Hi New To The Chameleon Forums

Dragonbud

Dragonbud

New Member
Hello Everyone,
Just wanted to say hello. I'm not new to reptiles but I am new to Chameleons. I was wondering if you guys could take a look at my panther setup its for a juvenile. Its about 26"x17"x17" roughly. A couple of live plants and a jungle gym of climbing dowels. Lets see I have a Zoo Med 100W Powersun UV and a dripper. I have had bearded dragons and currently have a RT Boa, Green Tree Python and a Crested Gecko. I know setups are highly debated on the bearded dragon forums it would just get down right rude. I am looking for constructive criticism. Hopefully I post these pics right. Take Care.

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Hello and welcome to the Chameleon Fourms!

I have a quick question what are his basking temps?

Also if you want you can fill this out to help others out

Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Describe your cage construction (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
* Lighting - What brand, model, and type of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
* Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
* Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
* Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
* Location - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?


Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
* Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
* Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
* Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
* Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
* Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
* History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
* Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.
 
I have been checking temps it looks like about high 80's at the top of the enclosure and 75 ish at the base.
Humidity levels I don't know I'm guessing low do to living in San Diego but within the cage and around the plants and dripper I am sure are elevated.
Plants I will be honest one is a money tree I have no clue what the real name is but it looks just like one on the safe list and the other I believe is an umbrella tree if some thinks their something else and DANGEROUS speak up I don't want to endanger my guy. Its screwed up Home Depot labels plants as "Various Tropical" makes it hard to pic out the right ones I was going on memory of the pictures.:confused:.
Lighting as I said before is a 100W Zoo Med Powersun.
 
Please check lighting recommendations on the link previously posted.
The money tree is a type of shefflera, but is considered unsafe ... most likely due to oxcylate levels but I am not sure without researching a bit.

-Brad
 
Powersun provides UVB and UVA did they mis mark there package? Just yanked the money tree out of the cage. Thanks
 
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Though they do produce UVB, I think that the reason powersuns aren't recommended for chams is that they get very hot and are just too much...Maybe use it for your bearide instead? You can get Zoo Med ReptiSun 5.0 linear tubes at lllreptile.com for $14 and a nice fixture at Home Depot or Lowes for around $10. It is standard to use the ReptiSun linear bulb for chams along with a regular incandescent lightbulb for basking.

You should be able to take the money tree back and trade for a different plant. Pothos are great (just make sure you don't get philodendron- they look similar). Ficus, schefflera, pothos and hibiscus are all great.

I think more hiding spots would be good along with more horizontal perches. You can easily gather branches and bake them at 350 degrees for an hour to sterilize. Dead branches make great natural perches and varying the width of the branches is good for a cham's feet.

Otherwise, you are totally on the right track.

Welcome to the forums! :)
 
ColorChanginClick said:
Oh yeah, you only need the uvb.
Click to expand...

You need UVB AND UVA.

To add to Brad's post you need to repot the plants. The white bits in the dirt of those plants will kill your cham if eaten.

Powersuns are a bit intense for a chameleon ESPECIALLY sitting on top of the cage like that. Your plants will grow in time... but in the mean time I would try hanging some fake plastic plants around the sides of the cage to give your cham something to climb on (instead of the screen) and some cover so he isn't stressed by seeing people.

And yes... remove the money tree... If you can come up with a well developed pothos, you can hang it's vines around the cage for more climbing pathways.
 
summoner12 said:
Powersuns are a bit intense for a chameleon ESPECIALLY sitting on top of the cage like that. Your plants will grow in time... but in the mean time I would try hanging some fake plastic plants around the sides of the cage to give your cham something to climb on (instead of the screen) and some cover so he isn't stressed by seeing people.
Click to expand...

Ah, that is what I meant to type and forgot. Fake plants are great for filling in gaps while the real ones grow. Pothos will take off like crazy if you water it well. You can get some nice long vined ones at Home Depot or Lowes usually for about $10. You shouldn't have much to worry about if you are getting a panther, as far as using fake plants go. Just get it basically set up, fill in obvious gaps and water the pothos once in a while. I like to wire my vines up the sides of my cages and created climbing branches with them. It is also good for breaking up the cham's line of vision.

Don't forget to wash the plant well and repot with organic topsoil (no perlite or vermiculite). You can covert he soil with some smooth river rocks to avoid ingestion, though I know some members will just sift it really well and keep it small grained and give their chams access. I do both, depending on the plant. Also, provide good drainage. I use about two inches of broken up styrofoam chunks in the bottoms of my pots. Root rot is not fun at all.
 
Howdy Dragonbud,

Recent changes in the Powersun's materials and construction combined with inconsistencies in manufacturing during the last few months have put things in motion that could result in them being a potential health hazard for some reptiles and especially chameleons. I had just posted something related to these issues last night but hadn't finished reading the new Powersun warning that was recently added here: http://www.uvguide.co.uk/mercvapourfloods.htm. The bottom line is if you don't have a Solarmeter 6.2 (and maybe even the 6.5 for measuring UV Index) you could be positioning your 100W Powersun too close or too far away. It may all depend on how that particular Powersun was built on that day :(. On top of that, you still have to sort out UVB levels vs. basking temp :eek:. Up until the "UV Guide UK" announcement about these new Powersun "defects", I had been developing somewhat of a neutral opinion about using them. That was coming from a somewhat negative opinion of them for chameleon use mainly because new chameleon keepers can easily make mistakes in positioning them. Now I have to give them a "thumbs down" rating until they fix their manufacturing problems.

The Reptisun 5.0 linear tube UVB source is far from perfect but I can just about guarantee you that your chameleon won't have a health issue due to over exposure or incorrect wavelengths :eek:.
 
So, are the Powersun bulbs still considered safe to use for other reptiles? I use a ReptiSun 5.0 linear bulb and a 75 watt house bulb for my veiled chameleon. For my juvenile iguana I use the 100 watt Powersun bulb and have been using it since last September. I am planning to purchase a Megaray bulb (superior to the Powersun according to research done by Megaray) next month to replace my Powersun. Do you think my iguana will be okay until I can replace the bulb? I haven't seen any strange changes in it's behavior since I started using the bulb (i.e. no eye problems or sleeping during the day).
 
Basically what we tend to use for chameleons is a dual source of light/heat. Chameleons are smart enough to choose which they want so they are not forced to have both. While in the wild the sun provides both, we can't duplicate that type of quality in an indoor enviroment. Maybe some day we will get to play gods on a much larger scale :)

1)Basking Bulb. regular incadescent will work, in a small cage top fixture (such as you have now) is fine. this is where you will set your basking temp. You can adjust the temp by changing the bulb watatge, or adjusting the distance of the bulb from the cage.
Depending on his/her age, you will want to run between 80-90. since you mentioned a juvenile, I would say start at 80-85.

2) UV source. The preferred method as many people have suggested, is a linear tube, many of us using the reptisun 5.0. http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...por-bulbs/-/zoo-med-24-repti-sun-50-uvb-bulb/

DO NOT USE THE COMPACT FLORESCENT BULBS. Use the linear type I linked, it comes in various lengths. You can get a t12 2' fixture at home depot for fairly cheap. You can get more expensive aquatic versions. Either is fine. t12 fixtures will have a magnetic ballast.

It's not that you can't use any other type of bulb. It's that of the many people that use it, we don't have problems. It's what we are successful with. I prefer to duplicate success whenever possible. Unfortunately other types of bulbs don't always work so well, and you will be worried with enough husbandry things to not add complications. http://www.uvguide.co.uk/

I also run dual fixtures with a standard florescent in one and the reptisun 5.0 in the 2nd. This just illuminates the cage much more nicely to what I feel is more comparable to outside. Unfortunatly the weather here in Cali during this time of year isn't consistently good to take my panther out.

Plants:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/plants/
Some of the more popular ones.
You can get a ficus at Home depot for about $15. They will probably even let you return the money tree. They have been making their return policy more strict, but if you explain them what happened and what you want it for, I bet they will exchange it for you even without a reciept. For sure they would take it back if you still have the reciept.

I think the members of this forum are in agreement that you need to make a few changes. Please don't take it personal, we want your pet (and in return you) to have a good experience. Also note, you will need a larger enclosure as your panther grows up. Chameleons are an animal we find rewarding to keep. You are off to a good start and we'd love to see more pictures after you've made the changes we suggested :)

Hope this helps
 
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Update

Wow this thread got crazy. Ok updates Money Tree is now my house plant.:)
Got a Repti Glo 5.0 for the UVB and an incadescent bulb for heat. Temp right now is about 85F about 4 inches below top. Nice new ficus from Home Depot has been trimmed to fit and is in cage. The cage is full of foliage now. I will post some pics in a hour my camera battery died its recharging. Oh and thanks for everyone's input. I'm reading up the thread is my bulb wrong again?
 
Sounds good! I hear the Repti-Glo is okay, but the ReptiSun is generally the best accepted and most trusted. You can order them very cheaply from lllreptile.com. They are about $14 each. I like to buy about a year and a half's worth when I order to cut down on shipping and to have spares just in case one goes out. If you do this, make sure to test them when they arrive so that you are sure they all work.
 
Just ordered the right bulb, went by a pet store by my house they wanted $38 for one bulb crazy. Thanks again for all the good info I will post some pics of my updated cage in a few minutes.
 
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