New Panther Chameleon owner; please critique my setup!

[Old World]

Hey everyone, after much research (and much abuse of the wallet), I have setup enclosures for my future pair of 3 month old Ambilobe panthers. These will be my first chameleons, but I am not new to herps. I will be receiving them late this month from the wonderful people at Kammerflage Kreations. A real pleasure to do business with btw. I also ordered 2 large and 2 small ficus benjamina from them, and they are in great shape.

16"x16"x30" enclosures, DIYcages
Live ficus benjamina and golden pothos, fake "bio-vines".
Lighting: 48" strip: Instant on, polished aluminum reflector with 48" ReptiSun 5.0. Got this large size to use on their future bigger cages (24x24x48)
Heating: 8.5" Dimmable Dome Lamps with 60W GE Reveal bulbs. Initially I put in ZooMed 75W basking bulb, but even after dimming, found the basking site was too hot (110F). Too much bulb for the small cages; will probably use on bigger cages in the future. With the regular household 60W, I am getting 96.6F on one cage, 94.8F on the other (at the hottest part of the day). Rest of the cage is 78F-82F. I love my laser pointed temp gun!

Humidity ranges from 50%-80% depending on time of day (and whether the AC is on). Measured with ZooMed analogue humidity gauges. Tested the drippers, and found that the water would just pool at the top without penetrating the mesh. Solved that problem by elevating the drippers with mitered 1/2" thick poplar boards. Drips right on through.

Should I cover the soil of my potted plants with smooth rocks? The soil medium is just peat moss and perlite (no fertilizer).

Oh and perhaps the most important piece of equipment: a journal. I learned long ago what an asset record keeping (and just plain musings) can be. I plan on recording general observations, feeding behavior, weight, etc. Comes in handy if they become ill and I want to investigate their past behavior. My dog's veterinarian also specializes in reptiles...hard to find any vet that just specializes in herps.

I also planted a Morus alba in my yard for the future silkworms It was a bare stick when I got it 11 days ago; it is throwing out leaves at an incredible rate! I started a blaptica dubia colony as well about a month ago, and they are breeding nicely.

In the near future, I will be getting the larger cages and installing a visual barrier when the time comes. At this age, they should be fine without a barrier, correct? And when my wife stops being mad at me I am going to invest in a mist king. For now, I have a nice hand mister.

Sorry for the long bloated post...but I would really appreciate some experienced eyes on my setup. Thank you in advance!

 

[Carlton]

AC is on). Measured with ZooMed analogue humidity gauges.

Should I cover the soil of my potted plants with smooth rocks? The soil medium is just peat moss and perlite (no fertilizer).

The little analog humidity gauges are not very accurate and can get stuck at one measurement (I lost my first cham believing the gauge!). Get a good electronic gauge at a home improvement store.

Chams can be attracted to perlite in pottingsoil and eat it. You'll need to cover the surface with smooth rocks or windowscreen.

Do you have your supplement dusts? You'll need plain calcium, calcium with added vitamin D3, and a herp vitamin such as Herptivite.

What will you gutload your feeders with? A good one many of us use is CricketCrack from TikiTiki reptiles. crix, Zoophobas, and roaches love it.

 

[Kansascity]

Yes cover your soil with the smooth rocks. Also I like the simplicity of your set up. I need to look again and please correct me if I am wrong the basking area should be (above) at least 6 inches or so. Congrats! carlton covered everything else!

 

[carol5208]

Yes cover your soil with the smooth rocks. Also I like the simplicity of your set up. I need to look again and please correct me if I am wrong the basking area should be (above) at least 6 inches or so. Congrats! carlton covered everything else!

It doesn't look like his basking is less than 6 inches from the pic??? Kammers bask their babies at around 95 degrees. Most members on the forum bask at around 85 or lower. I have a KAmmer chameleon also. I found the basking to be a little too warm and he would gape all the time so I switched my bulb out from a 100 watt down to like a 60. If you wanna lower it some more if you notice him doing alot of gaping then just lower your branch of raise your light. Congrats on becoming a new owner! I agree the Kammers are great to deal with!

 

[Old World]

Thanks for the quick responses! I will be getting some smooth rocks soon to cover the soil. I will be getting a nice digital humidity meter as well, and will compare all my humidity gauges and let you guys know how they compare over time. I know from years of fish keeping that no gauge is either very accurate nor dependable. It is wise to compare several sources.

I will be dusting my feeders with herptivite and calcium w/d3. You can barely see the supplements on the first picture, by the left cage. I feed my dubias oranges, carrots, turnip greens, watermelon rinds, and almost any other fresh produce I have. Will do the same for crickets.

 

[Old World]

Thanks for the advice carol5208. I will be keeping a close eye on their temps and their reactions. Glad I got dimmable lamps, as I will try for a slightly lower temp. The basking site is about 5-6 inches under the dome lamp, and my temperature was recorded at that point.

 

[carol5208]

That is a little close, it did not look that close in the picture! i guess Kansas City has a better eye then me. The main thing is you do not want them to touch the screen with any body part while basking. As they get bigger the space between the branch and the screen will get smaller so just be carefu!l. They can get burned very easily from the hot screens!

 

[Old World]

The main thing is you do not want them to touch the screen with any body part while basking. :

Ah, good point...I will be lowering the vines a couple inches. Now I know they will climb the mesh itself; how should I handle that situation?

 

[Kansascity]

Ah, good point...I will be lowering the vines a couple inches. Now I know they will climb the mesh itself; how should I handle that situation?

Just adjust the light set up itself (raise it a couple inches) monitor your temps before your baby’s arrive and you should be a OK