New cage. Are we on the right track?

[Wearfx]

Hi. We will be picking up our 4mos old, male Ambilobe chameleon tomorrow. We've been putting together the things we will need over the past several weeks. I THINK we are ready. Is there something we're missing?
-Reptibreeze Medium screen cage
-Live plants- Umbrella Tree (Schefflera arboricola), Money Tree (Pachira aquatica), Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina)
All have been replanted in organic soil.
- Small diameter climbing vine
-Bamboo branches
-UVB 5.0 light
-Heat lamp
-Misting bottle (upgrading to misting system soon)
-Thermometer/Humidity Gauge

Thanks for any input!!

 

[bobbydigital]

are you using the tube UVB light or the compact? do you have all the needed supplements? You can post a picture to give us a better idea of what the enclosure looks like.

 

[Remkon]

Why buy a medium and not go with the extra large straight off the bat? He will outgrow the medium before you can say Furcifer Pardalis and you will be upgrading to an extra large enclosure or you will have an unhappy chameleon.
(Well actually a lot of people with small enclosures just think their chameleon likes to get out of the enclosure and be with them and not that he wants to get out because animals in nature migrate to a different space if their current space is not suitable for them anymore).

I'd for sure get a bigger diameter branch (not bamboo) in there aswell so he has something to grip his claws in to wear em down.

I don't think organic soil is to good of an idea in screen enclosures unless you have a very well thought out drainage layer and system in place.
As you have a screen enclosure you'll be putting in larger amounts of water into the enclosure to maintain humidity so if you don't have the above figured out properly it will be a big muddy mess or you'll cut back on misting and end up with a dehydrated animal.

For the rest I can't really give any info as details provided are very general, like 'heat lamp' what wattage? temperatures? and uvb 5.0 light, what kind of light?

Pictures also often speak louder than words.

 

[Wearfx]

Thanks for the questions!
We have the dual domr lamp. The UVB is a compact bulb. But that is just for this cage. We have the tube lights (?) For the larger cage
We were given an XL cage. But we were told the Medium would be better for the baby and to upgrade as he got older. So we bought the medium to use now.
The bamboo branches are actually about 1/2"-3/4" diameter. I was worried about them being too big around.
The plants are in two pots in the enclosure. The soil is just in the pots. Also, putting large, smooth stones on the soil.
And for some reason I couldn't post the pic last night. Worked first try this morning!
Also, the bottom is a tray with paper towels for now. Any opinion on using the 'reptile' grass?
Thank you!

 

[jamest0o0]

I would stop listening to whoever's giving you advice. That said I think you're on the right track. That dual dome lamp is near useless though and the 'start with a smaller cage' thing is a myth. Add some more horizontal branches, but otherwise nice job with the live plants.

 

[Remkon]

Any opinion on using the 'reptile' grass?

Yes, don't!

It's hard to keep clean and will likely not dry out during the day so it will become a breeding ground for bacteria.