New to the world of Chameleon!! Excited but have questions

[mister704]

So I am excited about joining the world of reptiles. I have never had one. One of the guys here in my area are selling them for $300. Pure Breed Male Ambilobe. Here is a pic of the sellers personal Panthers.

Well I am excited but semi overwhelmed also. I have found a lady here in my area who is going to sell me her Reptibreeze Reptile Cage 24x24x48 with a lot of artificial plants and flora already installed. I just need to find a good stand.

My questions(Yep I have searched the board but dunno if I am just missing the answers or what): Oh and I am 28yrs old...

1. Going in basement(man cave) so I know I will need a good heat source, what should do the job seeing that I have a 4 foot cage?
2. Would I need to get heating rocks so I can keep the bottom warm?
3. I am confused on misting/dripping, should I just spray 2 times a day or find a misting system? I don't want to jump into the MistKing yet. Any good substitute to the MistKing? I know they get their water through droplets.
4. What is a good way to clean all of the artificial stuff from the previous cage owner? Can I clean it in hot soap/water/bleach mix? Won't be actually getting Cham until after wedding/honeymoon Sept 15 so they will have time to dry
5. Would would be a good light just to have it lit up when we are relaxing in the basement? I mean can I just have a regular 60w to keep it lit if we are watching a movie or something. Basically a good light for making it a accent to the room.
6. Is the creating of the cricket feeder a good idea so they can feed themselves?
7. Would it be ok/good to add a little waterfall to the bottom of the cage? Would love to simulate a rain forest type look.
8. So the bottom of the cage should be bare or lined with paper towels. Is there nothing at all that could be put down so it looks like the ground or real forest?

Thanks so much in advance. If you find threads...just point me to them. I am not trying to be a jerk by no means asking questions that have been repeatedly answered.

Here is the cage that I am picking up in the morning.

 

[camimom]

Welcome! beware, they are addicting.

as for your questions-
thats a good price for a panther.

For heat, you can use regular house bulbs for basking. I use 2 in my adult cages. Make sure you also have a UVB bulb.

I would mist him at least 4 times a day. I know you say you dont want to jump into a mistking, but let me tell you, its well worth the purchase, and theres nothing out that stands up to it. It makes life so much easier.


cleaning plants- I would use hot water with a bit of dish soap in it. spray them, then rinse with clean hot water.


lighting- you just want a regular house bulb for basking. dont buy those expensive basking bulbs from pet places. not worth it.
you also want a 12 hour on, 12 hour off cycle. and they need darkness to sleep.

youll have to gutload your crickets anyway before you feed them off, so just do some searches on here for how others keep them.
Personally, I havea bin i cut holes into, covered in aluminum mesh, and put my bugs in there with fruits and veggies.

sadly, we dotn recommend waterfalls. they can grow bacteria. if a cham falls in it, it can drown, if it eats a bug that drowned in it, it can get sick.. its just not worth it.

if you want to put something on the bottom, i recommend reptile carpet. but make sure you replace and clean it regularly, so it doesnt grow mold, but most of us do bare bottom cages.

ask any questions you have, its what we are here for!

 

[DavidBuchan]

Hello, welcome to the forum
1. You'll be best off with one basking bulb, you'll have to experiment with temps. and how far away the bulb needs to be. If you are getting a baby then a 40W is fine. My biggest cages for adult lizards have 100W bulbs in.
2. No need for hot rocks, chams won't stay on them to get warm, and a nice temperature gradient is best anyway.
3. Hand misting is fine, but since you are getting a panther (I assume it's a youngster) you'll need to mist properly more than twice a day. I recommend getting a pump up sprayer, really helps with the hand cramps and the chams seem to prefer it too - http://www.hydrohobby.co.uk/2l-pump-up-spray-bottle.html Mine is called Sir-Mists-A-Lot.........
A dripper setup will also mean there is constant access to drinkable water.
4. Water, soap and bleach is fine.
5. The cage will need 2 lights anyway, a basking bulb and a uv tube. Most recommended uv light is the Reptisun 5.0.
6. A tub for the crickets is a good idea, so you know how many have been eaten, and so the crickets don't get away and lose Calcium dust/ gutload.
7. Waterfalls are a really bad idea, they are a breeding ground for bacteria, insects fall in and die, chams like to use them as a toilet........just so very hard to keep clean.
8. You can use something like Repti carpet - http://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/rep...ates-999/zoo-med-repti-cage-carpet-26718.html
I personally use soil in mine, but this is not what is usually recommended on the forum due to the possibility of eating it (deliberately or by accident) and getting impacted.
Here is a great starter caresheet for Chameleons - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

 

[Rottsko]

what's up jemere! i'm so glad you found the forum. i was going to email you today to join this forum b/c it has an endless amount of information on chameleons! LOL. now we can hang out on 2 forums. WELCOME!

 

[yong]

welcome to the forum,

As i am also a new member , i made the same mistake of the water fall. waste of money. I know it will look nice, especially with a fogger etc etc .. but heres what i found out in the hard way :

1. its extremely dirty after a while
2. water needs to be replenished daily (with fogger)
3. very heavy and hard to handle (for cleanning)
3. extremly well area for feeder to hide (crix) and suicide.

but theres also good things about it:

1. looks better in the cage
2. maintains humidity,
3. could induce more drinking (note that the water may be inhyginic due to poop, so this can also be a negative point).

I think i have wasted money on it and will be taking it out. Anyway, its your choice, we can only advise you as much.

again, welcome to the forum, feel free to ask, all the cham lovers here are extremly helpful ! .

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums. This is a great place to learn about chameleons. I have blog for new keepers of panthers and veileds that I'm attaching below. I hopes that you will find it useful.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

 

[MollyT]

Hello and welcome! I am also new to the forums. I am planning on getting a male ambilobe next month, too, so it will be fun to watch our guys grow up! I was worried at first about posting questions that have been asked a thousand times before...especially since I have a ton of questions! But everyone on here has been so nice and helpful. Enjoy!

 

[mister704]

Welp picked up cage today from couple in Bethesda. Cage + floral + logs + temperature/humidifier monitor = $75. Cage along is about 115 so I say I got a good deal. Washed everything and cleaned cage with HOT soap/water/bleach mix. Sprayed it off with hose. Was trying to decide where to put it and BAM it came to me...a work of art animal should be seen so I placed the cage on top of one to the perfect 24 x24 square end tables of my stone and slate set that never has anything on it.

Got to get a background for the back of the cage and lamp set and misting machine and I will think I am done.

Here are pics.

 

[pssh]

1. Going in basement(man cave) so I know I will need a good heat source, what should do the job seeing that I have a 4 foot cage? A normal incandescent house bulb will work just fine.
2. Would I need to get heating rocks so I can keep the bottom warm?No, the bottom should be cooler than the top. A good temp would be 70-74 or so.
3. I am confused on misting/dripping, should I just spray 2 times a day or find a misting system? I don't want to jump into the MistKing yet. Any good substitute to the MistKing? I know they get their water through droplets.You can mist by hand twice a day as long as you have a dripper set up so that it can drink between mistings. Otherwise it would be better to mist 3 or more times a day.
4. What is a good way to clean all of the artificial stuff from the previous cage owner? Can I clean it in hot soap/water/bleach mix? Won't be actually getting Cham until after wedding/honeymoon Sept 15 so they will have time to dry9%-12% Hydrogen peroxide is best as it will kill any possible parasites that the previous reptile might have had. You can buy this from a beauty supply shop. It will be a liquid (not creme) hair developer that is 30-40 volume. Just mist/pour it on to the cage and the furnishings and allow it to sit for a while. Wash it off with water. It will bubble so you know it is working.
5. Would would be a good light just to have it lit up when we are relaxing in the basement? I mean can I just have a regular 60w to keep it lit if we are watching a movie or something. Basically a good light for making it a accent to the room. The basking bulb and UVB will provide the heat and UVB the animals needs. A good 6500K grow light will be good for lighting up the cage and keeping live plants healthy.
6. Is the creating of the cricket feeder a good idea so they can feed themselves? You will have to gutload the crickets before you feed them off (don't forget to look up dusting schedules and brands.) You will need an enclosure/tub for the feeders and small dishes can be used to store the dry food and fruits/veggies you will use.
7. Would it be ok/good to add a little waterfall to the bottom of the cage? Would love to simulate a rain forest type look. It's generally a bad idea because the chameleon can drown very easily. They also tend to use them as potty spots so you would have to clean it just about every day to keep it clean. Feeders also tend to drown in them and dirty the water further.
8. So the bottom of the cage should be bare or lined with paper towels. Is there nothing at all that could be put down so it looks like the ground or real forest? Well, it's usually recommended that you only use paper towels or reptile carpet to avoid an impaction hazard. Very fine, sifted organic soil can be/has been used successfully but you need to make sure the animal isn't actively seeking out the substrate. It's easiest to start out with the basics (no substrate) until you get the hang of things and then experiment to see what works for you later.

I would suggest live plants as well. Pothos, Ficus, and Dwarf Umbrella plants work really well. You also want more horizontal branches on top so that he has more places to perch and bask. Also set up drainage for the whole thing.

EDIT: I would just like to add that bleach wont kill everything that may have been left behind by the previous animal living in the cage so it's best that you use they hydrogen peroxide. Coccidia is one of the most difficult parasites to treat and get rid of, and bleach wont kill it. You really don't want your chameleon to end up with it because it is a super pita.