventilation. And even more when they are all located on the front.

I agree, I would install those air exchange fans to push the air through faster, I bet there are pockets of stale air and you dont want your substrate to stay soggy and mold..
 
Thanks for all your concerns. Can anyone let me know what it is exactly about a lack of ventilation that causes panther chameleons harm? And a way of monitoring how good/poor the air exchange is? I ask merely to find out, I know it's an accepted fact that they suffer in cages with poor ventilation, however I thought it was due to stagnant humid air that was not changed.

If this is the case then my viv doesn't fall into this category, which is attested for by the rise and fall in humidity, I'm using three mistking nozzles set to spray three times daily, and in the other corner of the room is a small exo terra with one misting nozzle. When sprayed, they both reach the 85% mark, however despite the small size of the exo (45x45x60) andf it's comparable level of heat, the chameleon vivarium's humidity is lower by the time the next spray comes on. I would imagine this shows that the air exchange is actually better in the cham viv than in the mesh top exo.

I may have completely the wrong idea here, and please tell me if so

thanks

Dave
 
Staginent air mixed with moist substrate and feces creates bacteria and mold with leads to high levels of bacteria leading to infections of all kinds. Upper respiratory infections come from humid Staginent air. I would be more concerned about the substrate and the possibility of impaction if accidentally eaten. The bacterial build up isn't to worrisome if your regularly cleaning and replacing the substrate. In the case of the air quality, just because your humidity fluctuates doesn't mean you have a good air exchange. It just means the moisture is drying up between mistings. Panthers need a consistent flow of fresh air to remain healthy, as they are very susceptible to URI's. Good luck, I love the look of your set up its really natural you must have put a lot of love into it!:D
 
Staginent air mixed with moist substrate and feces creates bacteria and mold with leads to high levels of bacteria leading to infections of all kinds. Upper respiratory infections come from humid Staginent air. I would be more concerned about the substrate and the possibility of impaction if accidentally eaten. The bacterial build up isn't to worrisome if your regularly cleaning and replacing the substrate. In the case of the air quality, just because your humidity fluctuates doesn't mean you have a good air exchange. It just means the moisture is drying up between mistings. Panthers need a consistent flow of fresh air to remain healthy, as they are very susceptible to URI's. Good luck, I love the look of your set up its really natural you must have put a lot of love into it!:D

Presumably if it's drying up though, it must be going somewhere, as if it wasn't moving from the viv it would just increase the humidity? I'll probably put the fans in anyway.....I haven't fiddled around in there for several months now and I'm itching to!

And I'm glad you mentioned the substrate, for two reasons, one I wanted to mention that it is entirely covered in moss so the chances of impaction are ver slim, the second was I was wondering if you guys use bioactive substrates much in the States? Thats a substrate which includes various organisms that break down waste matter. In mine are tropical springtails, tropical woodlice, european woodlice, giant african millipedes, european millipedes, and compost worms. In theory all of these should, and indeed do, break down faecal matter and urates into useable nutrients for the plants.

Dave
 
Just the twelve 70 mm vents, which gives a good degree of air exchange. As the temperature range is from 20 degrees C at the bottom upto nearly 30 degrees at the top there is quite a swift convection current. I had all the equipment at the ready to install a couple of fans on two of the top vents to increase airflow but it hasn't proved necessary. More climbeing branches are the next order of business

Dave

i agree that looks like a good amount of circulation.
 
Presumably if it's drying up though, it must be going somewhere, as if it wasn't moving from the viv it would just increase the humidity? I'll probably put the fans in anyway.....I haven't fiddled around in there for several months now and I'm itching to!

And I'm glad you mentioned the substrate, for two reasons, one I wanted to mention that it is entirely covered in moss so the chances of impaction are ver slim, the second was I was wondering if you guys use bioactive substrates much in the States? Thats a substrate which includes various organisms that break down waste matter. In mine are tropical springtails, tropical woodlice, european woodlice, giant african millipedes, european millipedes, and compost worms. In theory all of these should, and indeed do, break down faecal matter and urates into useable nutrients for the plants.

Dave

Not that I know of, I would be worried about the populations of the different beneficial organisms getting out of control since your providing them with an optimal environment to thrive.
 
Not that I know of, I would be worried about the populations of the different beneficial organisms getting out of control since your providing them with an optimal environment to thrive.

Their populations are controlled by the quantity of food available, and I can't really imagine any negative effects from an overpopulation, except for the insects themselves, as some would die. Its a method thats been used successfully in the UK for a number of years, and I believe the Dutch and the Germans were doing it before us. I've been running several vivs with bioactive substrates for a year or so now and have yet to encounter any problems. The big advantage i've found is with animals like my Madagascar Day geckos, i'm required to go into the viv far less often and in a much less invasive manner as they're practically self cleaning, the most I need to do is a spot clean of faeces on branches and plants, and the odd bit of pruning lol

Dave
 
I'm not trying to be overly critical on ya! I'm just very intrigued by your little Eco system you have going on there! I think your an amazing keeper to place that much effort into providing the optimal environment for your animal friend!:D I aspire to construct something of your magnitude in the future.:)
 
I'm not trying to be overly critical on ya! I'm just very intrigued by your little Eco system you have going on there! I think your an amazing keeper to place that much effort into providing the optimal environment for your animal friend!:D I aspire to construct something of your magnitude in the future.:)

No worries, it's nice that someone has an interest. At first I did the same, thought of the potential negatives and thought that if it was that good everyone would be using it.
It's funny how it came about really, it was all just little steps. Not like I woke up one day and thought "I'll make a viv with this, this, this, this and that in it and it'll be awesome", it was more a case of, "i'll purt this in there" and then a few days later, "hmmm, how about if i do that" and it all eventually came together into this.

If you keep tropical lizards or amphibs, it's definitely worth trying, i haven't looked back!
 
I do not think that there are any issue in your chameleon, it looks very nice and exciting in the image to me. Actually, after seen it I am also considering to get my own such as.
 
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