New here.

[NickBoudin]

Hey everyone, I just wanned to post a basic introduction post to say hey, and obviously introduce myself! Well My name's nick, i'm 17. I have 3 leopard geckos, a savannah monitor, an eastern painted turtle, a mississippi map turtle, mice, and a hamster. My pacman frog just passed away, my little brother deemed it important to add to my collection with his "newts" (that he caught) and my pacman frog ate one, and obviously died. My savannah monitor is going to one of my good friends. I've only just got it, and i'm not sure i'm prepared for all the feeding of mice, and everything else. He used to have one for 6 years, and it just passed away on him. I figure he's a better owner then I am, and it's for the best of the monitor

ANYWAY, long story short. I think I'm going to be getting a chameleon here in a month or so. I just want to make sure I have the best habitat possible made for him before the time comes.


My plan is to make my own cage. Probably a solid back, and screen on all 3 other sides. Opening door in the front, and a cement pan on the bottom for drainage. The pan will have a hole in the bottom, leading to a 5 gallon bucket.

I'm going to make a Foam background, like I made for my terrarium. Coco fiber, and black silicone. My questions are...


1) What is a good way to controll temp? Flex watt on the back of the cage? or lights?

2) I do a lot of DIY projects. Is ripping apart a humidifyer something I should look into? Or do I want something that dripps water?

3) Could I use a plexi glass front door? (is side ventilation enough?)

4) What type of chameleon should I get? (it'll be my first one, but I may want to breed in the future. I'm obviously not new to herps)

Any comments or suggestions are welcome, these forums look nice, and clean, and full of information.

It's always good to ask first, before I screw something up!

Thanks everyone!

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."What is a good way to controll temp?"...I use incandescent lights in metal hoods. A chameleon looks at light as a source of heat and won't recognize other things that produce heat as a place to get warm as a rule.

You asked..."I do a lot of DIY projects. Is ripping apart a humidifyer something I should look into? Or do I want something that dripps water?"...misting the cage is advised as well as using a dripper. Some people use automatic misting systems and drippers...others use hand misters and containers with small holes punched in the bottom for drippers....depends on how "fancy" you want to get!

You asked..."Could I use a plexi glass front door? (is side ventilation enough?)"...one problem I see with plexiglass is that it can get scratched and then not look very good. The side ventilation should be fine.

You asked..."What type of chameleon should I get? (it'll be my first one, but I may want to breed in the future. I'm obviously not new to herps)"....many people start off with a veiled. Males live longer and you don't have to deal with egglaying problems. Panthers are another one that many start off with...but they are more expensive.

You said..."Any comments or suggestions are welcome, these forums look nice, and clean, and full of information."...here are some sites that have good information that you might like to look at...
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor-tests.htm
http://adcham.com/
http://www.chameleonnews.com/

I expect that since you are not new to herps you know about gutloading, supplementing, the need for UVB lighting, the importance of appropriate temperatures?

You said.."It's always good to ask first, before I screw something up!"...its always good to ask questions...but don't you have more faith in yourself than that?? LOL!

 

[NickBoudin]

LOL! I usualy do, but when it comes to something totaly new, like chameleons, then I MUST ask, to be sure! That's how I've learned what I know so far



I really appreciate the complete answer you gave, awesome feedback.

Yes, I know all about supplementing, and Gutloading, and UVB lighting.

Do you prefer 5.0 UVB or 10.0?

I'm thinking about getting a male, veiled.

 

[kinyonga]

I've used the Repti-sun 5.0 tube lights for years now and they seem to work well.

What other reptiles do you keep?

 

[NickBoudin]

1.2.0 leopard geckos
0.0.1 eastern painted turtle
0.0.1 mississippi map turtle

i just got rid of..
0.0.1 savannah monitor

and my
1.0.0 Pacman frog, just passed away because he ate a newt.

in the past i've kept, bearded dragons, iguanas, and ball pythons.

 

[mightyzug]

i got my first vieled a few months ago, and he's awesome... looking back on it now i probably would have spent the more than double on gettin a panther instead, and now when i have room to expand i for sure plan on gettin at least 1 more cham so i can have a panther around they just have cooler colors on them

 

[SuperRad]

1.2.0 leopard geckos
0.0.1 eastern painted turtle
0.0.1 mississippi map turtle

i just got rid of..
0.0.1 savannah monitor

and my
1.0.0 Pacman frog, just passed away because he ate a newt.

in the past i've kept, bearded dragons, iguanas, and ball pythons.

i don't get those numbers. why do people post them.
i.e. 0.0.1, 2.1.0. and all that.
what do they mean?

 

[AncientCritters]

i don't get those numbers. why do people post them.
i.e. 0.0.1, 2.1.0. and all that.
what do they mean?

First number is males, Second number is females, Third number is unsexable(young).