can i put grass at the bottom of cage?

[sammseals]

Have you ever seen the little pots of grass that pet stores sell for dogs and cats? Can i cover the bottom of the cage with those and a ficus tree? I bought an automatic misting system so i want plants at the bottom to catch the water.

 

[laurie]

You need drainage. Most of us drill a few small holes in the bottom of the cage, and have something below the cage to catch the water. My cages are on metal wire shelves. I have the shelves at a height to allow a 5 gallon bucket to easily slide in and out.

The grass idea may sound good but it will only give you headaches. Plants need drainage or they get water logged and die.

 

[Chameleonic]

Have you ever seen the little pots of grass that pet stores sell for dogs and cats? Can i cover the bottom of the cage with those and a ficus tree? I bought an automatic misting system so i want plants at the bottom to catch the water.

You can use grass, it died in my cage though, not sure why . Insects can hide in it, there is a small chance of chams eating it or the soil.
Most people here just have no substrate and have drainage holes, for ease of cleaning and minimizing risks. chams mostly stay off the floor anyway.

 

[sammseals]

could you add a picture of your whole cage setup with the bucket please? Thank you for your help.

 

[SliK JiM]

Sort of... but depends on your setup!

I have found that with proper drainage it will grow very well (generally add a little sand to your mixture of soil) but the biggest limiting factor is the availability of good light! Most enclosures will not have enough light of the right spectrum to really get grass growing and as a result, people see growth for a week, then it just dies.

Grass needs a LOT of very good light to thrive and in most enclosures, the source is poor and heavily obstructed by other plants and just general 'clutter' in the enclosure.

You're better off looking at low light plants/mosses/carpet plants/creepers that would suit your enclosure if you're after something like this. I have found in general that growing plants is hard work with the exception of pothos (devils ivy) which will grow at incredible rates just about anywhere!

 

[Carlton]

Sort of... but depends on your setup!

I have found that with proper drainage it will grow very well (generally add a little sand to your mixture of soil) but the biggest limiting factor is the availability of good light! Most enclosures will not have enough light of the right spectrum to really get grass growing and as a result, people see growth for a week, then it just dies.

Grass needs a LOT of very good light to thrive and in most enclosures, the source is poor and heavily obstructed by other plants and just general 'clutter' in the enclosure.

You're better off looking at low light plants/mosses/carpet plants/creepers that would suit your enclosure if you're after something like this. I have found in general that growing plants is hard work with the exception of pothos (devils ivy) which will grow at incredible rates just about anywhere!

Exactly. Grass grows where it does because there are no overarching trees to block the sun and because the soil doesn't hold water very well. The bottom of a cham cage isn't going to be too kind for grass.

 

[sammseals]

Thank you all for your help. I am not doing grass now. I got a shelf unit and made a draining system into a bucket.