Suggestions for my setup?

[Harland Williams]

Chameleon Info:

* Feeding - Crickets,I have a cricket keeper,calcium fortified cricket quencher,and cricket crack.
* Supplements - rep cal Herptivite,rep cal calcium with D3 and some rep cal calcium without D3.
* Watering - a fluker's mini dripper and mister

Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Screan cage 12x18x20 made by zilla recomended by screameleons.
* Lighting - I have 8.5" and 5.5" heat domes,a 40w house bulb and a 60w zoo med daylight heat bulb but will only be using one of each so I have about 4 basking temps to choose from,Zoo Med Reptisun Terrarium Hood 20" with zoo med 18" Reptisun 5.0 UVB bulb.I have everything hooked up to a timer so it comes on at 7 and goes off at 7.
* Temperature - Using a Zoo Med Digital Terrarium Thermometer still checking the temps.House stays at around 76 at all times.
* Humidity - will be using a ultra sonic cool mist humidifier,mister and a Zoo Med Humidity Gauge.
* Plants - Schefflera
* Placement - In my room about 30" from my Ceiling.
* Location - Lakeland,FL


Current Problem -I really want a Panther and I'm wondering what I can change or add to make it more suitable.Don't have a humidifier yet but I'm looking for one of these 2 that I can set next to the cage and hook up to a timer.Also the heat dome in the pick is the 8.5" with the 60 w bulb and the basking spot is 91.5 right now and the cage is pretty dry.The humidity is about 50 at the moment.Sorry if the pics are a bit blurry.

 

[Kent67]

Looks good so far although you will be surprised with how quick juvie chameleons grow and that small cage probably won't last too long. As for heat, just play with your basking spot until he can comfortably sit under it without getting burned. Your house is a perfect ambient temperature and as long as there's no risk of burning, the chameleon will move in and out from under it to regulate his body temperature as he pleases. Good choice going with the Schefflera; they are much more hardy indoors than the usual Ficus. If the animal you get is large enough to eat items other than crickets, it's never too soon to add a little diversity to the diet, too.

Good luck and thought you were great in the BMH movie.

 

[Harland Williams]

Thanks,I'll keep messing around with the basking spot until it's right.Harry Cox is all over this .Nice article btw,thanks for the link.

 

[carol5208]

why do you need a humidifier in florida? I live in Lake Worth which is about 4 hours south east of you or so. Florida is Florida and it is hot and humid. Even though our homes are A/c'd the humidity is still there. My humidity hovers around 50%-60% without any misting. when I mist, it goes anywhere between 80%-90%. I do this about 3-4 times a day when I see it around 50%. Do not do at night cause you dont want the cage wet when the lights are out. You want the cage to dry. Right now it is 10:00 pm and my humidity is at 70% all on its own. I have a Sambava panther. Have had for about 5 mos and so far so good!

 

[Harland Williams]

I was going to get one because I wasn't sure if I had to keep the humidity up to 70-80.When it's dry it's at about 50 and when I mist it goes up to around 75-80 but then it drops back down to 50 after about an hour and most people say to only mist 2-3 times a day so I was just worried about it being to low in between misting.

 

[carol5208]

ya know, it is up to you. My humidity is at 50% right now. My breeder told me you wants "spikes" in humidity. I dont think u have to maintain that all day long. I have not misted yet today. What I have been doing is setting my cham out on my patio for some morning sun and of course the humidity is ridiculous down here. Do you have a place that is enclosed outside like a patio where you could take him for a change? also, if you are worried about the humidity then you could mist more times or day. If you are not around during the day, you could get one of the automatic misters. Personally, my cham has been doing fine but I don't want to tell you what to do, only that it has worked for me so far and we have similar temps. My house is 76degrees everyday. When it gets cooler in the winter, then I will deal with this issue then. I have only had mine since end of March. Hope this helps.

 

[carol5208]

Also, live plants and a dripper going(do you have one of those?) help maintain the humidity also. Forget to tell youthat incase you did not know!

 

[jamncristian]

welcome to the forums

what kind of cham do you have??

 

[Manik6]

Hey harland! Whats up man I guess u have everything set with your jackson huh! Hows he doin? Yeah I ben wanting to get a panther too but I just want to get all my little tweeks down with my current set ups for my jacksons then ill move on to the next one. I suggest waiting a few months see how your jackson comes along and take your time setting up the encloser.

 

[Harland Williams]

ok cool I think I'm just worrying to much.Hey Manik,it sucks but I had to take Moe back to the shop.Turns out they had shipped him twice before I got him and I was really worried about him so I took him back.Needless to say I don't think I'll be buying from a pet shop again.I'm looking for a good breeder right now to try and find a Ambilobe panther.

 

[Harland Williams]

I'm still thinking working on a sun spot,don't have a patio and my porch is occupied by dogs so thats a big no.I think I'll get a nice big Schefflera to stick in the front yard where I can watch for about an hour or 2 a day.