Bit worried now
- Thread starter Shaunny
- Start date
Psychobunny
Avid Member
I would go with the high output T5 UVB with the fixture from Arcadia.
They are very high quality, and a lot brighter then a Reptisun tube bulb.
Besides, you are in the UK, so maybe you can get them cheaper then us
in the USA.
They are very high quality, and a lot brighter then a Reptisun tube bulb.
Besides, you are in the UK, so maybe you can get them cheaper then us
in the USA.
Tazjunky
Member
I would definately have the uv source at a different part of the cage. My uv sits near the front and my basking light points to the back corner so the Cham can regulate when it gets heat and when it gets uv.
Good news on the t5! I personally don't use any other lighting, not even for the plants as they go wild even with the one t5 tube. What ever you do, don't be tempted to get a 12% tube for the canopy! I have a few friends that have had major problems when using the higher uv.
You definately want a branch 10-12" under the uv light. I have my branch diagonally so that's its closer to the uv at one end. So that he can get closer if he needs to.
I personally wouldn't put a heater in with your mistking, you run the risk of legionella. Even if you did heat the mistking, the spray is so fine that it would drop to room temp as soon as it started spraying.
Don't worry about blacking out the plastic sheeting. Iv never done it on any of my cages.
Good news on the t5! I personally don't use any other lighting, not even for the plants as they go wild even with the one t5 tube. What ever you do, don't be tempted to get a 12% tube for the canopy! I have a few friends that have had major problems when using the higher uv.
You definately want a branch 10-12" under the uv light. I have my branch diagonally so that's its closer to the uv at one end. So that he can get closer if he needs to.
I personally wouldn't put a heater in with your mistking, you run the risk of legionella. Even if you did heat the mistking, the spray is so fine that it would drop to room temp as soon as it started spraying.
Don't worry about blacking out the plastic sheeting. Iv never done it on any of my cages.
Shaunny
Member
Cheers mate. So why is he black then lol I'm hoping the new uv will help but other than that I have no idea what's going on. All I know is he loves coming out I'm moving him from where he is to the opposite corner away from the window so maybe that's the problem. Do you have your polycarbonate inside or out?
teejayteej
New Member
I have just now read this thread and caught up on your situation. I had a thought when I looked at the picture of you cage, the plastic seems to have a glare on it. Could it be that at the top of the cage where he get full light the light pulse the glare hurts his eyes. Remember what it feels like when you have been out where it is so bright, it cane even be bright enough to give you a headache if you are out in it to long with our sunglasses. You said that when he moves lower and out of the direct light he lightens up, so this would be when he moves to the shade. maybe you can get some type of stick on jungle patten design to put on the plastic, see it that helps cut the glare down.
well it was just a thought ... hope you can figure it out for the little guy
well it was just a thought ... hope you can figure it out for the little guy
Shaunny
Member
So after a busy weekend I have made a few changes!
We moved him from near the window so I'm hoping this will help with the temps etc.
Secondly I went and covered the plastic with a dark wood effect sticky plastic which has helped massively with the glare and slight reflection.
Let's see if the above 2 make a difference
I haven't got the lights yet as all the arcadia reps were at a big aqua show last week so all deliverys were delayed. I should be wither getting it today or tomorrow at the latest. I did notice when feeding him the other day that he was looking at the uv tube a lot. The guy at the pet shop said that its possible the tube has gone and the pulse which we can't see but the Cham can could be affecting him. It was just a bit odd that he was looking at it a lot and not me
We moved him from near the window so I'm hoping this will help with the temps etc.
Secondly I went and covered the plastic with a dark wood effect sticky plastic which has helped massively with the glare and slight reflection.
Let's see if the above 2 make a difference
I haven't got the lights yet as all the arcadia reps were at a big aqua show last week so all deliverys were delayed. I should be wither getting it today or tomorrow at the latest. I did notice when feeding him the other day that he was looking at the uv tube a lot. The guy at the pet shop said that its possible the tube has gone and the pulse which we can't see but the Cham can could be affecting him. It was just a bit odd that he was looking at it a lot and not me
after looking over this thread im gonna suggest you try a few things.
First your cage is too dark, the bottom should have more ambient light in it, since you have solid sides your gonna have to come up with a way to get more light down there and have it look natural, can you cut off say 4 inches or so around the bottom and screen it in instead? use something like an led lighting strip around the perimeter of the bottom of the cage, secondly reconfigure your pothos so that its covering more of the ceiling of the cage, leave an open area in the middle where he can walk from branch to branch without running into anything but it still covers his body from the top as he walks.
second, remove that feeding dish, take it out completely and see how he reacts to it, that thing freaks me out even with the bright green color, could be confusing to him.
third, are you able to get a portable room heater? electric that you just plug in and blows warm air. Try that and blow it into the bottom of the cage area see if that makes any change.
after you do all that, if there is still no change (it should be pretty apparent within an hour or two) then i would say try unplugging your uv bulb and just have the basking lights on.
give those ideas a shot and see what happens
First your cage is too dark, the bottom should have more ambient light in it, since you have solid sides your gonna have to come up with a way to get more light down there and have it look natural, can you cut off say 4 inches or so around the bottom and screen it in instead? use something like an led lighting strip around the perimeter of the bottom of the cage, secondly reconfigure your pothos so that its covering more of the ceiling of the cage, leave an open area in the middle where he can walk from branch to branch without running into anything but it still covers his body from the top as he walks.
second, remove that feeding dish, take it out completely and see how he reacts to it, that thing freaks me out even with the bright green color, could be confusing to him.
third, are you able to get a portable room heater? electric that you just plug in and blows warm air. Try that and blow it into the bottom of the cage area see if that makes any change.
after you do all that, if there is still no change (it should be pretty apparent within an hour or two) then i would say try unplugging your uv bulb and just have the basking lights on.
give those ideas a shot and see what happens
Shaunny
Member
Thanks!
So if I was to hang the pothos about 6" from the top and trail it around the outside, moving it down slightly as it goes around on a vine and have vines under and above also for shade and basking/uv exposure?
I have tried the uv off for about 4-6 hours and that made no difference. I'm getting a natural sunlight bulb for the old T8 system I had in there which should also help with light. As the pothos is fairly big should I do away with the ficus that's in there or even get another pothos to do the other side of the one I have?
So if I was to hang the pothos about 6" from the top and trail it around the outside, moving it down slightly as it goes around on a vine and have vines under and above also for shade and basking/uv exposure?
I have tried the uv off for about 4-6 hours and that made no difference. I'm getting a natural sunlight bulb for the old T8 system I had in there which should also help with light. As the pothos is fairly big should I do away with the ficus that's in there or even get another pothos to do the other side of the one I have?
i would have the pothos squished right up against the roof of the enclosure, not like pinching tight but enough that it will stay up there at the ceiling, pothos is really strong it will reaccustom itself to being up there. You essentially wanna make a bubble of plants that surround him, not so much that it suffocates him and makes him feel trapped, but so it acts a good cover and has certain spots he can hide under, dont wrap the pothos around the vines he walks on, suspend it overhead so he can walk unobstructed through the entire cage. is it warm during the day in the sun where you live? or can you sit infront of a sunny window and feel the heat coming through your clothing? if so then try taking him out of the cage and let him sit on your hand in the sun, if he starts changing color then you know forsure its his enclosure. right now my guy is sitting on a vine in the window and hes super bright cause its so warm.
its hard to say because depending on the lightbulb that heat wont make it down far enough.
i use halogen spotlights meant for the square accent lights in houses, it has a spotlight beam so the heat will make its way straight down to the bottom vs a flood light that just spreads itself out and the majority of the heat goes up through the bulb housing and out. Im positive your guy just doesnt have the right balance of space and temp. take him out of the cage right now and let him sit on your hand, what does he do?
Shaunny
Member
I didn't get time to do anything tonight as I finished work late.
I'll sort it all on sat. The other half said he was wondering around and climbing all over the place (screen etc) a lot today which he doesn't normally do because I think the temps were not hot enough. When I got home the temps in the middle of the cage were 75.2 so it have gone up a lot since getting the new halogen.
I know that when he comes out he turns bright green with blue ish bars but I'm sure he should be brighter and more colourful at 6.5 months. Bit like when he sleeps he has reds yellows whites greens and blues. I'm in the uk so the temp right now is crap (55-60 no sun and rain lol) so that's not an option. Like I said before when he is out he will wonder all over the place, from sofa to sofa crossing the floor, all over us and he isn't even bothered by the dog
I'll sort it all on sat. The other half said he was wondering around and climbing all over the place (screen etc) a lot today which he doesn't normally do because I think the temps were not hot enough. When I got home the temps in the middle of the cage were 75.2 so it have gone up a lot since getting the new halogen.
I know that when he comes out he turns bright green with blue ish bars but I'm sure he should be brighter and more colourful at 6.5 months. Bit like when he sleeps he has reds yellows whites greens and blues. I'm in the uk so the temp right now is crap (55-60 no sun and rain lol) so that's not an option. Like I said before when he is out he will wonder all over the place, from sofa to sofa crossing the floor, all over us and he isn't even bothered by the dog
yeah then he definitely isn't digging his enclosure. if hes getting more colorful when hes out then hes happy being out of it, hes just not superbright because he isnt that old yet. mine is always that yellowish/white/red color you see when he sleeps, thats his content color ive determined. Start off by removing everything out of the cage, setup your fake vines so its highest point is 8-10 inches from the ceiling (or just far enough so he isnt getting "sunburnt" by the lighting. once you have your top height set start winding the fake vines down towards the bottoms of the cage, make sure every 8 inches or so he has a place he can hang out, or just chill (you will probably have to buy some more vines) and stop so the bottom of the fake vines are 8 inches off the floor of the cage so he cant get to the bottom. i would remove the smaller plant for now as it just seems to make it more cluttered and doesnt really provide any cover. I would look into a plant with long stems that he can climb onto, i personally have an "Umbrella Plant" in my enclosure, the leaves are extremely hardy and the stalks are nice and stiff so my cham can hang off them fully with no worries. I dont know if these are hard to find in the uk i attached a picture at the bottom of what it looks like.
its kinda hard to explain how to hang the pothos in there, but just think of yourself as a little cham in the big cage, you want to have a nice space to chill, and be under cover of the rainforest, put yourself in his shoes
do your best to make it sheltered and at the same time following his fake vines overhead. and i would get some sort of screening to cover the base of your plants because if its open they could possibly eat the dirt in there, i keep all my vines up away from the bottom of the enclosure and it for the most part keeps them away from there, i still have window screening covering the pot.
btw this is a smaller plant, here in canada you can find these in many different sizes, with the bigger ones being anywhere from this size to 5+ feet tall.
