substrate?

[Stangracer85]

Setting up new enclosure for new 2 year cham. what should i use for the fllor substrate besides using newspaper? Im getting safe plants and going to pot them in the bottom the cage with organic soil so should i top the soil with something? Please let me know as im working on this evening. Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[Smitty]

What kind of cham? What is the cage setup to this point?

Typically it is a bad idea to have any kind of substrate in a cham cage. 1) They are arboreal animals, so they rarely go to the ground anyway and you don't need to have a substrate and 2) When trying to eat they could accidentally eat some of the substrate and cause compaction.

Live plants are good and will work well to keep up the humidity if that is what you are worried about. If you are getting a veiled then you really need to get live plants because a 2 year old veiled could eat the plants and fake plants can also cause compaction. There is a section from the home page that you can go to for more information on which plants to get.

 

[ChromaChameleons]

You don't need a substrate, but if you are leaning towards using it, consider coco fibre. It is realitively safe compared to wood chips. Consider that any substrate needs to be non toxic and small enough to pass through your chams digestive system , if it should eat any.

Regarding potted plants. Using organic soil is advisable and if you want to avoid your cham eating dirt, you can top it with large river stones that are larger than your cham can swallow.

 

[Kam808]

I used Eco Earth before I got my drainage setup. Wrapped it in weed blocker so the cham couldnt eat it and the crix couldnt burrow in it. It's pretty absorbant and depending on how much water you go through each day..you probably only need to change it once a month.

With my potted plants I put sphagnum moss on top of the dirt. Hold water really well and covers up all the dirt. Plus it looks really cool and tropical.

 

[Stangracer85]

i just rescued a 2 year old veiled chameleon. the cage i got for him is about
4x2x2 and i got one plant already for it but instead of putting the whole pots in it i wanted to plat them in the base with the soil and then maybe cover the soil with something so the pots would be all coverd and it would look more natural. I know they dont really go on the ground but its for the look aswell. Maybe the soil then cover that with small stones and moss like you someone suggested. I did look at the list of plants that are safe and non toxic so im gonna go see what i can find this week. Anyone have pics of there setups that i could see? Im new to chameleons but not reptiles as i have iguanas, and many snakes. Ive had lots of other reptiles through my years as well. Ill try to get some pics of him and post for you all to see. He appears to be very healthy though and seems to not like females as much. He is a male for sure too.

 

[Cherron]

Do you have a screened cage?

 

[Stangracer85]

yes its a screened cage.

 

[Cherron]

I have seen people plant their plants directly in the bottom of the cage but I don't think that I would recommend it for a novice chameleon keeper. You would really have to watch for impaction and drainage would be a problem without hydroton and charcoal or a really good drainage system. I am not saying that it can not be done.. just that it requires a lot more work, thought and observation than one would think. Feeders will burrow into the substrate and lose their gutload and any water that pools will allow bacteria, mold and fungus to grow.. all of which can be very bad for your cham's health.

Just my two cents. I am sure others will chime in.

 

[Stangracer85]

I was going to add river bed rock into the substrate to help allow and ad in the drainage to the bottom and i was going to drill and put in a drain at the bottom to allow easier access for daining the bottom if need be. What do others do to help make sure there feeders dont burrow into the substrate? Does anyone have any pics that i can see of a finished bottom? Like i said im new to the chameleon but not to reptiles and im always for doing things right the first time. Yes im a novice to these reptiles but im sure i can do it all the first time the right way thats why im asking my questions on here so i dont make common mistakes that i could avoid by asking ahead of time. Thanks agian for he replies ive gotten this far. Please keep then coming.

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy,

Here's how I use a clean, drilled bottom with potted plants on stands. 15-20 minutes of misting twice a day drains through those dozen holes to the drain pan and then collects to a corner and down the drain tube to the drain bucket. (My current setup is a bit different but you get the idea ).

 

[filip]

Did anyone consider that substrate or not, chams can always eat the substrate from the potted plants!? So, is that additional substrate as a cover really a lot of difference?
F.

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

We use small washed river rock in our plant containers in Guido's habitat. He got an impaction once from some dried root twigs he found at the base of one of his plants.

 

[Stangracer85]

I got a few pics of him tonight but he got upset and started getting his dark color again so i put him back into his new home for the night. He still has a little bit of retained shed on his "veil" but im misting him well so that it will come off ease and i got a drip system setup for him for his water and humidity so this shouldnt happen again. Not much history on him so not sure how the previous owner had him setup but he is healthy though. Im still working on more plants and stuff as i will have plants all the way to the top for him but heres a quick post of the cage and him. What do you all think?

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy,

Many keepers find that their critters benefit from having the basking spot higher than anyone standing in front of the enclosure. I'm about 6'4" so you can guess how high-up my critters sit. It takes them out of the "to be eaten" postion .

 

[Hempa]

Agree with Dave, they want to look down at you.

But I should put in some horisontal vines in the cage to and if you can put in some vines higher in the cage (but be careful so it doesnt get to hot so your cham can burned). Otherwise I think its look good!

 

[Stangracer85]

Yeah i was going to put some horizontal ones in the middle and towards the top and then interwine them alot for him. Are they nocturnal? This week im going to build it a stand to rest on so he can be higher then he is right now.

 

[Smitty]

No, chams are not nocturnal. They will be the most active and hunt during the day.

There is debate on this but I think the most people think there should be no nighttime light or heat sources (as long as it doesn't go below 50-60 degrees F).

 

[Stangracer85]

yeah i have no night time light on currently so ill keep it that way. the light i do have is a reptiglo 8.0 is this good or should i buy a retisun 5.0 as most suggest they prefer? Im going to get a better digital temperature gauge but do ceramic heaters work well for these "open" cages or should i get a narrow beam heat light? I dont mind spending the money if needed but i do have a few new ceramic heaters with domes that i have extra of that i can use.