Juvenile panther enclosure upgrading

Mansfield

Established Member
Hi All,
I have had my panther chameleon Emerald for about 2 months now and holy cow has he grown! I am so thrilled with him being part of our family!
Week 1 photo (so about 3 month old):
248127


Current photo (so about 5 months old):

248128


I felt like I had done everything to research all of his needs ahead of time, which I felt ended up well, but even after I took him home, the REAL learning curve began! This community (including all the other rookies who posted things similar to what I needed) has given me hours and hours of reading, just to try and perfect the home I am providing him.

So, now I am at the point that I am brainstorming his adult enclosure, because that time will be upon me soon enough, and I want to address concerns I have encountered along the way. My biggest requirement/question: where is the best SINGLE provider of an all in one enclosure that meets all needs? I am hoping to find that one stop shop. Keep in mind that I can be crafty/handy if needed, but I want to see what is out there before I have to DIY a bunch of stuff.

Upgrade point 1: I have him in the exo terra small xtra tall 18x18x36 glass (I know, I have read how this can be difficult/ill advised) enclosure. I am shooting for the coveted 2’x2’x4’ size. This seems like an easy puzzle to solve, but I am an aesthetic diva. I want a full furniture solution. One with a cabinet and all.

Upgrade point 2: drainage plan. Right now this is the bane of my whole experience. I started with a substrate, despite all of the guidance not to and within the first two weeks learned my lesson. Between the zoo med Big Dripper and my Mistking running 8 minutes total per day, it doesn’t take long for me to make the poop soup I had heard so much about even without the substrate. I started off by cleaning it out every couple days with rags and paper towels, but this was fairly tedious and I wanted a better solution. So, I purchased a small 1/5 hp utility pump and use it to basically pump the water to my patio house plants, which seems great, but still requires a bit of manual maneuvering.

Does anyone know or have an opinion of the very best one stop shop for custom enclosures? Keep in mind that money isn’t exactly unlimited, but the right piece that meets all the needs is a worthwhile investment, so I am willing to look at most options.

Thanks for any guidance/opinions, and I promise, I will not make some of the same mistakes twice (such as the substrate fiasco)!
 
So based off what you want I would suggest converting a display cabinet into a bioactive terrarium. Some of the memebers on here have done some amazing work with old cabinets. I know @Brodybreaux25 did a real nice one. Can’t think of who else at the moment.
 
So based off what you want I would suggest converting a display cabinet into a bioactive terrarium. Some of the memebers on here have done some amazing work with old cabinets. I know @Brodybreaux25 did a real nice one. Can’t think of who else at the moment.
Thanks! Yeah, it didn’t take me long to recognize that @Brodybreaux25 is a legit master in this community, so I bet he created a masterpiece!
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom