I've made a few posts here and there on this forum, but I haven't actually posted much about myself, my chameleon, or her enclosure. I figure it's about time, so I'll start from the top 
So hi, I'm Ash! I've been keeping various reptiles and amphibians for the past 10 years, inspired mainly by the room of dart frogs and red-eyes my parents kept for the first 5 year of my life. They had a veiled chameleon they'd hatched from an egg, too. I was doomed from the start.
So, January of 2020. I was employed by Petsmart, which... hey, we're all aware of the reputation of chain pet stores. But it was a job, and for the most part, it wasn't too bad. At that time my boyfriend and I already had 6 leopard geckos (we adopted a pair from a negligent owner- guess what happens when a male and female are housed together for 6 years and are then suddenly given their own, suitable space.. we thought we removed all the eggs...) so I was on a strict "please don't bring anything home, please" rule. But then... we got this little lady in:
And oops, I'm in love.
She was larger than any we had gotten in my time there (thankfully, we didn't have them often. But unfortunately, they were usually tiny). She tried digging herself out of the tiny box she had to be kept in, and it broke my heart. She was so personable. I was scheduled for several days off and I couldn't bear leaving her without the space and attention she needed, so on January 31, she came home with me. My sister suggested the name Wasabi, and it stuck.
I threw together a temporary home for her to stay in using bits and pieces left over from my reed frog paludarium. I had dubia roaches on hand for the leos- she was crazy for them. However, she was not so crazy about the tall man that also lives here.
her colors of choice when my boyfriend was near... she didn't mind me handling her, though.
Soon she had her next step up, which was still too small and didn't have the right UVB at first. (She did get a t5ho 6% when I read about it more- it's now being used by her downstairs neighbors, the climbing toads) I had also been using calcium with d3 at nearly every feeding because I got my powders mixed up ? I still had a larger upgrade planned, but COVID came along and I was laid off. Then, stimulus money and unemployment came through and I was able to finally get her 36x18x36!
Again, I gave her a temporary setup because she was overdue for more space and I was waiting on a planned trip to my out-of-state parents' farm where I could chop up some sheets of HDPE (I live in an apartment, and do not have a vehicle that can transport an 8-foot sheet of thick plastic. A 7-foot wooden tabletop is the max!!) 800 miles of driving and some black spray paint later, I finally had all the pieces to make a densely planted, bioactive home for little miss Wasabi. I didn't take many photos of the build because I was just ready to finally complete it.
It has a bulkhead and tubing for drainage. Also, this project has put me off silicone&substrate backgrounds for life.
This is how it looks today, after the plants have had a good thrashing and some additional vines were added for her sake. Wasabi put on her colors a few weeks ago and has been a little restless.
The coco fiber is wearing off in spots, but the plan is to eventually have the entire thing covered in trailing plants, anyway.
Eventually I'd like to build a substrate box for the entire thing to sit on top of, so she has the entire 36 inches of height. A few vines/sticks that reach from one side to the other are also on my radar, as well as a Mistking once my finances are a little more stable. She's picked out her favorite spots though, and thankfully my plan of "so many plants that she can't possibly eat them all" is working out.
So, that's how I ended up here! Wasabi is likely be the only chameleon I'll ever own as my heart is truly with frogs and toads, but I absolutely adore her and her antics. Just thought I'd share ❤
So hi, I'm Ash! I've been keeping various reptiles and amphibians for the past 10 years, inspired mainly by the room of dart frogs and red-eyes my parents kept for the first 5 year of my life. They had a veiled chameleon they'd hatched from an egg, too. I was doomed from the start.
So, January of 2020. I was employed by Petsmart, which... hey, we're all aware of the reputation of chain pet stores. But it was a job, and for the most part, it wasn't too bad. At that time my boyfriend and I already had 6 leopard geckos (we adopted a pair from a negligent owner- guess what happens when a male and female are housed together for 6 years and are then suddenly given their own, suitable space.. we thought we removed all the eggs...) so I was on a strict "please don't bring anything home, please" rule. But then... we got this little lady in:
And oops, I'm in love.
She was larger than any we had gotten in my time there (thankfully, we didn't have them often. But unfortunately, they were usually tiny). She tried digging herself out of the tiny box she had to be kept in, and it broke my heart. She was so personable. I was scheduled for several days off and I couldn't bear leaving her without the space and attention she needed, so on January 31, she came home with me. My sister suggested the name Wasabi, and it stuck.
I threw together a temporary home for her to stay in using bits and pieces left over from my reed frog paludarium. I had dubia roaches on hand for the leos- she was crazy for them. However, she was not so crazy about the tall man that also lives here.
her colors of choice when my boyfriend was near... she didn't mind me handling her, though.
Soon she had her next step up, which was still too small and didn't have the right UVB at first. (She did get a t5ho 6% when I read about it more- it's now being used by her downstairs neighbors, the climbing toads) I had also been using calcium with d3 at nearly every feeding because I got my powders mixed up ? I still had a larger upgrade planned, but COVID came along and I was laid off. Then, stimulus money and unemployment came through and I was able to finally get her 36x18x36!
Again, I gave her a temporary setup because she was overdue for more space and I was waiting on a planned trip to my out-of-state parents' farm where I could chop up some sheets of HDPE (I live in an apartment, and do not have a vehicle that can transport an 8-foot sheet of thick plastic. A 7-foot wooden tabletop is the max!!) 800 miles of driving and some black spray paint later, I finally had all the pieces to make a densely planted, bioactive home for little miss Wasabi. I didn't take many photos of the build because I was just ready to finally complete it.
It has a bulkhead and tubing for drainage. Also, this project has put me off silicone&substrate backgrounds for life.
This is how it looks today, after the plants have had a good thrashing and some additional vines were added for her sake. Wasabi put on her colors a few weeks ago and has been a little restless.
The coco fiber is wearing off in spots, but the plan is to eventually have the entire thing covered in trailing plants, anyway.
Eventually I'd like to build a substrate box for the entire thing to sit on top of, so she has the entire 36 inches of height. A few vines/sticks that reach from one side to the other are also on my radar, as well as a Mistking once my finances are a little more stable. She's picked out her favorite spots though, and thankfully my plan of "so many plants that she can't possibly eat them all" is working out.
So, that's how I ended up here! Wasabi is likely be the only chameleon I'll ever own as my heart is truly with frogs and toads, but I absolutely adore her and her antics. Just thought I'd share ❤
