4ft tall cage

[owowsedthecow]

I'm getting a 2 month old panther chameleon in a few weeks and I have 4ft cage. Is this too bog for him? If I cup feed is he going to be ok? Will I run into any problems and/or put my baby's life at risk? If I have to raise it any tips on how to?

 

[snipeusa14]

Ive done the same

i did the same with my tamatave juvi when he was a baby and he did well just provide alot of vines so he climbs around,aslong as you cup feed him/her you should be fine







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2.0 Tamatave panther 1.0 Jackson 0.1 beardy

 

[chrisw]

cage

The cage is probably too large - but most people don't want to buy several cages to migrate their chams through as they get bigger. A good solution is to raise the floor and then continuously lower it as the cham grows. Most of the screen cages have a rigid vinyl floor that can be pulled out. If your cage is a 4 x 2 x2 then just raise the floor up 2 feet by sitting the vinyl floor on a big flower pot - or an old milk crate...whatever. As long as it is stable. Works great - I've been doing it for years. As the cham grows lower the floor by putting smaller and smaller objects under it. Eventually, you have a full grown cham in a 4 x 2 x 2 and you only bought one cage. Hope that makes sense - i can post a pic if it doesn't.

 

[owowsedthecow]

yes thanks that makes perfect sense! im getting my chameleon from screameleons and they told me my baby wouldnt survive in a cage this big and its kinda scared me. this is my first chameleon and i want to make sure ive got everything down. ive been preparing for this guy for awhile now this forum has helped alot. =)

 

[franticurchin]

they are a little over dramatic my cham is doing fine just got him a week ago and he loves the space. i even just drop the crickets in the cage. mind you it is only a 18x18x36 but they said that he wouldnt be ok and he is thriving my only problem is he is only eating about 7 feeders a day so i might start cup feeding him so he has no prob finding them. although that dosent seem to be a prob cause he will corner 7 at a time and only eat one or two so i think he is eating all that he wants anyway

 

[chrisw]

cage

Vince at Screameleons is great and has an awesome product. He lives in my area so I've bought a few chams from him. Since he has raised about 4 jillion chams - he probably has some good advice! The biggest concerns about a large cage are probably just making sure that your cham can find the small food that you'll need to give him, that he gets warm enough and that he gets enough water. You can raise the bottom of your 4ft up 2 feet and keep him in basically a 2x2x2 for three or 4 months. Then lower. Of course - cup feeding will solve some of the issues of finding food. Make sure that your basking bulb is only about a 60watt (possibly less - watch your temps)if you are going to shrink your cage down though because he won't have much room to escape the hotter temps. Don't get too worried - in all honesty, chams are not as fragile as you might think reading thru forum posts. Recommend doing a lot of your own observations and try and learn what your cham likes and doesn't like about the way YOU are keeping him. Where does he bask? For how long? Based on that does it make sense to get a more powerful light bulb or less powerful? Does he seem to really need a lot of water or does he only drink in the morning and then run from water every other time? What food does he like most? What size food? He is your cham so use the forums as a guideline and then do what he seems to like the most. My personal advice is don't try to hold him a lot - or at all. I never hold mine but others do. If every time he sees you he thinks that you are going to grab him out of his cage - he might have a different relationship with you. When they are small, try to get them to take small crickets from your hand or from a small cup that you are holding. Just be quiet and still. Trust me - once your cham sees you as a non-threatening food source he will run to the cage door every time you show up. I feed all my chams by letting them take crickets from a cup that I hold. Makes them come nice and close without being too threatening. They'll eat from my hand as well. I also have a cup in each cage that I let them feed from which works great when i go on vacation because my cham babysitter can just dump crickets into the feed cup. Just ideas to think about - read forums and steal all the ideas that sound good then keep the ones that work best at your house.

 

[owowsedthecow]

thanks chris youre advice was really helpful! since im getting my baby in a few weeks i feel like im a chicken running around with no head trying to make sure ive got everything i need and know all i need to know to keep this cham alive. i found something to raise it up one foot but i still feel i should raise it higher so im gonna try and find something else a little bit taller.

 

[swordfish1030]

Don't worry about the cage being too big, it's a myth..
If you are cup feeding and the Cham is eating and drinking ok you are fine.
Fill it with safe plants and lots of secure safe vines for getting around and you will be ok.

Imagine in the wild where they live. Do you think they stay in a 2x2x4 section?

Just make sure they are getting food and water.

 

[chamzilla91]

That is my exact thoughts swordfish, they don't need a smaller environment out in the wild so why would they in captivity lol. But again, cup/handfeeding while they are still small and while they are grown is a great way to make sure your baby is eating right and possibly a good way to build a positive relationship. Just have plenty of vines that are going different angles and are different widths. Also I have a schefflera arboricola plant in my veileds cage and it is good for keeping humidity up and gives good foliage and hiding spots for her. Kinda put yourself in her place while setting up your vines ect. Because they are how they get around so try and make "paths" that they can go through that reach throughout the whole enclosure. Hope that helps at all

 

[owowsedthecow]

well i found a way to raise it which now makes the cage 24x24x30 now i need to try and keep the humidity up. i dont have the chameleon yet but thought it would be a good idea to get a feel for the temps and humidity and i have to admit im glad i did because i wanna get all this stuff figured out before my baby arrives. i have a weeping ficus a pothos about 3 small fake plants and a little fogger going and so far the humidity seems to be at about 50%. i was thinking about using cage carpet at the bottom or maybe some kind of cloth like a towel to help keep the humidity up and to catch a little bit of the water. any other good ideas?

 

[chrisw]

cage

Just let the soil in the plants help with humidity. I don't think substrate is worth the risk. All my chams do fine and I can never get the humidity up too high. Unfortunately, the air conditioning in your house is designed to remove humidity so it is always a struggle to keep humidity high - most people use misters (like Mist King - I have two) hourly but your fogger will help. 50% is not that unusual Some people, me included, use plastic sheeting on the outside of their cage to hold some humidity. I line three sides of my cages with black plastic on the outside leaving the front uncovered. I use a bit thicker plastic but you could cut a heavy trash bag too. Allows air circulation, holds some humidity and keeps mist or water from getting out. I leave the plastic about an inch or two short in the back to allow for a little more cool air to draw in from the bottom. I still think shrinking down your cage is the right approach. It just allows you to control the environment a little better and be sure that your cham is eating. True that the chams in the wild don't live in small areas but a lot of young chams die in the wild which is why chams lay a ton of eggs. Not hard to shrink things down for a few months so why not do it.