Why so many plants?

[sandrachameleon]

In comparing other peoples enclosures to the ones I use, I am suprised at the amount of plants people are using. My panthers actually seem to prefer open space and clear branches, to the planted side of their cages (I keep all the plants to one side). The males especially dont hide out in the plants - to the point where I've considered removing them altogether. Females will occasionally hang out in the plants, mostly when sleeping.

Is this a difference between vields and panthers, meaning do vields need more plants to hide in than panthers? Or are my panters just odd? Maybe cuz they grew up with less plant material, and got used to it? Also mine are in their own, quiet, no-traffic room. Would that make the difference?

 

[ChromaChameleons]

I tend to use less than more plants in my setups. My Panthers are quite happy with the open spaces also. I can't imagine how much more difficult an overly planted cage must be to clean.

 

[FOREVER ENDEAVOR]

in my male cages (2x2x4) i like one ficus and one sheffy... i have both plants towards the back, with the pots creating a bow to allow for drainage.. the plants are dense enough for a good "hiding spot" but like said above my panthers do enjoy the open spots as well..i too have a reptile room..

 

[beenpanced]

Personally I think there are many good reasons to have extra plants in an enclosure, in regards to Veiled chams. Granted, chams do need a good spot to bask and good ventilation is key, and don't forget about cleaning , but if you think about it in the wild they wouldn't just stand out on a branch all day every day. That would cause them to have a very short life span. They are solitary creatures. Also worth noteing is the fact Veiled chams are omnivorious (I don't know if panthers are, never owned one) and will pretty much destroy whatever plants you house with them. I have 2 Umbrella's and a Ficus (plus 5 exoterra vines and 3 horizontal branches) in with my Veiled in a 3x2x4 and he loves it. I'm fairly sure it helps to keep his overall stress levels down. He has a nice canopy to crawl on and he has several paths through it if he gets to warm and wants to go down. But I suppose in the end the size of the enclosure would pretty much dictate how many plants you could have.

 

[spatulars]

Hey cool, I thought my panther chameleon was a big weirdo because he hangs out in open spaces so often.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Well that seems to comfirm it - panthers require fewer plants

 

[opihiman]

I think that what you put into your cage depends on what conditions you are trying to set up in the cage. For example if your Cham is used to no coverage, AND your conditions (humidity and temp) are with in tolerances, then you should have no problem. However plants don't only serve as hiding places, but also to help keep humidity and temperatures in check too.

But this post just goes to show you that there are more ways to be successful at raising chams.

good post

OPI

 

[sandrachameleon]

Good point re humidity. My entire pet room keeps a decent humidity (in part because there is also a big hermit crab tank and other "wet" things in there), so the plants arent as necessary for that purpose. But its true the plants helped a little with increasing humidty back when I didnt have a dedicated room for the reptiles.

I guess I'll just leave things the way they are (plant on one side, no plants on the other) since my chams seem happy enough

 

[SoCaliSon]

In my enclosures I like to provide dense planted areas along with a sort of open space near the top where they can bask. Personally while I do notice my panthers will hang out in the open at times, mostly while basking in the afternoon... I do witness them using their densly planted areas as an escape ...and normaly ends up where I see them sleeping. I think that in an enclosure the goal should be to provide options for the chameleon... so that if they are hot they can cool down; if they are cool they can warm up; if they are insecure they can hide; and if they are cramped they can stretch out.

 

[Trinacham]

My panther has two plants - a small one and a tall one. He hardly ever touches them. He prefers his vines.

 

[tryme]

They like open spaces at the top of the enclosure, the middle should be planted quite well I rekon.

 

[Sang]

basically in my itny enclosure, i got the top with about 4"s 5"s open with a fwe vines, then the next 10"s is heavly planted. the bottom 6"s are the plant pots which he doesn't even bother going down to, in order to clean the bottom i just slide them around and wipe with a paper towel.

 

[summoner12]

My panther cage is kinda open.... he has good coverage around the upper area.. plenty of basking room and then is open for patrol in the mid and lower section with a ladder and vine highway that he walks around on.... he is a serious patrol cham... he is never sitting still just moves about hunting and checking things out...

My veileds have a lot of coverage from the rest of the room with plenty of open space in the top and middle of the cage to bask in UVB and heat.

The melleri have moderate covering..but they don't seem to mind.

 

[millionsofchameleons]

i dont think anyone mentioned but dont forget what chams drink off of. they kinda need somthing to catch all that water so they get some wa wa.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Mine drink from drippers almost exclusively. Much more efficient.

 

[ciafardo 4]

gary furgason actually says this in his book care and breeding veileds panthers jacksons and parsons . he states that panthers are not as shy and really dont need much vegetation for security.

 

[Miss Lily]

My female veiled likes to be in the open. She spends all day at the front of her viv in her basking spot in full view of everyone and everything. She only goes to the covered part at the back to sleep. The only times she ever goes in her plants through the day is when she's receptive and constantly roaming, or when I mist her and she wants to get away! She's used to seeing people - I got her from a reptile specialist shop.

 

[Brad]

I use multiple large plants. They are great for collecting water and the small increase in humidity is nice. It also offers the chameleon a place to hide if it feels the need. From the human perspective it makes the cage look more attractive as well.