Starter Panther Cham Terrarium

[Tiger Rye]

Ok this is my starter Panther Chameleon Terrarium.
Exo-terra 18x18x24 screen terrarium w/stand.
Dual top light fixture with UVA and UVB lights.
Ceramic heat lamp
MistKing misting system
Let me know what you think?

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[BeBoSON]

Looks good. Nice setup.

 

[coldbloodedAL]

It looks good! You could probably do away with the ceramic heat emitter unless your house or the room it is in gets really cold @ night.. < 60 degrees.

 

[EvilLost]

its okay for a baby, but I would be concerned about the fact that it is enclosed.


in my experiences, my chams have been unhappy by feeling "trapped in" (which is one of many reasons screen cages are better)

there is the glass issue, but not all chams have that issue and a baby most likely wont have that issue.



just realize that due to the size and whatnot, that enclosure will probably only be good for a baby that is 3 or so months old....I would say 6 months MAXIMUM (and I, personally, feel like that is pushing it in that setup).



However for some pygmies....add a little more ground litter/twigs and its perfect!



I would also lose the ceramic heater unless the room is below 60F at night.

EDIT: If you *ONLY* have a ceramic heater, I would replace it with a standard household incandescent bulb (don't waste your money on the "reptile" bulbs, they are the same thing at 10x the price)

 

[coldbloodedAL]

its okay for a baby, but I would be concerned about the fact that it is enclosed.


in my experiences, my chams have been unhappy by feeling "trapped in" (which is one of many reasons screen cages are better)

there is the glass issue, but not all chams have that issue and a baby most likely wont have that issue.



just realize that due to the size and whatnot, that enclosure will probably only be good for a baby that is 3 or so months old....I would say 6 months MAXIMUM (and I, personally, feel like that is pushing it in that setup).



However for some pygmies....add a little more ground litter/twigs and its perfect!



I would also lose the ceramic heater unless the room is below 60F at night.

EDIT: If you *ONLY* have a ceramic heater, I would replace it with a standard household incandescent bulb (don't waste your money on the "reptile" bulbs, they are the same thing at 10x the price)

Agreed that it will only be suitable til your cham grows up. Then you will need to upgrade. Imo the glass will be no issue, and with the climate here in MI, it helps tremendously keeping stable temps and humidity. I have no issues using glass at all. What is the "glass issue" that you refer to?

 

[Tiger Rye]

its okay for a baby, but I would be concerned about the fact that it is enclosed.


in my experiences, my chams have been unhappy by feeling "trapped in" (which is one of many reasons screen cages are better)

there is the glass issue, but not all chams have that issue and a baby most likely wont have that issue.



just realize that due to the size and whatnot, that enclosure will probably only be good for a baby that is 3 or so months old....I would say 6 months MAXIMUM (and I, personally, feel like that is pushing it in that setup).



However for some pygmies....add a little more ground litter/twigs and its perfect!



I would also lose the ceramic heater unless the room is below 60F at night.

EDIT: If you *ONLY* have a ceramic heater, I would replace it with a standard household incandescent bulb (don't waste your money on the "reptile" bulbs, they are the same thing at 10x the price)

Ok I'll get rid of the ceramic heater and replace with a UVB bulb.
It is a screen cage. I just put a background on three sides of the terrarium. I only plan on keeping the Cham in there 4-5 months so I guess I should be ok then.

I'm just wondering what would be a good basking temp for my Chams terrarium.


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[EvilLost]

Agreed that it will only be suitable til your cham grows up. Then you will need to upgrade. Imo the glass will be no issue, and with the climate here in MI, it helps tremendously keeping stable temps and humidity. I have no issues using glass at all. What is the "glass issue" that you refer to?

some chameleons see their reflection as "another" chameleon and get stressed; its not a common problem but it can occur.

i would not worry about it though, esp since the issue is basically non-existant with young animals.

 

[JackP308]

Everyone it is screen anyways if you can't notice. Looks good either way. I can't believe you have 3 misters on that setup.. He will be plenty hydrated


Basking I usually try to angle the dome slightly and at his age Id be using a 40 watt house bulb or something equivalent, shooting for low mid 80's is what I usually have them at. 82-85f usually on the lower side as babies.

 

[raphael14]

Nice set up looking good

 

[Tiger Rye]

Everyone it is screen anyways if you can't notice. Looks good either way. I can't believe you have 3 misters on that setup.. He will be plenty hydrated


Basking I usually try to angle the dome slightly and at his age Id be using a 40 watt house bulb or something equivalent, shooting for low mid 80's is what I usually have them at. 82-85f usually on the lower side as babies.

Thanks! Yeah three is overkill LOL!
I replaced the ceramic heater with a 60w daylight bulb to get the right basking temps(really cold here right now)


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[Tiger Rye]

Nice set up looking good

Thanks!


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[Walter85]

Cool set up.......!

 

[Tiger Rye]

Cool set up.......!

Thanks Walter


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