My panther chameleon setup! (pics)

[Nixehface]

This was our final result for our new panther chameleon from a custom built enclosure!
We tiled the bottom of the viv as we think this will be much easier to keep clean and maintain and only meshed the top and bottom quarter as we live in England and it does get quite cold!
A coco background was used to keep everything in place and keep the heat and humidity up.
Hope everyone likes it!
We definately do

 

[justjumpit621]

Good idea to cage in the light, but watch out for mistings that it doesn't burst. Also make sure they wire doesn't get too hot, we don't want burns on their little feet

 

[Nixehface]

Good idea to cage in the light, but watch out for mistings that it doesn't burst. Also make sure they wire doesn't get too hot, we don't want burns on their little feet

It's all good, we have tested the cage and I don't think it gets hot enough to cause any damage
We've built the mister into the coco background so it is always pointing down towards the leaves and doesn't spray near the cage

 

[justjumpit621]

Sounds good to me. Would he be bale to climb on the coco sides too? it looks fiberous

 

[Nixehface]

Sounds good to me. Would he be bale to climb on the coco sides too? it looks fiberous

Yes I don't see why he shouldn't be able too.
It would be nice, could give him so more places to roam around

 

[justjumpit621]

and won't rip his nails off...

 

[Nixehface]

and won't rip his nails off...

No it's not tight enough for that. the fibres are quite strong though

 

[LittleApollo]

If he gets too close to the light and puts his tail through the bars he could burn it.
Also having a light on the side like that is very unatural and is similar to having the sun blind you while you're driving, if you can I would suggest moving it. It looks nice though.

 

[justjumpit621]

If he gets too close to the light and puts his tail through the bars he could burn it.
Also having a light on the side like that is very unatural and is similar to having the sun blind you while you're driving, if you can I would suggest moving it. It looks nice though.

Good point. If you can I would put it above the highest point to the left.

 

[pssh]

Does the cage have ventilation holes/areas? I would just put the lights on top (I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to risk my cham's tail.)

 

[Eltortu]

Hmmm...I don't think housing the lights inside the cage was a good idea...

 

[Lizardlover]

Hmmm...I don't think housing the lights inside the cage was a good idea...

My thoughts as well, there is no way you can properly mist/hydrate your chameleon in a set up like that without destroying your lights, not to mention the vertical UVB light is completely un-natural.

 

[supermrchameleon]

Thats a nice set up!

 

[dakotakleiner]

I'm not an experienced chameleon keeper but I can tell you that chameleons come from trees where the sun comes from above them and not on the side of them and in the trees its very breezy I live in a pretty cold area also and I have to seal off parts of my cage with plastic wrap to hold heat however chameleons can get sick if they don't live in screened inclosures and I'm sure someone on this forums going to get on you about the coco liner because its a breeding ground for mites and I believe bacteria which is also bad for chameleons

 

[Nixehface]

There is plenty of ventilation running through the enclosure! The whole top of it is mesh as well as the bottom.
I did notice that a lot of people on these forums do put the lighting on the outside but in england, there are many people that keep their lighting inside the enclosures and that enhanced my decision. It is too cold to have a completely mesh enclosure and therefore unpractical in the circumstances.
The coca background is also easy to clean and will be included in our routine cleaning of the of the whole enclosure!
Also, the mister is not anywhere near the lights and doesn't touch any of them.
It has been permanently fixed in one position and there will be a real plant in the enclosure as soon as I can find one. I think it will help with the fact that the light is down the side. I just wanted my cham to have some kind of uvb exposure no matter where he is in the cage. There will be hides where he doesn't need to be in the light but we're still working on that.
That's why I've posted on here to get everyone's opinion!

Thanks anyway

 

[kicsylany]

Hi, this cage is look big enough, and the ventillation is should be fine too. my only suggestion would be I don't realy like the fake plants in it, you should replace them with real ones, the ficus benjamins, pothos or bromelias are realy nice, realy easy to keep them alive and also very cheap on the market. just make sure the soil is free from nasty chemicals. have a nice day.

 

[pssh]

Your chameleon should have the option to move out of the UVB when it wants (how would you like it if the sun came from the side of a tree and it blinded you no matter where you were?) Miss Lily is from the UK and specially modified her wooden viv so she can put the lights outside of it.

I hope your chameleon doesn't burn the end of it's tail off. They don't understand that they can get too close to the 'sun.' I mean, when in the wild can they touch the sun?

 

[Nixehface]

Your chameleon should have the option to move out of the UVB when it wants (how would you like it if the sun came from the side of a tree and it blinded you no matter where you were?) Miss Lily is from the UK and specially modified her wooden viv so she can put the lights outside of it.

I hope your chameleon doesn't burn the end of it's tail off. They don't understand that they can get too close to the 'sun.' I mean, when in the wild can they touch the sun?

He will have the option to move out of the uvb, we just haven't finished that yet!
I will keep a close eye on him and if he shows any signs of liking the cage around the light a little too much then I will move it to the outside.
I have seen many people successfully keep their chameleons in viv's like this without there being any problems.
The real plant that I get will greatly cover the bottom half of the uvb light anyway so he won't have it blinding him throughout the cage! He has the option to move to pretty much every level in the viv where there will be no uvb light showing.

 

[Sir Spiral Tail]

I think you did a great job, i like the tile flooring especially. I understand where you are at, posting pictures of the viv that you are so proud of building, and then getting critiqued. I did the same thing, before i had my live plants and everything set up. Just keep the advise in mind, and keep an eye on him, and I think that will do great. If you see him hiding a lot, you might try moving the florescent, and see if he roams more..