New baby chameleon in 10 days, please help prepare everything for him :)

[Quindi]

Hi everybody!
I'm going to order a baby Nosy Be in 10 days ( I would like to get a 3 months old one).
This is going to be my first lizard ever and in this timeframe I'm reading as much material about it as possible.
I made a list of things that I would like to get for him and I need some help to get the right stuff (I'm a complete newbie in all this! )

I would like to get from lllreptile the following things:

- Exo Terra Cricket Pen Small

- Pet Tech Jungle Vine Bridge

- 260 gallon chameleon package

(If possible I would like to avoid to buy 2 different cages (small for the beginning and a big one for later on)
is it possible to buy this big one and somehow make a part of it temporarily unaccessible ?

- Assorted River Rock - 10lbs

- Zoo Med Bug Napper

- Coco Soft Chips 10 Quarts

- Large Ficus Tree (live) 8" Pot

- 6 pound Flukers cricket feed

- Nature Zone 24 Ounce Cricket Water Bites

- 500 Crickets .125"

Please help me out in this initial process, I'm not in a budget at all. I really want to take care of my new friend as best as possible. I will get without any problem everything that is going to be needed for him. I would like to create the best cage possible.

I would like to have all real plants for him, is it a good choice?

I'm really excited to be a new member of this amazing community!
Thanks a lot!
Fede

 

[vgaines]

Welcome to the forum. This is a great place for great information.

Hi everybody!
I'm going to order a baby Nosy Be in 10 days ( I would like to get a 3 months old one).
This is going to be my first lizard ever and in this timeframe I'm reading as much material about it as possible.
I made a list of things that I would like to get for him and I need some help to get the right stuff (I'm a complete newbie in all this! )

I would like to get from lllreptile the following things:

- Exo Terra Cricket Pen Small
For 500 crickets you are going to want a large container. Large Rubbermaid, with hole cut out of sides or top and covered in screen for ventilation, work well for keeping crickets. You will also need supplements to dust your feeder with before you feed them to your chameleon. Calcium without D3, calcium with D3, and a multi-vitamin. The care sheet for your species list the schedule that you would need to follow.
- Pet Tech Jungle Vine Bridge

- 260 gallon chameleon package
This is a great size for your chameleon. It would be best not to use the moss. The chameleon can accidentally ingest some when eating and that can cause health issues.

(If possible I would like to avoid to buy 2 different cages (small for the beginning and a big one for later on)
is it possible to buy this big one and somehow make a part of it temporarily unaccessible ?
If you can get your baby to cup or hand feed he should be fine in a large cage. I have seen where another member made a soft hammock like bottom that was suspended off the bottom to make cage smaller. This might could be done with mesh of some sort. Just an idea

- Assorted River Rock - 10lbs
Make sure to use large river rock. It needs to be big enough that your cham can not swallow it The rocks I use are about the size of my palm.

- Zoo Med Bug Napper
Be careful if you plan on using wild bugs to feed your new baby. Make sure they have not been exposed to any pesticides.

- Coco Soft Chips 10 Quarts
It is best not to use bedding of any kind. Bare floor is best.
- Large Ficus Tree (live) 8" Pot
You might also want to try a Pothos.
- 6 pound Flukers cricket feed
There is much better gut load available. Search on this forum for gut loads.
- Nature Zone 24 Ounce Cricket Water Bites

- 500 Crickets .125"

Please help me out in this initial process, I'm not in a budget at all. I really want to take care of my new friend as best as possible. I will get without any problem everything that is going to be needed for him. I would like to create the best cage possible.

I would like to have all real plants for him, is it a good choice?
Real plants are a great choice. You may want to get a auto mister, such as MistKing or AquaZamp or a good size hand held mister. A dripper, purchased or made, is also good to have. Oh, almost forgot, pick up a couple of digital temp/humidity gauges. Place one at basking spot to make sure it is at correct temp. and one midway to keep an eye on overall temp and humidity levels. Read the care sheets under the resources tab. They are a great guideline on what you need to keep your new baby happy and healthy.

I'm really excited to be a new member of this amazing community!
Thanks a lot!
Fede

If you have any questions about anything I said you are welcome to send me a PM and I will help in any way I can.

 

[kplatvoet]

Read the Pather Care sheet - I don't see a mister (don't get a monsoon if you go for an automatic one) or a dripper (you can make your own dripper but he/she will need one) substrate is frowned upon. Set your cage up giving yourself at least a couple of days and pretend he's in there before having him arrive so you can check your drainage and temps - and not have to change it in his first couple of days.

 

[Quindi]

Thank you both for all these great suggestions! I have a lot of stuff to pre-plan I guess eheh

Some suggestion about what kind of mixed plants put inside that cage? Thanks!

Here is the edited list of the things that I'm thinking to order, if something is missing or if you have in mind something that could be better kindly let me know, thanks!

- Baby Nosy Be Panther Chameleon

- Complete Kit: 260 Gallon Reptarium (29x29x72"), 24" UV Hood, 18" Fluorescent UVB Bulb, Lamp Fixture , Heat Bulb, 2 Packages of 72" Tropical Vines (12 total feet!), 16 Quarts Tropical Moss, Thermometer. Shipping included.

- 2 x Pet Tech Jungle Vine

- Assorted River Rock - 10lbs (this are the only ones that I can find, are they ok?)

- Exo Terra Cricket Feeding Rock

- Zoo Med ReptiRain Automatic Misting Machine

- Exo Terra Mini Mister Spray Bottle

- Mini water dripper

- Flukers Digital Thermometer/Humidity Gauge

- 1000 Crickets .125"

- Lees Large Cricket Keeper (size: 12" x 7" x 9")

- Exo Terra Replacement Foam for Cricket Pen
size: 2 pack

- Cricket Breeding Kit

- Nature Zone 1 gallon Cricket Total Bites

- Coco Soft Chips 10 Quarts (this is for the crickets right?)

--------------------------

Ps: vgaines you got a pm

 

[kplatvoet]

I would really suggest that you go with a mist king or a aquazamp mister, I have a moonsoon 400 that I bought in May - I either have a flood on the floor or dry cages when I get home and no water use- and I have a baby Jackson hydration is very important with babies
I don't know anything about zoo med except the basking bulb that I got burned out in a day and I didn't need to begin with- I do know that the members who have either of the two above don't complain ( I wish they would so I could pick what to get to replace mine)
I have two cages and 3 little ficus trees (along with other plants) that I switch out - I also have a pop up zippered laundry hamper with vines in it for each of my chameleons for outside - there are some very good nutrition threads and you might want to try some other feeders (besides crickets but I hate those smelly things - I'd rather buy them 2 twice a week than try to breed them) - at 3 months my panther liked phoenix worms (some of the others types of worms were too big for him)
I'm a newbie also - though I had my first chameleon 30 years ago - the people here know their stuff (not me - the people who have been here for years) read some newbie threads and learn from their mistakes -

 

[KatiLemons]

I would get either an Aqua Zamp or a Mist King Mister. Nix any type of cricket keeper... Just buy a large Rubber tote and cut a hole in the top and glue/tape screen for ventilation. Put cardboard egg crates in it for the crickets to have something to climb on. We use Corn cob bedding in the bottom of the cricket crate. And we also buy cricket gutload from Lindasgonebuggie.com Make sure that you are purchasing 3 supplements/ Calcium w/o d3~ Calcium w/D3~Reptile Vitamins. Use the calcium everyday and the other two alternate everyother weekend (equals to be 2x's a month) Make sure that you get the Reptisun 5.0 aswell...

 

[nick barta]

Welcome to the Forum!

Here are some suggestions:

For lighting fixtures and bulbs, contact Light Your Reptiles (sponsor button in upper right corner), Todd will get you the right lights.

You don't need 1,000 crickets, you will have 90% die within 4 weeks. If you want to breed crickets, a dozen will give you plenty of eggs.

Rocks from outside are fine.

The Reptariums are harder to see through, and have problems with the zippers breaking. You might want to consider a screen cage.

If you tell us where you live, perhaps a member close to you will let you see his/her set-up.

Enjoy the journey!

Nick

 

[lainezor]

What do you guys have against the monsoon? I love mine.