My first enclosure

J

Joachim

New Member
Hello I`m a 26 year old man from the viking country :) I`m getting ready for my first reptile. A male panther chameleon, and I would love to get some feedback on my enclosure, supplements, equipment etc...

Enclosure ( DIY ):

120 cm tall ( 170 cm with the bottom )
60 cm wide
90 cm long

Equipment:

hydration - Vivaria Basic Mistingsystem w/ 4 nozzles
Heat - Two heat spots in exo terra medium reflectors
UV - Repti Sun 2.0 30 watt ( 90 cm )
Arcadia D3 reptile lamp ( 5.0 uvb ) 30 watt.
ZooMed 100W powersun bulb, for 10 minutes of extra UV light every day
( right now I`m not using any of the uv lights )
Hygrometer and temp.
Aqua Medic reverse osmosis unit

Supplements:
ZooMed Repti calcium without D3
Rep Cal with D3
Rep Cal Herptivite multivitamins
ZooMed Reptivite with D3
T-REX Chameleon dust
Sticky Tongue Farms Miner-All 1

Temp:
Bottom 22 - 23 C
Middle 24 - 25 C
Top 25 - 27 C
Heat spot 1 : 33 C
Heat spot 2 : 30 C

Hydration:
45-55% , 65-75% after misting


FTS-2.jpg


nedevs-1.jpg



nedeHS-1.jpg



mist-1.jpg



bunnskap-1.jpg


supplements-1.jpg



a short video :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zzrQ2fP6kA
 
Looks good but my only thing is panthers need ventilation that looks like a enclosed enclosure. :confused:
 
Thats a nice set-up but like many have said all screen provides better ventalation which is what chams need. I would love to see that cage work Hmm.....,what if you did an decent size intake fan on the top and 2 smaller exhaust fans on each side near the bottom, i wounder what kinda of flow you'd end up with!?!?:confused: Hate to see sice a beautiful cage not work out for ya.;)
 
"That's just like, your opinion man..."

I'm guessing that many of our friends from Europe would beg to differ on the need for screen. This seems to be a US bias. Since many folks from around the world appear to have been quite successful with enclosures that are other than screen-only, I'd say ventilation is important, and you seem to be addressing it with the vents and fan.

You have done an incredible job on that set-up. It really is beautiful, and if I understand correctly, 1) you don't even have a chameleon in there yet, and 2) this will be your first. Damn fine work! Very thorough and conscientious on your part. Personally, I'm jealous of the critter that gets to live in there! :D
 
thank you ..
And I know alot of cham owners here who have this kind of setup and they have worked great for many years, infact no one uses the all screen cages here...So I think it will work fine, but I will keep you posted ;)
 
Joachim said:
thank you ..
And I know alot of cham owners here who have this kind of setup and they have worked great for many years, infact no one uses the all screen cages here...So I think it will work fine, but I will keep you posted ;)
Click to expand...

Yeah i was just about to say the weather is alot different than the states.
Fantastic job BTW i would pay for that :D
 
Very nice!:) It is great that you have devoted so much
time and energy to be so prepared before the cham arrives.
If you know of people using a simular set up successfuly in
your region, great. My cages are screen but that is how I was
'told' to do it when I first started. Best of luck, your set up looks
great.:D
 
Thank you, I would say that this kind of enclosure is pretty much the standard here in northern europe. Infact people write in the caresheets that you should try too avoid the screen cages, in this region. I guess it`s just one of those things that are different around the world..:rolleyes:

I have put alot of time into the build, so its great that you like how it looks. :) but I still have alot of reading to do, before I get my cham. But hopefully it will be here in the end of may/ beginning of june :) :D :) :D
 
Looks awesome. Don't worry about the ventilation, those exhaust fans will be fine, besides looks like you got live plants in there and that helps with ventilation. And you live Minnesota, screen cages get colder in the winter. Perfect cage for the north. Looks better than mine and all i got is a screen cage with a stick in it and a lamp on top. Keep up the great work!
 
Wow... that looked amazing.
All live plants?
If that is the case, I applaud you!

As long as there are at least 2 screen sides that ensures good air flow, the ventilation won't be the issue.

Now, if only you live in US, so i can buy similar enclosure like that from you. (with screen top and screen front) :)
 
:) :)

Yes its all live plants, I don`t like the look of the fake stuff... I changed the soil and washed them in the shower before putting them inn the enclosure.
 
This enclosure is aesthetically pleasing, there is no doubt. However, I am going to have to be "that guy" and tell you that I honestly think that this is not an "ideal" pardalis enclosure. Many people, (including myself when I purchased my first chameleon,almost 10 years ago) overdue enclosures and disregard the simple, yet vital aspects of good husbandry (in this case, poor ventilation). I don't think your smaller side vents are going to provide enough cross-ventilation for your chameleon. With all of those plants and that misting system, it is going to become extremely humid in there and could potentially cause some respiratory or fungal problems for your chameleon. As you become more and more experienced with chameleons, you will find that the cheaper, more simple way is usually most beneficial for your animals overall health. A screen enclosure with a few non-toxic plants, some good climbing media, and the proper watering and lighting systems is all you will need. My overall credo, which I live by with all my herps is "Health of animal > appearance of enclosure". This looks more like an amazing Phelsuma enclosure if anything else. :D Just my two cents,

-Cala-
 
There are quite a few folks from Canada, UK and Europe that have cages similiar. I think you have prepared for everything, including ventilation. Just keep your eye on your fella when you get him so he doesn't get a URI. That would be my only concern seeing how I'm from a screen cage environment. LOL

Great job.
 
When he said viking country he means Norway not Minnesota...

I think there is too much going on, when your guy gets big he may not be able to negotiate the foliage.
 
thanks for youre input :) When the fan is on, the leafs at the bottom are moving from side to side, so there`s happening something in there..But i have 3 more pc fans coming my way, so it will get boosted..I mist 3x1 min every day, and the humidity has never been over 75% so far. Before the lights go off the humidity is around 30% and all the plants are 100% dry, the soil is the only thing thats moist. Still think that this will be a problem down the road?

When I mist, then alot of the fine mist blows straight out of the enclosure and in to the living room. Both from top and bottom vents. But I dont`t know how much the ideal ventilation would look like.?.But with 3 more fans, then maybe it would be ok??
 
Calavera has stated some good points.
But, I have seen many european chameleon keepers kept their chams in cage similar to that.
Plus with the different climate that Europe has in comparison to US, this kind of enclosure might actually benefit the cham more than screen cages.

As long as the keeper is aware of the ventilation problem and the risk of chameleon getting a respiratory infection from stagnant humidity, I think he can definitely use the cage.
I am assuming there is no poisonous plants in the cage (from the look of it).

There are many canadian and european herpetoculturists who successfully raised their chameleon in glass cage.
The screen cage rule in US might not apply that well in other country.
If you are worried about the ventilation, perhaps cutting the hole strips a bit bigger or changing the front glass door with screen will help.
 
Looks awesome. I see you did your homework. Like dodolah said, the cage situation is different out side of the US. They have a different climate than US and need to make adjustments to fit those needs.
 
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