jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
I'm changing the way I keep my chameleons. I'm converting everything to fully planted enclosures, even for the newly hatched babies.
I set up one Exo-Terra 24" x 24" x 18" for my new clutch of graciliors that are still hatching. I made a mistake planting this cage, planting too close to the hinges. They will crawl around the doors even if it is bare, but the plants make it that much harder to see them--right now there are 16 babies in the enclosure and I'm hoping the remaining four eggs will hatch as well. A lot of little babies to keep track of when opening and closing doors.
I drilled a drainage hole in the side and put in a 1/2" bulkhead that I bought from New England Herpetoculture. (http://www.neherpetoculture.com/). I added hydroballs, weed suppression fabric and a mix of potting soil and coco fiber. I covered the top with coco fiber to cover the perlite bits in the potting soil. I planted with a variety of ferns and added a lot of branches mostly in the middle. I hung pieces of orange all over the cage as feeding stations.
My big worry is a baby getting crushed between the glass door and the side of the enclosure, both when opening and when closing. Here's a picture of the opening, more than enough space for a baby--even a pretty large baby--to crawl through and get crushed by the door. A light screen door with have some resistance if you catch a baby in it (learned from experience) with no harm done to the baby. I don't expect the heavy glass door swinging shut on a baby, even a very big baby, will be such a non event.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to modify the Exo-Terra to get rid of that 5/8ths of an inch (!!!) gap between the door and the side when the door is open? I don't trust that I'll always see them every time I open the door. It is a little late to replant it--trying to find 16 tiny little babies crawling through the foliage is not easy--but could be done. That won't solve the problem but will make it easier to see them at the door, which is an improvement.
Exo-Terra door open:
I have another glass enclosure that has a different hinge. It came from PetSmart and was sold under the National Geographic brand. It has a hinge such that the glass is set into a large plastic circular hinge so there is no opening at the hinge when the door is open. There is a right angle on the round part of the hinge so that when closed, it covers the small space between the glass side and the hinge. I think the photos below explains it. Forgive all the calcium dust....
Door open, National Geographic terrarium. In the second (blurry) photo you can see the small gap between the glass and the hinge that is covered up by the right angle when the door is closed. A baby could be crushed between that right angle piece and the glass side.
Door closed, National Geographic:
Planted Exo-Terra baby enclosure:
I set up one Exo-Terra 24" x 24" x 18" for my new clutch of graciliors that are still hatching. I made a mistake planting this cage, planting too close to the hinges. They will crawl around the doors even if it is bare, but the plants make it that much harder to see them--right now there are 16 babies in the enclosure and I'm hoping the remaining four eggs will hatch as well. A lot of little babies to keep track of when opening and closing doors.
I drilled a drainage hole in the side and put in a 1/2" bulkhead that I bought from New England Herpetoculture. (http://www.neherpetoculture.com/). I added hydroballs, weed suppression fabric and a mix of potting soil and coco fiber. I covered the top with coco fiber to cover the perlite bits in the potting soil. I planted with a variety of ferns and added a lot of branches mostly in the middle. I hung pieces of orange all over the cage as feeding stations.
My big worry is a baby getting crushed between the glass door and the side of the enclosure, both when opening and when closing. Here's a picture of the opening, more than enough space for a baby--even a pretty large baby--to crawl through and get crushed by the door. A light screen door with have some resistance if you catch a baby in it (learned from experience) with no harm done to the baby. I don't expect the heavy glass door swinging shut on a baby, even a very big baby, will be such a non event.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to modify the Exo-Terra to get rid of that 5/8ths of an inch (!!!) gap between the door and the side when the door is open? I don't trust that I'll always see them every time I open the door. It is a little late to replant it--trying to find 16 tiny little babies crawling through the foliage is not easy--but could be done. That won't solve the problem but will make it easier to see them at the door, which is an improvement.
Exo-Terra door open:
I have another glass enclosure that has a different hinge. It came from PetSmart and was sold under the National Geographic brand. It has a hinge such that the glass is set into a large plastic circular hinge so there is no opening at the hinge when the door is open. There is a right angle on the round part of the hinge so that when closed, it covers the small space between the glass side and the hinge. I think the photos below explains it. Forgive all the calcium dust....
Door open, National Geographic terrarium. In the second (blurry) photo you can see the small gap between the glass and the hinge that is covered up by the right angle when the door is closed. A baby could be crushed between that right angle piece and the glass side.
Door closed, National Geographic:
Planted Exo-Terra baby enclosure:
