Beginner questions

[katyle]

So being new at the hobby this upcoming fall will be my first with my chameleons. With the changing weather, they will me moving into the house. My question is; What do most people do about the water drainage after misting/dripping?
Secondly, where is everyone buying their ficus trees? I live in Cincinnati OH and can't seem to find a ficus small enough for my cage (3.5 ft tall).
Thanks!

 

[Ellron]

You can get ficus's at LLL reptiles, Ill add a link in a sec.
What I do for drainage is set the cage on top of a rubbermaid drawer.
Drill holes through the plastic bottom and through the drawer underneath.
Presto! The water will drip through into the drawer, when its empty, just dump it into a tub or sink.
You can use a hairdryer and a brick to warp the bottom so the water is more readily drained.
Ficus

 

[nick barta]

If you go to a automated drip system, I would suggest that your collection tray be about 6 inches bigger than the cage base. Water from auto drip systems has a way of finding ways out.

At hardware stores, and better yet, Heating and Air Conditioning supply shops, you can find trays used for water collection for under appliances and air conditioning units.

Another option is to go to a restaurant supply business, they also have sturdy tubs that don't require a separate dumping bucket.

You will need to drain the tray into a bucket to remove the water if the tray is flimsy, which most are.

Nick

 

[nick barta]

So being new at the hobby this upcoming fall will be my first with my chameleons. With the changing weather, they will me moving into the house. My question is; What do most people do about the water drainage after misting/dripping?
Secondly, where is everyone buying their ficus trees? I live in Cincinnati OH and can't seem to find a ficus small enough for my cage (3.5 ft tall).
Thanks!

Ficus loose leaves quite easily, you might want to look at umbrella plants, although they die easily. My best plant to date is the Pathos vine, which is inexpensive, near impossible to kill, and it creates new chameleon highways every month. If you underwater it, the leaves will start to yellow to tell you to water, It is hard to over water it, so it is a very good plant to use.

Nick