New chameleon set up for 1st timer!

[HermannChameleon]

Hey everyone, I am just setting up my new home for my ambilobe panther chameleon which will be arriving in just less than 2 weeks time!!! Thought I'd upload some pics to see what you think. I have also added some cool little LEDs for the evening which look wicked with the fogger! (All lights will of course be off at night time).

I have a few questions also whilst I'm here;

I have a 6% and a 12% Arcadia UVB tube and am unsure as to which one to use as I have read the 6% will not penetrate through the mesh enough and that 12% may be too high? What do you think I should use, will 12% be okay?

Also, I have a Lucky Reptile Super Fog machine and wondered how long and how often I should have this on as I will be using a timer.

That's all I can think of for now, I'm sure there will be plenty more questions in the future!

Here are the pics....

 

[camimom]

welcome!
i have no clue on the arcadia bulbs as here in teh US we dont have them.
but please remove the red and blue lights.
no need, and they can disturb your chamleeon (yes they can see red and blue)

 

[HermannChameleon]

thanks for the advice, we were wondering if we could use them, we will only use them when he is out of the cage anyway as looks cool with the fogger, makes the cage look more ornamental in the evening.

 

[camimom]

No problem.
Yea if you dont have the chameleon under the red and blue lights, no biggie. but if he is there, it would be better if you turn them off.

Do you have supplements?
what bugs will you feed?
Do you have something on the bottom of the cage?
will you hand mist or buy a misting system?

 

[MATT2504]

Question guys! could you use a couple of blue L.E.D's to simulate moon lighting?????

 

[camimom]

Question guys! could you use a couple of blue L.E.D's to simulate moon lighting?????

no.
YOu dont need ANY lights at night.

and if you really want moonlight, puthim by a window.

 

[MATT2504]

no.
YOu dont need ANY lights at night.

and if you really want moonlight, puthim by a window.

So what your saying is, Chameleons don't experience any light at night? Of course they do!

 

[camimom]

So what your saying is, Chameleons don't experience any light at night?

in the wild, yes moonlight,
in captivity, we dont use any lights at night.
and even in the wild, moonlight isnt blue.

not to mention, in the wild, they have places they can go to escape the light in the trees,

they need darkness to sleep, just like us.

 

[HermannChameleon]

No problem.
Yea if you dont have the chameleon under the red and blue lights, no biggie. but if he is there, it would be better if you turn them off.

Do you have supplements?
what bugs will you feed?
Do you have something on the bottom of the cage?
will you hand mist or buy a misting system?

hi, yes we breed tortoises and for them we use Nutrabol and calcium powder so were going to use them on the food.
still looking into food, we do have a reptile shop just around the corner who can supply a few bits, have been looking into gut feeding the crickets / locusts etc. as I would imagine they prob only feed potato skins or something? seems quite a wide variety of choices for food.

don't have anything on the bottom of the cage

we will hand mist in the morning but we do have the fogger as mentioned in our 1st comment - this we are enquiring as to how often we should have this on for and how long it should stay on each time.

 

[MATT2504]

in the wild, yes moonlight,
in captivity, we dont use any lights at night.
and even in the wild, moonlight isnt blue.

not to mention, in the wild, they have places they can go to escape the light in the trees,

they need darkness to sleep, just like us.

I'm not on about flooding the cage with blue and red light like the cage above! I am planning on 1-2 low light bulbs, and i'm sure that he could find a little dark if required (obviously i will be monitoring the progress)

 

[camimom]

I'm not on about flooding the cage with blue and red light like the cage above! I am planning on 1-2 low light bulbs, and i'm sure that he could find a little dark if required (obviously i will be monitoring the progress)

There is not a single member on here who uses lights at night. (and any one who does, shouldn't)
it can and will disrupt their sleep cycle.

theres no need for them, but to make it a 'cooler' cage for you.

best interests of the chameleon.

 

[camimom]

hi, yes we breed tortoises and for them we use Nutrabol and calcium powder so were going to use them on the food.
still looking into food, we do have a reptile shop just around the corner who can supply a few bits, have been looking into gut feeding the crickets / locusts etc. as I would imagine they prob only feed potato skins or something? seems quite a wide variety of choices for food.

don't have anything on the bottom of the cage

we will hand mist in the morning but we do have the fogger as mentioned in our 1st comment - this we are enquiring as to how often we should have this on for and how long it should stay on each time.

I dont know about nutrabol.
but for chameleons, they need a calcium without d3 for every feeding. a calcium with d3 for twice a month, and a multivitamin for twice a month.
If possible, you can get repashy all in one calcium plus (online only) and use that instead of 3 seperate powders.
to gutload, read sandrachameleons blog on that.
locust and crickets can eat.. carrots, kale, mustard greens, apples, collard greens, squash, strawberries, dried cranberries, seeds, nuts, pretty mcuh any fresh fruist and veggies.
that is how I gutload my crickets. (we dont have locusts here)

 

[MATT2504]

There is not a single member on here who uses lights at night. (and any one who does, shouldn't)
it can and will disrupt their sleep cycle.

theres no need for them, but to make it a 'cooler' cage for you.
best interests of the chameleon.

It's not a question about COOLNESS for me! It's About what everyone on here goes on about "simulating the natural enviournment" i know we can't simulate everything, but as we say here "every little helps"

 

[camimom]

It's not a question about COOLNESS for me! It's About what everyone on here goes on about "simulation the natural enviournment" i know we can't simulate everything, but as we say here "every little helps"

Absolutely.
but the one thing we dont simulate is moonlight.

we dont use bulbs at night. ever. thats all.

Side note- i would be happy to contiue this convo in PMs, so as not to hijack the OPs thread on his cage set up.

 

[HermannChameleon]

I dont know about nutrabol.
but for chameleons, they need a calcium without d3 for every feeding. a calcium with d3 for twice a month, and a multivitamin for twice a month.
If possible, you can get repashy all in one calcium plus (online only) and use that instead of 3 seperate powders.
to gutload, read sandrachameleons blog on that.
locust and crickets can eat.. carrots, kale, mustard greens, apples, collard greens, squash, strawberries, dried cranberries, seeds, nuts, pretty mcuh any fresh fruist and veggies.
that is how I gutload my crickets. (we dont have locusts here)

cool, thank you so much. yes, I forgot about repashy, our breeder is connected to that company so has actually redirected me to that site. I will get some of that, sounds a lot easier. I'll save the nutrobal for my tortoises!!!

really enjoying learning new stuff about another animal, as with tortoises there is soooo much to learn!

 

[camimom]

cool, thank you so much. yes, I forgot about repashy, our breeder is connected to that company so has actually redirected me to that site. I will get some of that, sounds a lot easier. I'll save the nutrobal for my tortoises!!!

really enjoying learning new stuff about another animal, as with tortoises there is soooo much to learn!

I use the repashy myself. works wonders.
I have two chams, a male veiled and a male hoenelli, and its the only thing i use to supplement now.
it even corrrected a slgiht tongue aim issue for my veiled.

any other questions you have regarding your set up?

Oh what are your basking temps like with the lights on?

 

[MATT2504]

Absolutely.
but the one thing we dont simulate is moonlight.

we dont use bulbs at night. ever. thats all.

Please dont assume from my replies that i'm being confrontational! I just see a lot of products for sale that replicate moon light for reptiles, and have read that a lot of people use them. It was meerley just a information gathering question about night lighting and nothing more. Trust me i hate so called "modifications" on cages just to look cool! I'm trying to design a cage for the Chameleon and not just for me

 

[camimom]

Please dont assume from my replies that i'm being confrontational! I just see a lot of products for sale that replicate moon light for reptiles, and have read that a lot of people use them. It was meerley just a information gathering question about night lighting and nothing more. Trust me i hate so called "modifications" on cages just to look cool! I'm trying to design a cage for the Chameleon and not just for me

I wont assume that if you dont assume i am being confrontational either.
I see the same bulbs, and it would look cool ,but its not worth it disrupting their sleep cycles for it.

i am fairly positive in my saying that there is no one on here that uses them for chameleons.
now other lizards, maybe they do, but not for a chameleon.
and asking questions is how we learn. i did the same thing, and so does all other newcomers here.
better to ask and be told no, then do it and be those peole who come on here with help my cham is dying and i dont know why!

 

[HermannChameleon]

Absolutely.
but the one thing we dont simulate is moonlight.

we dont use bulbs at night. ever. thats all.

Side note- i would be happy to contiue this convo in PMs, so as not to hijack the OPs thread on his cage set up.

lol i don't mind reading it, is quite informative still!

just a quick note for any possible future readers of this thread can anyone help me on my query regarding the fogger? How long should it be on for and how often should it be on?

 

[camimom]

lol i don't mind reading it, is quite informative still!

just a quick note for any possible future readers of this thread can anyone help me on my query regarding the fogger? How long should it be on for and how often should it be on?

For the fogger, does it actually gather water on the plant leaves?