New member Husbandry form

[crosscutts]

Chameleon Info:
• Your Chameleon - Panther chameleon ,Male , 4.5 months old, One week
• Handling - generally once a day ,
• Feeding - right now he’s eating just crickets Cut load with Flukers cricket feed, ordered Arcadia Reptile Small Bundle - 100g EarthPro-A, 80g CalciumPro+Mg and Repashy bug burger
• Supplements - Bug burger calcium D3 multi vitamin
• Watering - using the misting system and fogger Per Chamaeleon Academy , fogger 1 am to 5 off misting System one time a day around six , no he have not seen him drink appears to be very well hydrated
• Fecal Description - Classic healthy fecal bright white top firm but moist bottom
• History - Bought from private breeder in Los Angeles @Eyecandychameleon first captive born Chamaeleon I have owned , not concerned about parasite

Cage Info:
• Cage Type - homemade custom Glass and wood exhaust and supply fan on top . Reptile daylight LED , twin dome heat 5.0 UVB Acadia . 16x36x72 slot vent in bottom of door to create chimney effect when exhaust fans on above.
• Lighting - Twindome Acadia 5.0 uvb (6%) 5 inches above basking site , 24 inch reptile LED . 7 to 7 heat lamp 6 to eight
• Temperature - top of cage daytime 85 basking 40% humidity , middle of cage 71 60% humidity bottom of cage 68 70% humidity . Night temp top of cage 68 80% humidity middle of cage 64 90% humidity bottom of cage 62 100% humidity
• What temp range see above
• Humidity - see above
• Plants - 90% live ficus Pothos philodendron fern Vining ivy
• Placement - Man cave One vent above pointed away medium to low traffic , 6 feet high In front of window
• Location - Creston , California Summer temps 65 to 115 winter temps 29 to 70 obviously these are averages not constant

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi and welcome. Your husbandry looks pretty good except for a few things. Like us, chameleons like variety in their diet. Crickets are a good staple, but add more. Your gutloading could be improved too. I use Bug Burger but primarily give my feeder bugs lots of fresh produce - greens, squashes, bell pepper, sweet potato and a bit of fruit. Attaching feeder and gutloading graphics for you.
I assume you’re following the Arcadia supplement schedule? *schedule found here https://dragonstrand.com/arcadia-supplementation/
You could mist twice a day…once for 2 minutes+ right before lights go on and then for same amount of time right before lights go off. I also add a 2 minute mid day misting, but that’s up to you.
I’d still recommend a fecal check for parasites just to be safe. Even chams from the best breeders can get parasites.
I’m a bit confused about your uvb. You say Twindome Acadia 5.0 uvb (6%) but I don’t understand if you’re using a screw in uvb or a linear T5. If it is a double T5, does each bulb have it’s own reflectors? If so, ideal distance between uvb and basking area would be 8-9” for attaining UV index around 3.0. If it’s a screw in uvb, you need a linear T5.
Your temp gradients are great! I keep my male chams a bit cooler with basking temps around 82-84f.
What is at the bottom of your enclosure? It looks like a fish tank. Is there a divider between that and your cham’s space?
With your enclosure if front of the window, just be cautious about heat building up from the sun thru the window and overheating your guy.

 

[Lindasjackson]

I and welcome! I’m concerned about your uvb lights because they appear to be in a double dome configuration. Uvb lights need to be long linear tubes that run the width of your enclosure. The recommended fixture is a T5HO with either an Arcadia 6% or reptisun 5.0 bulb. Your enclosure is beautiful!! What is the water in the bottom for? My concern is if your Cham falls or something he might drown in the water. I’m just going to tag in some others that can do an actual review for you.
@MissSkittles @Beman @kinyonga

 

[Lindasjackson]

@MissSkittles we were posting at the same time! Lol!

 

[crosscutts]

Hi and welcome. Your husbandry looks pretty good except for a few things. Like us, chameleons like variety in their diet. Crickets are a good staple, but add more. Your gutloading could be improved too. I use Bug Burger but primarily give my feeder bugs lots of fresh produce - greens, squashes, bell pepper, sweet potato and a bit of fruit. Attaching feeder and gutloading graphics for you.
I assume you’re following the Arcadia supplement schedule? *schedule found here https://dragonstrand.com/arcadia-supplementation/
You could mist twice a day…once for 2 minutes+ right before lights go on and then for same amount of time right before lights go off. I also add a 2 minute mid day misting, but that’s up to you.
I’d still recommend a fecal check for parasites just to be safe. Even chams from the best breeders can get parasites.
I’m a bit confused about your uvb. You say Twindome Acadia 5.0 uvb (6%) but I don’t understand if you’re using a screw in uvb or a linear T5. If it is a double T5, does each bulb have it’s own reflectors? If so, ideal distance between uvb and basking area would be 8-9” for attaining UV index around 3.0. If it’s a screw in uvb, you need a linear T5.
Your temp gradients are great! I keep my male chams a bit cooler with basking temps around 82-84f.
What is at the bottom of your enclosure? It looks like a fish tank. Is there a divider between that and your cham’s space?
With your enclosure if front of the window, just be cautious about heat building up from the sun thru the window and overheating your guy.

View attachment 316557View attachment 316558

Good morning thanks , yes the twin bulb is A compact , 4 to 6 inches is recommended Per Bill strand Chamaeleon and Academy ,
But after reading several reviews i’ll be switching out the LED daylight for a linear , I will definitely be changing up diet since I’ve only had him a week , Still trying to establish connections , as far as gut loading regiment yes I also add fresh veggies mainly carrots color greens broccoli . I guess I should’ve put that in the original portIon instead of only showing supplements and gutload , The window has an overhang on the outside and I now have an app on my phone which tells me tank temperature , I also have a thermostatically controlled fan system which I think you can see on the top One exhaust which kicks on at 8 o’clock to dry the tank The other blows in and it’s thermostatically controlled over temperatures of 90 will kick on the fan . Originally I had my monsoon System kicking on four times a day. But watching his behavior Plus the extra moisture in the tank also reading Chamaeleon and Academy guidelines I switched it to one just before shut off . After watching him for a week he literally his drinking no water . I’m assuming his humidity levels and hydration level are good that he doesn’t need to drink . thank you so much for your time

 

[crosscutts]

I and welcome! I’m concerned about your uvb lights because they appear to be in a double dome configuration. Uvb lights need to be long linear tubes that run the width of your enclosure. The recommended fixture is a T5HO with either an Arcadia 6% or reptisun 5.0 bulb. Your enclosure is beautiful!! What is the water in the bottom for? My concern is if your Cham falls or something he might drown in the water. I’m just going to tag in some others that can do an actual review for you.
@MissSkittles @Beman @kinyonga

Yes they are the double dome with the Acadia compact bulb . After reading many reviews I’ll be switching up The Led daylight to 24 inch linear which is on order now. There is a divider between the fish tank/ waterfall but still gives access on the left side two A planted area which currently has Springtails and Isopods starting bio active . The tank has been in the planning for years I raised chameleons in the 70s and 80s where there was little to no information all of our chamaeleons were wild caught there is very little information and no Internet , The curio belong to my grandmother and I had always planned on turning it into a terrarium . Then life got in the way kids job etc. Now the kids are old enough and are interested . So I spent a month or two doing research and converting the curio into a terrarium . With the intention of starting Chamaeleons again . I’m very excited To get back into it with a ton of information and actual nutrients and understanding The lifecycle should be much more pleasant along with captive bred as opposed to wild caught . Thank you for your time

 

[crosscutts]

Yes after many hours spent building the cage , lots of research and thought process went into it , The entire interior is lined with plexi so there’s no exposed wood . It’s basically a aquarium with two small slot vent holes cut in the bottoms of the doors to allow chimney affect when fans are kicked on . And yes I’m a carpenter . Then of course the process of finding a breeder , this is only a juvenile cage I plan on upgrading and building one more A much larger unit. And plan on doing some small species in this cabinet .

 

[crosscutts]

Here’s a shot of the electronics there are over six timers into fan controls which allow for more or less intake of air . As well as switch on off fogger and misting System

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum and welcome back to the world of chameleons!

How do you keep the aquarium water clean?

It's recommended that you dust the insects with a phos free calcium powder lightly at all feedings but one a week and on that one feeding to alternate between a phos free calcium/D3 powder and a vitamin powder with no D3 but with a prEformed source of vitamin A.

Cage looks very nice but may need a couple more branches for the chameleon to get around on....and a bit more foliage to give the chameleon some more cover.

 

[crosscutts]

Welcome to the forum and welcome back to the world of chameleons!

How do you keep the aquarium water clean?

It's recommended that you dust the insects with a phos free calcium powder lightly at all feedings but one a week and on that one feeding to alternate between a phos free calcium/D3 powder and a vitamin powder with no D3 but with a prEformed source of vitamin A.

Cage looks very nice but may need a couple more branches for the chameleon to get around on....and a bit more foliage to give the chameleon some more cover.

Thank you so much, yes I’m really excited to get back into it . Information that’s available now is light years ahead of what we had back in the day. Humidity Was never really discussed. I did spend quite a few weekends going through the Chamaeleon Academy website and was shocked at some of the information I learned. Presently Waiting on my Acadia supplements , including bee Pollen . I have Flukers cricket feed And calcium with D3 no phosphorus . It’s my understanding just calcium D3 added every other week? So can I use the Flukers with the three every other week or should I buy separate D3? The fish tank is quite accessible it has a standard paladerium changeable filter from Zoom med , my wife has an account there they do a lot of engineering for them and they are local here in San Luis . Thanks again for the reply

 

[Lindasjackson]

It’s such a beautiful enclosure! Welcome back to chameleon keeping! I tried to keep Jackson’s in the 90s but couldn’t keep them alive unfortunately! I just got back into it in June of this year with a Jackson’s and yes the info we have now is light years away from what we had back then even! I can’t give you advice on supplementation because I have a Jackson’s and their supplementation is different but someone will get back to you. I’ll tag in someone.
@MissSkittles

 

[crosscutts]

It’s such a beautiful enclosure! Welcome back to chameleon keeping! I tried to keep Jackson’s in the 90s but couldn’t keep them alive unfortunately! I just got back into it in June of this year with a Jackson’s and yes the info we have now is light years away from what we had back then even! I can’t give you advice on supplementation because I have a Jackson’s and their supplementation is different but someone will get back to you. I’ll tag in someone.
@MissSkittles

Thank you yes we used to have them living wild in our house, of course we had Jacksons and panthers and A few carpets All cohabitating our golden Pothos highways with ropes and strings throughout the house , cedar cups wired at strategic locations and Celine solution bottles with a hole poked in the bottom as waters. So glad to get back into it with a lot more knowledge

 

[Lindasjackson]

Wow!! That sounds awesome!

 

[Lindasjackson]

Did you mean saline solution bottles for water? That’s not good. They don’t need saline, just good pure water.

 

[MissSkittles]

Thank you so much, yes I’m really excited to get back into it . Information that’s available now is light years ahead of what we had back in the day. Humidity Was never really discussed. I did spend quite a few weekends going through the Chamaeleon Academy website and was shocked at some of the information I learned. Presently Waiting on my Acadia supplements , including bee Pollen . I have Flukers cricket feed And calcium with D3 no phosphorus . It’s my understanding just calcium D3 added every other week? So can I use the Flukers with the three every other week or should I buy separate D3? The fish tank is quite accessible it has a standard paladerium changeable filter from Zoom med , my wife has an account there they do a lot of engineering for them and they are local here in San Luis . Thanks again for the reply

The Arcadia supplements are fine and you won’t need any other. The schedule for them is:

Feeding 1 – 3: Arcadia EarthPro-A

Feeding 4: Arcadia CalciumPro-Mg

Feeding 5-7: Arcadia EarthPro-A

Feeding 8: Arcadia RevitaliseD3

Easy with the bee pollen. Some have had their chams get edema when dusting feeders on a regular basis. It’s probably best to mix it into your gutload rather than dust your feeders with it. I mix just a generous pinch in when I cook up my Bug Burger. If memory serves, Arcadia supplements contain bee pollen too.

 

[crosscutts]

Did you mean saline solution bottles for water? That’s not good. They don’t need saline, just good pure water.

Yes my wife were contacts so they ended up working out perfectly .

 

[crosscutts]

The Arcadia supplements are fine and you won’t need any other. The schedule for them is:

Feeding 1 – 3: Arcadia EarthPro-A

Feeding 4: Arcadia CalciumPro-Mg

Feeding 5-7: Arcadia EarthPro-A

Feeding 8: Arcadia RevitaliseD3

Easy with the bee pollen. Some have had their chams get edema when dusting feeders on a regular basis. It’s probably best to mix it into your gutload rather than dust your feeders with it. I mix just a generous pinch in when I cook up my Bug Burger. If memory serves, Arcadia supplements contain bee pollen too.

Thanks for the info on a B pollen Reading your schedule I’m trying to understand . 1-3 is that every three days? 4 is that the fourth Day? 5-7 is that the fifth through the seventh day? 8 and of course that’s the eighth day? Looks like I’ll have to set up a calendar if it is . But I thank you so much for the information I will definitely look into their scheduling when I get home , my Internet sucks here at work . I love how helpful all of you are

 

[Lindasjackson]

Yes my wife were contacts so they ended up working out perfectly .

I guess if you rinsed them really well and refilled with fresh plain water then they would work. I was a nurse and used to get and re use iv bags and tubing for drip systems. Now I just use a plastic cup with a pinhole in the bottom.

 

[MissSkittles]

Thanks for the info on a B pollen Reading your schedule I’m trying to understand . 1-3 is that every three days? 4 is that the fourth Day? 5-7 is that the fifth through the seventh day? 8 and of course that’s the eighth day? Looks like I’ll have to set up a calendar if it is . But I thank you so much for the information I will definitely look into their scheduling when I get home , my Internet sucks here at work . I love how helpful all of you are

Feedings 1, 2, 3 you’ll use the Earth Pro A
Feeding 4 is the Calcium Pro-mg
Feedings 5, 6, 7 Earth Pro A
Feeding 8 is RevitaliseD3
The Arcadia schedule goes by feedings rather than days. Some feed their chameleons daily, some every other day and some 3 times a week. Feeding frequency usually goes by age and gender of the cham. I used the Arcadia regimen for a while but stopped as it got way too confusing for me to keep track of with multiple chams on different feeding schedules (plus other reptiles with their own feeding and supplement regimens).

 

[Beman]

Welcome to the forum. You will want to test your humidity and temps in the cage. I would not have open water to the enclosure but that is just me... chams do not swim well... This is a good accurate website for proper husbandry https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/