Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is anyone able to give me some advice re husbandry & product comparisons?

INFO: 2 year old Veiled Chameleon (Superman Sanchez)

We've been letting him out at least every-other -sunny- day to climb in our young dogwood and get natural sunlight (30-60 min).

LLL Reptiles suggested a 18x18x36 or 24x24x48 Reptarium

I think the next larger Fresh Air Habitat 30x18x30 would be nice, but it’s not much larger than what I have: is it worth it?

Are there any known pros/cons to either brand of enclosure?

Also, does anyone have experience with the Mercury Vapor (MV) UV Bulbs?

If I get a larger cage, I might want to switch my Spot Lamp and Fluorescent Bulb for a 100v Mercury Vapor Flood (probably Zoo Med Powersun UV $37.95 or T-Rex Active UV Heat Flood $48.36)

I've read quite a bit about these MV bulbs and I'm not sure that they are safe for use around people, but I like the idea of Superman having the option of getting all that UVA/UVB exposure in a larger cage where he could also choose to hide.

I currently use:
*Fresh Air Habitat (26 x 24 x 12)

*(Day/Night) 50w or 75w Incandescent Red Basking Heat Lamp – ESU Reptile

*(Day) 50w Repti Basking Spot Lamp – Zoo Med (claims it “provides beneficial UVA Rays”)

*(Day) Zoo Med 18" Repti Sun 10.0 UVB Fluorescent Bulb

Even if you only have time to address one of my questions, I will be much obliged.

SUMMARY
- HOUSING: Reptarium VS Fresh Air Habitat AND What Size You Prefer!!!
- LIGHTING: MV UV Flood VS Fluorescent, Wattage for Cage Size and Brand
- ANYTHING ELSE!

I've learned a lot from this forum (and others) but this is my first post, thanks for any knowledge you are willing to share!

Hello

Hope my opinions are useful to ya.
S
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Sandra
BC Canada

Your response was very helpful!

I still rely on the baby dogwood outside my house to give him an hour of real sunlight on most days. (We keep it trimmed so it doesn't touch the house, and we supervise him while he's in it).

If you haven't already posted here about how you make your cages, perhaps you could give me a summary of the kinds of materials you rely on.

I'm afraid of using many things from the hardware store - some of the screens aren't meant for animals and some of the woods are treated with strange chemicals.

If you see this post, feel free to just provide a short list of the things you use.

I have given up on the MVBs because I don't think they're necessary.

My chameleon would be happier in a cage that's about 2x2 at the base and 3 or 4 feet high. I'll adjust the lighting accordingly.

His 3 year b-day is coming up so that's a good time to give him a new enclosure.

Thanks!

Most of my enclosures are thus:

Two sides, one side and the back, or all three: peg board, painted with non-toxic, semi gloss, arcylic latex paint. These almost solid sides ensure that the chams housed side-by-side dont see each other. Humidty in the Winter is difficult to maintain high here, so having semi-solid sides helps a little. But of course peg board is full of regular holes, and that ensures some airflow. It is also very easy to afix branches and such to the interior with a little wire and the wire ends are never inside the cage so no risk of injury.

In some cages I use peg board on the top half and solid wood (locally milled and chemical free) on the bottom half - thinking that the free roaming food wouldnt escape as easily.

The back or one side not peg board is coated wire, like in a quality bird cage.

The top is either same coated wire or a stainless steel mesh (half inch spaces) or hardware cloth. It depends on the chameleon - those inclined to hang upside down and transverse the ceiling do not get the hardware cloth. The gaps in the wire are plenty big enough for the majority of light to get in, and the drinking water obviously comes in from the top as well.

Floors are either solid wood (painted) with a large bowl to catch drips and a towel to catch splash. Or they are coated wire with the drip catch underneath. The solid floors are better for the females, as I then can put large nesting box (size of the floor and a foot and a half heigh) in, and leave it in for quite awhile so that I dont have to move the chams out to lay. The nesting box has a lid so poop and such doesnt get in it when it's not in use. I slide the whole box out, with the help of a strong man, to dig up eggs and cleanreplace the medium (primarily sand).

Fronts are either acrylic or coated wire - sometimes both (wire inside that they can climb, with acrylic afixed to outside - which helps keeps humidity in a little).

Other enclosures are all wire.

It really depends what I had available for materials and cash at the time I was constructing

Some have fake plants, some have live plants.

Doubt this helps much. You'll find there are better descriptions and even diagrams on the web. And there are cages one can order custom.
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Sandra
BC Canada