Planning on getting a baby helmeted Cham. Should I get glass or hybrid?

[Livingstons Lizards]

I would recommend reaching out to Bob Cochran and there's an episode on the chameleon breeders podcast with him too

 

[redhorse]

LOL guess names sharing is "a go". Perfect!

 

[DocZ]

I would recommend a glass enclosure. Firstly because of the high humidity requirements. I keep mine at around 55-65% during the day and 90-100% at night. Given that they are an incredibly higher altitude species I've found glass works the best. I've gotten two clutches, albeit from a WC adult, but the first clutch I kept in a 18x16x24 Zilla Screen enclosure with 2 small schefflera & a royal palm. Lost 13/ 14 babies in the first 2 or 3 months due to improper humidity. The second round I kept in a 12x12x36 & 18x18x36 Exo Terra and only lost 2/12. Granted these are my first 2 clutches and there could be over factors im overlooking, however the biggest one was screen vs glass.
I keep mine with a daytime ambient of 65-73, basking 73-75, and nighttime of about 55-63. They are more of a scrub occupy species than tree top like a veiled or Panther. Mine regularly move up and down the schefflera foraging for food and regulating temperatures. I would suggest a thick & full schefflera plant to fill the whole area. Ill attach the picture of my adults habitat in a 24x18x24 Exo Terra. I use an Arcadia 12% T8 and a 25watt Zilla Halogen. I've tried the 20watt Xenon Pluck Lights but the temperature is too hot directly below the light and didn't have much of an effect on the rest of the enclosure.

This is pretty similar to what I’m using
I have two in a split 36x18x36 exo Terra glass and the third in 24x18x18.

I use 40w incandescent bulbs, but the room they’re in stays pretty cool in the winter and I could probably up the wattage right now
I have similar basking and ambient daytime temps and I get into the mid 50s at night
I’m using Arcadia T5HO 6%, but I have a 12% bulb I’m considering switching to. They’re equatorial, high altitude little Chams and likely have fairly high UVB exposure available to them in the wild.
Mario Jungmann discusses his experience with montane chameleons here
https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/podcast/127-uvb-for-montane-chameleons/

fogging easily takes the nighttime humidity above 90% in the glass enclosures. I fog 15 minutes each hour from midnight to 6 am and fluctuates between 80 and 99%

The one thing that is more difficult to deal with in the glass enclosures in drainage. I would recommend a substrate of some kind with a good drainage layer or even bioactive in a glass enclosure. I’m in the process of upsizing the third enclosure and I’m considering “hybridizing” a 36x18x18 with the 3 sides and the door covered like @Beman described

the hoehnelii group on Facebook has a lot of really successful T hoe keepers like Bob and others. Many have multiple captive bred animals available

 

[ZenxAero]

This is pretty similar to what I’m using
I have two in a split 36x18x36 exo Terra glass and the third in 24x18x18.

I use 40w incandescent bulbs, but the room they’re in stays pretty cool in the winter and I could probably up the wattage right now
I have similar basking and ambient daytime temps and I get into the mid 50s at night
I’m using Arcadia T5HO 6%, but I have a 12% bulb I’m considering switching to. They’re equatorial, high altitude little Chams and likely have fairly high UVB exposure available to them in the wild.
Mario Jungmann discusses his experience with montane chameleons here
https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/podcast/127-uvb-for-montane-chameleons/

fogging easily takes the nighttime humidity above 90% in the glass enclosures. I fog 15 minutes each hour from midnight to 6 am and fluctuates between 80 and 99%

The one thing that is more difficult to deal with in the glass enclosures in drainage. I would recommend a substrate of some kind with a good drainage layer or even bioactive in a glass enclosure. I’m in the process of upsizing the third enclosure and I’m considering “hybridizing” a 36x18x18 with the 3 sides and the door covered like @Beman described

the hoehnelii group on Facebook has a lot of really successful T hoe keepers like Bob and others. Many have multiple captive bred animals availableView attachment 292484

Please point me to this Facebook group! I would like to ask you more questions about glass enclosures. I have tried another montane chameleon in a screen but with the low humidity of living in a desert makes me almost drown the plants and having to clean up the bottom of the cage at least twice a day just to keep the humidity around 50. I’m learning more toward glass for this specific reason since I didn’t have much success with my other Cham. I would love if you can mentor me in going in this direction or give me some information I would greatly appreciate it!

 

[DocZ]

Please point me to this Facebook group! I would like to ask you more questions about glass enclosures. I have tried another montane chameleon in a screen but with the low humidity of living in a desert makes me almost drown the plants and having to clean up the bottom of the cage at least twice a day just to keep the humidity around 50. I’m learning more toward glass for this specific reason since I didn’t have much success with my other Cham. I would love if you can mentor me in going in this direction or give me some information I would greatly appreciate it!

The Facebook group is called “Trioceros hoehnelii“
My Jackson’s is in an XL reptibreeze that I covered 3 sides and the door, and I’ve been able to get good day and nighttime humidity with reasonable misting (before lights on, after lights off, and just before fogging at night) and nighttime fogging. I run my fogger a lot longer on my hybrid cage, 45 minutes per hour every hour midnight to 6 am, than my glass. The thing I really like about this is the drainage pan. It has a bulkhead and drains into an old five gallon aquarium. Once per week I dump the aquarium and I don’t deal with excess moisture otherwise
I think glass is a good option, especially if you’re in a dry area. It’s brutal cold where I live right now and my daytime humidity is suffering from the heater and fireplace running a lot (I never paid so much freaking attention to ambient temp and humidity in my life ) I don’t have a lot of experience with bioactive enclosures (but there’s many folks here that do). I think this is a great option for glass enclosures. My smaller glass enclosure collects about a 1/2 gallon or more of water per week that I have to drain off. I added a drainage and substrate layer to this one to help deal with the water collecting.

I’m happy to relate my experiences. I hope I can help you in any small way. Hoehnelii are such a great little chameleon. I love the size and personality of these guys. My hope is the general community will be keeping T hoes along with veiled, panther, and Jackson’s chameleons in the near future

 

[Livingstons Lizards]

Please point me to this Facebook group! I would like to ask you more questions about glass enclosures. I have tried another montane chameleon in a screen but with the low humidity of living in a desert makes me almost drown the plants and having to clean up the bottom of the cage at least twice a day just to keep the humidity around 50. I’m learning more toward glass for this specific reason since I didn’t have much success with my other Cham. I would love if you can mentor me in going in this direction or give me some information I would greatly appreciate it!

I would also recommend the Chameleon Academy Podcast with Chris Anderson on Glass Enclosures. Using a glass terrarium with a substrate/ bioactive set up requires you to mist a lot less. I live in NJ however with the winter, my room humidity is usually around 10-30% but allows me get 50-100%.

 

[DocZ]

I would also recommend the Chameleon Academy Podcast with Chris Anderson on Glass Enclosures. Using a glass terrarium with a substrate/ bioactive set up requires you to mist a lot less. I live in NJ however with the winter, my room humidity is usually around 10-30% but allows me get 50-100%.

Agreed
https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/po...n-in-glass-terrariums-with-dr-chris-anderson/