Baby panther enclosure vs adult accommodations.

[Nyarlahotep]

Hey, all. Novice here trying to get a handle on what would be the smart way to go about this.

I'm planning on getting a baby panther chameleon when the weather improves. I've read a decent amount on what's needed and have a good idea of what the adult enclosure should look like.

My confusion comes from setting up the baby. I intend to use a live ficus and some pothos in the adult enclosure. That said, seeing that the 3-month old enclosure will be significantly smaller, perhaps it would be better to go with artificial foliage until the cham is larger? It seem like it would be easier to clean and work around in a small cage.

Also, as for providing humidity, I've been checking out misting systems and humidifiers. I intend to get one of the nicer ones for the permanent cage. Would it be overkill to have it in the 3-month old cage? Currently, I have a hardware store drop humidifier and a zoo-med fogger on hand. Perhaps I could use them until it's time to make the move?

I know that these may seem like odd questions. I have no problem going with live plants or higher end humidity systems from the get-go. I have plenty of time to gather what I need and test it. I suppose what I'm asking is whether it would benefit my cham to keep things simpler for the temporary grow-up cage.

 

[Jordyt]

Hey, all. Novice here trying to get a handle on what would be the smart way to go about this.

I'm planning on getting a baby panther chameleon when the weather improves. I've read a decent amount on what's needed and have a good idea of what the adult enclosure should look like.

My confusion comes from setting up the baby. I intend to use a live ficus and some pothos in the adult enclosure. That said, seeing that the 3-month old enclosure will be significantly smaller, perhaps it would be better to go with artificial foliage until the cham is larger? It seem like it would be easier to clean and work around in a small cage.

Also, as for providing humidity, I've been checking out misting systems and humidifiers. I intend to get one of the nicer ones for the permanent cage. Would it be overkill to have it in the 3-month old cage? Currently, I have a hardware store drop humidifier and a zoo-med fogger on hand. Perhaps I could use them until it's time to make the move?

I know that these may seem like odd questions. I have no problem going with live plants or higher end humidity systems from the get-go. I have plenty of time to gather what I need and test it. I suppose what I'm asking is whether it would benefit my cham to keep things simpler for the temporary grow-up cage.

Hey,


I am about to transfer my nine month old panther from her juvenile enclosed to her adult setup.

I set up my mistking in the juvenile cage (16x16x30), it worked great in a mesh cage. It was easy to transfer it to the adult cage. Foggers can be use but you will still need to hand mist, so it it's your call.

I think for plants the rule of thumb is it is better to get a smaller plant and let it grow into your enclosure. So transferring your plant over from the juvenile cage to the adult cage should be no big deal. I am currently doing that with my ficus. Live plants are still very easy to clean so I wouldn't worry about that. Avoid fake plants if you can.

Your questions were not odd at all! Welcome to the forum and let me know if you have anything further.

 

[NHenn]

Welcome to the forums!

Sounds like you have a handle on what you will need and I agree with Jordyt's answers. I recommend MistKing over a Fogger as well. It will not only help with humidity but will also give water to your panther and your plants.

As for fake and real, why not try a mix and see what you and your chameleon like. Place in a few live plants and if you need more foliage add some fake plants.

What size cages are you planning on getting?

 

[foshizzle11]

I am completely new to owning a chameleon and we didn't go the route of having a smaller enclosure for our baby chameleon and he seems to be thriving.

Why have a small enclosure, what is the benefit of this??

Sorry if I have high jacked your thread.

 

[Nyarlahotep]

As for size, I was going to go with the smaller repti-breeze screen cage to start off.

For an adult cage, I was considering building my own. I'd like to go bigger than what I see commercially available, and I'd also like to have both an indoor and outdoor enclosure.

Why start small? Don't know. It seems to me that it would be much easier for the juvies to find their food in a smaller enclosure. Once I get a bit of experience under my belt, perhaps I'd go straight to the big one. I'm all for following conventional wisdom right now.