I would like to start this article by saying this is based on my own experience, there most be other ways to raise baby panther chameleons, however and after trying some other methods, this have proved to be the best for me. After using it for three years in a raw.
I keep my bay chams in glass , hold on, I know what you have read about it, but read on to find more. I use the exo terra and zoo meds all glass terrariums. By NO means I would recommend fish tanks for this. Fish tanks are for fish! Let’s just go by that rule when it comes to chameleons.
The exo terra terrariums are different from a fish tank in many ways, they keep humidity high, they provide great air flow from the vent at the lower bottom of the cage and the all screen mesh on the top.
I used to keep my babies on plastic tubes, with plastic plants and a uv light on top. I was also feeding mainly fruit flies. You’ll see this setup used by many on the hobby, so that’s why I gave it a try. Also you’ll find people recommend to start up babies with fruit flies and then switch to pinheads.
Well I have to say that after week 4 of following these method, disaster was always there, babies would start just dying like flies with no apparent reason, losing up to 30-40% of the clutch. Amazingly after chatting the issue with other breeders, they would see this as normal.
It was then when I read a great article by Chris Anderson about using the exo terras for chameleons, so I decided to give it a try.
Basically what he suggests is to make a mini eco-system. So, from the glass bottom of the exo terra, divide it in 3 layers of substrate. First layer is for hydro balls, put some window screen on top to separate the balls from the next layer. Second layer is coconut fiber and the third with organic soil.
Add some natural plants, branches and of course a UV light and a basking light. Some people think babies don’t bask, mine do and they seem to like it a lot.
Mistking for 2 minutes seem to give them enough water and humidity for the whole day. Some times I give them a second hand spray just to put some more water drops on the plants for them drink.
Another very important change I did was food. I was lucky to find a reliable cricket supplier and I feed them now 1/8″ crix starting on the second day after hatching. They grow steadily and some of them quite fast. Fruit flies are now a snack around 5:30pm to add some variety to the meals.
Update: Here is a little video that shows everything described above.
[YOUTUBE]9rrIPYkyX0M[/YOUTUBE]
I keep my bay chams in glass , hold on, I know what you have read about it, but read on to find more. I use the exo terra and zoo meds all glass terrariums. By NO means I would recommend fish tanks for this. Fish tanks are for fish! Let’s just go by that rule when it comes to chameleons.
The exo terra terrariums are different from a fish tank in many ways, they keep humidity high, they provide great air flow from the vent at the lower bottom of the cage and the all screen mesh on the top.
I used to keep my babies on plastic tubes, with plastic plants and a uv light on top. I was also feeding mainly fruit flies. You’ll see this setup used by many on the hobby, so that’s why I gave it a try. Also you’ll find people recommend to start up babies with fruit flies and then switch to pinheads.
Well I have to say that after week 4 of following these method, disaster was always there, babies would start just dying like flies with no apparent reason, losing up to 30-40% of the clutch. Amazingly after chatting the issue with other breeders, they would see this as normal.
It was then when I read a great article by Chris Anderson about using the exo terras for chameleons, so I decided to give it a try.
Basically what he suggests is to make a mini eco-system. So, from the glass bottom of the exo terra, divide it in 3 layers of substrate. First layer is for hydro balls, put some window screen on top to separate the balls from the next layer. Second layer is coconut fiber and the third with organic soil.
Add some natural plants, branches and of course a UV light and a basking light. Some people think babies don’t bask, mine do and they seem to like it a lot.
Mistking for 2 minutes seem to give them enough water and humidity for the whole day. Some times I give them a second hand spray just to put some more water drops on the plants for them drink.
Another very important change I did was food. I was lucky to find a reliable cricket supplier and I feed them now 1/8″ crix starting on the second day after hatching. They grow steadily and some of them quite fast. Fruit flies are now a snack around 5:30pm to add some variety to the meals.
Update: Here is a little video that shows everything described above.
[YOUTUBE]9rrIPYkyX0M[/YOUTUBE]
