Chameleon Vivarium :)

[ginge :)]

i have now researched well into the care of chameleons and have decided to take one on.

but as a tight-wad, im going to make my own vivarium form a book case.

it has fantastic dimensions to house a chameleon, as it's 5' tall

will i need to cut holes in the side and put mesh for vents
and holes in the top for lights
how do i clean the plants
and finally what does 'dusting' the chameleon mean

not to sure

any extra advice for the best home made vivarium is well appreciated

thanks

[the chameleon man]

hiya bud... ive done a pretty simular thing with a wardrobe ages ago.. it will work well the way your planning... get some heat guards for the lights if your planning on putting lights in...
also use false plants and clean them with warm water and a small amount of reptile disinfectant, you can get it from most good rep shops...
if the room is warm at night then duna worry about heating it at night...none of my chameleon rooms have any night heaters in come summer/winter but my house is warm and it never drops below 68-72 at night...anyways good luck and remember if your vents are too big locusts will escape... you could always use a old fishing net stapled on for vents.. nets also make great climbing aids for the chameleons if put in the viv and hung down like rope...have fun

[the chameleon man]

also the term dusting means to pre dust the live food you are feeding your chameleon... you buy a tub of reptile dust/vitamin aid and then you sprinkle this onto your offered food that day....

[lnrak]

If you've researched well enough then shouldn't already know this????

Not being a nasty - but you say you have researched them well. Good ventilation is a must for Chams and that would probably be the first thing you come across upon researching.

YOU'VE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE FOR THE INFO THOUGH

Which Cham are you thinking of getting? I keep toying with the idea myself, and have been doing for a few months now.

[lnrak]

AND DON'T DUST THE CHAMELEON!!!

[knighty]

you will need to put a fair few vents into the enclosure. idealy you need to replace the entire top with mesh for the U.V light and air flow. i would also have the basking lamp out side the viv so the cham cant get too close to it and burning its self.
vents also need to be in the sides at different levels and if you are going to use glass/plastic doors i would also have one under the door.
then make sure that the wood is sealed so it does not get damp and swell, siliconing the gaps between the wood with an aquarium sealant is also a good idea.

cleaning the viv all comes down to how you decorate it. i use plastic plants on the 3 sides and live plants in the middle. the plastic plants i wipe down with warm water with a reptile safe cleaner, and the real plants i just wipe the leafs over with a damp cloth. i remove any urate and fesus i see on a daily basis and with my substrate i change it every 3-5 months depending on how dirty it has become. to do this i just scoop it out into a bucket wipe the bottom out and the just tip the new stuff in.

when it comes to dusting, i find the easyest way to dust live food is to tip the desired amount into a sandwich bag, add some vitamin/calcium supplyment and then just gently shake the bag so that they all get a good covering, then just tip them in.
i use calypso calcium supplyment and nutrobal vitamin supplyment. i give one for 2 days then 3 days with no supplyments then 2 days with the other. but for a younger cham dusting should be more freaquent.

[Vase]

I'm doing five days calcium (Calypso), one day Nutrobal and one day off.

[knighty]

Originally Posted by Vase

I'm doing five days calcium (Calypso), one day Nutrobal and one day off.

i would personaly replace atleast 1 if not 2 of the calcium days with nutrabol as there is still some calcium in nutrabol and because too much calcium can be bad and it will start coming out of the nostrils.

[ginge :)]

thanks for all the help so far

im thinking of getting a yemen, hopefully sometime in the next two weeks, if the vivarium is up and running

ill probably upload some pictures of the viv once its finished, tell me what you think

[lnrak]

Originally Posted by ginge :)

thanks for all the help so far

im thinking of getting a yemen, hopefully sometime in the next two weeks, if the vivarium is up and running

ill probably upload some pictures of the viv once its finished, tell me what you think

Lookin' forward to it