New Cham Owner Seeking Advice on Setup :)

[KatelynnRawwwr]

Hello everyone!

I've been thinking about getting a panther chameleon for about a year now. I finally decided to start putting everything together and was advised to join this forum to help answer my questions. I've gathered the following list of supplies and wanted to see if anyone had any input on whether this setup would be appropriate for a juvenile male panther (between 3 and 6 months old). It's so important to me that he has absolutely everything he needs exactly how he needs it, so if anyone has any recommendations I would GREATLY appreciate your feedback. Here's the details:

CAGE:
- ReptiBreeze 16x16x30" Open Air Screen Cage (I'll upgrade him to at least a 24x24x48" when he gets older)

LIGHTING:
- ReptiSun 5.0 Compact UVB Light, 13W - w/ Zoo Med Deep Dome Fixture
- Exo Terra Sun-Glo A19 Basking Light, 60W - w/ 8.5" Clamp Lamp Fixture
- Zilla Digital Timer Power Center, 1875W

TEMP/HUMIDITY:
- AcuRite Indoor Temp/Humidity Monitor x2 (one for basking spot, one for lower portion of cage)
- Exo Terra Monsoon RS400 Rainfall System

NUTRITION:
- Zoo Med Big Dripper (Gallon) System
- Reptivite Calcium w/o D3
- Reptivite Calcium w/ D3
- Exo Terra Multivitamin

PLANTS/DECOR:
- All live plants, including Ficus (Benjamina), Pothos, Hibiscus, etc.
- Only organic potting soil, covered by rocks to avoid him eating it
- Washed/baked branches from nature

So less the obvious of whether or not this sounds appropriate for my soon-to-be little guy, my questions are:

1. Are the brands chosen reputable enough? Are there better options available I should consider?

2. I live in good-ol' Portland, Oregon; though we used to be the city of rain, thanks to climate change our new normal is about 9 months of sun between 70 and 100 degrees. With winter approaching we're still averaging in the high 60s - mid 70s. We don't get rainfall much anymore (we're actually in a drought, but thankfully we have a pretty good water conservation system in place). My plan is to keep my baby's cage temp around 72-80 degrees ambient and around 82 degrees around his basking spot. My hope is the Monsoon will regulate humidity between 50 and 70%. If it starts to get colder than about 50 degrees at night, I'll purchase a heat emitter (that of course doesn't emit any light). Am I about right in my goals (and am I using the right equipment), considering my climate?

3. How do you properly wash/bake wild branches to ensure they're safe? Is using rocks to cover up the plant soils to avoid him digesting it appropriate?

4. What's the best way to house feeders? Will a simple plastic cage work? How many days' worth should I buy at a time? Also, how do you hand-feed live insects to try and help build trust (without them jumping out of your hand)?

5. I plan on packing his cage as full as possible with plants and branches; I want him to have plenty of foliage to hide in/drink from and an extensive climbing structure. Is there a point where it's too much, or can I essentially fill it up?

6. I plan to feed mostly crickets, but would like to add some variety with various worms such as silkworms/butterworms. They'll always gut loaded, dusted with calcium w/o D3 every time, and dusted with calcium w/ D3 and multivitamin once every two weeks (on alternating schedules) - does this sound appropriate or should I add other varieties?

Those are my questions for now. I really, really appreciate anyone who's taken the time to read my post and will be forever grateful for your responses!

 

[JamesBryan]

Cage plan sounds fine.

Lighting: I would avoid the compact UVB bulbs, they have been known to cause eye issues. Go for the long tube version instead.

Temp/humidity monitoring sounds fine.

Nutrition sounds fine.

Plants/decor is fine

Wild branches will need washing/baking yes.

You can buy purpose made cricket keepers for the feeders. Hand feed them by holding the cricket by the leg and releasing when the tongue strikes.

Plenty of coverage with plants won't be a problem. Don't forget, they came from a jungle/rainforest.

 

[KatelynnRawwwr]

Hi James,

Thank you! So will just scrubbing the branches down with water and a brush/sponge suffice? Or should I also bake them? (And do you know the recommendation for doing that?)

And okay - I'll go with the tube lights. Thank you for your reply!

 

[bakednowningz]

1. Brands sound fine to me other than the Monsoon. I've heard it breaks and has problems regularly, if you've got the budget I was ALWAYS recommended the MistKing System. Outlasts plenty of Monsoons just a better buy for a Misting system.

2. Sounds good to me, heat Emitter sounds best if it does get cold. Make sure it has no light either (Which you already mentioned GJ)

3. Covering the Soil is smart. Depends where you get the soil but usually it might have chemicals for growing plants and you probably dont want him eating that. Sticks I used I just washed them and scrubbed the bark off basically. Could probly boil it in hot water? Suppose thatd be more safe than baking it.

4. I use like a giant paint bucket to house my GBR's, depends on your feeder (Crickets wont climb up plastic) You can check youtubes for how to hand feed them, tweezers usually do the job. I've got a Meller and having the same problems, It'll take time for them to take from your hand, then again mine if Wild Captive. I know Captive breds that just dont care even if its a stranger.

5. Foilage is good. Lots of Foilage is better, especially when they're new. He/She is probly going to want to hide and be out of site from you, so making them a jungle is great. Tho later on you may want to remove some to give them more space, and not too much shadow from foilage. A spot for basking, and a spot for hiding, in case guests come over or something and hes fearful of them even though he trusts you. (P.S. I love to watch them Climb, their paws are so adorable)

6. I'm still a bit unfamiliar with the exact amount you should dust them. Gutloading is fine I think the meals should always be gutloaded, and I know dusting them too much can really harm your Cham. I know Chams are different from other species so that I'd make sure you look into it. Crickets are pretty fine with generic feeders, but they stink if you plan to house them and make your own colony. I recently just bought Green Banana Roaches as I was told they are great for Chams, atleast my Meller being the giant he is. I believe the rule is shouldn't be longer than the chameleons mouth side to side. Silkworms sound like a delight for the Chams from what I read. Not sure about Butterworms, have read very little on them.

After reading what you typed, you are in the right direction. Should be okay, have fun designing the cage, thats the fun part!

 

[KatelynnRawwwr]

Thank you so much for your reply! I ordered the MistKing system last night along with the rest of my supplies. It should all be here within a week! (Now time to hunt for my plants.)