Ramona's New Cage

[ChameSecret]

Just wanted to share some pics I've taken of my 6 mo female veiled, Ramona! She's my first cham, but I'm already interested in a second... Since half of the things I now know about keeping her happy came from reading people's experiences and advice here on the forums, I thought I would share how much she likes her new space! She moved from a smaller enclosure to a 2'x2'x4' big girl cage 2 weeks ago and she's finally acclimated. The picture where she's in my hand was move-in day, so those are her "you destroyed my home" colors. Let me know what you all think

 

[ChameleonRave]

Great set up and such a healthy looking girl!

 

[jannb]

Such a beautiful little girl! I'm sure she will enjoy the space. It that both a basking and UV light on top of her cage?

 

[ChameSecret]

Great set up and such a healthy looking girl!

Hey, thanks!

 

[ChameSecret]

Such a beautiful little girl! I'm sure she will enjoy the space. It that both a basking and UV light on top of her cage?

Thanks, she seems to really like it. Yes, there is a 24" reptisun 5.0 diagonal across the top and a powersun (120W? dunno) in a dome on a lamp stand above her basking spot. I keep it around 80-85deg in the day controlled w/ a temp probe.

 

[NitroRoo]

Very nice! I'm new to this myself, and my chameleon is a 6 month old female veiled also. At least that is what we were told, she looks to be about the same size as Ramona. We have only had ours for less than a week, so she's still getting used to her new surroundings. Thanks for sharing your setup. What kind of plants do you have in there?

 

[Oliviabryant]

Thanks, she seems to really like it. Yes, there is a 24" reptisun 5.0 diagonal across the top and a powersun (120W? dunno) in a dome on a lamp stand above her basking spot. I keep it around 80-85deg in the day controlled w/ a temp probe.

This seems to be a new issue I'm seeing a lot-
A power sun is Mercury vapor bulb that emits UVB/UVA & so does your 5.0
This is far to much exposure for a chameleon. I would suggest removing the Powersun (mercury vapor bulb) unless you have a way to suspend it above the mesh, they run very hot and can easily burn your chameleon. Just add a basic house bulb in that fixture for their basking. Or if your house is cooler, keep using the powersun and remove the linear bulb and use it in 6-8 months when the power sun needs to be tosses out.

 

[ChameSecret]

Very nice! I'm new to this myself, and my chameleon is a 6 month old female veiled also. At least that is what we were told, she looks to be about the same size as Ramona. We have only had ours for less than a week, so she's still getting used to her new surroundings. Thanks for sharing your setup. What kind of plants do you have in there?

Great, I hope you're finding the forums as helpful as I have! The plants are dracaena, dwarf gardenia (not doing so well... picky little shrub), and golden pothos.

 

[ChameSecret]

This seems to be a new issue I'm seeing a lot-
A power sun is Mercury vapor bulb that emits UVB/UVA & so does your 5.0
This is far to much exposure for a chameleon. I would suggest removing the Powersun (mercury vapor bulb) unless you have a way to suspend it above the mesh, they run very hot and can easily burn your chameleon. Just add a basic house bulb in that fixture for their basking. Or if your house is cooler, keep using the powersun and remove the linear bulb and use it in 6-8 months when the power sun needs to be tosses out.

I hear what you're saying, and I value your opinion, but I've seen people on both sides of this fence in the forums. To play it safe, I took your advice and moved out my Powersun and I'm using a ZooMed 75W Repti Basking light to keep it toasty near her basking spot WITHOUT exposing her to excess UVB (some UVA tho, just a dab). I am using a lamp holder to suspend it 1.5" away from the mesh, and she has never shown interest in burning her toesies on the ceiling, though I have kept this in mind. A standard bulb barely gets her basking spot to 76F, so I'm worried that will not cut it in the winter months and for her a heat lamp is necessary.

I think it's worth noting that there is at least 12" between her and the closest she gets to the 5.0 bulb, and dense vegetation in the bottom half of the cage for her to hide if she's getting too much light. Thanks for your comment! It got me started researching this more thoroughly.

 

[Oliviabryant]

I hear what you're saying, and I value your opinion, but I've seen people on both sides of this fence in the forums. To play it safe, I took your advice and moved out my Powersun and I'm using a ZooMed 75W Repti Basking light to keep it toasty near her basking spot WITHOUT exposing her to excess UVB (some UVA tho, just a dab). I am using a lamp holder to suspend it 1.5" away from the mesh, and she has never shown interest in burning her toesies on the ceiling, though I have kept this in mind. A standard bulb barely gets her basking spot to 76F, so I'm worried that will not cut it in the winter months and for her a heat lamp is necessary.

I think it's worth noting that there is at least 12" between her and the closest she gets to the 5.0 bulb, and dense vegetation in the bottom half of the cage for her to hide if she's getting too much light. Thanks for your comment! It got me started researching this more thoroughly.

Thank you for actually taking advice!
So many new keepers are reluctant to listen to more expierenced keepers.
Personally I have always used MVB's because I like how much heat they give off. But you absolutely have to suspend them above the mesh, even if it's a few inches. It's always better to be safe than sorry in my opinion. If it's to cold at any point you can easily use the mvb instead of the linear tube.
Any keepers who are utilizing both bulbs simultaneously are in the wrong and can easily hurt their chams eyes. Their eyes and skin are very sensitive to UV lighting there for a higher concentration is not needed. It's always best to buy a longer, high out put bulb along with a highly reflective hood. This will greatly extend the vertical reach of the lighting. The only time you should ever even consider a different bulb, such as a 10.0 is if you have an apogee reptarium. The mesh on the enclosure is much finer than that of an aluminum enclosure. It is also a double layer of the fine mesh which blocks a bigger percentage of the lighting.
If you have any other questions feel free to pm me!
There are many great members on this forum who are friendly and willing to help any time of day!

 

[ChameSecret]

Thank you for actually taking advice!
So many new keepers are reluctant to listen to more expierenced keepers.
Personally I have always used MVB's because I like how much heat they give off. But you absolutely have to suspend them above the mesh, even if it's a few inches. It's always better to be safe than sorry in my opinion. If it's to cold at any point you can easily use the mvb instead of the linear tube.
Any keepers who are utilizing both bulbs simultaneously are in the wrong and can easily hurt their chams eyes. Their eyes and skin are very sensitive to UV lighting there for a higher concentration is not needed. It's always best to buy a longer, high out put bulb along with a highly reflective hood. This will greatly extend the vertical reach of the lighting. The only time you should ever even consider a different bulb, such as a 10.0 is if you have an apogee reptarium. The mesh on the enclosure is much finer than that of an aluminum enclosure. It is also a double layer of the fine mesh which blocks a bigger percentage of the lighting.
If you have any other questions feel free to pm me!
There are many great members on this forum who are friendly and willing to help any time of day!

Nononono, thank YOU for giving it, and Pascal's a good-looking chap! New breeders who don't respect experience put their chams in harm's way. On that note, I'll foil line my UVB light today for deeper penetrative output. Anything to keep 'Mona chipper. Take care!

 

[ChameSecret]

Today she turned the most yellow I've seen her while exploring my living room and returning to her favorite basking spot by the window.

 

[jannb]

Such a beautiful little lady!