How's this branch-setup looking?

[ChameLeon_]

So, finally put the cage together! Breeding dubias as well, everything is coming together, so i tried to design interior as well. So far only large Ficus is in the corner, but planning to add one medium sized pothos to the top right corner as a trailing plant as well. There are branches going through and behind ficus, and the one with thermometer on it is probably the basking branch, approx. 15cm from top mesh, trying heat distances to reach 29°C. Should i add more branches? The cage appears too empty i think..

 

[Beman]

Looking good. Connect some horizontals to the points at the top. So the cham can move around and bask where it wants.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi. Yes, you could add more branches and plant(s). You could use garden trellis attached to the sides which will help you to hang more branches and vines. Maybe if you can find a simple plant stand you could add some nice full pothos which will eventually grow beautiful long vines which you can spread around. A stand like this would be nice. https://www.amazon.com/mDesign-Midc...02336&sprefix=Wire+plant+,aps,294&sr=8-9&th=1 I’ve always just turned a stack of old plant pots upside down and then hidden them with a short plant. Like this.

 

[ChameLeon_]

Hi. Yes, you could add more branches and plant(s). You could use garden trellis attached to the sides which will help you to hang more branches and vines. Maybe if you can find a simple plant stand you could add some nice full pothos which will eventually grow beautiful long vines which you can spread around. A stand like this would be nice. https://www.amazon.com/mDesign-Midcentury-Succulent-Minimalist-Planter/dp/B08W5DV3TN/ref=sr_1_9?crid=3D4RTQRCSE99B&keywords=wire+plant+stand&qid=1678302336&sprefix=Wire+plant+,aps,294&sr=8-9&th=1 I’ve always just turned a stack of old plant pots upside down and then hidden them with a short plant. Like this.
View attachment 335908
View attachment 335907

That looks absolutely gorgeous and now I'm jealous and ashamed of mine here's what I was able to put together today. Don't have any more branches nor plants at the moment, but i think it might be enough already? Overall feels kind of empty on the bottom but he won't use bottom part much anyway right?

Also, how do y'all do heat.. I've ordered 60 and 75 watt incandescent clear bulbs online since everyone i saw was using these, but i just can't find the right spot. Light is lifted up 10cm above screen and branch is 15cm under the top screen, and still the temperatures on the branch when the heat is right above are 40 degrees Celsius... I've switched to 40W bulb, and it still is really hot in this position. Why are my temps so high when you all use 75 watts??? Should i go even lower with the wattage? Thanks!

 

[MissSkittles]

That looks absolutely gorgeous and now I'm jealous and ashamed of mine here's what I was able to put together today. Don't have any more branches nor plants at the moment, but i think it might be enough already? Overall feels kind of empty on the bottom but he won't use bottom part much anyway right?

Also, how do y'all do heat.. I've ordered 60 and 75 watt incandescent clear bulbs online since everyone i saw was using these, but i just can't find the right spot. Light is lifted up 10cm above screen and branch is 15cm under the top screen, and still the temperatures on the branch when the heat is right above are 40 degrees Celsius... I've switched to 40W bulb, and it still is really hot in this position. Why are my temps so high when you all use 75 watts??? Should i go even lower with the wattage? Thanks!

Thank you, but I started out pretty rough like many here, so no shame…just learning in progress.
A bare floor is fine and is easiest to clean. My male veiled patrols his entire enclosure daily, including the bottom…but I think it’s more he’s hunting for isopods in his bioactive substrate.
I use 60w bulbs at a distance of about 9”/25cm and my temps stay around 78-80F/26c for my girls. I use 75w for my boys and they get to around 84-85F/27c. The temp in my house stays in the mid 70’s (about 23c). Have you checked the accuracy of your thermometer? Is it a digital one with a probe, analog, temp gun, etc? I do keep a few extra bulbs of other wattages just in case. I would check with at least one other thermometer and if temps are still too high, try the lower wattage bulb or raise the light a little more.

 

[ChameLeon_]

Thank you, but I started out pretty rough like many here, so no shame…just learning in progress.
A bare floor is fine and is easiest to clean. My male veiled patrols his entire enclosure daily, including the bottom…but I think it’s more he’s hunting for isopods in his bioactive substrate.
I use 60w bulbs at a distance of about 9”/25cm and my temps stay around 78-80F/26c for my girls. I use 75w for my boys and they get to around 84-85F/27c. The temp in my house stays in the mid 70’s (about 23c). Have you checked the accuracy of your thermometer? Is it a digital one with a probe, analog, temp gun, etc? I do keep a few extra bulbs of other wattages just in case. I would check with at least one other thermometer and if temps are still too high, try the lower wattage bulb or raise the light a little more.

It just feels too empty, more plants on bottom will probably save it, but the bare minimum is already met i believe. For the temps, our flat is about 22 degrees at the moment, and the distance is 25cm aproximately as well. But temps with 40W bulb are like 40c or something ... i use digital thermometer, got 2 online and they both measure the same, give or take 0.5-1 degree, so i think they are accurate? How is it even possible 40W is that much hotter than 60W??? Maybe my dome is just too effective or what

 

[MissSkittles]

As the pothos grows, it will fill out the space nicely. Did you know that when the pothos vines hang down, the leaves grow small, but if the vines are growing up, the leaves grow larger. I had just two pothos fill out almost completely one of my double wide XL enclosures. I trimmed out leaves that were bigger than my hand!
That’s odd about the light. Are you sure it’s a plain incandescent bulb? Do you still have the package from it?

 

[ChameLeon_]

As the pothos grows, it will fill out the space nicely. Did you know that when the pothos vines hang down, the leaves grow small, but if the vines are growing up, the leaves grow larger. I had just two pothos fill out almost completely one of my double wide XL enclosures. I trimmed out leaves that were bigger than my hand!
That’s odd about the light. Are you sure it’s a plain incandescent bulb? Do you still have the package from it?

Cool fact! Should i attach the pot lower then? I thought it should be like this since everywhere i saw it like this. Yes i do, this is the 60w one, others are the same. Clear basic bulb, maybe it's more industrial type or something so it burns hotter? There's no other type available in our country at all, since they are really old and ineffective..

 

[MissSkittles]

It’s up to you if you want to lower your pothos or not. I have mine hang down, but after so much time (about a year) they grew down, sent out air roots that eventually rooted into my bioactive substrate and then headed back up towards the lights. Another cool and easy plant is tradescantia zebrina (wandering Jew). Mine have grown down and up after so much time.
That light looks similar to the ones I use. I was wondering if maybe somehow they were special reptile bulbs like a mercury vapor or something. I wonder if it makes any difference that you use 220v electricity and I use 120v. I guess just keep trying lower wattage until you reach the temperature you want. Elevate the basking light a bit - that will also help. What is the temp at your basking area if you have no basking light on?

 

[ChameLeon_]

It’s up to you if you want to lower your pothos or not. I have mine hang down, but after so much time (about a year) they grew down, sent out air roots that eventually rooted into my bioactive substrate and then headed back up towards the lights. Another cool and easy plant is tradescantia zebrina (wandering Jew). Mine have grown down and up after so much time.
That light looks similar to the ones I use. I was wondering if maybe somehow they were special reptile bulbs like a mercury vapor or something. I wonder if it makes any difference that you use 220v electricity and I use 120v. I guess just keep trying lower wattage until you reach the temperature you want. Elevate the basking light a bit - that will also help. What is the temp at your basking area if you have no basking light on?

I'll leave it there for now and see how it holds up. I've got the wandering jew outside of the cage on a shelf that i bought with intention to put it inside, and it doesn't really grow good, so i think I'll just wait for it to start growing better before putting it inside. Thanks for tips though!

Bulb should be the basic one, not reptile specific, but after reading more into this one it looks like it's an industrial grade bulb, more resistant to hits and stuff, and also burns hotter and therefore brighter than a regular one.. maybe that's a problem. I think I'll try to order online some that is not labeled as industrial, even though those are really rare here apparently, didn't find one yet or maybe I'll try lower wattage industrial one, or perhaps a dimmer since these should be dimmable?? Without light it gets to the room temperature, about 22 degrees during day, a bit lower through night. Voltage shouldn't affect the heat and stuff i think tho

 

[MissSkittles]

I use the ‘rough’ incandescent bulbs for some of mine too. I haven’t noticed them burning hotter, but surprisingly they break quicker than other bulbs. I thought they’re supposed to be tougher. It’s not just where you are. Incandescent bulbs are hard to find in most places and in some parts of the US, they’re banned. Keep at it and you’ll find the magic solution. Very often we have to work at it to find what works best for our individual situation.

 

[ChameLeon_]

I use the ‘rough’ incandescent bulbs for some of mine too. I haven’t noticed them burning hotter, but surprisingly they break quicker than other bulbs. I thought they’re supposed to be tougher. It’s not just where you are. Incandescent bulbs are hard to find in most places and in some parts of the US, they’re banned. Keep at it and you’ll find the magic solution. Very often we have to work at it to find what works best for our individual situation.

Thank you haha, I'll keep trying! Just thought there's some magical solution to it when y'all use 60w and i can't use 40w, but i guess there isn't one hah. Thanks tho!

 

[MissSkittles]

The magical solution is the one that works for you.