New Enclosure (looking for tips)

[ThatDigitalChameleon]

finally got most of the supplies for Karma's new reptibreeze and i have a few questions about it.
Pothos are in fertilizer free soil which i read they should be, so wanted to make sure that's good. Karma however doesn't seem to want the real Pothos and is slappin his toungue on the silk vines/leaves i put on the left side. I don't know if he's just getting the moisture off of it but he puts the leaf in his mouth and i don't want him getting sick by eating the fake silk plant.
also he's gotten on the top of his enclosure near the heat bulb and im concerned he may get burned. the range to his basking spot gives off 90-95 heat and it's near 100 right up top. would this burn him if i wasn't home to get him off and if so how can i prevent this from happening again. I'm home working at my computer around 75 percent of the week but i do leave for food exercise and to take my son on walks so i don't want him hurt while im gone.

just something i wanted to put out to make sure i did the right thing. The vines/branches are all in reaching distance to keep him off the sides for the most part, just as a way i thought would keep him from going to the top of hsi enclosure.

 

[teejayteej]

Is that a Red light?

 

[ThatDigitalChameleon]

yea i was told it'd be better for him. was i fed incorrect information again? seems to be happening a lot to me by people on the internet. I just joined this forum yesterday though, no one seems to have mislead me on it yet.

 

[ReptiGeek]

A red light on at night time will keep your chameleon awake, plus they need a natural drop in temperature at night time. Switch the bulb over to a daytime heat bulb and you should be ok.

You might want to look into putting more foliage towards the top of the enclosure. It will make your chameleon feel safer and provide more "drinking" locations that are easier for him to access.

Also a lot of members like using straight wooden dowels to provide more walk-way and climbing space for their chameleons. They generally attach these dowels by pinning them to the cage's mesh.

Your chameleon will give you many thanks if you take this in to account

 

[teejayteej]

there are great info and care sheets on here. if you follow them you will be fine. everyone on here has been a great help and if you just read the posts you learn a great deal.

 

[lancaster0861]

It looks like you need more perches and foliage closer to the top of the enclosure. I have mine set up to where he only has a couple of inches above his head when he is in a normal basking stance. If you are worried about burning him you should adjust the lamp, either move it back or pull it closer depending on if it needs to be hotter or cooler. This should keep him from clinging to the ceiling under the light. Chameleons who don't have perches or a decent amount of foliage towards the top of the enclosure always seem to do this in an attempt to get as high as possible. Remember they are climbers and feel more comfortable the higher they are. When people add vines and or move them higher up in the enclosure this usually does the trick and makes for a satisfied chameleon. Just remember since you are moving the basking site closer you will need to adjust the lamp accordingly. Good luck!

 

[Lpsouth1978]

Just as an example, this is my enclosure. Chameleons love LOTS of foliage and climbing branches/vines. I started with fewer and kept adding till I got to this. I also plan on adding a pothos to the top left part of the enclosure.

 

[ThatDigitalChameleon]

A red light on at night time will keep your chameleon awake, plus they need a natural drop in temperature at night time. Switch the bulb over to a daytime heat bulb and you should be ok.

You might want to look into putting more foliage towards the top of the enclosure. It will make your chameleon feel safer and provide more "drinking" locations that are easier for him to access.

Also a lot of members like using straight wooden dowels to provide more walk-way and climbing space for their chameleons. They generally attach these dowels by pinning them to the cage's mesh.

Your chameleon will give you many thanks if you take this in to account

im using the red light as a day light as proposed by someone i know who bred reptiles... not chameleons but i assumes he knew his stuff. The house at night stays between 60-70 degrees so at night he doesn't get a heat lamp as i don't think being above that would be good sleeping temperature. I'll get a new light tomorrow. (already had to drive 30 minutes away because i just realized i was out of crickets)
Witht he new vines that will come in the mail tomorrow i'll definitely put some more up towards the top for him. Was he just drinking from it when he shot his tongue at the silk vine though?
Definitely gonna check out the hardware store for some dowels. it seems like a good stable way for him to bask.

 

[ThatDigitalChameleon]

whered you get those bamboo rods? those look awesome!

 

[Lpsouth1978]

I got them from www.save-on-crafts.com. They are dirt cheap too!!

Here is a link to them. Never mind they have been discontinued. They do have lots of other natural branches that could be used as well.