New chameleon owner enclosure upgrade

[vPooch]

hello everyone new to the forum and a new owner of a 3-4 month old male panther chameleon I purchased him with a chameleon kit from a breeder but I soon found out that it wasn’t adequate I swapped the lights out already for Arcadia t5 6% and a incandescent heat bulb on the screen enclosure the chameleon kit comes with but I’ve been building this 2x2x4 enclosure and was wondering everyone’s opinion ? Just waiting for the stand to come in the mail to swap my chameleon over so it’s not on the ground

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi and welcome! Looks pretty good to my eyes. If you want my honest and constructive feedback, I’d say add more branches of varied diameters to exercise those cute little mitten feet. There are lots of ways to attach branches and such…everything from Dragon Ledges https://dragonstrand.com/dragon-ledges/ to garden trellis secured to your enclosure’s frame. I prefer to use branches that I’ve scavenged outside and washed with mild dish soap, rinsed very well and dried in the sun. I like to keep the bark and whatever else that stays on after a gentle little scrub. Get your proper lights on there when they arrive, set up on your stand when that arrives and you’ll be all set! You may want to add a good plant light to keep your plants thriving. I like the Sansi 70w, which is strong enough for just about anything. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TKKG8Q3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Morpheo's Mom]

Hello,

I would have to agree with @MissSkittles. The plant coverage is great but it would be even better with more branches to climb.

Also, what is your chosen method for misting and do you have proper drainage? If you are using an automated misting system, it can get pretty wet at the bottom of the enclosure. I drilled a few holes in the bottom of mine. It would be easier to do something like that before you have a ton of plants and branches in there. (If you don't have something already done).

 

[Tkrd69]

We all start some where. Learning about husbandry is not quick. There are a lot of knowledgeable people here who can guide you both in this experience. A lot of misinformation out there on the internet. Happy to see you here

 

[vPooch]

Hello,

I would have to agree with @MissSkittles. The plant coverage is great but it would be even better with more branches to climb.

Also, what is your chosen method for misting and do you have proper drainage? If you are using an automated misting system, it can get pretty wet at the bottom of the enclosure. I drilled a few holes in the bottom of mine. It would be easier to do something like that before you have a ton of plants and branches in there. (If you don't have something already done).

I’m hand misting for now but that might get changed to a mist king I did drill holes in the bottom of the enclosure though. The stand I have coming is the zoomed Reptibreeze one and was planning on putting a bucket on the shelf beneath it for drainage. Will definitely be adding some more horizontal branches I still have some dowels kicking around of different thicknesses so I’ll use those until I can get my hands on some actual branches

 

[vPooch]

Hi and welcome! Looks pretty good to my eyes. If you want my honest and constructive feedback, I’d say add more branches of varied diameters to exercise those cute little mitten feet. There are lots of ways to attach branches and such…everything from Dragon Ledges https://dragonstrand.com/dragon-ledges/ to garden trellis secured to your enclosure’s frame. I prefer to use branches that I’ve scavenged outside and washed with mild dish soap, rinsed very well and dried in the sun. I like to keep the bark and whatever else that stays on after a gentle little scrub. Get your proper lights on there when they arrive, set up on your stand when that arrives and you’ll be all set! You may want to add a good plant light to keep your plants thriving. I like the Sansi 70w, which is strong enough for just about anything. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TKKG8Q3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Yes more branches will definitely be added I have varying sizes of dowels to use until I can get some branches. Would the Arcadia jungle dawn be a good plant light? I do have all my lights already other than a plant led they’re just on the enclosure the Cham is currently in that I didn’t realize was too small (zoo med chameleon kit enclosure) until coming here I was using the Reddit to get info and advice for the first week and a half and am totally glad I found this forum instead much better info

 

[MissSkittles]

Yes more branches will definitely be added I have varying sizes of dowels to use until I can get some branches. Would the Arcadia jungle dawn be a good plant light? I do have all my lights already other than a plant led they’re just on the enclosure the Cham is currently in that I didn’t realize was too small (zoo med chameleon kit enclosure) until coming here I was using the Reddit to get info and advice for the first week and a half and am totally glad I found this forum instead much better info

The Jungle Dawn is also a great plant light from what I hear. I haven’t really made more than just one very brief peek at Reddit and that was more than enough for me. I’m very glad that you’ve found your way here too. This is a great community for learning, sharing and exploring.

 

[vPooch]

The Jungle Dawn is also a great plant light from what I hear. I haven’t really made more than just one very brief peek at Reddit and that was more than enough for me. I’m very glad that you’ve found your way here too. This is a great community for learning, sharing and exploring.

Had a question actually about sansi 70w light you linked do you have that just sitting on the top of the enclosure ? Or mounted inside?

 

[MissSkittles]

Had a question actually about sansi 70w light you linked do you have that just sitting on the top of the enclosure ? Or mounted inside?

I have had it sitting on top in the past, but once I got all of my enclosures in their permanent places, I mounted a hanger on the ceiling.