2 Panther terrarium builds. Need some advice

[Khabbi]

Howdy yall

Im having 2 Panther Chameleon terrariums built for me . The reason for it not being a cage
is cause I live in Sweden , inside temps in apartments are around 20C/68F and there is no humidity
anywhere in Sweden (unless you jump into a lake) . The Idea is that the glass terrarium
will lock in more heat and more humidity

So far Ive figured the terrarium size to be

Size:
H:140 cm/55 inches (121/48 recommended minimum )
L:80 cm/31 inches (60/24 recommended minimum )
W:60 cm /24 inches 60/24 recommended minimum )

To help the humidity ill have in each terrarium

1 Pothos plant
1 Benjamin Ficus plant
1 Vriesea flowers or Guzmania lingulata

And a Mist king system with 2-3 nozzles

Light system would be

1 30 inch UVB light fixture for vitamin D3
1 light fixture for basking bulb


My questions for this would be:

1:Is the terrarium big enough to house 1 male panther ? , Im thinking of making the width 31 inches aswell but its gonna stick out from the wall like crazy

2:With the plants and mist king system will I be able to reach the desired humidity ?

3: From your experiences with Mist King , will I need to have a drainage system on the bottom
of the terrarium ? will huge pools of water build on the bottom ? and could I fix that with some sort of soil ? or some sort of ground chips or just soak it up with a towel now and then ?

4: would Placing the 30 inch UVB light in the top middle give enough UVB for the whole terrarium ?

5:Should I try to install some kind of fan on the side of the terrarium to circulate air , or will opening the terrarium now and then be enough ( thinking about the warnings that panthers get respiratory problems ) ?

6:I need a solution for the top of the terrarium . If put glass on the top , the glass will block the D3 lights and the heating light . What do you guys think of putting full net on the top ?? I would loose heat and humidity ? . Or try to do a mix , net where the light fixtures and mist king nozzles are
and have glass to support it ?


Sorry for the amount of questions , but I do wish to give my future chameleons the best habitat I can .
Hope you guys can help

Thanks in advance , Khabbi

 

[gotwqqd]

http://www.customglassterrariums.com

 

[Khabbi]

Bumping this , was kinda hoping for some advice since many of you are really good with enclosures

 

[Lathis]

You will definitely need mesh or screen on the top. Most reptile terrariums are built that way. You will also want some sort of air intake on the lower half - can you have the fabricator install vents or small louvers (or something like this http://www.tarantulacages.com/images/vents.jpg)? If you have a lower intake and a screen on the top, the lights should create a thermal gradient that will cause air to move up and out of the cage (called the "chimney effect"). Without the lower vent, the air will stagnate.

Is this one terrarium for two panthers (definitely not recommended - chameleons need to live alone)? At the dimensions shown, it would be a fantastic size for one adult panther but probably too narrow if you split it down the middle for two chameleons.

Have you considered drainage and how you will handle water? Glass enclosures sometimes have issues with standing water, and if you are having it built, you want to have a drainage system incorporated into it.

These threads are very long, but there are some very good ideas in them:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/the-official-enclosure-picture-thread.49688/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/official-enclosure-picture-thread-2-post-your-pics.94781/

And for drainage:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/drainage-systems-for-cages-get-creative.102038/

 

[MoyaChan]

I have a glass terrarium also. The top is half screen half glass (in lines, so that the glass helps holding the lamps, I guess), and there's another screen part at the lower front part, under the doors. It's supposed to create the circulation for air.

 

[brownie64]

Yah everything Lathis said couldn't have said it better myself. So please don't overlook the fact you have to create the air flow with the lower vents, or otherwise you'll probably have a great more to deal with than just respiratory issues. Good luck
Edit: Have your fabricator drill a hole in the enclosure for drainage and use a substreight. This will also go a long way with your humidity needs. I'll probably be crucified for suggesting this, but in your situation I think it would work best. For what it's worth I have hade a substreight on my enclosure for years and have not had a single issue other than drainage, but took care of that and everything is fine. Here is a site that helps explain how to set it up if you're interested.

 

[brownie64]

Couldn't get the link to come up on the edit here it is.http://www.neherpetoculture.com/vivariumconstruction102

 

[Khabbi]

Ill make sure the builder makes part of the front , probably the part supporting the glass doors in metal with holes so "chimney effect" comes into play . I guess part of the top will be some kind of net as well .

And yes its 1 of these terrariums per chameleon .

I think Ill try to use the plants pots to help with the drainage . Have big pots that cover most of the bottom of the cage , use the mist king nozzles to line up so they spray on the plants . This way there should form water on the plants for the chameleon to drink off , and gravity should hopefully lead the water into the dirt in the pots

So kind of "substreight" but with pots . I can maybe use a wettex cloth maybe to help with excess water if there is a need for it

Ill have a look at those threads you guys suggested and Ill ask the builder if there would be a smart way to do the drainage . Drilling in the glass might make it crack and I would need to have a bucket under the terrarium then

thanks for the help so far . Might bump the thread again if I need some more advice

 

[Lathis]

Good luck!

 

[brownie64]

Yes Good luck!