Bedding

[zoester]

I know you're not supposed to use substrate and to leave the bottom of the cage bare but I have a glass cage and I do free range feeding because I don't always have time in the morning to hand feed crickets. So when my baby veiled cham is hunting she slips at the bottom so I put paper towels on the bottom for traction and absorbtion of the water. But the paper towels get soaked with the misting and the little dripper. Is there anything I can do help with drainage or traction? Also the bottom is water proof

 

[BillB]

I know you're not supposed to use substrate and to leave the bottom of the cage bare but I have a glass cage and I do free range feeding because I don't always have time in the morning to hand feed crickets. So when my baby veiled cham is hunting she slips at the bottom so I put paper towels on the bottom for traction and absorbtion of the water. But the paper towels get soaked with the misting and the little dripper. Is there anything I can do help with drainage or traction? Also the bottom is water proof

I know you're not supposed to use substrate and to leave the bottom of the cage bare but I have a glass cage and I do free range feeding because I don't always have time in the morning to hand feed crickets. So when my baby veiled cham is hunting she slips at the bottom so I put paper towels on the bottom for traction and absorbtion of the water. But the paper towels get soaked with the misting and the little dripper. Is there anything I can do help with drainage or traction? Also the bottom is water proof

Try putting more horizontal branches or vines along bottom part of the enclosure . That way the cham doesn't have to go on the bottom to catch it's food .

 

[Zen Reptiles]

It's perfectly fine to use a substrate in a glass cage, and it will not stay very wet if you have lots of plants in there sucking up moisture (you will just have to figure out the spraying schedule to get the proper balance). Try the ABG soil mix, or just peat moss, or coconut fiber and cover the top with magnolia leaves, oak leaves, and/or catappa (indian almond) leaves. This creates a barrier between your chameleon's tongue and the substrate. It's much more dangerous to have sitting water (yes even on paper towels) in there which will lead to bacterial infections. Just make sure that when you are mixing the ABG mix, to take out any choking hazards, and maybe use very large pieces of bark (which helps with aeration). It will be difficult to do BillB's suggestion because you will have to remove those vines and branches every time you clean (which would be daily if you are only using paper towel), and this may be a deathtrap also if he gets stuck underneath or his tongue gets

Bonus tip: buy a colony of tropical isopods and tropical springtails online, this will breakdown poop, shed skin, debris etc etc.

Here's my big exo terra setup for a jacksonii.

 

[zoester]

It's perfectly fine to use a substrate in a glass cage, and it will not stay very wet if you have lots of plants in there sucking up moisture (you will just have to figure out the spraying schedule to get the proper balance). Try the ABG soil mix, or just peat moss, or coconut fiber and cover the top with magnolia leaves, oak leaves, and/or catappa (indian almond) leaves. This creates a barrier between your chameleon's tongue and the substrate. It's much more dangerous to have sitting water (yes even on paper towels) in there which will lead to bacterial infections. Just make sure that when you are mixing the ABG mix, to take out any choking hazards, and maybe use very large pieces of bark (which helps with aeration). It will be difficult to do BillB's suggestion because you will have to remove those vines and branches every time you clean (which would be daily if you are only using paper towel), and this may be a deathtrap also if he gets stuck underneath or his tongue gets

Bonus tip: buy a colony of tropical isopods and tropical springtails online, this will breakdown poop, shed skin, debris etc etc.

Here's my big exo terra setup for a jacksonii.
View attachment 163780

And I can plant plants in the substrate as long as I cover them up with those leaves? And where can I get those leaves?

 

[Decadancin]

And I can plant plants in the substrate as long as I cover them up with those leaves? And where can I get those leaves?

Try Josh's Frogs.

 

[Zen Reptiles]

eBay has really good pricing direct from Malaysia. Josh's Frogs, I'm sure will have the best quality though.

 

[Duma]

@Zen Reptiles just out of curiosity, in a glass enclosure like that for the jacksons, how often do you mist a day to keep the humidity up. I'm sure it's much less than my screen cage wrapped in 3 sides of plastic

 

[Karenxx67]

Hmmmm is a glass bottom a nightmare?

 

[Karenxx67]

I guess the good thing is it has you cleaning every day