Dbash44
Avid Member
I know this is unrelated to what you've been asking me, but I feel that I should ask just in case. Have you done all your research with cham husbandry? I'm not bashing you or trying to take your inventory, I just hate to see people get ahead of themselves and then end up sad from a sick cham. Also, what kind of cham are you getting? Different chams have different husbandry requirements.
I did not seal my plywood before adding the expanding foam background. I think it warped due to it not being sealed. If I were in your shoes, I'd just make the enclosure with the plywood backing, seal the enclosure to be waterproof, then make the background on a piece of insulation foam sheet or styrofoam sheet. Reason I say use the foam sheets is because it's much cheaper than the plexiglass or corrugated plastic and you said that plexiglass might be too expensive.
Either make the background dimensions just right to wedge it into place or silicone it against the sealed plywood back. It sounds like it would be the easiest and you won't have to worry about the plywood warping. Also sounds like it'll be the most forgiving method in the chance something goes wrong. You'll find there's MANY ways to do what you're trying to do. There's not one right method so you are probably going to go through trial and error a bit. Check these videos out. They'll give you an idea of what I'm talking about:
You don't need to worry about size for bioactive. You can pretty much make any size enclosure to bioactive, but it will cost a lot so do take that into consideration. Reason I bring that up is that you'll be spending a lot on your cham husbandry and that'll hurt your pocket book for a minute. Between lights, plants, cage furniture, supplements, feeders and so on you'll be spending a lot. Unless you get a bunch of reptile stimulus packages... I mean COVID-19 stimulus checks I would take this hobby in bite size pieces. Going gung-ho can be discouraging so please enjoy this hobby and let it give you happiness over an extended duration of time. Do your research and watch tons of videos before going bioactive. This way, you'll know what you want to do and what you need to buy when you get to that point instead of rushing into it. Just my two cents.
On the flipside, you might find getting a temporary enclosure for your cham while you build his forever enclosure will be best. When researching going bioactive I can't tell you how many times I've been told to let the plants grow in and let everything in the enclosure acclimate before adding the reptile. This ensures success of the environment long term.
Anyway, to give you an idea of what you'll be spending on bioactive supplies:
On the 18x18 footprint terrarium I'm doing on this thread, I've spent a couple hundred between all of the interior supplies. For the substrate layer I purchased supplies cheapest sources. I found hydroballs (that act as a false bottom/drainage layer) that are about $5 a bag (I used four)($20). ABG mix you can make or buy premade. I made my own and the cost was approximately $12 for eco earth, sphagnum moss for $10, washed play sand for $6, orchid bark for $4, fir bark for $5 and lump charcoal for $12 ($51). I used some window screen to separate the hydroballs from the ABG Mix because I had some lying around collecting dust. This barrier is important to keep the substrate from getting into the drainage layer and rotting over time. You can use a variety of things for the barrier between the layers (i.e. pond filter pads, knitting mesh), but let's say I bought fiber glass window screen in a roll for $8 give or take ($8). I then got a culture of springtails and isopods. I got mine at a reptile show and spent $10 on springtails and $40 on 10 montenegro isopods ($50). So altogether I spent around $129 for just the bottom "bioactive" portion. The expanding foam and background supplies are not included in this cost.
These bottom layers are the most important part that will make your enclosure truly bioactive. Anyone that has ABG mix/hyrdro as a substrate with no isopods or springtails does not have a bioactive enclosure. The microfauna are what clean and fertilize the soil, help maintain plant root health, get rid of mold, break down feces and so on which is part of what makes it a self-sustaining bioactive environment.
Of course, your cost will be different from mine. You will be buying more/less product than I did and maybe buying a commercial ABG mix, et cetera. If you can, buy your microfauna ahead of time in a smaller quantity and breed them. That way, you're not buying a bunch at the time you need them in the enclosure. Also, I bought expensive isopods; there are cheaper options. You will also need to invest on live plants for the enclosure which can vary in price depending on what you choose.
I mean the people you spoke with about going bioactive are not wrong. Going bioactive from the getgo will be a lot of info to absorb. Learning about and sustaining a bioactive enclosure is a project on its own. Learning how to keep a chameleon alive and healthy is a completely different beast. It's not a bad idea to build the enclosure thinking into the future if you're hellbent on building the enclosure we're speaking about first. As I previously said, it may be wise to get a temporary cage in the meantime while you build the forever cage. I would get the cham and a basic setup for him to start. Then get isopods/springtails and start making small purchases over time for the bioactive supplies till you are confident with your cham husbandry. There's a lot to it and can be overwhelming your first time around. It took me years before I felt comfortable on my own. Still, after 10 years, I'm still unsure of myself here and there and have to reach out from time to time. That's just my journey, though, yours may be different.
In the end, do what you think is best. I hope I laid out clear cons and pros of both sides of going bioactive before vs after. If you want to discuss having a live planted (non-bioactive) temporary enclosure for your cham then let me know. I would be happy to help you and would many other members here if you want more than one opinion.
Oh and if you have any other questions let me know
For sure. I just bought an 80mm usb computer fan with speed control and placed it facedown on the top screen. I've done this on my screen enclosures (that have solid back, sides and door) and it works well. I have to get a pic from you once I'm home from the office tonight. I'll post it here once I get the picture
