want to make sure im on track

[chamtropic92]

Hello all this is my first post, I've been researching for the past few weeks about chameleons and have decided to try and procure a 3-5 month old male panther chameleon. I just wanted to go over what my plan is and see if some more experienced keepers could give me some advice.

I just ordered a 2x2x4 enclosure from lllreptile and plan on putting a couple hibiscus plants and a ficus in the enclosure, im going to wash off the rootball and transfer them to organic potting mix. I have a huge live oak in the backyard that needs trimming so ill be baking branches from that to make horizontal branches so he can navigate all of his space. I plan on using a cfl 5.0 bulb for UVB placed on top of the cage with a LED fixture for plant growth. As far as basking bulb I'm going to wait to see what my temps are at once its setup, I keep my place pretty warm (80) so the recommended basking temp for juveniles might be achieved from the radiant heat of the UVB, but like I said I'll check the temps. I've got a sonic humidifier that I will be setting up on a timer. My big question with the humidifier is where should I input the mist outflow top, bottom, middle? My girlfriend has a sulcata so we have all the calcium and supliments. As far as food goes I'm setting up a superworm colony so those will be supplemented with crickets and other treats.

This is all in the works so pieces will be coming together slowly, i hope to getting some plants repotted and adjusted soon. I plan to pick the chameleon up at the Houston repticon convention on October 26. Do you guys think that's adequate time for to get everything setup and stable before I make my chameleon purchase. Also has anyone had any good/bad experience with chameleon vendors at this show. If you guys have any comments or suggestions I really appreciate the input. I'll be posting pictures of once I start acquiring equipment and plants.

 

[Decadancin]

My biggest advice would be to add some sand to the potting mix. It tends to get packed down from the misting and the plants don't do as well. Sounds like you have been doing some good research!

I don't use a humidifier, but I would place the outflow near the top. The moisture will fill the enclosure and settle to the bottom. It can also form droplets on the upper leaves of your plants. Can't wait to see some pics!

It sounds like you've already seen this, but here is a link to a Panther care sheet...
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/panther/

Welcome to the forums!

 

[Lpsouth1978]

....I plan on using a cfl 5.0 bulb for UVB placed on top of the cage with a LED fixture for plant growth....

Everything sounds good except for the CFL bulb. These bulbs are known to cause eye problems and are incredibly inconsistent with their UVB output. Spent a little more money and get a linear tube style UVB like a ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6%. You will be glad you did.

Good lick with your new Cham. My next will be a BB Ambilobe male.

 

[chamtropic92]

So I stopped by Home Depot today and no luck with the hibiscus but I did find a money tree that was the perfect size, it has some pothos possible growing in the bottom as well? Might be something else I'm not to sure.
I'm taking your advice and mixing some sand in with the soil to help it drain better as well as also buying a linear style UVB bulb. Thanks for the advice decadancin and lpsouth1978

 

[chamtropic92]

Just wanted to share the enclosure now that it is up and running, it took awhile for the screen cage to get in but it's finally here.

Let me know if this looks suitable for my little guy (4 month old male panther). I just got it setup so ill report tomorrow afternoon what the temps are holding at once they stabilize.

I tried to distribute the foliage so he can roam around and find his happy balance of heat, humidity and light.

 

[SPork]

Everything sounds good except for the CFL bulb. These bulbs are known to cause eye problems and are incredibly inconsistent with their UVB output. Spent a little more money and get a linear tube style UVB like a ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6%. You will be glad you did.

Good lick with your new Cham. My next will be a BB Ambilobe male.

I'm curious to know how you came to this conclusion, has someone done a spectral analysis on these lamps to prove that they produce inconsistent UVB numbers? I know one company had a bad batch of cf bulbs, but that has since been rectified.

 

[Saldarya]

I would suggest a number of horizontal branches be added to the cage (you eluded to this in your OP). This will help him move throughout the cage much better.

You may struggle with the Ficus with that relatively small amount of light over the cage. That's not to say that it will hurt him, just dont be surprised if the Ficus starts dropping leaves.

Also, living in Houston I find it unlikely that you will be needing the Humidifier, especially if you are misting him properly throughout the day. I live in S. Louisiana, not far from you, and humidity is just fine, even in the winter.

Concerning the vendors at Repticon, be cautious. Every show is different, but Repticon just came though here and the Panthers that were available were very poor looking and overpriced. You may have better vendors there, so go look for sure, but there are a ton of great sponsors here and private breeders that can get you a top notch animal at a very reasonable price.

Great job and keep it up!

 

[chamtropic92]

Saldarya thanks for the great input.

I think I'm going to take your advice and not setup the humidifier, your right about the humidity plus I also have an open top fish tank in that room adding humidity. I'm also going to see if I can start trimming my live oak in the backyard to see if I can get some good branches from it. Is 30 minutes at 350 adequate for killing off potential parasites?

After driving around a few pet shops and asking them if they had panthers I got the impression that most just ship in a few panther right before the show to flip them. This is because they sit for a long time and don't normally sell unless its a big event like repticon. Luckily I got in touch with curt at epic chameleons and my little Cham should be here next week, I'm really happy with my choice in breeder. I know starting with a quality specimen will make a huge difference in my experience as a keeper and the continued health of the animal.

 

[Saldarya]

As it relates to the branches, if you are cutting live wood, I have been just fine for years scrubbing them down with a soapy/light bleach and water solution, Just to knock off loose debris and kill any small insects.

Many people use them straight from the tree with no ill effects. The main reason you would want to in my opinion is that due to the native reptiles we have living in our area, there is a small chance that a parasite could get transferred. Small, but scrubbing a branch is all of 60 seconds and puts my mind at ease.

Good call on the breeder, I am sure you are going to get a great animal and then you need to share pics!!

 

[Tyaeda]

I'm curious to know how you came to this conclusion, has someone done a spectral analysis on these lamps to prove that they produce inconsistent UVB numbers? I know one company had a bad batch of cf bulbs, but that has since been rectified.

It's better to be safe than sorry. After the initial fixture purchase, having a linear tube isn't much more expensive than a cf. Linear tubes also cover more area too, with cf the chameleon has to be right under the thing in order to get any UVB, and I would hardly ever see my cham basking under it.... he much prefers the heat lamp.

 

[SPork]

It's better to be safe than sorry. After the initial fixture purchase, having a linear tube isn't much more expensive than a cf. Linear tubes also cover more area too, with cf the chameleon has to be right under the thing in order to get any UVB, and I would hardly ever see my cham basking under it.... he much prefers the heat lamp.

I can't argue with the fact that a linear tube can cover a larger area as it is a longer bulb than a cf, but the intensity of light coming out of a normal output linear as is commonly recommended is nowhere near the amount of light emitted by a compact fluorescent, in the same respect a cf will not put out near the intensity as that of a t5ho lamp. While you are covering more area with a linear tube horizontally, the penetration of the light into your cage is much much less, so while a cf lamp may cover less area horizontally it will more than make up for vertically. What I am trying to say is that both bulbs can be used and neither will do any harm. It really sucks that people will automatically discredit cf lamps because of 1 bad batch which was released over 7 years ago, to the best of my knowledge the lamps were recalled and redesigned to be safe.

 

[Lpsouth1978]

... What I am trying to say is that both bulbs can be used and neither will do any harm. It really sucks that people will automatically discredit cf lamps because of 1 bad batch which was released over 7 years ago, to the best of my knowledge the lamps were recalled and redesigned to be safe.

It may be true that the newly designed bulbs are safer, but I have personally had issues with CFL UVB bulbs with my bearded dragons and would rather not risk trouble with my chameleon or any other reptile just to save a few bucks. I actually spent the extra money and upgraded all of my UV bulbs to T5.