Veiled Chameleon passed so getting a Panther, is this setup OK?

[dlaunde]

Hey all,

As some may have seen, I was having health issues with my Veiled Chameleon, Horatio, over Thanksgiving and he passed away Saturday (awaiting autopsy results to know for sure what happened). Come the new year, the misses and I want to get a proper Panther Chameleon from a forum sponser (Horatio was rescued from PetSmart so, you know, he wasn't exactly brought up properly). Besides throwing out the custom made insert I made for Horatio (just a bunch of twigs and fake vines from Michaels Supplies), I plan on reusing everything. Below is a list of what I have and my temp parameters:

- Repti Breeze 36"x18"x18" Enclosure
- Exo Terra hood using (x2) Exo Terra 5.0 UVB linear fluorescent bulbs w/50 watt Halogen light bulb for heat (GU10 base)...the 50w bulb produced temps of ~85 degrees at the basking spot I had built for Horatio with a good ambient gradient from top to bottom...lights and halogen bulb run for 12 hours a day
- House temp is steady 68 in winter and 72 in summer
- Exo Terra Monsoon running on a custom timer (since the built in timer is garbage) that mists for 15 seconds every hour lights are on and provides near continuous dripping from the top screen between misting (humidity holds steady around 60% at the bottom of the cage)

As I stated, I will be constructing a new insert for the Panther and will be partitioning off the bottom 1/2 of the cage during the Panthers infancy. Just curious if this is an appropriate setup to raise a Panther from 3-5" until adulthood and beyond.

Thanks!

 

[Theveiled]

You would need a bigger cage for an adult male. Could you post pictures? I would also recommend misting for at least a minute when the mister sprays.

 

[Theveiled]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/panther/
Here is the panther care sheet if you didnt see it already

 

[Replife]

So the absolute smallest size you can have for a panther is a 18x18x36 but this really isn't ideal they really need a 24x24x48 and need much longer misting I would say at least 2mins 3 or 4 times a day and plenty of live plants

 

[dlaunde]

Misting for longer times is no issue at all, I can easily change the duration and frequency.

Regarding cage size...we want to get a male and at the smallest/earliest we are allowed. I do not have room for a bigger cage yet but we will be moving into a new apartment sometime at the end of Summer 2017, at which point upgrading to a 24x24x48 (or larger) cage is perfectly fine and can be planned for accordingly. So say we got him in January with plans on upgrading his cage about 10 months later (August/September)...would that be OK or cutting it close with the size he could get to in that amount of time?

And regarding live plants...is it necessary? I was planning on fake vines (with big, single leaves so little chance of a small piece breaking off or being eaten). I never thought about or looked into live plants when I had Horatio but if it's highly recommended or necessary I will obviously do what's best.

Also: does the use of the 50w Halogen bulb sound OK as the primary heat/basking source?

Thanks!

 

[KeopiCat]

Live plants aren't absolutely necessary, but they are very highly recommended. They retain humidity better, they are safe if your chameleon decides to eat them (not as common for panthers, but still), and I just think it adds to the chameleons life. To get you started, some popular plants are schefflera, ficus, pothos, and hibiscus. You can find a list of safe plants from FLChams.

 

[Nursemaia]

Live plants are a must and you'll need a larger enclosure before 10 months of age. I also think a 24x24x48 isn't big enough for a panther. I have a male panther and he would be miserable in something that small. He likes to patrol his home. He is in a 3x4x5 ft. I mist for 4 mins 3x day

 

[Decadancin]

we will be moving into a new apartment sometime at the end of Summer 2017, at which point upgrading to a 24x24x48 (or larger) cage is perfectly fine

Its not that far off, you could always wait to get your Panther and avoid an extra move.

 

[dlaunde]

I suppose if I am misting and have a UVB bulb already...adding live plants isn't any more upkeep/care anyways, right?

I really want to make this happen but it seems the limiting factor is cage size until I move out in 10 months. And I know her and I can't wait that long to fill the empty spot we now have. Shoot...

 

[Nursemaia]

My mister waters my plants for me but some plants need more light than the uvb can provide. Pothos does great and is hard to kill. Ficus and hibiscus will need plant lights

 

[dlaunde]

Whats a good place to look at screen cages of "custom sizes" or building one? Because I can do up to 48" high in the current spot I have and make it 24" wide as well (depth can't change though so 18" is best I can do until moving).

 

[JacksJill]

If you start with a juvenile you might be able to use your cage but you would really risk crowding it before very long. Youngsters can be more challenging because their eating habits and needs change as they mature.
No matter what you decide disinfect it and rinse it well in case there is anything contagious lurking in it. If you haven't done that already.

 

[Angelwolf]

What about selling/trading your current cage to get a larger one? I would hate to see you run the risk of your plans not working out they way you want, and then you're still in the same spot, with a full grown cham, and a small cage. Perhaps waiting would be better. I know it's hard, for now, but the alternative of potentially loosing another cham over something like that, would be too much to handle, later. Just my opinion, though.

 

[JGuinan007]

You should get a Trioceros sternfeldi or commonly miscalled a Rudis Chameleon they would be fine with the cage you have but would need more plants and misting and are a better Chameleon

 

[dlaunde]

You should get a Trioceros sternfeldi or commonly miscalled a Rudis Chameleon they would be fine with the cage you have but would need more plants and misting and are a better Chameleon

Aww, those are cute chameleons!

The only issue is, from what I read doing a Google search, they seem more prone to becoming stressed from handling due to their smaller size. While we didn't make it a daily habit to take out Horatio, we did enjoy every now and then bringing him out to free roam and climb over our closet wardrobe to the point that he would crawl onto our hands whenever we opened the cage. Is this a behavior any captive chameleon can pick up gradually through careful and increasing handling? I want our next chameleon to at least not be anti-social once its comfortable.

 

[Replife]

Aww, those are cute chameleons!

The only issue is, from what I read doing a Google search, they seem more prone to becoming stressed from handling due to their smaller size. While we didn't make it a daily habit to take out Horatio, we did enjoy every now and then bringing him out to free roam and climb over our closet wardrobe to the point that he would crawl onto our hands whenever we opened the cage. Is this a behavior any captive chameleon can pick up gradually through careful and increasing handling? I want our next chameleon to at least not be anti-social once its comfortable.

I say a panther is your best bet but you are really going to need a larger enclosure

 

[dlaunde]

OK. I will use my thinking cap to find more room for a bigger enclosure.

 

[Replife]

You should DM Matt vanilla gorilla, he is a panther breeder he can email you a list of everything you need and has great prices on some really beautiful chams if you can't find him look on my profile page

 

[JGuinan007]

Aww, those are cute chameleons!

The only issue is, from what I read doing a Google search, they seem more prone to becoming stressed from handling due to their smaller size. While we didn't make it a daily habit to take out Horatio, we did enjoy every now and then bringing him out to free roam and climb over our closet wardrobe to the point that he would crawl onto our hands whenever we opened the cage. Is this a behavior any captive chameleon can pick up gradually through careful and increasing handling? I want our next chameleon to at least not be anti-social once its comfortable.

Stress from handling is the same for all Chameleons and is really an individual thing and with trust and proper handling this should not be an issue. In fact I've seen and read they are actually more social than most Chameleons and will tolerate having multiple Chameleons in one enclosure and even cuddle up together at night. To house multiple Trioceros sternfeldi together though it should be all female or one male to two females and such depending on the size cage. Plus they have live births so there is no dealing with incubating eggs!

 

[dlaunde]

Any opinions on the lighting setup I listed: Exo Terra hood with dual UVB 5.0 bulbs (also Exo Terra) and a 50 watt halogen bulb for basking?

Would this also be sufficient to grown pothos plants without any extra lighting?