Glacier Country Viv. Build

[BigSkyCham]

I am building a 36w 18d and 48h glass enclosure for a male panther. My son and I are working on this one together.
We live in northwest Montana where it gets cold in winter and the indoor humidity is usually about 30%.

We are building a planted bioactive vivarium. The chameleon academy resources are guiding our build decisions.

I hope this helps some people that live in a similar northern climate.

I’ll continue to update this thread with our progress. Please ask questions or guidance for us.

The first challenge was learning that the reptizoo flat packed enclosures are made with tempered glass. Making a hole in tempered glass isn’t possible but we pulled it off…well a glass shop did and we paid them royally.

Anyway…some early pics:
The full tank with nothing but a drain hole.

Some building supplies:
Locally sourced and kiln dried sticks, Etsy sourced manzanita, carbonized cork, cork bark, black great stuff and black silicone.

Stay tuned for updates as we build on.

 

[MissSkittles]

I’ll take Words I never thought I’d say for $1000, Alex.
And the answer is, those are some really nice sticks you have.
I was going to ask about ventilation, but see the air duct you crafted and recalled your post about it. Looks like you’ve got a great plan and I’m excited for you to see it all put together.

 

[BigSkyCham]

I’ll take Words I never thought I’d say for $1000, Alex.
And the answer is, those are some really nice sticks you have.
I was going to ask about ventilation, but see the air duct you crafted and recalled your post about it. Looks like you’ve got a great plan and I’m excited for you to see it all put together.

How clumsy or sure footed are chams?

I can get the sander out and smooth out broken ends of branches or sharp points. Is this something I should be concerned about?

 

[MissSkittles]

How clumsy or sure footed are chams?

I can get the sander out and smooth out broken ends of branches or sharp points. Is this something I should be concerned about?

Usually they are quite agile. However, if there are sharp ends or edges to anything, I say to err on the side of caution and sand them down.

 

[Motherlode Chameleon]

That looks to be a great DIY build. I am looking forward to having a look at the enclosure when the DIY enclosure is completed.

I am a big fan of the Springer Spaniel. My family had a great Springer Spaniel named "Buster" when living on our families ranch.

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich

 

[BigSkyCham]

That looks to be a great DIY build. I am looking forward to having a look at the enclosure when the DIY enclosure is completed.

I am a big fan of the Springer Spaniel. My family had a great Springer Spaniel named "Buster" when living on our families ranch.

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich

Rusty is very confused. He really wants to chew on all these nice sticks and doesn’t understand why it’s not allowed.

 

[Carlton]

How clumsy or sure footed are chams?

I can get the sander out and smooth out broken ends of branches or sharp points. Is this something I should be concerned about?

Don't smooth perches too much. Rough surfaces will help keep the tips of your cham's claws worn down a little better and help the pads on their feet & tail find purchase. While very smooth extremely hard perches such as manzanita resist rot and can be easier to clean, they can also be harder for a cham to keep a secure grip on, especially if the perch diameter is larger than the cham's foot. People worry so much about falls, but IME, a healthy cham that falls from the height of that cage shouldn't hurt itself unless it is unfortunate to land in a very odd way. Chams survive falls out of rainforest trees. When I imagine dangerously "sharp" I'm thinking freshly broken glass, metal shards or ragged fiberglass, not broken branch tips. For its size, a cham is very lightweight. It isn't putting significant weight pressure on its feet as it walks around.

 

[BigSkyCham]

Added the vertical branches on the left side today. Also fastened carbonized cork chunks to the coroplast with great stuff. The concern is that silicone doesn’t bond well to coroplast. But great stuff sticks to just about everything. I put hot glue onto the glass areas so the great stuff will have a few items to cling to.

Sharp pokey parts of branches are smoothed out. Left the bark and lichens on the branches.

 

[Jorge1025]

I can't wait to figure out "just what in the world" this post is about.

 

[BigSkyCham]

The hardscape background and support branches are installed. Now it’s time to rinse well and start to lay in the false bottom, drainage layer, and substrate.
My plant collection keeps growing each time I go to the hardware stores.

I’m really excited to set up the misting system and plant.

I also scored a really nice $15 Morion Smoky Quarts crystal for to add to the vibe.

 

[jamest0o0]

Awesome, and building it with your son, even cooler… as a father of two little men, that’s goals for me.

 

[BigSkyCham]

At last….its planting day!!! Now this is way more fun than stinky silicone.

 

[Motherlode Chameleon]

The enclosure looks great! Congratulations.

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich

 

[BigSkyCham]

Planted the tank today!!! We introduced isopods and springtails and started up the mist king.

Next step is to start installing perches and highway branches.

 

[BleuSaphir]

That is looking good!

 

[Motherlode Chameleon]

Your enclosure is looking great!

I am looking forward to having a look at your enclosue with a chameleon climbing on the branches and plants.

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich

 

[GrannyK]

That will be one lucky chameleon I tell you! That is a beautiful enclosure! Nice work

 

[BigSkyCham]

That will be one lucky chameleon I tell you! That is a beautiful enclosure! Nice work

Thank you. I am a little anxious about the temps, humidity, and such.

I bought a data logger that will record temp and humidity every 5 mins. It’s fascinating to see the temp and humidity swings with the lights, fans and misters.