My new planted set up for Chameleon!!

[Chameleonkid]

He guys this is my first live enclosure. Any extra tips or advice would be great. Im using a 20gal custom cage. I have a screen door front that I used to replace the glass to give it some open air. I ordered my plants from LLLreptile they came today. I am going to The Long island Reptile Expo on Sunday and I am going to try and get a cham.



This is what I got about $100 worth of stuff. I had to make two setups as it was to much for one.

Small Ficus Tree (live) 6" Pot

This one has more green coloration

Live Bromeliads

Tillandsias

The Earth's Star Plant - Cryptanthus bivittatus

Hydro Balls

This is what I came up with

My highway

 

[lisa h]

What sort of chameleon are you planning to put in there?

 

[Hoj]

looks very nice i think it may become a little unpractical for a cham, the hard part is going to be claening in and keeping it mold free with all the fibre and dirt. i would look at a few other members setups and see what up. but it is so nice looking maybe it could be a cham vacation spot.

 

[Chameleonkid]

Still don't know for sure but maybe e a baby panther or a jackson's chameleon. I used the left over plants with some ladders in a 10gal with 10gal add on. This would be the setup I would use for the baby cham . I would just put him/her in the planted terrarium to chill out and to maybe take pictures.lol My other option was to get 3 pygmy's. I have leaves I might add. This setup now has a glass front which is better for Pygmy's. Please let me know anything else you recommend.

This is where I would try to put the cham for now.

 

[Lingling]

Looks just about perfect for Pygmys! I just got mine this week and they are so entertaining to watch. How big is the viv? I agree with Hoj that it may be a little difficult to clean with a larger panther or Jackson. A screen cage works much better for those guys - easier to clean, better ventilation, etc. Take a look at Brevs, I think they'd look really great in there.

Or set up both! Brevs in the viv and a panther or Jackson in a screen

 

[adamkwas]

I would try and find a juvenile CB Jackson's for that first enclosure . A Panther may do well inside too, though I feel it's more suited for a jacksonii.

 

[Chameleonkid]

Thanks I really liked working on this project and its looks very cool with my collection. Thanks for the advice I believe the size is 26,16,11which is about a 19.8 gallon. I do plan on getting pygmys but the only things is its a expo so I don't really know whats going to be their but hopefully their will be lots to choose from.

 

[Lingling]

Thanks I really liked working on this project and its looks very cool with my collection. Thanks for the advice I believe the size is 26,16,11which is about a 19.8 gallon. I do plan on getting pygmys but the only things is its a expo so I don't really know whats going to be their but hopefully their will be lots to choose from.

If you can't find them at the expo, there are a lot of people offering them on kingsnake.com right now. I got mine from Underground Reptiles for $12.50 each and shipping was $43. Underground did an excellent job getting them to me fast (less than 24 hrs) and they were all in good condition. They were wild caught, but seem to be doing excellent. All 3 are eating and drinking like mad. In 3 days of having them, I've already gone through 6 dozen crickets!

 

[Hoj]

best of luck be sure to post some pics of what you get. again it does look really nice, and like you said a great place to take some pics

 

[EvilLost]

Just a word of warning: the setup you have is very common for dart frog habitats (check out dendroboard.com if you ahvent already).

HOWEVER, a setup like that WILL mold over as part of its initial grow in cycle. You really should avoid keeping a cham in there during this period. I would highly suggest seeding with springtails as well.

As you already said you are aware and plan on getting pygmies, I guess that part is good to go

 

[Midnighthwk]

only thing i would say is add rocks to cover the dirt but i dont know if thats a prob with pygmies or not.

 

[Chameleonkid]

Ok thanks guys this viv was made to maybe hold 3 different types of inhabitants I just had to choose one. My first pick was a pair of red eye tree frogs as I have a pretty big frog collection 2nd a pair of crested gecko's 3rd 3pygmy's. I don't think it would be a problem for pygmy's as their often put into a fully planted setup and like to sometimes stay close to the ground or on leaves. I have pretty much ruled out this setup for my cham for now but if I did not get any animals for the viv I would let my cham explore the viv from time to time. But I think pygmy's are a little cooler then the tree frogs so I'm leaning towards them. The guys from www.Screameleons.com will be at the expo so i'm sure they will have some nice chams for sale. I will have pictures and video of the event post on monday. Once again thanks for the help.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

only thing i would say is add rocks to cover the dirt but i dont know if thats a prob with pygmies or not.

Definitely don't cover with pygmies - they need to be able to lay eggs in the dirt.

 

[Jhov2324]

Your cage is HOT......one tip...Bromeliads need bright light so keep the lights over them and try not to drown them with all the misting they might take too much water like mine did....if i were you i wud take them OUT of the POT and mount them to the coco fiber...wrap the roots with coco fiber and use Fishing line or some sort of hanging wire to tie them to the coco fiber or a board.... my bromeliad just drowned and its cause it was too big for my cage so ima try and get the smaller ones for now...

 

[javsto]

is it ok to house multipile pygmys in the same house/cage like this guy has?? and if yes, then should they be mixed genders(2females,1male) or all male/female for lets say 3 chams total?

 

[Lingling]

is it ok to house multipile pygmys in the same house/cage like this guy has?? and if yes, then should they be mixed genders(2females,1male) or all male/female for lets say 3 chams total?

Pygs do well in groups, but generally only one male unless the viv is very large. 1.2 ratio is what you want for a group of 3.

 

[cmrush88]

Are you moving your Jackson to the bigger first one or are you still keeping him in the smaller half/half?

 

[sensation]

Beautiful setup! Like previously stated, keeping clean and mold free will be tricky but very impressive otherwise. I would love to do something like this one day.

 

[Kansascity]

Awesome job, can’t wait to see your new Chams!