Cage Advice?

[Geckoxp]

Below are a couple pics of both my larger cage setup and my new baby cage setup. I think the baby cage is good to go here but I am looking for advice on my larger cage setup. Right now I have vines and a hibiscus plant in there with fake vine plants on the side. Would you recommend anything different at all? He has been staying pretty dark but doesn’t seem stressed at all....wondering if that is normal or not? He shed a little bit ago so I don’t think that the case here...

Anyways any advice on making my cage better would be great!


Here is the baby cage (3 months old - Male Nosy Be Elwood):

Here is my older male panthers cage (6 1/2 months old - Male Ambilobe Izzy)

 

[dodolah]

you might want to put a tub underneath the plants to prevent flooding during the misting and dripping.
your cage needs a draining system. without it, your carpet and your wall may be wet and moldy victims of chameleon care.

 

[Dyesub Dave]

Hey Chris,

Your enclosures look GREAT !! The only thing that I would add ... and it's more of a personal preference ... is a nice piece of wood or a branch. In most of my enclosures I have a piece with several different sized branches coming off it. I also have live plants and some grape vines but I find that quite often they'll choose a branch to sleep on. Of course it depends on your plants as well. In one of my enclosures the Hibiscus has nice wood brances so I really don't need one in there.

I also think that an old dried up branch tends to hold humidity for a while after spraying. I try to find pieces with no bark on them and I boil them or cover them in boiling water and then scrub them. However your enclosures look very full and I don't know if you'd find room for a branch in there!! LOL

So I don't think it's a necessity but I like the contrast against the plants and it gives them extra climbing / sleeping spots.

Dyesub Dave.

 

[Geckoxp]

I've been trying to find branches or grape vines that have been treated to use in the cage but it seems no one has anything around here. Up here in NY reptiles are really not the pet of choice so everything I mostly order online. Any ideas to where to purchase branches from? I am getting no luck outside either trying to find branches.

In regards to the drainage system I drilled small holes in the bottom of the cage floor and I have 2 plastic tubs the water drips into...drainage was the #1 concern about owning a cham. The pics do not show the underlying tubs and such.

 

[Dyesub Dave]

Well I didn't really treat my grape vines. I have a wooded area behind where I live and they grow wild there. I just cut off what I need ... rinse them in a hot shower and pull any loose hairy bark sections off. Then I curl it around in the enclosure to make pathways similar to what you have done in yours. I haven't had any problems yet and the chams seem to love them.

As for branches they charge you an arm and leg for pieces that you buy in the pet stores. I'm sure if you can find a wooded area near where you live you should be able to find some suitable branches. I just treat using the boiling and scrubbing method that I mentioned. You could also try a gardening center that deals with outdoor landscaping. They may be somewhat cheaper with their wood pieces but just make sure to find out if they've been treated with anything toxic to your chams.

Like I said it's not a necessity and your enclosures look nice the way they are. It's just a personal preferenc on my part.

Dyesub Dave.

 

[ponders]

The cages look great but what is the white stuff in the potted plants? If it is small enough to be eaten by a miss shot, your cams could get impacted. I learned this the hard way, years ago using river rock to cover the soil.

 

[Geckoxp]

I went out and redid Izzys cage tonight...got a bigger plant in there and 1 more vine so he is closer to the heat and has more things to climb on.

Here is the latest and greatest pic. You get the whole idea here with the 2 cages, the shower liner, the drainage, the lights and everything else.

I should add up my total just to let any newbies know how much it all can cost you show them owning a cham is not an easy task...I can attest to at least $1500 for everything spent!

 

[Chamero]

If he is dark most of the time he might be trying to warm up. I would move the vines from the bottom to the top...this way he has closer access to the heat spot. As of now it looks like the Hibiscus cans support his weight so he probably doesnt go up ther much. DOes he use the fake brown vine much... It seems a little low. Not sure of his activites tho...

 

[JimNPHX]

I went out and redid Izzys cage tonight...got a bigger plant in there and 1 more vine so he is closer to the heat and has more things to climb on.

Here is the latest and greatest pic. You get the whole idea here with the 2 cages, the shower liner, the drainage, the lights and everything else.

I should add up my total just to let any newbies know how much it all can cost you show them owning a cham is not an easy task...I can attest to at least $1500 for everything spent!

Hi,

Your setups look nice. How is the humidifier working for you?
Also, what/how is the drainage from the cage to the tubs setup?

Jim

 

[Geckoxp]

Jim,

The humidifier raises the ambient room humidity about 10-40% all depending on if I am running the heat or not. Typically the humidity is around 40-50% without the humidifier but with it on it will average around 60-70% and then around 80% and above after I mist the cage down.

The drip system is very simple. I used a small drill and drilled random holes in the bottom of the green bottom liner and the water drips down through the holes and into the plastic bins...it works very well and eh about once or twice a week I will dump the bins and clean out the bottom of the cage itself.

The metal draines were like $30 each and the plastic tubs maybe $10 each?

 

[vtecdreamer]

I love this set up,looks nice!

 

[MdngtRain]

I like your set-ups! I LOVE the jungle look
I too was wondering what that white stuff is... You def. want to be careful to prevent impaction. I use larger river rocks to cover the potting material for my plants.
~C

 

[Justin Carl]

i live down here in florida and the best place to fisnd wild crazy branches is on the beach and the islands. you guys might not have that luxury tho