That size cage is perfect for carpet's. They are a small to medium sized chameleon, and can be housed in an even smaller cage. I keep my female in a 16x15x20 at the moment.
Well aren't you lucky. The latest edition of the Chameleons Online E-Zine contained an entire article on Jackson's Chameleons in captivity. It's a good read, and full of a lot of pertinent information. :)
Jackson's in Captivity Article
Download and read the Pygmy Care Sheet from this site. The link is on the left side near the bottom. It has LOADS of information.
http://www.flchams.com/
Here are some other good links:
http://www.chameleonnews.com/05JunRouthouska.html
http://www.chameleonnews.com/05DecRouthouska.html
I agree, I don't think that the material would dry out very well. It would just be like having a damp moldy towel in the cage. There are a lot of different things you could use that would also make the cage look more natural.
If it looks like the one in the picture, then you are in the clear. I think that is the most common kind of schefflera, which would likely be sold at a lowes. I believe the name is schefflera arboricola.
My female carpet......
Maybe this will sway your thinking?
I think a cage that large would be too big for a carpet chameleon almost. Why not just make a smaller cage for a carpet? Or divide the large cage sideways to make two cages, and then get a male and female carpet????;)
Haha...
Looks awesome! Good job!
I would love to know more about how you put the bottom together. Are all the plants in a tub, or are they just contained in the plastic lining that is seen in some of the pictures? How did you do it?
Wow! Loads of pictures, very nice. Have you or do you plan to breed them? They are both great. Is your male bigger than your female?
Have you ever weighed them? I am searching for a baseline, or just an average full grown weight for adult carpet chameleons, but haven't found much really...