Beginner - enclosure critiques please!

E

engineblock

New Member
Hello! I'm expecting to get my first pygmy chams (1.2) on Thursday and because I haven't owned any reptiles before (don't worry, my boyfriend is an avid hobbyist!), I'm hoping for some feedback for this enclosure. I built it based on a lot of the enclosures here, but advice is always wanted.

The terrarium is an 18x18x18 exo-terra, with a layer of fired clay balls, weedblocker, coco husk substrate and terrarium moss, with various (cham-safe) live plants repotted in the coco husk but kept in terracotta pots. The lights are full-spectrum florescent (not heat emitting) and a 15w UBV incandesent for heat (right side). It does have a small waterfall, but because I wanted it for humidity, I filled the pool section with river pebbles, plus some vines for reaching-basking-spot purposes.

I'm concerned re. visual density, primarily, but any critiques are welcome.

IMG_0645.jpg


more pictures coming!
 
You should vary branch sizes. I see small leafy stems but no small branches. The vines are fine as well but you should have small twigs mixed in for climbing.
 
Looks good. To make it perfect, add a few more (thinner) branches, and maybe another tall(ish) plant in the back left corner.


Otherwise,
stunning enclosure!
 
looks great but maybe some moss to hold in moisture and really leafy plants would be a good addition
 
This looks great, this is one of the example pictures I like the best so far. Simple but very pleasing how do your chams like it?
 
you should never have substrate and the cage is supposed to be screened on at least 2 sides and if you have a water fall get rid of it.
 
Your pygmies will enjoy the cage as is, but I agree with others that smaller twigs reaching higher and some taller leafy plants would enhance the enclosure.

I, too, worry about the waterfall. I have seen waterfalls in pygmy enclosure, and the pygmies thrived, but it can be a bacteria breeding ground and will introduce unnecessary labor for you to keep it clean.

I doubt that you will need to basking lamp, but you can watch how they behave after you receive them.

Good luck!
 
Looks good. Assuming you're getting R Brevs (most commonly available) the set up looks fine. They do like to climb, hide etc, and probably one of the best plants for this is a small ficus - nice leaf cover, variable thickness of branch (!). They need to exercise their feet and they do this (unknowingly) by walking over varying thicknesses of branches.

Keep the humidity high, temps in mid 70's and they should be fine.

Is there a waterfall in there? Looks just like an Exo Terra preformed background to me (in use, they're pretty annoying, crix etc all get behind there, pygs sit on the top where the cables go - I've removed mine and no longer use them for my Pygs) If there is a waterfall in there, it should def. be removed, as its a bacteria haven. They happily drink off of the leaves etc of the plants. I would move the thermometer a bit closer to the front because you won't be able to see it when the Dracenia (?) starts to grow. Easier to do it now rather than when the pygs are in!

Exo Terras (and full glass vivs with mesh tops in general) are probably the best enclosure for these and many other species of pygs IMO. They keep all the humidity in and actually the airflow isn't stagnant.

As long as you have caretaker bugs in there woodlice, pill bugs and springtails - everything should be mould free. I've actually blocked off half of the top of my screen mesh lid to improve the humidity, and the chams are still happy, breeding, eating etc etc.

The soil and substrate also looks very good (good drainage with the clay balls, barrier layer and then soil), and is fine for pygs - They don't eat the soil and suffer from impaction like larger species of chams would. A yemens tongue would be big and (relatively) clumsy - a pygs tongue is a precision instrument, hitting the prey very accurately in my experience.

Good luck when they arrive - you'll spend hours watching these fascinating critters

Austin
 
Not to cause any arguements but waterfalls are perfectly fine as long as you use a premade water fall "ex: small/medium exo-terra waterfall." They work and look great in a zoo med or exo-terra terrarium and help with humidity for pygmies. Sometimes in between misting I catch one of my pygmies drinking from it. So it doesn't hurt to have one. I would strongly not recommend one that is made to cycle thru the bottom of the hydroballs layer and drips down a side of a wall though.
 
hbskeet said:
Not to cause any arguements but waterfalls are perfectly fine as long as you use a premade water fall "ex: small/medium exo-terra waterfall." They work and look great in a zoo med or exo-terra terrarium and help with humidity for pygmies. Sometimes in between misting I catch one of my pygmies drinking from it. So it doesn't hurt to have one. I would strongly not recommend one that is made to cycle thru the bottom of the hydroballs layer and drips down a side of a wall though.
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Sorry hbskeet, but as there are two sides to a coin, there are two sides to any argument!!

When researching keeping chameleons and pygmies specifically, I spoke to numerous people who had waterfalls/ knew someone who had waterfalls and the vast majority of them said that they were commonly used for toilets by their chams, and a very good source of bacteria in the viv.

Obviously, if the water was changed, say, daily, then this would minimise the risk of bacterial infection of the water source. But IMO when I had finished all my research, hand misting seemed a safer and easier way to provide water.
 
I didnt notice the start date of the thread until after I posted my first response. But it seems some people are getting some information from it.

@mickey: Im glad you've talked to people. But if you would've read my post fully "They work and look great in a zoo med or exo-terra terrarium and help with humidity for pygmies. Sometimes in between misting I catch one of my pygmies drinking from it. So it doesn't hurt to have one."

It definetly shouldn't be the only source of water. Misting is a must! But it's nice to offer a source of water in between misting when most of the drops from earlier mistings dry up. I have 3 viv's 2 with 1.3 and one with 1.4 colonies in them. All have a small exo-terra waterfalls and I have never had any of my chams use the restroom in it. Im sure if its the only water source the chams will spend more time near it and obviously poop will get in it. I've never had any problems with waterfalls in my viv's. Maybe Im just the lucky one :cool:
 
chameleoman said:
you should never have substrate and the cage is supposed to be screened on at least 2 sides and if you have a water fall get rid of it.
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Pygmy chams can have substrate from what I've read, they generally dont eat the substrate, and they use it to lay eggs, and screened top only is perfectly acceptable because they prefer it a bit more humid than the larger breeds.
 
I also have my brev's in this set up i would lose some of the moss at the bottom so if and when they lay egg's they may do so other than that it look's great
 
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