I know one thing here, people r gonna say get rid of that UVB bulb/coil and get a linear one. The one u have "can" cause eye problems.......
Oh boy
I did do some research before I got the chameleon and found that bulb to be recommended more than any other bulb. Granted it could have been bad luck that the random sites I visited at the time just had bad or incomplete info, but I
had felt pretty confident about that decision when I bought it. It wasn't until a week or so after my purchase that I found some info to the contrary.
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor-summary.htm
After the initial scare and reading the bulk of the information there I had concluded that the problem was fixed by the manufacturer and there was no real danger any longer. I even found further endorsements for this bulb that appear to be scientifically backed.
A quote from:
http://www.martinsreptiles.co.uk/ukchams/uvlightingresearch.htm
Ferguson in his scientific paper concluded that Panther chameleons require moderate levels of UVB. Commercial low level UVB producing bulbs (such as the Zoomed 5.0), when used correctly, produce adequate amounts for successful reproduction whereas too much UVB can negatively effect the hatchability of Panther chameleon eggs.
Of course I want to do what is best if possible so if there is more current or conflicting data that I'm missing I would greatly appreciate being pointed in the right direction.
Also, how small is this veiled gonna be?? The space might be to big for him, he can get out???? Dont know, but looks like it.
I'm not sure what you mean by how small he's gonna be, but he has really grown already at an astounding rate. I've had him for around 5-6 weeks now I guess and he has easily doubled in size if not more. I did read that it's not optimal to start in a big cage, but to consolidate his furnishings so that he only really uses a smaller portion. I guess I could do a little better in that respect but he seems to use most of the cage.
As far as escaping, that was my main concern as there are both cats and dogs abound so I can assure you that there is no escaping for the little critter. There are a few pictures of him that maybe you missed but he is even bigger now.
Sweet looking setup overall though....good job, especially building your own misting system......
Thank you very much. It has been a good bit of work, but very rewarding at the same time.
I like how you did the controls. Mind giving an overview of the water heater?
Not at all. I got the idea here,
https://www.chameleonforums.com/diy-water-heater-22390/ and just took it a few steps further. Instead of just coiling up the tubing in the jar I decided to create radiator of sorts to evenly distribute the heat into the coils and to keep the coils closer to the element for better transfer. I also decided to mount the connections into the lid with quick connector elbows for easier setup and bypass if needed. I have an in-line quick connector available if I need to clean the jar or any other service needs but I did use a cap full of bleach in the heating water to cut down on the possibility of any organism buildup as has been mentioned before in this type of setup even though it doesn't mix with the water that is being used.
The supports for the radiator are just scraps of 1/2" CPVC I had laying around. If my hand would fit into the jar a little easier I would have used some JB-Weld type epoxy to mount some sort of sockets for the bottoms of the CPVC so I could locate it exactly where I wanted to and still be able to remove the entire assembly if needed. The jar that was used in the link above had a much wider mouth and would be easier to work with in general, but I used what I had handy. I used brass compression fittings on the inside of the jar to connect to the elbows. You can see them in one of the pictures sitting behind the coils before they were put into the jar. I would have preferred to use a plastic fitting, but could not find any female threaded plastic fittings at all. The water supply is coming from a Rainsoft 4 stage RO system that is fed by a Rainsoft Gold Series Water Conditioner with an in-line UV filter.
If there is something I missed just ask and I will try to explain.
The 2 big things I see as a problem is the UV and the heat lamp. The UV bulb you are using is a compact floro. They've been linked to many problems and even the ones that have had the whole cham blinding issue fixed, they are not the best way to provide your cham UV as he will have to sit directly under it to absorb the UV. The problem with that is these floro bulbs put out UV on such a low level, it's best if the cham has constant or almost constant UV exposure. Best way to provide UV and cut out other potential problems by going with a linear tube type bulb, Repti Sun being the preferred brand.
As you stated, I was under the impression that these problems were fixed. As far as the amount, that was the reason for the custom reflector. According to the graphs provided by the links above, using a reflector can easily double the amount of UV as well as having the bulb almost horizontal. I do realize that the mesh screen does stop some light, but again the graphs they show have a negligible difference in output when placed around 12" away. The screen really only makes a big difference when metered at very close distances.
That all said, does anyone think that this setup is technically "Bad" for my buddy, or just not optimal? The difference for me is do I need to replace this setup immediately, or is it sufficient enough for the short life span of the bulb and can be dealt with when it's time to change the bulb that's there?
Secondly, you need to get the heat lamp out of the cage. The cham can and probably will try to climb on it and the potential for thermal burns is really high with it like it is.
I admit I was worried about this myself at first but I have never seen him on, or even near it unless it is to travel past it while I'm working in the cage. My concern was that the heat generated by it would burn the "Pet Resistant" "synthetic" (nylon, plastic, pcv, abs???) screen I used for the cage. I watched very carefully for the first 2 weeks as I was very worried but I didn't want to start a fire either. If someone can confirm that a 90 watt spot won't damage the screen I would definitely rather have it on the outside of the cage. I'm of course open to other suggestions as well if this is not a feasible solution.
Not a huge deal but the feeder cup should be at the bottom or at least lower that the chams perch. He needs to see there is food in there.
The jar is glass and he sees the food easily through the para-cord basket. At first he did try and catch his prey "through" the glass which didn't work out so well for him, but now he has learned and knows how to get his food without any trouble. I feel kinda stupid that I didn't think to lower it sooner but it seems he has already figured out how to compensate for my ineptness. I already moved it once as I had it too close to the focus of the spot lamp. Even though the crickets would survive a full day in the jar, I realized it was not good and moved it to the shade. I will consider moving it again but he seems to know where and how to get his food now so I don't think it's a huge issue any more.
I really appreciate you guys taking the time to point out these things and will work to improve his habitat. I will also try and get some good pictures of him to put up but wanted to focus on his environment first.
Thanks again and I'm looking forward to some more input on the UVA/UVB issue so I can make an informed decision.
Eidolen
Worse case is that I go ahead and use this bulb until it expires and replace it then with a tube. At least I know what to look for now after all the research I've done and I agree with Pure that it would be better to have the increased coverage area of a tube. Regardless I appreciate the tips that enabled me to make some informed decisions about it.
Of course Murphy had his law book out and cracked a smile. They didn't have *any* Reptisun tubes. He even checked the store 20 miles down the road and all the had were the Reptiglows. I was under the impression that these were the De-Fact-O tubes to be had, so I'm wondering if they are just out of stock or just don't carry them. I know they have them on their website.
