Set up review - criticism welcome

[Wumbo]

Hello. I’ve been slowly putting stuff together for my chameleon pal and I’ve tried coming up with affordable ideas for drainage. So I purchased a 26x26 ac drain pan online and used some 1/2in pvc that I had from another project to build this so far. I originally intended to just set it in the pan on one layer of pvc and drill several 1/16 holes in the plastic bottom for water to drain. Then realized that my bottom door wouldn’t open so I doubled up and crossed an additional layer and honestly turned out better than I thought. I have a cap to plug the hole in the pan as well. The table is an old pop up that I use for camping and grilling out, but found out that two of these cages will sit side by side pretty well so that’s its current use. Until I feel like spending for something better. As of right now, I’m trying to spend more on the cage and necessities.

As you can see, I have dragon ledges and a mistking, going to set it up this weekend hopefully once I build a small stand for my bucket and to mount the motor. I washed all the wood multiple times with soap and water, boiled water and poured it over them in the tub and sanded them down myself so there’s no debris or edges to worry about.

I still need plant LED. I’ve seen Arcadia jungle dawn are often mentioned, but is anyone familiar with thebiodude.com and their glow grow?

Please send your advice/recommendations/suggestions lol

I’m trying not to rush this all so please feel free to suggest anything that you may think is cool or are absolute must-haves. Thanks

 

[Beman]

Hi there. Looking good so far.

Make sure your branches are not slick when wet. You got them really smooth so this may create an issue.
I use the jungle dawn LED bar for plants. I love it. I have two hibiscus that thrive under it and bloom.

Must haves... hmmmm I love the mistking. And I am partial to having a dimming thermostat to control the basking fixture. I run a herpstat for this. Makes it easy no matter what time of year to have the correct basking temp.

 

[Wumbo]

Hi there. Looking good so far.

Make sure your branches are not slick when wet. You got them really smooth so this may create an issue.
I use the jungle dawn LED bar for plants. I love it. I have two hibiscus that thrive under it and bloom.

Must haves... hmmmm I love the mistking. And I am partial to having a dimming thermostat to control the basking fixture. I run a herpstat for this. Makes it easy no matter what time of year to have the correct basking temp.

Thank you for the feedback! I will definitely soak them again to make sure that they're not slick. I plan to have this all complete and running for a few days to make sure all temps and everything are perfect before adding my chameleon so I will be mindful of that as well.

I've been leaning towards the jungle dawn because thats what Im seeing is mostly recommended. What wattage is suggested? I see the prices arent much different, should I just go for the 22W or the 34W? is the 51W too much?

I currently have a 48in ZooMed T5 fixture diagonal on the enclosure, it hangs off a bit on both ends still but the cage sits about 1ft from the ceiling so Im not worried about bumping it or anything for now, also this is in a very low traffic room. I figured I could use this fixture for both enclosures in the future, with a divider between. I got it from my friend who had a very large enclosure but no longer needed it.

Also have a ReptiClamp 8.5 reflector dome on top, but there's some room for whatever size LED. Just unsure of which to get.

 

[Beman]

Thank you for the feedback! I will definitely soak them again to make sure that they're not slick. I plan to have this all complete and running for a few days to make sure all temps and everything are perfect before adding my chameleon so I will be mindful of that as well.

I've been leaning towards the jungle dawn because thats what Im seeing is mostly recommended. What wattage is suggested? I see the prices arent much different, should I just go for the 22W or the 34W? is the 51W too much?

I currently have a 48in ZooMed T5 fixture diagonal on the enclosure, it hangs off a bit on both ends still but the cage sits about 1ft from the ceiling so Im not worried about bumping it or anything for now, also this is in a very low traffic room. I figured I could use this fixture for both enclosures in the future, with a divider between. I got it from my friend who had a very large enclosure but no longer needed it.

Also have a ReptiClamp 8.5 reflector dome on top, but there's some room for whatever size LED. Just unsure of which to get.

So size is going to depend on what cage your covering. I have the 36 inch fixture on a 30 inch wide cage. It works really well and my plant growth is great.

10/22/22

• Beman
• Oct 22, 2022
• 1

Hibiscus are taking over well. Still have the large draceana in the back left and a large pothos...

With the 48 inch T5 that is fine just make sure that your distance to basking branches is correct for whatever bulb strength your using. If you get a baby that screen climbs then this has to be taken into consideration because none of the fixtures can not sit directly on the cage top. Otherwise the baby is not only exposed to much too high UVB but temps that can cause thermal burns.

 

[Wumbo]

I've been leaning towards the 22in 34W, but since it’s not a huge price difference I feel that I might as well get the 51W. Your setup looks great, btw. What kind of enclosure is that, if you dont mind me asking?

I will take all of that into consideration once I'm setting up the branches and I will prop it up if necessary. Hopefully there wont be any screen climbing but I work from home so I'll be able to notice pretty quickly and adjust accordingly. With the dragon ledges, I should be able to adjust branches pretty easily. Also, my friend does have a solar meter and said I could use it when Im setting up all up. Planning for more this weekend!

 

[Beman]

I've been leaning towards the 22in 34W, but since it’s not a huge price difference I feel that I might as well get the 51W. Your setup looks great, btw. What kind of enclosure is that, if you dont mind me asking?

I will take all of that into consideration once I'm setting up the branches and I will prop it up if necessary. Hopefully there wont be any screen climbing but I work from home so I'll be able to notice pretty quickly and adjust accordingly. With the dragon ledges, I should be able to adjust branches pretty easily. Also, my friend does have a solar meter and said I could use it when Im setting up all up. Planning for more this weekend!

Sounds good. That is always my way of thinking in this hobby as well. Might as well spend a slight bit more to get more lol.

The enclosure is a dragon strand medium tall. Unfortunately he does not sell this size anymore. I love it though because it is 30 inches wide instead of 24. Then the other dimensions are standard 48 inches tall and 24 deep. It is a hybrid which works well for me in AZ where we have next to no humidity.

 

[Sonny13]

Hi and welcome
You’re alrighty in good hands with @Beman but one thing I would like to add or say!
I wish more, correction, all new keepers would start like you do . This is the best and in IMHO the only way to start safe and within the best interest for the cham. Thumbs up and on going this road

 

[Wumbo]

Hi and welcome
You’re alrighty in good hands with @Beman but one thing I would like to add or say!
I wish more, correction, all new keepers would start like you do . This is the best and in IMHO the only way to start safe and within the best interest for the cham. Thumbs up and on going this road

Thank you for the kind words! I’ve been doing research for a few months now as I definitely want to do it all right the first time. My girlfriend keeps asking when I’m just going to get one but I don’t want to make the mistake of getting one in a spur of the moment kinda thing, then scramble around to find stuff. I almost did that at first, but a quick google search told me that their proper requirements are much more than people anticipate. So I want to do it all right to ensure the least stress possible and the longest, healthiest life. I even have a gutload plan, feeding schedule and the chameleon academy misting/uvb and their chameleon care charts printed out and laminated for reference. Although, at this point I feel I’ve memorized a lot of their care info

 

[Sonny13]

Thank you for the kind words! I’ve been doing research for a few months now as I definitely want to do it all right the first time. My girlfriend keeps asking when I’m just going to get one but I don’t want to make the mistake of getting one in a spur of the moment kinda thing, then scramble around to find stuff. I almost did that at first, but a quick google search told me that their proper requirements are much more than people anticipate. So I want to do it all right to ensure the least stress possible and the longest, healthiest life. I even have a gutload plan, feeding schedule and the chameleon academy misting/uvb and their chameleon care charts printed out and laminated for reference. Although, at this point I feel I’ve memorized a lot of their care info

This makes me even more happy