Finally built my new chameleon homes.

[wingsy]

Finally got my little prodjest finished today.I have built a set of vivs for my chameleons which are 7' x 2.5' x 2.5'(2 of them side by side.)
I started off with making a small setup but decided i had to go bigger and this is what i have made.



My male and female seemed to love there new home straight away because i caught them at it after about 2 minutes.

 

[Dean Pulcini]

I like it the only problem I see is lack of ventilation. You might want to cut some round holes in the back wall in strategic places then put some screening over the holes. Just a thought.

 

[Snarfit]

Lighting

I like the enclosure - nice work.

What is the situation with lighting there? I see what looks like a pretty serious basking light, but no full spectrum tube. Most folks here recommend using a Reptisun 5.0 florescent tube or similar, not a CFL though.

I would also be concerned about how close they can get to that bulb - could they get burned?

At any rate - nice work - I know plenty of folks would love to have a set-up like that...

 

[wingsy]

The bulb is a exo-terra sun glow bulb and seems to be out of reach of both of the chams.The neariest branch is around 10" away from the bulb and it is in the centre of the viv so they cant get to it.
They also have a heat tube nearer the floor to give them a ambient temp through the night.

 

[reptilemancan]

The bulb is a exo-terra sun glow bulb and seems to be out of reach of both of the chams.The neariest branch is around 10" away from the bulb and it is in the centre of the viv so they cant get to it.
They also have a heat tube nearer the floor to give them a ambient temp through the night.

looks great well done! how big are the mesurment?

 

[Snarfit]

"The bulb is a exo-terra sun glow bulb..."

Not sure if this is the same type I have heard about, but there are some UV bulbs out there that have been implicated in some serious eye damage in chameleons. Hopefully someone who knows more than me will chime in, but that was my concern - hate to have a great set up like that end with a pair of blind chameleons! As I said, the only ones I KNOW are safe are the long fluorescent tubes like the reptisun 5.0s.

Just another thing to think about, right?

 

[blackbetty]

Are they coexisting together? Seems a little bare at the top too, Id move the plant up 1/2-1 foot if possible (use a bucket or something).. And yea, Id be concerned about the light. It seems like a flood light which I think a few use, but needs a tube 5.0 UVB bulb and it only stretched, I think, up to 6-8 inches..so you would need a branch to run under the UVB in order for it to be practical....and yea, ventilation..Id be afraid of overheating.

Love the color, would go great in my LR.

 

[wingsy]

Cheers for the heads up.
I have heard that they are ok but has anyone got any further info on uv bulbs,As you say dont really want them to go blind.

 

[blackbetty]

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor.htm

Theres the info on Why UVB bulbs are bad (the spiral) I think thats what you are looking for?

 

[wingsy]

They do seem to live together fine at the moment.She tells him straight away when she does'nt want to know and he backs away straight away.
The bulb i am using is a uv solar bulb made by exo-terra and is a 5.0 uvb bulb .it is not a spot light.

 

[blackbetty]

I, and most on here, will tell you that residing together for any cham over 3 months is not a good idea. It will stress the female out greatly (and probably the male too) and there could be bloody battles and possibly death (stress can kill!). I have a pair of Jacksons.. The cages are within sight of each other as I dont have any other open space..so I keep a thin blanket over the side that is viewable to each other.

I do not know anything about solar glow bulbs, but 125 watts is way way too hot for that enclosed space. Do you have any fans going? I use a 67 watt energy saver bulb (same as a 75 watt incandescent) and use fans because it can get in the 90's, and my cages are full screen enclosures.

 

[wingsy]

They dont live together all the time that is why i have built 2 vivs side by side.They only go in toghether for around 3-5 days every 2-3 months.
The bulb isnt that bad really.It has a high temp under the bulb which reaches 94 degs max and the bottom of the viv drops to 72 degs.The viv is 7 foot tall and there is plenty of room for them to move around.
I have'nt got any fans in there at the moment,I am trying to design a good irragation system for them and will place fans where the water drips less.
I have thought about a little more ventilation and i think that the top is going to come off and be replaced with mesh and this will take the bulb higher up aswell,We never seem to find all the problems until we think the vivs are finished.
Thanks for all the good advice tho chaps.ever little bit helps me give my little babies a better life.

 

[blackbetty]

Did you treat the wood? I would be afraid any water would be sucked up and would be a cause for mildew/mold/expansion issues...

I know the Uk is different...

Okay, glad to hear they arent residing together..Just make sure they cant see each other either.

Good luck and great job. Wish my hubs would get off his toosh and get to building me a side by side!

 

[wingsy]

Yes i did treat the wood.
I first painted it with a undercoat and then acoloured coat followed by a pva bon sealer and finally a varnish coat to give it a nice sheen and glimmer.