setting up cage, a few very important questions.

[drex]

hey all. i am getting a chameleon here shortly when i am ready and have my setup done. i am building a cage 24x24x48 and just making sure i have everything right to go with it. im doing it once,and doing it right. "dont worry about the cage size the cham is 8-9 months old" okay so here i go.

lighting - i want live plants in the cage so would a mercury vapor bulb be the way to go with a deep dome lamp? 100 watt bulb etc. ? if so great but do i need anything running besides that at night or anything? any source of heat etc? or is just that light during the day good? this is something i havent been able to find an answer for.

i do leave for a day or two on the weekends to travel back to see my family, if i do not get a misting system right away what are my options to help keep humidity up ? i do have a humidifier im sure i could mod to use with this. is it a dumb idea to have a waterfall for temporary use while i leave? would that help much or not ? i know they can be very bad with bacteria and drowning issues but if it would help it may be something i have to do.

what do you all put on the bottom of your cages? i have read to have nothing because it can cause issues with cleanliness, or possibly injure the cham "if something got in their eyes etc" i just want to have this right.

if anyone has some pics of their cages setup could you post a few? i want to see setups that are correct. this is my first lizard i decided to get out of the saltwater fish/ reef tank hobby and go on to something new. any other advice or a correct checklist would be great i appreciate it. and please, pics!

 

[Murrdox]

TIP - If you browse the photography forum, lots of people have posted pictures of their cages and setup.

Here's a very basic picture of my setup for you:

I think you need to read some basic care sheets, I'm not sure you have a grasp of everything your chameleon requires. Live plants is a great start though.

Lighting - I'd stay away from a mercury vapor bulb. Get a basking bulb (75 watt is probably enough) or just a normal 75 watt bulb in a dome lamp. Make sure to take temperature readings at the chameleon's basking spot, and other areas around the enclosure. You ALSO need a linear 5.0 UVB bulb. Zoo Meds are an easy recommendation. You do NOT need any night lighting or heat unless the room temperature drops below 65 degrees or so. This will vary depending on what kind of chameleon you have.

If you travel back and forth regularly to see family... honestly I'm not sure if a chameleon is the right lizard for you to get. You will DEFINITELY need a misting system so your chameleon will be able to drink regularly while you're away. Food is less of a problem, but you still need to make sure you'll be able to give your chameleon a couple days worth of food. At 8-9 months, he'll still probably be eating everyday.

For the bottom of cages, you'll need a resevouir to hold excess water (or a very large plant dish) and no substrate. A plastic bottom works best. I found that putting large plastic garbage bags on the bottom of the cage works great. You just pull them out and change them and they catch all the poo and other debris. Stay away from newspaper or wood chips, sand, etc.

Look at the "shopping list" on this website.

http://www.chameleonsonly.com/panther_chameleon_package!.htm

It's a great resource for everything that you'll need. For YOU, I'd definitely add an automatic mister for your guy since you'll be out of town regularly. Stay away from the waterfall, IMO. Your chameleon won't drink from it, it won't help to keep humidity up enough that it's worth having a bacteria breeding ground in your cage.

 

[drex]

thanks for the quick reply. i am planning on a mister, just wanted to make sure just in case i ever had an issue or cover the worst case scenario for myself. i have been reading alot, for several months. i keep seeing different "needs" and what not. my local pet store knows alot when it comes to saltwater fish, but the bottom covering and waterfall advice came from them. and the vapor bulb actually.i was told that is the way to go with live plants and what not. my questions are kindave dumb, but thats because all the bs i have been told has be confused on a few things and i just want to get what i need, do my research on what it is im picking up. i figured no better advice then from people that actually use what they are saying and have years of experience. i have been looking at pics around the forums, this is my first day im slow enough at work in almost 3 months to sit and check up on things. thanks again.

 

[chambabysitter1]

I recently began my adventure into the chameleon world too.
This website really helped get me off on the right foot. Care for panthers and veileds are the same so the site is a great read.

Here is what my juvenile panther cage looks kind of like:

It has changed a little since this picture. I have it raised higher on some crates to make him feel safer. Also the basking light is on a clip so I can adjust how close or far it is. The moss on the bottom of the pot was covered with rocks instead.

 

[Murrdox]

and the vapor bulb actually.i was told that is the way to go with live plants and what not.

It's possible that the plants in the cage might do better with a vapor bulb I guess? Just make sure it's not putting out UV for your chamaleon, he might get too much UV exposure. And just make sure to measure the temperature.

 

[drex]

i was told about the vapor bulb at my local pet store..but she told me i have ONLY the vapor bulb, because they give off heat and the rays needed for a chameleon.. from research online people do it but only use 100w bulbs, and only certain ones that dont give off to much uv. i was just hoping someone in here maybe is using one or has to tell their experience etc.. i know their is always advvantages " in the fish tank hobby it was always T5's vs metal halide lighting" i just want what is going to be the better choice. i will build/buy everything needed..just wanting a little re-assuring from everyone else.just for the record..it is a 8-9 month ambilobe just in case anyone was wondering. thanks for the help so far everyone.

 

[chambabysitter1]

Follow the link I gave you.
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
This will answer most of your questions, while presenting information in an easy to digest format.

There is one light that pretty much everyone uses, not argued, because some other brands have been proven as faulty.

- Reptisun 5.0 Linear. Some people do 10.0 (NOT COMPACT!!! Caps because it can blind your reptiles)

- Basking Lamp of any sort. 100w is baking hot. 50 would be good, 75 might be a bit much, its dependent on where you live and how cold it gets.

 

[warpdrive]

as someone who is about to keep a panther cameleon for the first time I too have been studying the different bulbs on the market.
as others have said, get a zoomed reptisun 5.0 bulb for the uv rays, and a basking bulb for the heat (75w seems best to start off with).
both bulbs are needed for the care of your cameleon, and are the best solution you can go with.

ultra high output bulbs like MH seem to me just way to strong for them and could hurt there eyes or do other damage. remember that they are made for aquarium use and saltwater will cut down alot of the light. the same could be said for T5 bulbs made for aquarium use.
if you have some reaf experiance, you would also know that thies bulbs can also harm hard and soft corals if not used properly...so beware.

to care for the new cameleon you are getting, please just start off with the recamended bulbs I and other have told you.


I think the next big question is now that we have the right bulbs for our cameleons, what now to use to help keep the live plants in our cages from dieing?

to me, the best way is to have spare plants to change our cages with.
in other words, maybe after a week or two, put in a different plant, and take out the old one...then the old plant/tree could get some natural sunlight (placed by a window or be put outside) or be helped along with a "grow" bulb.

for me, I live in the NYC area, in an apartment. I can't put plants outside, and my windows face the north...so I get very little sunlight in my house.

if there is no bulbs that can be safe to use for growing plants/trees and housing a cameleon at the same time, I'm going to set up a growing spot in my living room next to my computer desk.
this spot is where I'll be placing some plants/trees to help them grow and get some artificial light. I might even set up a few resting posts and ropes for my cameleon to also crall on....so when I need to take him out of the cage for extreem cleaning, he will have a nice place to "hang out".

Warpdrive

 

[drex]

okay well thanks for the advice everyone, i would rather use that light setup anyways. i planned on having a few of each plant i am going to put in to swap out. my wife hated my reef tank because of the metal halides haha. utility bill and heat. does anybody have any recommendations for basking bulbs? my local pet store carries exo-terra everything. didnt know if thats the route to go or if they aren't so great. again, just askign because the bulbs they carried for reef tanks were not so great. thanks.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

We use regular household incandescent bulbs here.
The wattage and distance from the basking perch can be tweaked to provide the right temperature.
Obviously you need to invest in at least one digital probe thermometer.

-Brad