Plant lighting + other questions.

id also like to inquire about plants that would be safe for my cham.

i was thinking hibiscus but i saw that they require rather intense lighting so if anyone could point me in the right direction for good lighting thatd be great. and also, whats everyone's experience with fly larvae and flies? i am extremely terrified of flies after my house got infested with maggots when i was a kid; id like to know if i really have anything to really be worried about if i use them as feeders. honestly id rather just give him locusts and grasshoppers but no one sells them cause its basically illegal :/ im definitely going to use mantids as feeders tho.
 
Crusader14 said:
how did you attach your potted plants to the dragon stand?

also are silkworms particularly hard to raise?? they seem really intimidating :/
Click to expand...
Super easy to raise... especially @snitz427 's eggs!

I have all stages of growth right now thanks to her. I used to get them from Mulberry Farms, but have had MULTIPLE bad experiences with them and their lack of customer service.

BSFL are good feeders, as are the flies. If a few were to escape to your house I highly doubt they'd breed, especially enough to create any sort of issue. The flies are quite large and somewhat slow - I easily grasp them by hand when i find escapes.

If you're getting the light(s) i told you about, lighting up a hibiscus wont be an issue. In reality,it only takes a lot of light to get them to bud/bloom. However, any tree/plant is going to need a fair bit of light to survive in a cham cage, especially given the amount of water going through. [This is why your choice of substrate and drainage is crutial]
 
Crusader14 said:
how did you attach your potted plants to the dragon stand?

also are silkworms particularly hard to raise?? they seem really intimidating :/
Click to expand...
I used a double potting method so I can move plants around as needed. Drilled holes in side of one pot and attached to either larger branches on the dragon ledges, or directly on the dragon ledge. Can slip any plant potted separate into that pot. Don’t forget to drill out drainage holes. I use pots all the same size.
Silkworms are a journey I’m currently on, lol. I read up everything I could about how to breed them and still did it A bit wrong. The eggs I’ve bought from a couple of different reputable sources have never hatched. I’ve had the best luck with eggs I got from my own silkies. The key elements that I messed up on was not letting the freshly laid eggs sit out for a couple of days until they blackened and then not keeping in the fridge for at least 2 months.
Roaches are super easy to breed and one of the best feeders. Just put in a big bin with some food and egg crate...may need to add a heat mat and soon you’ll have lots of babies. Dubia and discoid do not climb smooth surfaces or fly. I hate roaches just as much as anyone, but I’ve got a colony going.
 
is there any way i could keep the roaches from hiding in the substrate so that my cham will eat them? I put 12 in his enclosure for free range eating like i do with the crickets and i havent seen them since :eek: i had to put them in a glass cup instead but when i mist i have to take the cup out so the water doesnt drown them. is there a better method to feeding him roaches?
 
Silkworms are my fav feeder - I think they’re easy but they do require more frequent feeding and cleaning then other bugs. Its so easy to pick one up and feed it, though... let it on a branch and the chams come running. Plus you can let them turn to moths and have a second type of feeder (and more eggs).

Roaches are pretty easy, too... but not nearly as cute. Sorry James and Joxie
 
Here's my silkworm farm:


These hatched about 10days ago:
20191215_175340.jpg

These just started hatching in the last 24hrs:

20191215_175407.jpg

These are what I had left over from feedings and will become my next generation:
20191215_175415.jpg

And these are eggs I got from moths not too long ago:

20191215_175347.jpg

It seems intimidating, but it can be done on a smaller scale. The hard part is holding back worms to cocoon for your next generation. I've had 20 moths give me no eggs, and 4 moths give me hundreds... now I just go for as many as I can and trade the extras if/when I can.
 
thanks so much! im defintiely getting that shooting gallery one!!!

do i need to worry about mantids evading getting eaten or can they be fed free range as well?
 
Crusader14 said:
thanks so much! im defintiely getting that shooting gallery one!!!

do i need to worry about mantids evading getting eaten or can they be fed free range as well?
Click to expand...

I wouldnt worry about mantids. If they go undetected (unlikely), they’ll just find a nice spot to perch and wait for food. The cham would find it soon enough and the mantid wont hurt anything if he lives a few extra days.
 
what are some good feeder insects for my cham at this age? I noticed that mantises can be about 2 to 5 inches long, and hes still only 3 to 4 months old, so i dont want to risk him choking :/ would silkworms even be good for him at this stage?
 
i already feed him crickets and dubia roaches, but hes a picky one! he barely touches the dubias lol, but he loves crickets. i still offer them to him though because crickets die pretty quickly, and dubias are a lot more tolerant and hardy ive found.
 
Crusader14 said:
what are some good feeder insects for my cham at this age? I noticed that mantises can be about 2 to 5 inches long, and hes still only 3 to 4 months old, so i dont want to risk him choking :/ would silkworms even be good for him at this stage?
Click to expand...

Yes, you can offer silkworms. You'll want small silkworms, or hatch your own and you'll have smalls in a few weeks. Hornworms would need to be small, as well, but they only stay the right size for a day or two... so really not worth it IMO unless you have easy access to them. Small black soldier fly larva would be a good feeder, as well.
 
whats the difference between a dome light uvb and a t5ho? is one better than the other? and if so, why? im just curious because i see a lot of users swearing that t5ho is master race lol, and i just want to know why before i decide to invest in a new fixture or to continue using dome lamps. also, is it better to use t5ho or dome lamps for heat and plant lights?
 
Crusader14 said:
whats the difference between a dome light uvb and a t5ho? is one better than the other? and if so, why? im just curious because i see a lot of users swearing that t5ho is master race lol, and i just want to know why before i decide to invest in a new fixture or to continue using dome lamps. also, is it better to use t5ho or dome lamps for heat and plant lights?
Click to expand...

One is that a linear light gives you a better spread than a dome light -- which will be more concentrated. I've also seen reports of dome lights hurting reptile eyes -- turtles were the most recent I read.

@Kaizen is running his experiment with dome lights and his solar meter -- maybe when he is done he can weight in more -- but I'd say the main reason is to spread the light across the entire enclosure to ensure uvb is received at all upper parts of the enclosure.
 
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