British chameleon virgin

[Kirk]

Hi there, I am in the process of getting my first chameleon (panther) and just wanted your opinion on a few things. First off, i have done what i think is enough research as to the care of chameleons, looking through topics on these forums and reading through this blog's archive http://chamworld.blogspot.com/
However, I feel that the fact i live just outside London with its colder climate may restrict how i house him.
All of my local pet stores are saying that a vivarium similar to this: http://www.paraquatics.co.uk/media/CHAMELEON_viv_sm.jpg would be my best bet with a dripper, UVB light, basking light and a heat mat. My concern is that the light would have to stay inside the housing (big NO from what I have heard online) and ventilation would be a worry.

The best solution in my eyes is to buy a mesh terrarium and set it up the way I have seen on these forums, but add a heat pad, mainly to balance out the perhaps too significant temperature drop of an evening.

Hoping your comments will put my fears at rest!

 

[Olimpia]

Welcome!

We have several members from places like Canada, Germany, and the UK that successfully keep chams despite the weather, so you are not alone! If you like the cage that the store is recommending you could cut out the top and install mesh instead, OR, perhaps even try building your own. It's really not that hard, if you think you have the skills for it.

A screen cage would also work and then to maintain heat/humidity you could cover the back three sides in plastic (like painter's plastic or shower curtain) and this will trap in the warmth and humidity better.

With either option you will not need a heat pad. If the house temps fall below ~16-18*C you can use a ceramic heat emitter instead, which produces heat but no light. But chameleons can tolerate and actually do better with cooler night temperatures. In the winter here, since they're mild compared to other places, I'll actually keep my cham room window open a crack so the room cools down to about 19*C, so they really get that nighttime drop.

Hope that helps!