Enclosure Revamp Questions

[kwengkynator]

Im planning to revamp my enclosure for my male cham. Im moving him to a new 24x48 enclosure / free range. He looks so sad in his cage and each time I take him out and leave him chilling on my potted plants he lights up with light green and all his calm colors. I sometimes see him scratching and digging the corners of his cage and turning really dark to brown until I take him out for a walk in my apartment. After that he calms down and relaxes. That is why I'm very big on free ranging him.

I do have a few question though. I currently have 3 pothos vine 1 large one medium and one small. I plan to hang them from the ceiling. What can I use to hang them from the ceiling drywall?

I also plan to get some clear plastic and wrap it around his enclosure so that incase he decides to jump to the floor (he can be a jumper sometimes) he wont be able to climb the smooth plastic. How tall does it have to be and what kind of plastic are recommended? Are they safe?

Also Im thinking of providing better lighting for his new enclosure. I have the basic stuff right now, thinking of getting a nice fluorescent light something along the lines. Any recommendations?

Also with a high number of live plants stuck there and being that his location wont be near a window I need an artificial source of sunlight. Recently got this set http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AKKUZ7I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Any recommendations?

 

[kwengkynator]

Bump... any advice?

 

[addicks]

I can answer the hanging plant question.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_149794-27607-52068_4294612574__?productId=3051107&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNs%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=

 

[mvad]

I would upgrade lighting with a dual or quad fixture from Lightyourreptiles.com. Excellent customer service and my Veiled and plants are very happy. Check out the site and email Todd with any questions. He is prompt with a reply and very knowledgable. I went with a dual 24" T5 HO fixture with Arcadia 6% and 6.5k bulbs. It's crazy nice. I believe people with a lot of vegetation go with the quad fixture and are very happy with it. I should have gotten mine in the first place.

 

[addicks]

I'm gonna go with the quad when I get my 2'X2'X4' set up. I just got my panther and have him in a smaller enclosure.

 

[Venutus1]

Yes-
Using those CFLs is a good idea if you need a dash more light!

The 6.5k daylight screw in CFLs like kwengkynator pointed out are a handy way to boost light levels.

While its not the same as throwing a t5 fixture over the set up by any means,
good quality , high CRI* , 6 - 6.5k daylight cfls in dome fixtures are a good way to add a bit more light with good results.

BRIGHTNESS IS IMPORTANT!

You see, animals can get something like S.A.D, "seasonal affective disorder", when kept away from sunlight and constantly under lighting that is of a poor quality (bad spectrum, wrong "K" number) and also too dim.
Think of how depressed people with SAD get in the winter--
Now..
Imagine yourself as a Chameleon permanently stuck in a cage that is too dim.

Sadly, many reptiles are kept under TOO DIM light.
One 2 foot repti son T8 tube and a 60 watt incandescent bulb are TOO DIM on the average size 24 x 24 x 36/ 48H cham cage.

They do not have to be blasted with light in a bare cage -- that is wrong--
but rather work towards the European light and shade environment & create "patches" of real bright light like they would get on sunny days with strong tropical sunlight streaming down through through the leaves and branches onto them in the wild.

The light and shade method has been used in larger planted Cham habitats in Zoos and in Europe, and it is finally catching on over here.

And using some simple daylight CFLS like the one on the link below can help to achieve that effect!

Cheers!
Todd

side note:
CRI + color rendering index- CFLs with better quality light have higher CRI's and the higher number the better.
BUT don't get that mixed up with the "K" number , as in like "6.5"K".
Real sunlight has a CRI of 100 and the kelvin color temperature of 5.5 - 6.8K...
so that is the gold standard--
To duplicate the Natural day-light for our animals.
Since that is what all life on Earth has evolved under.

Im planning to revamp my enclosure for my male cham. Im moving him to a new 24x48 enclosure / free range. He looks so sad in his cage and each time I take him out and leave him chilling on my potted plants he lights up with light green and all his calm colors. I sometimes see him scratching and digging the corners of his cage and turning really dark to brown until I take him out for a walk in my apartment. After that he calms down and relaxes. That is why I'm very big on free ranging him.

I do have a few question though. I currently have 3 pothos vine 1 large one medium and one small. I plan to hang them from the ceiling. What can I use to hang them from the ceiling drywall?

I also plan to get some clear plastic and wrap it around his enclosure so that incase he decides to jump to the floor (he can be a jumper sometimes) he wont be able to climb the smooth plastic. How tall does it have to be and what kind of plastic are recommended? Are they safe?

Also Im thinking of providing better lighting for his new enclosure. I have the basic stuff right now, thinking of getting a nice fluorescent light something along the lines. Any recommendations?

Also with a high number of live plants stuck there and being that his location wont be near a window I need an artificial source of sunlight. Recently got this set http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AKKUZ7I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Any recommendations?

 

[kwengkynator]

Interesting suggestions!

I really have to look into those quad fixtures! I keep seeing the site lightyourreptiles everyday here seems like it

Seems like a trusted brand. In my case I plan to hand the 3 pothos plant outside of the cage and let it be a free range area for my Cham, Diego. I plant to have a corn plant inside the cage or something along the lines. So basically I need it mounted hanging cover a considerable area. Will that be possible? I have a small apartment and his cage will be positioned in the living room. Will the light overpower the TV lights and be severe during day time watching tv? How long do these lights last? Im really interested in them!

 

[SycoSquirl]

for lighting I highly recomend this, I just ordered mine, it will help live plants so much more to thrive and colors in chams have shown to get pretty close to outdoor colors with this lighting system. Bit pricey but way well worth it for their well being (helps so much with UVB intake)

http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/trblhot524qu1.html

 

[Carlton]

I do have a few question though. I currently have 3 pothos vine 1 large one medium and one small. I plan to hang them from the ceiling. What can I use to hang them from the ceiling drywall?

I also plan to get some clear plastic and wrap it around his enclosure so that incase he decides to jump to the floor (he can be a jumper sometimes) he wont be able to climb the smooth plastic. How tall does it have to be and what kind of plastic are recommended? Are they safe?

To hang plants from the ceiling you will need some sort of a drywall anchor that can hold the weight of each plant. Ideally you could locate a stud or beam and drill directly into that with wood screws, but we all know that studs are never where you need them. Check the hardware store for ceiling hanger hooks with drywall anchors for hanging light fixtures or kitchen pot racks. Drywall anchors usually have some sort of expanding flanges that help disperse the weight. Weigh your plants to make sure you get one sturdy enough. You could also hang your lighting the same way.

To keep your cham from wandering away on the floor you could put a plastic wading pool underneath his free range, but I've also made a barrier out of garden border fencing, a ring of cardboard boxes, indoor dog gates and covered the inside of the barrier with plastic sheeting so he can't get a grip on the barrier. It would only have to be taller than he can reach while standing on his hind legs on the ground.