Substrate for Yemen

[cshawncarr]

Wanted to get an opinion on substrate. I have a 6 month old male Yemen who is in a wooden viv with vented sides. Picture attached.

With my first chameleon I had no substrate which was easy to spot clean but did not look very good. The place I got my cham used very large Bark chips and suggested I also use them.

I decided to set up with the large chips and I love how natural the set up looks and it makes the Viv easier to clean each week (aside from spot cleans).

The one thing I have always struggled with has been water however. The bark chips thankfully don't soak up water but when I replace the substrate but the floor is constantly wet from the dripper. The viv is treated and water tight, but does not have any option for drainage.I was thinking of laying a 2inch layer of desert sand and then layer a couple of inches of bark on top. Would that help soak up excess water from the dripper? I'm not to worried about impaction as I have a cricket feed bin i move around the viv. so the cham is not feeding off of the floor. Ideally i don't want to set up a water collection tray but that would be the back up option. I jus just thought the sand underneath might do a better job of absorbing water. Thoughts?

 

[Psychobunny]

DO NOT use any substrate in your veiled cham's cage, esp wood chips, bark, coconut fiber etc.
Chams, and esp veiled chams will eat it, either by curiosity, or accedent, and they can become impacted, which could require surgury and often death.

A bare floor is what most of us do.

You also need to put some sort of cover over that bare bulb hanging down inside the cage.

Your cham can get a very nasty burn on that. Several members have had to get their chams tongue amputated because they flicked at something they though was on a hot bulb, and their tongue sticks to the hot surface.

You also want to put more branches running horizontal so he can pick the spot with the temp he likes, and need to fill in the empty space with more foliage so your cham can hide and feel more secure.

 

[cshawncarr]

Thanks for the advice on substrate. I only needed advice on the substrate and the viv does have a cover for the bulb and has more branches than shown. The PIC was taken while I was setting it up. I just wanted to show the type of viv I have for reference and it was the only PIC I have.

With the substrate I will take it under advisement before my next clean as the herp. Vet said bark would be fine.. But may need to research a bit further.

Do you have a container for your dripper or hydration system?

 

[Carlton]

Thanks for the advice on substrate. I only needed advice on the substrate and the viv does have a cover for the bulb and has more branches than shown. The PIC was taken while I was setting it up. I just wanted to show the type of viv I have for reference and it was the only PIC I have.

With the substrate I will take it under advisement before my next clean as the herp. Vet said bark would be fine.. But may need to research a bit further.

Do you have a container for your dripper or hydration system?

Most vets are pretty clueless about cham setups. Bark can cause issues even if it happens to be too large for the cham to swallow. If your feeders are free ranged, they will hide in the bark and eat stuff you probably don't want your cham ingesting. Bark can harbor molds, fungi, and bacteria and also support parasites. Fecal and urate matter will build up unless you remove the bark and sterilize it.

Someone posted a pic recently of a laminated image they used to make the cage bottom look more natural. It was a great idea. Some people use paper towels, cage carpet, even coroplast on the cage bottom. I have occasionally used Care Fresh (sterile recycled paper pulp) bedding, but dampened it, mashed it down well, and spot clean any areas that discolor or seem decaying.

 

[Carlton]

The one thing I have always struggled with has been water however. The bark chips thankfully don't soak up water but when I replace the substrate but the floor is constantly wet from the dripper. The viv is treated and water tight, but does not have any option for drainage.I was thinking of laying a 2inch layer of desert sand and then layer a couple of inches of bark on top. Would that help soak up excess water from the dripper? I'm not to worried about impaction as I have a cricket feed bin i move around the viv. so the cham is not feeding off of the floor. Ideally i don't want to set up a water collection tray but that would be the back up option. I jus just thought the sand underneath might do a better job of absorbing water. Thoughts?
View attachment 98422

If the water has no way to drain, the sand will just sit saturated and stagnant because there will always be bits of plant matter, fecal and urate matter on the surface that contaminates it. The daily amount of spraying and dripping will overwhelm the substrate's ability to absorb it before evaporation. I think this pretty enclosed viv will have air quality problems over time unless you do find a way to drain it. Every time the cham poops it will contaminate the substrate and that will build up over time even though you spot clean it. Even if you don't free range your feeders you can't prevent your cham from "investigating" the cage floor and picking something up on its tongue. They do test things with their tongues. I've had several chams who picked up shiny specks of mica or grit on their tongues when roaming the floors.

 

[Psychobunny]

I use large plastic bottles, hung from the ceiling, with a tap and tubing connected to the bottom (IV style) and it drips through the cage, which is all screen.
I drill drain holes in the cage floor, and place the whole cage with a oversized drain tray which has a drainage bulkhead and tubing going into a collection container, which needs to be emptied every other day or so.

I also have 2 mistking water pumps feeding a home-made rain system.

Then, I hand mist a few times a day.

Lots and lots of water!!!!