My bioactive mixed species enclosure

[jamest0o0]

Taking bio to the next level with salamanders! Everyday I find a cool critter hanging out in my enclosure.

Some pics of him and my enclosure. Noname is upset because I'm rearranging things. His cage is pretty lame atm while we still try and move houses lol. Also some pics of carnivorous plants and isopods for fun.

 

[Daesie11]

Finally a somewhat adequate picture of No Name! What a handsome boy he is. The more pictures I see of Parsons, the more and more I want one. At first I was a little weirded out by them (idk why) but now they just seem so prehistoric to me!
Also those isopods are super cute. I want some.

 

[janjan20]

Those isopods are so cute! Lol

 

[Beman]

OMG I want a salamander lol. They have whites tree frogs at my local pet shop. I adore their little faces. The cage is filling out nicely! What are the tall tree things in there?

 

[jamest0o0]

Finally a somewhat adequate picture of No Name! What a handsome boy he is. The more pictures I see of Parsons, the more and more I want one. At first I was a little weirded out by them (idk why) but now they just seem so prehistoric to me!
Also those isopods are super cute. I want some.

That was not even a somewhat adequate picture lol here I got another. I felt the same, at first I was like eh what's the big deal, panthers are so much cooler. Then I saw 2 adults in person and craig had yellow lips available(at the time a little more uncommon than OEs and I like yellow on chams) and the thought of a giant chameleon became really appealing. So the wife got me to change my mind from a tegu to a Parsons cham! He's very active in the summer and chill, but you can tell isn't very fond of me messing with his enclosure.

Since I moved I feel he's doubled in size lol I need to weigh him... last few days he's turned food down though which is very unlike him(he will try to shoot through the screen if I'm holding a roach). So I'm a little on edge about it, but in this pic you can see a full belly and he's been acting normal so I assume he's been eating something. His last meal was a ~2" freshly molted hisser too which is pretty damn big!

 

[jamest0o0]

OMG I want a salamander lol. They have whites tree frogs at my local pet shop. I adore their little faces. The cage is filling out nicely! What are the tall tree things in there?

The salamanders are so cute lol. Those are ficus alii, probably my #1 favorite cham plant/tree. Perfect climbing branches.

Btw, those isopods took a while to breed, but finally have some babies. Hopefully in time I'll have enough of a colony to sell some off.

 

[Beman]

The salamanders are so cute lol. Those are ficus alii, probably my #1 favorite cham plant/tree. Perfect climbing branches.

Btw, those isopods took a while to breed, but finally have some babies. Hopefully in time I'll have enough of a colony to sell some off.

Could I use those for Beman?

 

[jamest0o0]

Could I use those for Beman?

Absolutely! My Panthers loved them

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

That was not even a somewhat adequate picture lol here I got another. I felt the same, at first I was like eh what's the big deal, panthers are so much cooler. Then I saw 2 adults in person and craig had yellow lips available(at the time a little more uncommon than OEs and I like yellow on chams) and the thought of a giant chameleon became really appealing. So the wife got me to change my mind from a tegu to a Parsons cham! He's very active in the summer and chill, but you can tell isn't very fond of me messing with his enclosure.

Since I moved I feel he's doubled in size lol I need to weigh him... last few days he's turned food down though which is very unlike him(he will try to shoot through the screen if I'm holding a roach). So I'm a little on edge about it, but in this pic you can see a full belly and he's been acting normal so I assume he's been eating something. His last meal was a ~2" freshly molted hisser too which is pretty damn big!

Ok ok ok yeah know I’m already WICKED JELOUS there you go posting no name handsome boy . He looks wonderful James .

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

Ok ok ok yeah know I’m already WICKED JELOUS there you go posting no name handsome boy . He looks wonderful James .

@jamest0o0 what is this plant ??

 

[jamest0o0]

@Kristen Wilkins thank you Kristin! That plant is a sarracenia(north American pitcher).

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

@Kristen Wilkins thank you Kristin! That plant is a sarracenia(north American pitcher).

Thank you

 

[Zevil]

Long tailed salamanders and zebra isopods. Closest thing to salamanders I ever keep is a fire bellied newt.

 

[Daesie11]

That was not even a somewhat adequate picture lol here I got another. I felt the same, at first I was like eh what's the big deal, panthers are so much cooler. Then I saw 2 adults in person and craig had yellow lips available(at the time a little more uncommon than OEs and I like yellow on chams) and the thought of a giant chameleon became really appealing. So the wife got me to change my mind from a tegu to a Parsons cham! He's very active in the summer and chill, but you can tell isn't very fond of me messing with his enclosure.

Since I moved I feel he's doubled in size lol I need to weigh him... last few days he's turned food down though which is very unlike him(he will try to shoot through the screen if I'm holding a roach). So I'm a little on edge about it, but in this pic you can see a full belly and he's been acting normal so I assume he's been eating something. His last meal was a ~2" freshly molted hisser too which is pretty damn big!

Omg James he is beautiful! You should be so proud of him. I would definitely like to know how much he weighs after you do that. Do you know how long he is tip to tail? How big are they supposed to get? How old is he? Answer all of my questions!!

I really do love the yellow on him as well. The orange eyes kinda creep me out a bit. Seems like they can look in to my soul...

 

[jamest0o0]

Omg James he is beautiful! You should be so proud of him. I would definitely like to know how much he weighs after you do that. Do you know how long he is tip to tail? How big are they supposed to get? How old is he? Answer all of my questions!!

I really do love the yellow on him as well. The orange eyes kinda creep me out a bit. Seems like they can look in to my soul...

Thank you! Not sure how long he is, with tail included probably longer than my forearm. I think Parsons get the longest, oustalets might be slightly longer, but parsons are known for being pretty hefty like little rhinos lol. I've heard of them getting anywhere from like 600-700g(seems to usually be OE's on the smaller side) to some wildcaught yellow lips and yellow giants breaking 1200g... I'm not positive on all that, just trying to remember what I've heard. That size makes them look huge with the way chams puff themselves up too. My boy is 2 years old and a few months.

Lol all parsons give you the stink eye. It's like a gaze of pathetic judgement and annoyance onto us lowly humans.

 

[Rst_Cham]

you are so lucky! Salamanders in your yard?! I've been on a ten plus year mission to see one in the wild. I've been to nineteen National parks, countless state parks, national wildlife areas, etc, and I haven't been able to find a single one. I've looked in streams, puddles, bogs, swamps, forests,etc. The closest I've found are axlyotols. Next year we're headed to Great Smokey Mountains National Park which is the salamander capitol of the world, I better find one there or I'm going to lose my mind. And you have them in your yard. Lol

Beautiful Parsons! He's a dinosaur.

 

[The Wild One]

Noname is so handsome!

 

[jamest0o0]

you are so lucky! Salamanders in your yard?! I've been on a ten plus year mission to see one in the wild. I've been to nineteen National parks, countless state parks, national wildlife areas, etc, and I haven't been able to find a single one. I've looked in streams, puddles, bogs, swamps, forests,etc. The closest I've found are axlyotols. Next year we're headed to Great Smokey Mountains National Park which is the salamander capitol of the world, I better find one there or I'm going to lose my mind. And you have them in your yard. Lol

Beautiful Parsons! He's a dinosaur.

Lol what part of the country are you from?? I used to find them as a kid, some pretty cool ones too. The best was probably a large tiger salamander that was under a log. We're actually like a 1 min drive from a highway with a bunch of businesses, but a lot of woods in between and our house kind of sits in this humid, mostly shady opening. Then I have the enclosure on a shaded narrow side of the house between a bunch of trees/bushes and the house. Then with the 1-2hr hose misting sessions, it probably draws in a lot of critters.

 

[jamest0o0]

Also I think I found his secret stash! Went out early this morning and he was halfway down a tree looking at the flower pots. Saw his lip flared out a bit and thought oh sh.. mouth rot! Then he started chewing! Can't figure out what it was, but it was dark and pretty big. Chewed it up pretty easily and could tell it was some kind of insect. He stayed focused on the soil after. Didn't look like an isopod or earthworm. More like some sort of flyer, but why would it be in a flower pot. Hmmm

 

[Rst_Cham]

Lol what part of the country are you from?? I used to find them as a kid, some pretty cool ones too. The best was probably a large tiger salamander that was under a log. We're actually like a 1 min drive from a highway with a bunch of businesses, but a lot of woods in between and our house kind of sits in this humid, mostly shady opening. Then I have the enclosure on a shaded narrow side of the house between a bunch of trees/bushes and the house. Then with the 1-2hr hose misting sessions, it probably draws in a lot of critters.

I'm from San Diego but have been in Denver for past twenty years. I spend a lot of time in local parks, mountains, green belts looking, none here, though I hear there used to be. Everytime we travel anywhere, my family knows that I'm on the lookout for them. Apparently I need to get to the East Coast! We settled on great smoky mountain as our next National Park purely because I saw a show about it in TV where they talked about how it has the largest concentration and most species of salamanders in the world. I was like "WE'RE GOING THERE!" my husband just rolled his eyes and agreed, he knows there's no sense arguing. I will find a salamander!

Your land sounds lovely, I would love to live somewhere wooded instead of in the city. When I was in San Diego, I was able to keep my chameleons outside in large enclosures like you have year round, so much easier. Keeping chameleons in Denver is much more challenging.