Critique My Enclosure
- Thread starter Chase
- Start date
Chris Anderson
Dr. House of Chameleons
The benefits for one are the downfalls of the other. Screen does not maintain humidity well which is not advantageous for baby montanes, it allows puddle buildups in the bottom unless you put paper towels down which then need to be replaced regularly and feeders can easily hide under plant pots.
Chris
pssh
Avid Member
I meant screen over the dirt. Not just screen alone. Or are you and I talking about the same thing? I'm just wondering because I don't see how it would be different except that the chameleons can eat the dirt. That's why I had commented to cover it with screen...
Edit: I mean they can't eat the dirt with the screen over it.
Edit: I mean they can't eat the dirt with the screen over it.
Chris Anderson
Dr. House of Chameleons
Screening over the dirt would provide the fruit flies and pin head crickets something to hide under. The babies could then potentially still see the feeders under the screen but have difficulty catching them.
Chris
Chris
Lizardlover
New Member
how about you make life simple and dont put screen?
Chris Anderson
Dr. House of Chameleons
Pssh, there is no way that you are going to be able to screen over the dirt in a planted enclosure without ample room for feeders of any size to get under the screen. How would you plan on screening around every pothos vine and every scheffelara stem in these plants without space for the feeders to get under them?
Chris
pssh
Avid Member
I'm just trying to figure things out. You obviously know more than I do and I was just looking to you for knowledge since you were seemingly insulting me because of my lack of expirience with jacksons and like species. Perhaps you didn't mean it like that, but that's how it seemed.
I guess my other questions will just go unanswered. I don't want to bug anyone else.
I guess my other questions will just go unanswered. I don't want to bug anyone else.
justjumpit621
New Member
Wow... did I seriously give crappy advice? My only intention was to make more space for his babies.
Chris Anderson
Dr. House of Chameleons
Pssh -What other questions? I thought I answered all the questions you posted. If you are insulted by being called out for giving bad advice about things you have no experience with, you probably shouldn't be posting advice on things you have no experience with.
Joe - With regard to the fake rock background, I sealed the edge of mine to prevent feeders from getting behind them on my baby cages. The fake rock background can be chewed on by larger crickets but I prefer the enclosures with them because it hides the cords behind the enclosure which chameleons can try to reach for through the glass.
Chris
Joe - With regard to the fake rock background, I sealed the edge of mine to prevent feeders from getting behind them on my baby cages. The fake rock background can be chewed on by larger crickets but I prefer the enclosures with them because it hides the cords behind the enclosure which chameleons can try to reach for through the glass.
Chris
Rocky
Established Member
I like the enclosure. As already stated, many different species have different requirements and unless you have direct knowledge of that species please don't give advice as it may be wrong...
I'm not trying to steal the thread's original question, but how do you drain the water from the bottom?? We keep a satanic leaf tail gecko in a enclusre like that with 1.5 inch hydroton .5 inch charcoal then organic litter on the bottom, but with the high humidity that we keep for him it fills up quickly and when we try to move it it weighs nearly 80 lbs. I've been considering putting a tube down there and pumping it out through the hydroton, but I was wondering how everyone else did it.
While on that note, does anyone know if that filters the water out? I saw something a while back that put a tube down through the dirt / hydroton / charcoal and sucked the water up and then had a water fall down the side. Does the water running through those 3 layers filter it enough to have clean water??
I'm not trying to steal the thread's original question, but how do you drain the water from the bottom?? We keep a satanic leaf tail gecko in a enclusre like that with 1.5 inch hydroton .5 inch charcoal then organic litter on the bottom, but with the high humidity that we keep for him it fills up quickly and when we try to move it it weighs nearly 80 lbs. I've been considering putting a tube down there and pumping it out through the hydroton, but I was wondering how everyone else did it.
While on that note, does anyone know if that filters the water out? I saw something a while back that put a tube down through the dirt / hydroton / charcoal and sucked the water up and then had a water fall down the side. Does the water running through those 3 layers filter it enough to have clean water??
Chris Anderson
Dr. House of Chameleons
Rocky - For the babies in this sized enclosure, I only mist once a day for 1.5-2 minutes. I mist twice a day for that duration in the larger glass terrariums I have with the adults because the cages are larger, more airflow and a larger area to cover with the same amount of misting. With that amount of watering, I don't get buildup in the bottom and actually end up adding additional water for the plants about once a week. I want the chameleons to be able to drink off the leaves and for the humidity to be appropriate but I don't want the soil wet and I want the cage to dry out between mistings for health reasons. The drainage layer is still helpful, though, because when I water, I just add about an inch of water to the bottom and let it gradually soak in without inundating the roots and soil.
For frogs and such, you would probably get a lot of water buildup in the bottom. A lot of people do have a tube into the drainage layer that they can then use to suck it out. I know people with frogs who have their terrariums with circulating water effects and rely on the charcoal and soil for filtration.
Chris
For frogs and such, you would probably get a lot of water buildup in the bottom. A lot of people do have a tube into the drainage layer that they can then use to suck it out. I know people with frogs who have their terrariums with circulating water effects and rely on the charcoal and soil for filtration.
Chris
I've been using organic potting soil for a lot of different species and find that the animals are doing great. Have you all ever noticed your chameleon actually eat plain dirt? I have. Who knows what this may help them with. I've never seen it cause impaction or kill them. People are really stuck in the rut of mainstream husbandry techniques. Let's see plain bottoms and a plant real or fake or maybe go as natural as you can....and you're doing something wrong going natural? Just something to think about. He's right wouldn't dirt cause more impaction on baby pygmys than others, but never does. They feed the same way.
tkilgour
Member
Funny thread, Don't take it personal pssh, Chris means well. I always wondered about the no soil husbandry. First of all, some of my plants have soil uncovered. None of my chameleons have died from it, none eat it, but sometimes a worm falls on the soil and a chameleon has snatched it up. Still no problems. Granted I do not have fully planted vivs. but I think they are very neat looking and want to do one for pygs or something. I always wondered if soil was really as bad as everyone says. Considering I have Tarantulas in planted vivs. and none of them get fungal or bacterial infections, mites, etc. I do have to use isopods that eat the nasty stuff and keep everything clean for the Tarantulas, but still no problems. I know chameleons and Tarantulas are far different but just a comparison. Also, everyone says no soil or substrate, but doesn't everyone with females use sand/soil for the nesting site? Why is this okay? Just thought I'd throw this out there.
pssh
Avid Member
I just don't appreciate him being rude like that. I didn't have a jacksons, but my veiled got impacted from organic plain soil that was in his plants. There were no rocks, pebbles, bark, or anything chunky that he could have eaten in his cage. Plain ol' organic soil and he got impacted. He said I don't have any expirience with jacksons and the like, but do I need to have a jacksons to know that they can become impacted by soil?
What does me not having a jacksons have to do with impaction risk? He never said they are less likely to get impacted from soil. If they are, then my bad. I've had a chameleon who was impacted from soil, and not even from soil on the floor, soil from the plants. I don't think it's worth risking it, and I was voicing my concern for it, as was everyone else who said anything. To get put down so harshly was, well upsetting, as you can see from other posts. I was putting that aside and trying to learn why I was wrong and he and others, so it seemed, were upset about that.
One more question, why did you put down people who wanted them to have more height?do jacksons not like height?
What does me not having a jacksons have to do with impaction risk? He never said they are less likely to get impacted from soil. If they are, then my bad. I've had a chameleon who was impacted from soil, and not even from soil on the floor, soil from the plants. I don't think it's worth risking it, and I was voicing my concern for it, as was everyone else who said anything. To get put down so harshly was, well upsetting, as you can see from other posts. I was putting that aside and trying to learn why I was wrong and he and others, so it seemed, were upset about that.
One more question, why did you put down people who wanted them to have more height?do jacksons not like height?
Brad Ramsey
Retired Moderator
I have recently redesigned all of my enclosures.
All the screen enclosures now have a large Sterilite tub on the bottom that has (from bottom up) hydroton, sand, charcoal then organic soil to the top.
They are heavily planted and the soil is exposed.
All the tubs have springtail cultures introduced in them as well.
The benefits are that the plants should do much better, there is a built in laying bin (just in case) for females and the relative humidity is higher.
The risk of impaction by ingesting soil is (as Chris mentions, and in my opinion) minimal.
My glass enclosures are all designed and planted as the one pictured by the OP.
-Brad
All the screen enclosures now have a large Sterilite tub on the bottom that has (from bottom up) hydroton, sand, charcoal then organic soil to the top.
They are heavily planted and the soil is exposed.
All the tubs have springtail cultures introduced in them as well.
The benefits are that the plants should do much better, there is a built in laying bin (just in case) for females and the relative humidity is higher.
The risk of impaction by ingesting soil is (as Chris mentions, and in my opinion) minimal.
My glass enclosures are all designed and planted as the one pictured by the OP.
-Brad
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