AZweifel
Member
I ended up with a 6 foot tall, 4 foot wide, and 2 feet deep enclosure. I just wanted to share my pictures Incase anyone needed inspiration!
Homemade Panther Enclosure
- Thread starter AZweifel
- Start date
I ended up with a 6 foot tall, 4 foot wide, and 2 feet deep enclosure. I just wanted to share my pictures Incase anyone needed inspiration!
AZweifel
Member
I’m trying to get branches for her, I know she needs more climbing fixtures, they’re just hard to find in my area
The wood isn’t painted with a waterproof pint and the seams are sealed with 100% silicone that I dried for 36 hours.
And for substrate I use Evo Earth by zoomed, I believe.
The wood isn’t painted with a waterproof pint and the seams are sealed with 100% silicone that I dried for 36 hours.
And for substrate I use Evo Earth by zoomed, I believe.
Curlytails
Established Member
Looks awesome. Any clean up crew?
AZweifel
Member
Clean up crew?
Trent H.
Member
A clean up crew refers to bugs and such in the soil ( like spring tails and isopods), they are not needed, but they will eat any dead plants and fecal matter. They are what makes the cage bioactive.
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
I highly suggest looking into "bioactive". As much as I hate the words these days because it's pretty much just a fancy word for normal substrate ecosystem. Coco coir alone is empty of nutrients, mix in some organic soil, and sand to help with drainage. Add some leaf litter on top(you can collect your own from a clean area, like out in the country, or buy some) I like oak leaves and magnolia personally. Seed with springtails and isopods, can also add small millipedes, and any other detrivorous. I personally like adding Dubia roaches a lot too, they clean up the poop very well. Give all that a couple months to establish and you'll very rarely, if ever, have to clean again. Plus it looks so nice and natural. You can have plants growing straight from the soil. Wandering jew and pothos do great for ground cover. They soak up a lot of the water and don't need much light.
CJ's Exotics
Chameleon Enthusiast
They don't make the enclosure bioactive, but they are definitely beneficial microfauna.
CJ's Exotics
Chameleon Enthusiast
Also @jamest0o0, remember that other thread where I mentioned coco fiber not being the best because of the "man-made" factor? In case you were curious, I found out that the its fibrous nature along with it not being natural played into that. You probably already knew this, but just in case you were curious.
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
Almost everyone with bio substrate uses coco coir as part of their substrate mixture. All my animals are kept with substrate and some mix of coco coir. I agree though, the long fibrous pieces are probably not ideal to be swallowed. I like the little ground particles. But anyway. I don't personally know anyone that's had an impaction from this.
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
They somewhat do, I don't know of any soils that are thriving with springtails and isopods, but aren't bioactive. Bioactive is a mixture of beneficial fauna and flora that help to break down waste and turn it into nutrients for the soil.
Edit: btw no intention to be rude or argumentative, just playing devil's advocate a little heh, I enjoy talking this stuff.
Goose502
Chameleon Enthusiast
Bioactive is a buzzword indeed. People out there in the dart frog world are laughing at us all. Just recently has the rest of herp keepers started utilizing bioactivity. I wish I would have jumped into it 10 years ago when I first heard about it. It works for all reptiles/amphibians, and should be a standard of care.
Trent H.
Member
Absolutely true about it not as complicated as some think. As a matter of fact, in most cases, it's easier. You have to clean up little to nothing in the enclosure.
CJ's Exotics
Chameleon Enthusiast
Plus, they are fun to set up! (In my opinion, lol!
)
CJ's Exotics
Chameleon Enthusiast
That's better than the plants not growing and dying!
Similar threads
