Keeping small chams in big cages?

[Kaianuanu]

I am currently preparing to get a juvenile panther (male nosy be) that will probably be 3 to 4 months old. I was originally planning on an oustalets which is why I ordered a 24"x 24"x 48" aluminum cage from LLL Reptile as well as a 24" T5 HO 5.0 UV fixture and dripper. According to the FedEx tracking, it is out for delivery and should be at my house when I get home today. I also already have a ficus sized for that size enclosure. Anyway, I'd rather not buy and set up another, smaller, complete enclosure just for the first couple months I have the Cham. So, if I made sure the little guy was eating by cup feeding or other means, kept him well hydrated, and put some thick pothos or fake foliage on the floor of the cage to act as cushion god forbid he falls from high up, could I start him off immediately in this large cage? Also, what other measures should I take to accomplish this?

BTW: I'd rather not partition the cage.

 

[camimom]

Absolutely!

Besides, he would need that cage as an adult anyway so its all good.

As long as you make sure he gets water, cup feeds, basking and uvb spots, he will be fine.

Btw, pics must be posted of him!
Forum rule!

 

[Kaianuanu]

Good to hear. Do you think the fall cushion on floor of the cage is necessary? And I will be sure to follow that rule.

Had anyone else done or do this that could give some more input on the matter?

 

[camimom]

Necessary no, but better safe than sorry sure.

Chams are built for falls, they do them all the time in the wild as weapon for defense (I call it the suicide drop)

 

[nick barta]

A cushion is not needed.

 

[Kaianuanu]

I just found a thread on a similar subject explaining the principles of physics that make smaller chams (and animals in general) less endangered by a fall due to the realtionship between surface area, which equates to air resistance, and volume, which equates to mass in animals of varying size. Basically, the bigger they are, the harder they fall (with some compensation as to the proportional height of the fall).

 

[Squirell]

I just found a thread on a similar subject explaining the principles of physics that make smaller chams (and animals in general) less endangered by a fall due to the realtionship between surface area, which equates to air resistance, and volume, which equates to mass in animals of varying size. Basically, the bigger they are, the harder they fall (with some compensation as to the proportional height of the fall).

Getting all Bill Nye on us now. lol

 

[Kaianuanu]

Now if only I could figure out where to put this cage. I just got home and put it together. It's quite a bit bigger in person, even if you measure out the dimensions, it just doesn't convey how big the dang thing is. I'm going to have to completely rearrange my room to make it fit nicely. I'll also probably build it its own stand with a built in drainage system for when I get a mistking. But yeah, finding the space for it is like playing a game of rush hour with no solution.

 

[camimom]

Welcome to the world of Cham keeping!

Try doing that when you own five adult chams and have a mistking system too that needs a resoivor.

 

[Video Master]

This is good info as I was wondering the same thing since the cage I bought is a 2'x2'x4'.

 

[GabeCastro]

A couple things to add to your enclosure...

Be sure to add tons of foliage (brances, vines, fake plants, etc.) Keep them somewhat high so your cham feels safe. They need branches to explore on and hide out. You can search through the forums on peoples set ups to get an idea. Just besure the cage is complete before you put your little guy inside. They get stressed out when you move stuff around while they're in there. Your ficus tree is perfect, be sure to swap the soil out with organic soil, wash down the plant with regular dawn soap mixed with water in a spray bottle, and use medium sized river rocks to block the top of the soil. You don't want your cham digging or eating anything in the soil.

Make sure to have a perch specifically for the cham to bask. Usually this perch/branch can be alittle higher than other branches so your cham will be able to bask. Theres no basking light in your pictures so hopefully you picked one up. You can use a regular old 60w house hold light bulb and it will work the same as a $10 zoomed basking light lol. And the rule with basking lights is make sure it's atleast 8" away from the basking spot. Temps should never be higher than 85-90 degrees. Since your cham is pretty young, i'd keep the basking temp under 85-86 degrees.

You'd also want to develop some sort of drainage system. It will be a pain to clean up all the water drops everyday. Also it'll cause mold / bacteria if it's not taken care of properly. For my drainage system I just built a stand out of PVC and placed the stand inside a 28"x28" Washing machine water tray. It helps protect the table the cage sits on incase water leaks out the side of the cage.

Keeping a live plant is pretty difficult since it wont be getting any direct sunlight. For my light set up I have a T5 High Output double light fixture with a 6% uvb bulb and 6500k grow light. The grow light helps plants get what they need to grow indoors.

Hopefully i covered a few basics for a set up, there's allot more info but this should be good enough to get you started

And as other members mentioned, just be sure your cham is eating and drinking well.

-Gabe

 

[Kaianuanu]

After a couple hours of moving heavy crap around with no help, I was able to make room and tidy up a little in the process. Unfortunately my cage already has dent or two in the screen now. The cage is currently sitting on an old corner table that used to be in our living room. The center of the table top is glass so now I'm thinking I could replace the glass with a PVC board with the appropriate cutouts to set up a drainage system. Although less aesthetically pleasing, it would save the cost and hassle of building a whole new stand. I also need to work on the decor, it's a little barren at the moment.