Any recommendations?

[joeychameleon]

Hi I’m Joey and I’m 9. I’m new to Chamaeleon ownership.

With my Dad I set up this new enclosure yesterday and my Panther Chameleon (Leon) seems happy in there. We think he’s about 7-9 months old.

We hope to add a few more plants and smaller branches in the next few days as we know it needs more of those so he can hide away and have more to climb on.

But we also have a few questions we thought we might ask you experts…

1. We have an Arcadia 24W ProT5 14% light that is 55cm long:

a. Do we need another UVB light for the other half of the enclosure? Or should we have a longer one over it all? One longer one seems a waste as much of it would shine on the black central plastic bit on the roof, so that light would not enter the enclosure!
b. Is there a light we can connect to this, to add a plant growing light as the enclosure is in a shady area of the house?

2. The enclosure is a Betta Terra Terrarium 100 x 50 x 100cm and has a glass bottom. We seem to have put a lot of weight in it (clay balls, soil, plants etc). Is there any chance we add too much weight and the glass breaks?! We're trying to make it bioactive, so will be adding more plants, soil etc...

Thanks!

 

[IzzyMittens]

I don't have advice, but I wanted to tell you that Leon is handsome! It's great that you and your dad are interested in giving him the best care.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi and welcome! That looks to be about the right age for Leon and he is already a beauty. I love that you’ve got such a great start with natural branches, safe live plants and even bioactive! I do have some constructive feedback for you on improvements you should make. First is that while I love that you’ve got an Arcadia Pro T5 that is long enough for the screened area, the strength is much too high. 14% is used for animals like bearded dragons. For chameleons, we use a 6%. For Leon to have the ideal uvb exposure or level, you then want to place his basking branch about 21cm below his uvb light. It is best to have the uvb and basking lights next to each other, so that as he is basking and getting warm, he is also getting the much needed uvb. I would definitely get a second uvb to cover the other side. For plants, Arcadia has their Jungle Dawn light, which is great and plants love it. One of the benefits of Arcadia is that all of these lights can daisy chain into each other so you won’t have three separate things to plug in.
You want a basking temp of between 26-29c. If your guy is still small enough to walk upside down on the screen top, you’ll want to elevate your lights at least 7c or so to prevent him getting burned.
While I can’t be 100% certain, I don’t think your tank will have any problem holding that weight. I wouldn’t say to try picking it up and moving it without fully supporting the bottom, but just sitting there it should be fine. I have similar glass tanks which are bioactive for my geckos. It may be hidden in the back, but I don’t see any way to manage if there is excessive drainage. Usually we place a tube or pipe thru which the excess fluid can be suctioned out. I also don’t see any leaf litter at all, which your clean up crew will need. It not only provides them moist little living and hiding areas, but is food for them. I like to add a small piece of cork bark for them to hang out under and be protected from my chameleons who are always hunting them for snacks.
I might add another plant or two at least until those already inside grow in more. Pothos is amazing for chameleons and grows fast.
My last bit of feedback is about your enclosure. While the height is ok and the width is good, the depth is a bit shallow. As handsome Leon grows, he will be needing and wanting a bit more space. A nice way to accommodate this, without getting him another enclosure, is to make him a free range area. It can be as simple as setting up some taller plants and maybe some branches in front of a window (they do like to look out at the world). Most like to climb curtains or other window treatments, or whatever else is nearby. Chameleons seek out the highest areas. He would need to be supervised directly, as they do take advantage of being unpatched and quicker than you’d expect can disappear. Also, if you have cats, keep them away or they will grab and kill him. (Dogs too)
I do need to ask what supplements you are using and how often you are using them.

 

[joeychameleon]

I don't have advice, but I wanted to tell you that Leon is handsome! It's great that you and your dad are interested in giving him the best care.

Thank you!

 

[joeychameleon]

Hi and welcome! That looks to be about the right age for Leon and he is already a beauty. I love that you’ve got such a great start with natural branches, safe live plants and even bioactive! I do have some constructive feedback for you on improvements you should make. First is that while I love that you’ve got an Arcadia Pro T5 that is long enough for the screened area, the strength is much too high. 14% is used for animals like bearded dragons. For chameleons, we use a 6%. For Leon to have the ideal uvb exposure or level, you then want to place his basking branch about 21cm below his uvb light. It is best to have the uvb and basking lights next to each other, so that as he is basking and getting warm, he is also getting the much needed uvb. I would definitely get a second uvb to cover the other side. For plants, Arcadia has their Jungle Dawn light, which is great and plants love it. One of the benefits of Arcadia is that all of these lights can daisy chain into each other so you won’t have three separate things to plug in.
You want a basking temp of between 26-29c. If your guy is still small enough to walk upside down on the screen top, you’ll want to elevate your lights at least 7c or so to prevent him getting burned.
While I can’t be 100% certain, I don’t think your tank will have any problem holding that weight. I wouldn’t say to try picking it up and moving it without fully supporting the bottom, but just sitting there it should be fine. I have similar glass tanks which are bioactive for my geckos. It may be hidden in the back, but I don’t see any way to manage if there is excessive drainage. Usually we place a tube or pipe thru which the excess fluid can be suctioned out. I also don’t see any leaf litter at all, which your clean up crew will need. It not only provides them moist little living and hiding areas, but is food for them. I like to add a small piece of cork bark for them to hang out under and be protected from my chameleons who are always hunting them for snacks.
I might add another plant or two at least until those already inside grow in more. Pothos is amazing for chameleons and grows fast.
My last bit of feedback is about your enclosure. While the height is ok and the width is good, the depth is a bit shallow. As handsome Leon grows, he will be needing and wanting a bit more space. A nice way to accommodate this, without getting him another enclosure, is to make him a free range area. It can be as simple as setting up some taller plants and maybe some branches in front of a window (they do like to look out at the world). Most like to climb curtains or other window treatments, or whatever else is nearby. Chameleons seek out the highest areas. He would need to be supervised directly, as they do take advantage of being unpatched and quicker than you’d expect can disappear. Also, if you have cats, keep them away or they will grab and kill him. (Dogs too)
I do need to ask what supplements you are using and how often you are using them.

Thank you for your detailed comments on the lighting - we'll look into this!

We are adding a few new (bigger) plants today, which hopefully will give him some new hiding places! We'll then be able to add the leaf litter layer. We don't have a drainage tube, but will look at adding one if the clay balls start to get flooded.

Next on the list, is a secondary area in my bedroom with some plants in on old tall bookcase - hopefully that will give him the added space he needs as he grows!

We're adding calcium to the bugs once or twice a week, but no other supplements yet - is there anything specific?

Thanks for all the help!

J

 

[nightanole]

Leon has nowhere to hide. Having a "pet tree" setup is perfectly fine, but as of right now playing fine the chameleon is impossible.

As for lightning. Im mixed. You have a very highoutput bulb, in a very short tank. But its only on one side of the tank. I would make sure he cant get within 15cm of the bulb, as its not a recommended 6% T5HO and you dont have a meter. Honestly if i were you i would run the setup as is for a year, and then get another kit (you can daisy chain them) and get both bulbs at 6%. That would get you the standard chameleon setup of the entire top at 6%.

As for too much weight, nah, remember that bottom is meant to hold 40l of water. And since that is not freedom units, thats 40kg. I dont think you have a smalll persons worth of gravel weight in the tank.

 

[MissSkittles]

Thank you for your detailed comments on the lighting - we'll look into this!

We are adding a few new (bigger) plants today, which hopefully will give him some new hiding places! We'll then be able to add the leaf litter layer. We don't have a drainage tube, but will look at adding one if the clay balls start to get flooded.

Next on the list, is a secondary area in my bedroom with some plants in on old tall bookcase - hopefully that will give him the added space he needs as he grows!

We're adding calcium to the bugs once or twice a week, but no other supplements yet - is there anything specific?

Thanks for all the help!

J

Excellent! Your isopods will definitely appreciate the leaf litter.
For supplements you want to use a phosphorus-free calcium without D3 at every feeding. Then I recommend a combination D3 and multivitamin like Repashy Calcium Plus LoD or ReptiVite with D3. You’ll use that for one feeding every other week. These two formulas are preferred over others because they have preformed vitamin A, which we know chameleons can fully utilize, as opposed to the proformed type of A. If you can get the Repashy, that one is better than the ReptiVite, but either works well. I’m adding pics.
You most definitely need to get on the uvb lighting asap. With a 6% bulb at about 21 cm above the basking area, the UVI is ideal at around 3.0. With the 14% at the same distance, you are looking at a UVI of around 7.0, which is way way too high and poses some risks for him. If you can’t get the 6% just yet, do as @nightanole said and raise your uvb light at least 25-30 cm above your screen top. This is a great help to understanding UVB basics, chameleon needs and placement. The charts are in inches, so you’ll have to convert to cm, but they demonstrate it very well. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-cage-set-up-replicating-the-sun/