New Panther Cham owner heating question

Staci_b

New Member
Hi all,
I’m a new panther chameleon owner he’s been with us for 2 days now.
We have the exo Terra large - x-tall terrarium with bioactive set up.
We received our mister today and did a 5 minute spray but two hours later and the left side is still damp but it should be lights out time.
I’ll decrease the length of time tomorrow but was thinking with a set up of this size is one heat lamp enough ? It’s an Arcadia 100W halogen.
Alternatively would moving it to the middle be a better option perhaps or am I overthinking it and it’s fine how it is ?
I’ve attached a picture of the set up.
 

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Make sure your UVB is sitting over a branch so he can get the UVI level he needs.

This is an excellent resource for husbandry https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
Species specific info https://chameleonacademy.com/panther-chameleon-care/

Bio active set up link. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/intro-to-bio-activity.2429/
Our UVB is a T5 Arcadia 12% and using a UVB meter we calculated roughly the highest point the branches needed to be to not overdo it as it’s pretty powerful.
 
Our UVB is a T5 Arcadia 12% and using a UVB meter we calculated roughly the highest point the branches needed to be to not overdo it as it’s pretty powerful.
I would drop it back to a 6%... Your losing a ton of space having a 12%. What UVI do you have him exposed to at the highest point?
 
I would drop it back to a 6%... Your losing a ton of space having a 12%. What UVI do you have him exposed to at the highest point?
I don’t remember exactly off the top of my head, the meter isn’t ours.
We are planning to drop to a 6% and will build up but we’re just letting him settle in for now.
 
Hi Staci, Welcome to the forum.

We received our mister today and did a 5 minute spray but two hours later and the left side is still damp but it should be lights out time.
I’ll decrease the length of time tomorrow but was thinking with a set up of this size is one heat lamp enough ? It’s an Arcadia 100W halogen.
One basking light is not only enough—it's preferable. (y)
Two might confuse the chameleon as to which one is the "Sun".

Alternatively would moving it to the middle be a better option perhaps or am I overthinking it and it’s fine how it is ?
IMO, it's fine—or move it if you want to. 🤷‍♂️

two hours later and the left side is still damp but it should be lights out time.
That's not a problem either. While it's recommended to allow things to dry out completely (or near completely) between daytime mistings, a lot of folks mist right at dusk (lights out), and some (like myself) mist a couple/few times during the night to maintain humidity.

If possible, it can be a good idea to arrange lights into a sort of Venn diagram.

1618087030832.png

This will allow your cham to seek out & bask in whatever combination of lighting strikes his parietal eye fancy. ;)
 
Hi Staci, Welcome to the forum.


One basking light is not only enough—it's preferable. (y)
Two might confuse the chameleon as to which one is the "Sun".


IMO, it's fine—or move it if you want to. 🤷‍♂️


That's not a problem either. While it's recommended to allow things to dry out completely (or near completely) between daytime mistings, a lot of folks mist right at dusk (lights out), and some (like myself) mist a couple/few times during the night to maintain humidity.

If possible, it can be a good idea to arrange lights into a sort of Venn diagram.


This will allow your cham to seek out & bask in whatever combination of lighting strikes his parietal eye fancy. ;)
Amazing, thank you for your help. I think I’m just second guessing myself over it all.
We have a humidifier for night/early morning but all in all so far humidity hasn’t been a issue.
 
Hi Staci and welcome. 100 watt might be a bit high ( trial and error as 1 sizes doesn't fit all ) I use a a 75 watt and its around 6 inches from basking area at 77 f . Now this will probably be suggested by other members but its a good idea to have your basking light angled and not straight down to provide a thermal gradient at your basking area. I would also look into adding more foliage as in the way of live plants to make your little cham feel safe ,maintain humidity (iknow that is not an issue in a glass tank ) more branches and vines to make the most of your enclosure. There are lots of great resources on the chameleon academy, Neptune the chameleon you tube and casque above. And it could be helpful for you to fill out a husbandry form. Enjoy 😉 i will see if someone could link it
 

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Please include pics of your chameleon, and pics of your enclosure from top (showing lighting) to bottom (showing floor/substrate/drainage).

And if you have any funny or embarrassing pics of Flick boy that'd be funny too. :rolleyes:



Chameleon Info:

  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:

  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
 
Hi Staci and welcome. 100 watt might be a bit high ( trial and error as 1 sizes doesn't fit all ) I use a a 75 watt and its around 6 inches from basking area at 77 f . Now this will probably be suggested by other members but its a good idea to have your basking light angled and not straight down to provide a thermal gradient at your basking area. I would also look into adding more foliage as in the way of live plants to make your little cham feel safe ,maintain humidity (iknow that is not an issue in a glass tank ) more branches and vines to make the most of your enclosure. There are lots of great resources on the chameleon academy, Neptune the chameleon you tube and casque above. And it could be helpful for you to fill out a husbandry form. Enjoy 😉 i will see if someone could link it
Hey thank you, angling it sounds like a good step I’ll look into sorting that. We’ve planted a few live plants and bought some fake ones whilst they grow out, we’ve had a little trouble sourcing live ones suitable to use so are waiting on a delivery but do want to build it up more for him.
Looking at the sheet it seems we’ve got a lot of the boxes checked off just need a few tweaks to make it as close to perfect as it can be.
 
Lol 😆 do you know what, as much as you frustate me at times I actually like you, you say what you see, don't mince your words and personally if I had and issue would feel comfortable about your advice. NOT 🤣🤣🤣 ONLY JOKING
 
Hey thank you, angling it sounds like a good step I’ll look into sorting that. We’ve planted a few live plants and bought some fake ones whilst they grow out, we’ve had a little trouble sourcing live ones suitable to use so are waiting on a delivery but do want to build it up more for him.
Looking at the sheet it seems we’ve got a lot of the boxes checked off just need a few tweaks to make it as close to perfect as it can be.
Yes there's always tweaking. You are doing a great job. I only have my first chameleon, second enclosure 14 months ago, as the love continually grows the tweaking never ends 😆
 
One more thing...you should test the basking light to make sure it won't burn your chameleon by putting your hand inside the cage as close to the basking light as possible. If you want to move your hand, it's too hot for the chameleon and will burn it.
 
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