panther enclosure opinions

[lewboo2]

hey there,
first post on the forums here!
in around 3 weeks i'll be aquiring my first panther chameleon! The breeder releases them around 3 month's of age i believe and i'd just like a final clariffication that my enclosure is going to be as healthy and beneficial for my chameleon as possible. any comments/improvements are readily accepted

my terrarium set up for my young un' so far is:

- exo terra 45x45x60 glass screened mesh top viv
- for UVB lighting i currently have the compact top with a 5.0 reptiglo compact but im going to change this to a flourescent strip type due to reading many bad reviews on them causing eye problems etc.
- exo terra sunglo neodymium daylight incandescent for UVA and daytime heat
- ceramic heater on a dimmer stat for emergency night heating if temp drops below 65 degrees
- a water drip system dripping through the foliage to provide drinking water and slight humidity increase
- im maintaining a warmer basking area of around 86 degrees in the day with the cooler end of the tank keeping a rough 75 degrees
- i have also gone for the more real than fake approach, i have a perfectly sized potted hibiscus and small ficus with some exo terra bio vines for extra climbs and perches

i cant think of anything else to add off the top of my head so this will have to do for now
any help and advice would be much appreciated thanks

 

[Eyal]

well i dont like the exo terra terrarium.. Your cham will be growing very fast and they need a big screen viv. I dont think the ceramic heater will be needed. Im a european so i will talk in celsius. Its not bad for the cham to get cooler in the night. It could go down to max. 20 degrees celsius. And i dont think your house gets that cool? or?

Real plants are plus! Good job. I think more people can say what they think, but the terrarium is a bit small.. The bigger the better.

 

[lewboo2]

i dont think a full screened type enclosure would be very practical here in the uk (correct me if im wrong!) as our temperature changes here are quite random and dramatic! as for the size of the set up, i bought it that size on a recommendation that i didnt get anything too large while the cham is quite young, so this will be alright for a couple of months while i plan and prepare his sub-adult enclosure right?

 

[Eyal]

My yemen is 5 months, she is living in a 130*80*80. Yeah , you could wait for 2 months.
But whats your roomtemperature?

 

[hawaiianice99]

i dont think a full screened type enclosure would be very practical here in the uk (correct me if im wrong!) as our temperature changes here are quite random and dramatic! as for the size of the set up, i bought it that size on a recommendation that i didnt get anything too large while the cham is quite young, so this will be alright for a couple of months while i plan and prepare his sub-adult enclosure right?

toss the exoterra, correct me if im wrong but temps change everywhere. where i live it can be 105 in the summer and 0 degrees in the winter and my chams do fine.

get a screened enclosure, better for your chams health and cheaper too.

 

[kenya]

i dont think a full screened type enclosure would be very practical here in the uk (correct me if im wrong!) as our temperature changes here are quite random and dramatic! as for the size of the set up, i bought it that size on a recommendation that i didnt get anything too large while the cham is quite young, so this will be alright for a couple of months while i plan and prepare his sub-adult enclosure right?

I would also ditch the exo terra- it isn't about temp changes- how bad does the temperature in your house fluctuate? If you are like most people, it is set at our comfort level- around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and it rarely fluctuates. You will be fine so long as your cham is left out of drafts and you have a basking spot of the correct temps.

The real reason you want a screen cage is because chams are arboreal (live in the tops of trees) and it is very breezy and open up there. They suffer dramatically with stagnant air and will develop respiratory disease from too much moisture in confined spaces. Since they have a high humidity requirement, stagnant air can be a death sentence. You want to replicate where they come from in the wild so air it out! and get a screen cage.

Also, on that note, if I were you, I would go ahead and get a large screen cage that is the correct size for an adult but section it off (a little stand inside with a piece of wood over it would work) so that it is the right size for a juvenile. That way, when your cham comes of age, you can just take it out, rearrange, and presto! New bigger cage.

 

[lanceman]

- for UVB lighting i currently have the compact top with a 5.0 reptiglo compact but im going to change this to a flourescent strip type due to reading many bad reviews on them causing eye problems etc.



Def make sure u change that. compacts r no good.
I also do very well with a glass tank but takes lots of extra care and cost.

 

[TreelionsUK]

exo terras are no good unless you get a really big one,and even then you would need to be spot on with your cleaning and watering,i would use a viv with solid sides and back,with a screen door and screen top,this still gives you good air flow,the hot air(exhaust) will leave the top of the viv and draw in clean air through the front,use a zoo med 5.00 tube(dont bother with the exo terra bulbs) compacts should not be used,your heater is not needed,if you room gets cold you will need to heat the room to a minmum of 20.
It just not worth sticking with the glass mate,you'll have problems....you should enjoy keeping your chameleon,not be worring about it all the time...but saying that NO chameleon is easy to keep,if you want somthing easy rethink the chameleon idea.
chameleons like routine,so all lights on timers and work out a daily routine

All the best with it and good luck!!!

 

[lewboo2]

well thanks for advice everyone, i shall definitly be looking out for a screened type now.
the reason behind having the ceramic heater for night is that my family gets a bit tight with the heating at night sometimes due to low income etc, so room temps could more than likely fall below the temp needed for a cham (we have a deal on the electricity where i pay my part so i can use as much of that as i like )
another thing that has been on my mind is the fresh air thing, my stepdad and i both smoke in the house, but the chameleon will be kept in my room which will be smoke free when i get the fella, would he be ok as long as i didnt smoke in the room where he is kept?

 

[sandrachameleon]

Not everyone who is successfull with chameleons uses a screen cage. I dont. But I do ensure adequate air flow. You could have a lot of small holes drilled into the front and side of the glass.
Ceramic lamps only provde heat to a limited area, I'm thinking. Are you able to keep your one whole room heated with an electric heater instead? It may be easier/better to have the ambient room temp never go below 17C (that's around 62F i think).

 

[hawaiianice99]

if you are going to drill holes why not just get a screen cage? its cheaper too.

 

[sandrachameleon]

if you are going to drill holes why not just get a screen cage? its cheaper too.

Cuz they've already got a glass cage
Also, you can keep humidty up better if it is NOT a fully screened cage - an important consideration for folks who live in most parts of Canada, who have to heat their homes (which often reduces overall humidty)

 

[lanceman]

Cuz they've already got a glass cage
Also, you can keep humidty up better if it is NOT a fully screened cage - an important consideration for folks who live in most parts of Canada, who have to heat their homes (which often reduces overall humidty)

yes i think my humidity actually goes into the negative lol.

I would be concerned with the smoke enviroment even if in other rooms i would look into small portable air purifier for that room and keepdoor closed at all times. but i dont have exp there so maybe not an issue.