More plants!!!

TattooedGecko

New Member
I added a couple more live plants to the cage, an earlier post someone told me to add moe plants to regulate the humidity...Hows it look?

102_2905.jpg
 
it looks to me like you will need a Hibiscus Rosa Sinensis or Benjamin Ficus tree in your cage... also the cage setup doesnt look like its a safe cage for the Cham... Look into a mesh cage 4 ft zoo med cage... I purchased mine for about 100.00 at a reptile store...
 
I read all of this and dont understand how this helps...i do nothing wrong my plants are safe for the cham, the glass bottom does nothing to stop the flow of air in the screen part, i have horizontal vines and vetical sticks, how is my cage not cham safe???



(Chameleon care
Posted 06-24-2010 at 04:08 PM by jamncristian
Chameleon care basics

CHAMELEON ENCLOSURE
The first thing you will need is a well ventilated enclosure. Glass aquarium tend to have stagnant air and the constant moisture can cause the chameleon to become very ill. A well ventilated enclosure will help mantain a proper humidity cycle. A good example of a well ventilated cage is an all screens enclosure like this one which come in different size to accomadate different kinds of chameleons
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/...m-screen-cage/

SUITABLE SIZE CAGE
The size of the cage will depend on the Chameleon’s age & species. I recommend putting an adult veiled or panther in a cage no smaller than 24"x24"x48". jacksons and other smaller chameleons will thrive in smaller enclosures but I try to give the chameleon the biggest enclosure possible if I cant free-range him/her

CHAMELEON FURNITURE
In my opinion non-toxic live plants and branches are a neccessity. Having a live plant will help in many ways including giving drinking surface, help keep humidity at stable conditions, providing security, and climbing surface. Branches are important too because they provide the chameleons "highways" to patrol his territory

Some of the most commonly used plants for chameleon cages are:

Schefflera (Dwarf umbrella tree)


Ficus benjamina (Weeping fig)


Pothos (Philodendron)


All three are non-toxic and can be purchased at your local hardware/garden/nursery store.

BRANCH PLACEMENT

Branch placement is important because the chameleons is cold-blooded and will need to thermo regulate by moving toward or away from the heat source so it is important to have branches high, low, & in between

LIGHTING/HEATING
Your next focus is appropriate heating and lighting for your chameleon. Chameleons need two specific things when it comes to heating and lighting. The first is a basking bulb to provide a heat source. The second is a UVB light source to help your chameleon produce the proper amount of D3.

The basking lamp should be located to one side of the chameleon’s cage. Place some vines and branches about 6 – 10 inches under the bulb. For smaller enclosures and a lower watt bulb, place the branches 3-5 inches from the bulb. Your chameleon will suffer burns if he/she gets too close to the basking light. Place the fluorescent bulb along the top of the cage. Remember, the fluorescent bulbs are only effective up to 12 inches. Make sure your chameleon can get close enough to the bulb to absorb the bulb’s UVB.

CHAMELEON HYDRATION
Chameleons do not drink from standing water. They only drink water by licking the drops off leaves. The most common method used in captivity is misting. Another good method is called the dripper. This method can be achieved by poking a small hole in the bottom of a cup and placing it on the top of the enclosure. The best method would be an automatic misting system such as mist-king.

It is important to mist your cage and plants at least 3 times per day. This will help keep the humidity level up, and give your chameleon a chance to drink. Most chameleons will be scared of the water when being misted so It is beter to use hot water because the temp. will dramatically decrease when misted the water will feel luke warm and they wiill enjoy the water more.

Automatic misting systems are a much better way to go. They are by far the best way to hydrate a chameleon. They also solve many problems associated with drippers and offer the benefit of hands-free watering. The biggest advantage is that a misting system can prevent many health problems associated with over and under watering.

Chameleons DO NOT drink from water bowls for they cannot recognize standing water. Waterfalls are bad for chameleons because of there tendency to want to drop their feces there.

FEEDING & NUTRITION
A varied diet is very important to a chameleon’s health as it helps balance their nutrition and prevents hunger strikes. A good choice of feeders include:

gut-loaded crickets

silkworms

gut-loaded roaches

phoenix worms

CB grass-hoppers

and occasional treats which include:

CB flies

hornworms

superworms

butterworms

moths

isopods

phasmids

etc.

GUTLOADING

Your feeders should be well fed themselves to promote a well balanced diet. Provide them with a diet of various leafy green vegetables such as:

turnip greens

mustard greens

collard greens

dandelion greens

alfalfa grass

oat grass

wheat grass

chia grass

carrots

squash

organic cereals

spirulina

bee pollen

blueberries

strawberries

etc.

this is called gut-loading

SUPPLEMENTATION

In addition to providing your feeders with the appropriate food, you’ll need to occasionally dust them with vitamin and mineral supplements just before feeding them to your chameleon. Vitamin supplements should be used less often than calcium mineral supplements. But no supplementaion can replace the importance of gut-loading)
 
It could use a couple more branches. If I were you I would replace all those plants for a large ficus and shefflera. You can't go wrong with those ones!
 
I agree it could use a two or three more branches across the middle of the cage. There are branches across the top and down the sides, but the middle doesn't have much to climb on. I think a nice full schefflera would be good next to the dracaena to fill out that side of the cage and provide a good place to climb and hide. I think if you did that, it would be just about perfect. I don't know why Chamillonaire thinks the cage doesn't look safe. It looks safe to me.
 
I agree it could use a two or three more branches across the middle of the cage. There are branches across the top and down the sides, but the middle doesn't have much to climb on. I think a nice full schefflera would be good next to the dracaena to fill out that side of the cage and provide a good place to climb and hide. I think if you did that, it would be just about perfect. I don't know why Chamillonaire thinks the cage doesn't look safe. It looks safe to me.

Tank you for the advice ill look into those plant and see if i cant pick one up thanks. And i would like to know why he thinks my cage is unsafe for the cham?
 
I think the bottom of your tank is unnecessary.
If that cage will be in your house there wont be enough air movement to need that bottom. I think in your house it can pose the problem of too much humidity and heat; leading to bacteria.
Cool idea though.
 
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