Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I was looking to purchase a Panther this fall and was wondering if this setup I have planned will be ideal.

65 gallon basic reptarium
Want to put up a background on only one side of cage.
Using the softray for my hydroponics system.
2" Terra-Lite for drainage, substrate divider, CoCo bedding mixed w/ tree fern fiber for good aeration. I have an exo-terra waterfall that I would like to use. A 1 gallon dripping system. 24" 5.0 UVB bulb. I also have plenty of dome lamps w/ various wattage bulbs (ZooMed Basking and Infrared bulbs 60-100 watts).
I also have about 12 feet of jungle vines I was planning on using.

I was wondering if these plants would be safe for my Panther:

Staghorn Fern
Selaginella - Kraussiana
Microgramma reptans
Fern - Humata tyermanii
Mostera deliciosa 'Minima'
Ficus sp. 'Lance Leaf'
Syngonium erythrophyllum
Creeping Fig - Ficus pumila

As far as his diet and supplement goes I have Miner-All I/O, Vit-All, and breed my own silkworms, lobster roaches, superworms, and mealworms.

Any advice is both recommended and welcome.
Thanks,
Ryan

Although it would look cool its not the best set up for a Panther chameleon. Starting off their should be no substrate I use newspapers for cleaning purposes. I couldn't quite tell how the drainage was going to work but the soft trays would catch and hold water and thats not good. The plants should mostly have sturdy branches like a ficus or schefflera. Other than that it sounds cool. What kind of Panther are you going to get and who from?
Good luck
Stevie

I was looking to get a Nosy Be from LLL. I've never bought an animal online before so I'm a bit sceptical.

This is the way the drainage works and is the setup I use on my tokay to keep his humidity between 75-85% w/ plants. W/o plants the humidity is at a crisp 60%.

2" of Terra-Lite, an expanded clay pellet that will hold water.
Fill water 1/2" below that line. The water will soak into the clay and pretty much disappear. Then you use a substrate divider to prevent the soil mixture from settling in and clogging the clay. Here's what happens, the water creeps very, very slowly up thru the clay by nature and keeps the soil moist yet, well drained. A set up like this can last up to 5 years w/o ever being changed.

Hi there,

Check out this link for an easy read on how to setup for a new panther. There are some recommendations that caution against what you are planning to do, such as the bedding. Good Luck!

Vincent
http://www.screameleons.com
Getting Started Part 1

Wow, thanks for the help!

I really appreciate the advice and will be sure to send you pics when I get it's cage all set up. You've got some nice chameleons as well .

Once again, I really appreciate your advice and am replanning my whole design w/ a big smile (saving $$$).

Thanks,
Ryan

Are you by chance a reader of Black Jungle Terrarium Supply? From your specialized plants list and the Terralite I bet you are! The plants you list probably won't stand up to a panther cham grabbing and climbing on them. Cham feet are very powerful and with sharp claws and along with their body weight they will not survive very long. It might be hard to get a neat fern like a staghorn established with a cham pulling it loose every day or so. Better plants for chams include large bushy Schefflera and Ficus such as the ones often for sale at home improvement stores such as Home Depot, KMart, etc. They will have stronger branches and lots of leaves for the cham perch in, hide behind, and to lick water off of. The Terralite substrate is very interesting idea, as it could release humidity, but there is a chance the cham could pick up the pieces with its sticky tongue while shooting at prey and the soil underneath can easily harbor mold and bacteria that chams seem to be sensitive to. They are more prone to respiratory problems than frogs in such "false bottom" setups. What is more important for chams is a repeating cycle of more and less humid periods. Using an ultrasonic humidifier controlled by a multiple setting lamp timer is often much easier and cleaner. You can still do some hand spraying morning and late afternoon for drinking as the humidifier won't create a lot of condensation in such a large open cage. You may also find that a Reptarium is better for a temporary cage or for using out doors for basking. As a permanent cage the zipper can be a pain and some people are concerned the heavy mesh blocks too much UV and visible light. Loose superworms (Zoophobas) can chew through the mesh.

For ideas on setups and cages, there are lots of pics of keeper setups on http://www.adcham.com

Also, the waterfall will be a lot of work to keep REALLY clean...like every other day. They can become a bacteria soup very quickly. The cham probably won't drink from it and it won't raise the humidity very much. You may not need all that much wattage in heat spots...chams do burn themselves and you don't need any heat at night unless the room gets below 55 F. NO lights on at night. Your cham needs a 10-15 degree drop in temp and complete darkness.

But, you are asking all the right questions!

Ok, so I've rethought everything out and here's what I've come up w/ thanks to all your advice!

100 gallon
24 feet of vines
ficus, umbrella, and pothos
Mercury vapor lamp
a couple spray bottles on hand, one w/ water, one w/ cleaning solution
and my lovely roaches!
I hope everything works out..
I still have a question though. How often should I feed my sub-adult, and when it gets to be an adult, how much then? Also, how often should I let water drip for the chameleon?

That list sounds good. A sub-adult will eat everyday. Even an adult can eat everyday. The frequency of feeding will not change but the quantity will. Adults generally eat less.

The more water you provide for you chameleon the better. But then you run into problems with draining. Drippers are good, but they tend to run out of water pretty quick. A mister works out much better because they periodically spray a fine mist over the plants. The dropplets tend to evaporate before the next mist comes on. For panthers, you could get away with 3-5 sprays per day. There are several options for misting. Alot of people on this forum have used the Habba Mist by Zoomed with success. I've never used this system, but it seems perfect for a single chameleon.

Take care.

Vincent

100 gallon
24 feet of vines
ficus, umbrella, and pothos
Mercury vapor lamp
a couple spray bottles on hand, one w/ water, one w/ cleaning solution
and my lovely roaches!
I hope everything works out..
I still have a question though. How often should I feed my sub-adult, and when it gets to be an adult, how much then? Also, how often should I let water drip for the chameleon?

Ok, a couple more questions.

I know that plants like pothos usually come in hanging pots. Would this be too much weight for reptarium to hold?

Also, if I buy plants like these from Home Depot and what not, wouldn't they most likely be using unsafe fertilizers and/or pesticides? I heard that you can use soap to scrub down the plants, but wouldn't that kill the plants? Also, would I need to re-pot the plants after purchasing them? Are there any safe fertilizers for chameleons or do the plants not need any?

The pothos plants in a hanging basket can be hung off the frame of the reptarium. The 100 gallon reptariums have several places where you can hang plants from. You should repot your plants with fertilizer free soil, or place landscaping stones over the soil. Rinse the plant with water, and use a sponge to clean them off. A light solution of soap and water will work well.

Vincent
http://www.screameleons.com