Recommendations for some enclosure/lighting improvements

[dkschofield]

Hi,

I have an 8 year old male veiled chameleon. I want to upgrade his home a little - make it a bit more appealing as his current set-up is getting a bit worse for wear now.

He's always had a 4ft tall flexarium, with real plants and various branches to climb along. He has had a 36" reptisun 10 UVB source and a variety of different heat bulbs in the past. He is very healthy and when I have taken him to be sitted by the local reptile shop they always compliment his health and colouring. The only thing I have noticed is that recently, he seems to 'peel' a lot more than he has done in the past (any ideas why?).

Anyway, I wanted some advice on potential changes to make for his enclosure. All my choices have been made by recommendations I have read but looking around again it seems there is so much conflicting advice on what you should/shouldnt use.

I am also based in the UK, so again, I find a lot of websites which refer to US products which we don't have here...so could use some local advice.

So what are your thoughts on.....

1. Enclosure type

Is the Flexarium *really* a good option for this breed - they are certainly hard to clean anyhow and the zip has stuck so it needs replacing one way or another.

Is a glass vivarium a good option (I've heard not) and he is also situated near a window, so, I would worry about overheating with this sort of tank.

Ideally I was thinking of getting a wooden enclosure with a glass front - is this suitable - I worry it would seem too 'dark' inside i.e. no natural light getting in like with the flexarium. But easier to clean and perhaps a little more appealing to suit the room too.

Any ideas where I can get something - all of the vivariums are always longer than taller, but I am on a budget - any tips on converting things so you can get a good second hand deal on something more 'typical' and then make it suit a cham yourself?

2. Lighting

Is the reptisun 10.00 bulb still a good choice or is there better around now? Is it a good/safe idea to put the UVB strip bulb inside the enclosure with the cham - i.e. no risk of burns etc (i have seen this done but mine is currently above the cage).

Is it true that you can use just normal household bulbs for the heat source? I've been buying branded reptile ones but they seem to 'break' pretty quickly and they are expensive.

3. Misting/Watering

What's the best way for misting/watering that lasts a long time - I've tried some systems before but they seem to run the water out pretty quickly, is there any recommendations on a slow drip system?


I am also worried about making changes and 'scaring' him - he's lived most of his life in a very consistent set-up and so far, seems pretty well with it, but I do think he could have even better and want to give him the best I can, but, he is getting old (?) and I would be gutted if I gave him a nice new home but then he hated it /was shocked and it made him ill, or worse... (does that happen or are they very adaptable?).

Any help and tips would be massively appreciated


Thanks!
Danielle

 

[DavidBuchan]

Hello, welcome to the forum
Enclosure type - I had a flexarium too (the zip broke) they are a good option for Veileds, but I personally don't really like them.
At the moment I am using wardrobes that I converted (using my flexarium mesh) - I'm not sure what sort of branded vivs can be bought in the UK that are really good. I would really recommend getting a second hand wardrobe type thing and converting it yourself if you can (it's nice and cheap ) https://www.chameleonforums.com/mem...-finished-setup-picture10631-big-viv-002.html I sort of bodged it up, it's far from perfect, the only tips are if you make it easy on yourself like mine and have the lights inside then make sure there is no way the cham can get too near.......
All glass is definitely no good, you need the airflow.
As for the wooden with a glass front, again the airflow is usually a problem with these. I guess you could put mesh over half of it and that would be enough....... Don't worry about natural light though, it only counts if it's not through glass (uvb doesn't get through glass)

Most people will use a 5.0 tube bulb, a 10.0 is a bit strong unless you have a lot of foliage and thicker mesh to get through.
Definitely use a normal household bulb, the branded ones give very little benefit and are very expensive compared.
For a dripper you can make your own out of an empty coke bottle, just a bit of trial and error for the flow rate
I use a pressure pump mister as well of course, for proper misting sessions.
If you make his new place big enough with enough foliage and branches he will probably take a few days to settle in, but will almost certainly be ok with it soon enough

 

[dkschofield]

Hey!

Thank you for such a helpful answer.

Another thing I didn't mention that I didn't like about the flexarium is, of course, the fact that any moisture/misting etc drains out / goes out of the back of the enclosure, onto the wall behind and in the past, sometimes wrecking stuff nearby. I wanted something 'enclosed' (like the wood or glass) so that I can really get it misted up in there without trying to worry about getting the surrounding room soaked too!

So, I love the idea of the wardrobe, and I am sure something would be easy enough to grab from freecycle actually, as money is a consideration! I can then chop out bits to replace with mesh / install lighting stuff without feeling I have destroyed an expensive £100 vivarium in the process!

Is metal mesh any good - I have seen a few people with that hexagonal flat metal covering as opposed to fabric mesh. Benefit being it just looks nicer and is a bit more hardy (my flex was eaten to bits by the crickets) but would it cause any harm to my cham (Mowgli, by the way!).

I've heard with the 5.0 tubes that they have to be 'close' for the effect to work - so (and I am guessing yes from your picture, but just to be clear!) it would be OK to put a 5.0 bulb inside the enclosure (within reaching distance of the cham) as they don't burn? Would a 24" be OK or should it stretch the width of the enclosure (about 36")?

If I use a household bulb (I have previously used branded ones) what would I be looking for - what sort of wattage/type - there so many 'names' of bulbs i.e. reflector, halogen, incandecent etc etc. I don't know which ones give out the heat efficiently without putting the electric bill through the roof/causing risk if they are on for long periods etc.

As a matter of interest, with your dripper system (coke bottle!) how long can you get the flow to last for? Would you just pin a hole in the bottom or do you have a more intelligent idea for making it drip?

I also have a pressure pump But use it very delicately now because of the water going everywhere (moved home and he's in a new place where water isn't so great!) hence the need for something more water proof!

Anyway sorry for all of the questions but great advice so far - thanks!

Danielle

 

[blackhawk007]

Honestly, since you have had this cham for 8 YEARS, I think your doing pretty darn good. I only hope to keep mine around for that long, so suggesting that you change anything at this point would only change his long lasted routine.