Anything else I’m going to need?? What I’ve bought so far for my Jackson’s chameleon

[Lindasjackson]

Things I’ve bought so far
reptibreeze XL enclosure
sansi plant light
arcadia 6% uvb
60 watt basking light
govee temp/humidity gage
little dripper
mist king starter set
umbrella plant
pothos plant
branches
a few silk plants
Is there anything else I need?

 

[leedragon]

an Ac would be goos, life plants aswell.

 

[Lindasjackson]

I have an ac and live plants

 

[leedragon]

I have an ac and live plants

then you are set, + calcium phosphor free and d3 fee and feeders.

 

[Lindasjackson]

I have those to so I guess I’m set. Thank you!

 

[Lindasjackson]

Back in the day when I first kept Jackson’s I used to use an IV bag I rinsed out and cut a slit in the top along with an old IV pole and I used it for a dripper for my Cham. I don’t like this very unreliable little dripper, give me an iv bag with tubing any day!! The little dripper drips for awhile then stops or it just flows a stream of water! You can’t regulate it! I bought an IV line with a roller clamp on Amazon that I’m hoping I can replace the little dripper tube with. I got the idea from another person on here that did this. Can’t remember their name.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Things I’ve bought so far
reptibreeze XL enclosure
sansi plant light
arcadia 6% uvb
60 watt basking light

Aim your basking light (basking site) under the Sansi plant light. Wattage may vary—it's trial & error—depending on distance, angle, ambient temp.
The Govee may not help much here because it doesn't have a probe to accurately measure basking temperature at the basking site/zone.

govee temp/humidity gage

If you can, shield the Govee from the mister; dampness can throw off the readings.

little dripper
mist king starter set

A dripper may be redundant with a mister, but it won't hurt anything. I have my mister go off briefly at noon to provide additional drinking water. My panther anticipates it, and sometimes comes out to shower in it.

umbrella plant
pothos plant
branches
a few silk plants
Is there anything else I need?

I'd replace the silk plants with more live plants. Live plants help increase and maintain humidity, and IME are easier to clean off of. The texture of silk plants may harbor bacteria & other nasties.

 

[Lindasjackson]

I get my new Bigger reptibreeze on Tuesday so I’m planning to make some changes then. I haven’t gotten my mist king yet. How much water do those things accumulate in the bottom of the cage or in a drainage system, is it a lot if you have it go off twice a night for a minute or two?

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I get my new Bigger reptibreeze on Tuesday so I’m planning to make some changes then. I haven’t gotten my mist king yet. How much water do those things accumulate in the bottom of the cage or in a drainage system, is it a lot if you have it go off twice a night for a minute or two?

It depends on length of sessions, number of sessions, amount of foliage, size of enclosure, whether you use a fogger, possibly other variables.

I run 2 min. sessions, because that's how long it takes for everything to get wet. Any more just runs down the drain & gets wasted. I run 6 sessions per day @ 6am, noon, 6pm, 9pm, midnight, and 3am. With my 48" wide enclosure, this goes through 3.5 gallons of distilled water per week, and I empty 2.5 gallons per month from the drain bucket, so very little waste—2.5 out of 15 gal. or ~17%

Each installation will be different.

 

[Lindasjackson]

Thanks. I’m still trying to figure out a drainage system that will work. I’m not very handy with tools and I live in a senior apartment with carpet that I don’t want to get wet!

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Have you reviewed the Drainage Thread?
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/drainage-systems-for-cages-get-creative.102038/

 

[Lindasjackson]

Yes, I’m still just not sure since I’m not handy with tools and cutting holes etc. I think I need to get something to make legs for my reptibreeze XL that gets here Tuesday then I’ll have to get a large tub to put it in. I’ll have to use a turkey baster to remove the water from the tub and put in pail to dump it out. I have a shower curtain to put around it to.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

You can get an aftermarket drain pan w/ drain connection in plastic or metal.
Something a little larger than the actual dimensions of the reptibreeze. Should be able to drain straight into a bucket—much easier than turkey baster.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=24+x+24+drain+pan

An enclosure should be up off the floor anyway, so that the basking site is at or above eye level if possible. If you're near an Ikea, they may have something, or Craigslist, etc.

 

[PlanetRemulak]

Yes, I’m still just not sure since I’m not handy with tools and cutting holes etc. I think I need to get something to make legs for my reptibreeze XL that gets here Tuesday then I’ll have to get a large tub to put it in. I’ll have to use a turkey baster to remove the water from the tub and put in pail to dump it out. I have a shower curtain to put around it to.

I think you having to rely on drainage using a turkey baster will get cumbersome (and messy). I too racked my brain over drainage ideas for the Reptibreeze XL cage. Here is what I ended up deciding on and wanted to share it with you:

Like you, I’m not very handy with tools and cutting holes. I saw that some were drilling holes into their Dragon Strand drainage trays and installing bulkheads in them, but I wouldn’t have any idea how to go about doing that myself (and not totally screw it up). I looked into washing machine and air conditioner condensate drainage trays, and for us not so handy types I think they are a great solution. Most of these trays come with a bulkhead attached, including the one I‘ll be linking you to here:

https://www.supplyhouse.com/Diversi...ndensate-Drain-Pan-28-x-28-Overall-Dimensions

You don’t have to be handy with tools for this part! Poke or drill some holes into the bottom plate of the Reptibreeze cage (@Gingero over at Neptune the Chameleon on YouTube drilled small holes into the center of Neptune’s cage bottom for this same purpose. I know it’s visible in a couple of videos, but I can’t remember which sorry about that!). Place your larger potted plants near drain holes. The weight of the potted plants should create enough of a dip in the cage bottom that gravity will cause excess water to flow toward holes you drilled and drain out into the tray below. You’ll also want to have your cage elevated above the water in your condensate drainage tray. I’ll be using plastic appliance risers for this:

https://www.amazon.com/Anti-vibrati...ywords=appliance+risers&qid=1624823179&sr=8-3

Get some cheap tubing and a bucket from the hardware store, run the tube through the bulkhead attachment already installed in the tray above and have that tube run into your bucket. To get everything to drain into the bucket and avoid standing water in the tray, you can place a 1/4“ thick piece of wood beneath the two back corners of the condensate tray at the bottom. This will elevate the drainage tray and cage above it forward or backward slightly (that depends on whether you want the bulkhead in the tray to drain from behind or in front), but it shouldn’t be noticeable and your cham won’t mind (these aren’t my ideas, by the way! I dug through old threads on this forum trying to come up with ideas for drainage.)

Hope this helps!

 

[ERKleRose]

Here's a great thread about drainage for inspiration, too!
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/drainage-systems-for-cages-get-creative.102038/

 

[Lindasjackson]

Planet Remulak Thank you so so much!! That looks like it would be awesome and inexpensive! Have you tried this yet on your enclosure? If so did it work well?

 

[Lindasjackson]

I looked at all the examples in the link you provided ErkleRose. I just haven’t decided what I’m going to do yet but Planet Remulaks sounds a whole lot easier.

 

[JacksJill]

You may need an ultrasonic cool mist humidifier to boost your overnight humidity.

 

[Lindasjackson]

I’ve been thinking about that. I have had some trouble getting the humidity up high enough at night. I’ve seen some people connect a hose to the humidifier and pipe it right into the enclosure! Can you get an ultrasonic humidifier at wal mart or does it have to be a specialty place?

 

[JacksJill]

That is what I do. I run PVC with a dozen holes pointed down across the top of the cages.