Of all species, I have never seen as much contradiction as this one. I have been reading everything I can about pygmies and finally got 1. nobody seems to agree on substrate. right now I have coconut about 2". lighting nobody agrees on this, I have repti 2.0 florescent. heat no one agrees, Right now I have none just room temp about 70 day and 67 night. The guy I bought them from says if they need any extra heat they will climb to the flourescent light for a little warmth, any other is too much. humidity I mist twice a day about the only thing that is agreed upon although I found a contradiction. I have 10 gallon glass aqaurium w/ screen top, with live plants and branches. I would love to set up a 55 gal. aquar. I have for display and breeding group, but want to know what the consensus is on these topics. I have other questions, but just wonder what works best for everyone. Any help would be appreciated. I think I am going to purchase some more from flchams.com. He has a few gravids. I dont want to take up all his time with a ton of questions.
absolute pygmy confusion
- Thread starter thedford
- Start date
eisentrauti
Avid Member
Normally fish live in aquariums 
The ventilation isn't optimal on such tanks. The question what kind of lighting you should take isn't important for pygmies. It's good enough to use a cheap and normal fluorescent lamp. No special "reptisun" or something else. That's just wasting money.
How many of them do you keep in your tank ? Pygmies are often housed in a too high concentration, just because everybody thinks they are so little, they don't need much space.
If you want to have long living pygmies, put never more than 1.1 or 1.2 in a tank
The ventilation isn't optimal on such tanks. The question what kind of lighting you should take isn't important for pygmies. It's good enough to use a cheap and normal fluorescent lamp. No special "reptisun" or something else. That's just wasting money.
How many of them do you keep in your tank ? Pygmies are often housed in a too high concentration, just because everybody thinks they are so little, they don't need much space.
If you want to have long living pygmies, put never more than 1.1 or 1.2 in a tank
Julirs
New Member
So far it seems everything you have said is great-who is contradicting you?
eisentrauti
Avid Member
Aquariums are not for chameleons !
chameleonneeds
Avid Member
Glass tanks or aquariums (terrariums) are absolutely fine for pygmy chameleons they live on the floor of wet humid areas.
The glass is for the extra humidity.
Brad Ramsey
Retired Moderator
Here are a couple of articles that should help clear things up for you:
http://www.chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=46
http://www.chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=63
-Brad
http://www.chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=46
http://www.chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=63
-Brad
Julirs
New Member
Have you kept pygmies?
eisentrauti
Avid Member
Yes, I have. And I've breed several species.
In aquariums there's nearly no ventilation on the ground - perfect for a bad climate on the floor, "bad" air is all around there.
In Europe everybody has understand it.
In aquariums there's nearly no ventilation on the ground - perfect for a bad climate on the floor, "bad" air is all around there.
In Europe everybody has understand it.
Julirs
New Member
Yes, I have. And I've breed several species.
In aquariums there's nearly no ventilation on the ground - perfect for a bad climate on the floor, "bad" air is all around there.
In Europe everybody has understand it.
Do you have any pictures of what you keep them in? Usually in Europe we hear of more glass being used for all types of chameleons, but here in the states many people sucessfully keep Pygs in aquariums. I happen to keep mine in plastic totes, but have kept them in aqariums and in Exoterra style tanks.
eisentrauti
Avid Member
I see there is still differences of opinion on houseing, I am going with the 55 gal. aquar. with screen top and maybe a small computer cooling fan for more ventilation. Here is another question to see what the general consensus is. Potted plants or planted plants. I have seen potted in the diy article, but was also told all dirt should be removed and they should be planted in the substrate. I know I could get away with both, but what are the percentages of people doing each. thanks again.
eisentrauti
Avid Member
Hi,
depends on what plants you want to put in your tank. There are some species which grow really fast and at every corner of your tank - they are better potted.
Your idea with the computer cooler is good, it's really important that the air can "flow".
depends on what plants you want to put in your tank. There are some species which grow really fast and at every corner of your tank - they are better potted.
Your idea with the computer cooler is good, it's really important that the air can "flow".
No special "reptisun" or something else. That's just wasting money.
The plants need light anyway, so a 2.0 repti is what I use, and have read others use. If it doesnt hurt I would rather be on the safe side. I know no other heating is required, but I am also going to use a small heat mat under an area of the large 55 gal tank. This is to see the results in the gradient temp of the substrate and to see if the females opt for certain substrate temps for egg laying.
The plants need light anyway, so a 2.0 repti is what I use, and have read others use. If it doesnt hurt I would rather be on the safe side. I know no other heating is required, but I am also going to use a small heat mat under an area of the large 55 gal tank. This is to see the results in the gradient temp of the substrate and to see if the females opt for certain substrate temps for egg laying.
eisentrauti
Avid Member
Put the money you could save in the lighting in a good tank, in a real terrarium ! That's quite sensefuller than buy such a "special" light. You write that you want to be on the save side. So why don't you buy just a normal tank
Put the money you could save in the lighting in a good tank, in a real terrarium ! That's quite sensefuller than buy such a "special" light. You write that you want to be on the save side. So why don't you buy just a normal tank
How is a 55 gallon with a screen lid any different than the first link you posted above?
Heika
New Member
I keep mine with "old" reptisun 5.0's. By old, I mean 6 mo. to a year.. after that, I toss em and use "new" old bulbs. I keep two large terrariums of pygmies and they do very well. They are old established colonies at this point.. at one time, I kept track of generations, but now I just feed them and mist them, and they live their lives. I have one group in a large 65 galloon aquarium and another in a homemade terrarium that is larger than the aquarium. It is made of wood, screen, and glass. Hard to describe.. it is an old cabinet, 6 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 4 feet tall. Anyhow, I don't see any significant difference between the health of the animals housed in one over the other. I mist the aquarium less frequently than the big enclosure, because it stays humid longer. Personally, I prefer clean dirt mixed with sand and stay away from the coco fiber. I plant my plants into the substrate, but I don't go looking for eggs anymore either. Leafs tend to like to bury their eggs in the roots of the plants, and if you plan to hunt for their eggs, you might want to leave the plants in pots with rocks on top to dissuade the females. In my enclosures, the youngsters hatch out in the enclosures and survive or don't survive. I use a heat lamp on both enclosures for 4 hours each morning. The chameleons seem to like it, so I continue to use them. I use a 20 watt bulb for the aquarium and a 40 for the big enclosure. The aquarium currently houses about a half a dozen females, two males, and a few babes. The larger enclosure? I am not sure how many are in it.. I tried to count one day, but not sure it was accurate. A lot. I need to thin the group down in that one.
Just like everything else chameleon, there isn't a definate set of rules on keeping them. Your area may be more or less humid, warmer, cooler, etc. and what works for one person won't work for you. I tried lots and lots of different things with my leafs before I settled with what I am at now. You will figure out through trial and error what works well for you.
Just like everything else chameleon, there isn't a definate set of rules on keeping them. Your area may be more or less humid, warmer, cooler, etc. and what works for one person won't work for you. I tried lots and lots of different things with my leafs before I settled with what I am at now. You will figure out through trial and error what works well for you.
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eisentrauti
Avid Member
Don't you ever read a book about vivariums
In the front is mesh. Warm air rises high (because of the lighting), and fresh air went through the mesh high.
It's something like a circle. Isn't somebody here who can explain this in good english ???
Chris Anderson
Dr. House of Chameleons
In the first schematic he posted, there are vents in the front, at the bottom of the door. These vents low and in the front create a circulating airflow between them and the vents in the top at the back. Because the air in the tank is warm and humid, it will rise and is replaced at the bottom by outside, fresh air preventing the buildup of stagnant air in the tank. These types of enclosures can work very well for chameleons because you get many of the benefits of a glass enclosure without many of the down sides. Exo-Terra and ZooMed have started producing and selling some of these terrariums in the US now but typically, in the US, glass enclosures are equated to fish aquariums which are not optimum enclosures. Pygmies can do fine in aquariums provided precautions and care is taken but this terrarium design is superior.
Chris
Chris
Don't you ever read a book about vivariums
You're pretty rude. It is not obvious in the picture you posted that there are vents near the bottom.
I've kept and bred brevicaudatus for years in 'aquariums' and had no problems. So it is possible to do something successfully in more than one way.
