Bio active enclousures

[M3aikel]

Hi I'm planning to get my first chameleon in some time and I got some questions about bioactive enclosures
1.can I have a veiled cham in a bioactive enclosure?
2.is he going to eat the springtails,isopods,etc?
3.which tipes of substrates you recommend?
4.can I get half hydroponic half substraced?
Thanks

 

[EmilioTheAnkify]

1. I don’t see why not.
2. I’ve seen mine eat an isopod once….and never again after that. Lol
3.I used “Terra firma” from the biodude.
4. I assume your talking about having the drainage layer which most use leca which are lil clay balls. I’ve bought some off Amazon and from the local hydroponics store.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi and welcome!
Yes! You can keep any type of chameleon in a bioactive enclosure. You’ll want to use the plants that are safe for veileds and investing in a good plant light will pretty much be necessary. I like the Sansi 70w https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TKKG8Q3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
I have caught all of my chameleons looking suspiciously like they are hunting their isopods. I have some good sized chunks of scrap cork bark and a thick layer of leaf litter to help protect the isopods. My male veiled is the only one that it has become a problem as he’s gotten fat from it. I’ve given him a triple thick layer of leaf litter, which has helped some. My other chams’ weights have remained good, so I figure their isopod hunting is just some nice enrichment for them.
I’ve followed this guide in creating my substrate. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/intro-to-bio-activity.2429/ For my females I’ve added more sand and kept the depth at around 6” for when they lay eggs. However, they are yet to lay in their bioactive substrate. My only girl who has laid eggs dug a little in her substrate and for whatever reason found it unsuitable. Out of desperation and after trying a couple of other things, I finally had to give her old tall lay bin and that was obviously what she found suitable. That’s all she ever laid her eggs in previously and obviously she developed a preference. I’m still trying to figure out a way to incorporate her preferred lay bin in her bioactive set up.
When I first set up bioactively, I couldn’t find the clay balls anywhere so used lava rock. It worked just fine. Finally I found large bags of clay balls on Amazon and when I moved my enclosures, I redid them all with them.
It’s been awesome watching the changes and growth in my enclosures over the past year. Some plants have died and some have grown wildly. Some that were just holding steady for many months have suddenly burst forth with massive growth. As I see how my chams travel thru and utilize different areas, I’ve added more or moved a few things around. I have my males in double sized enclosures and those are the ones that have grown the best. One of my girls keeps her enclosure almost bare with her dedication to eating her plants, so I’m always having to add more and try different ones. The isopods have developed huge colonies. A couple of times I’ve found little mushrooms sprouted, which was really cool. I love having these little slices of nature and hope it’s added to my chameleons’ sense of content.

 

[M3aikel]

Thank you so much,now I can plan much better everything for my chameleon