Future Chameleon Owner

[Madagas]

Hello all,

I have been lurking for a while now and have been slowly setting up my chameleon cage. I wanted to post some pictures so some of the experienced keepers on here can let me know if I have set everything up correctly. I recently attended the NY Reptile Expo and picked up the last sets of vines and some bars to act as basking spots. It was tough to hold off on purchasing the cham as well but my goal is to do this right. I have pictures of the set up with and without the Ficus because with the Ficus in it is tough to tell vine placement. I also have plexi glass cut to size and will be attaching that to the back and sides of the enclosure to keep the humidity up. The cage itself is 18 by 18 by 36 so I would be going with either a smaller chameleon species (carpet) or a younger Panther to start and then upgrade to a larger cage. There are two sticks all the way at the bottom so if the Cham ends up on the ground it can get back up. I have a little dripper that will go on top but may pick up a misting system. The bottom is drilled to allow for drainage. For lighting I have a zoo med reptisun 5.0 UVB tube and a 100 watt repti basking spot lamp. This puts the basking spot at about 90 degrees. I also have a ceramic heat emitter for night time so there can be heat but no lights at night.
Let me know your thoughts.

 

[symphonica]

On behalf of your future cham, thank you for doing your research and putting in the time to prepare beforehand.

You won't need a ceramic heat emitter unless your house gets below 50-55 at night. They actually need about a 10-degree drop at night to help them rest.

I'm glad you got the T8 tube instead of coiled bulb for UVB. And ReptiSun is much better than ReptiGlo, so kudos to you.

acrylic on sides to maintain humidity is a good idea. Just make sure that your enclosure is drying out completely in between mistings, and make sure that it drops to 40-50%. Constant, elevated moisture can cause respiratory infections. They need period of dryness throughout.

Vines and ficus look good to me. You just want to make sure that they can get to every spot of the cage without having to climb on the screen of the cage - top, bottom, left, right, corners. My only suggestion is to get a weaker heating bulb, maybe about 60W, and bringing the top vines up closer to the top of the tank. They have a tendency to want to go to the highest point, and he may end up hanging upside down from the top screen of the cage. You want to make sure that if he does that, he doesn't burn himself with the light. 90-degrees would be too warm for babies and some species.

 

[Madagas]

Thank you, some of my vines had shoots that I didn't attach yet so I will bring them up to the top. I'll also get a 60 watt bulb instead. If anyone else has comments I would love to hear them.