Custom Viv Floor

[Evilmunky]

Hi All,

I am new here but been having a good look around the site at some awesome setups.

I am about to start building a corner enclosure for my Female Yemen Chammy. I live in the UK and the room she will be in is relatively humid. She will be manually sprayed at least twice a day, so at this point I am not going to be putting in an auto mister or dripper (maybe dripper for hot days.)

The enclosure is going to be wood and mesh but I was wondering what to use on the floor. It will have a wood base but should I just use kitchen roll / paper towel or something like reptile carpet?

All advice would be appreciated.

Oh BTW -Here is a pic of my Chamy - called Chilli:

 

[JoshCrane1]

whats that on his casque? you supplementing with calcium?

 

[ChrisnLisa]

Hello there-

Not trying to be nit-picky but from the pic it looks like he has a bend in his casque...is this the case?

If you can answer these questions you can receive help in all aspects.

Cage Info:

* Cage Type - What kind of cage are you using? What is the size?
* Lighting - What kind of lighting are you using? How long do you keep the lights on during the day?
* Temperature - What temperature range have you created? Basking spot temp? What is the temperature at night?
* Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels?
* Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
* Location - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas?


Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon.
* Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What kind of schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
* Supplements - What are you dusting your feeders with and what kind of schedule do you use?
* Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
* Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings.
* History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
* Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.

Anymore pictures will be beneficial as well.

Also your she is a he

 

[Evilmunky]

She has always had that little crooked bit since I picked her up - I think the person I got her from was not supplementing her correctly.

 

[Evilmunky]

Also your she is a he

Seriously? how exactly can you tell - i thought the male should have a spur?

 

[Brad Ramsey]

You might need to provide a better picture of the back heels, but it appears from this picture that there is a spur.
I also believe you have a male.
Little casque abnormalities are not that uncommon, and I think it's fine.
Check your supplementation schedule and lighting to make sure you are providing him with everything he needs.

http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

-Brad

 

[Evilmunky]

Thanks Brad,

I will try to get a better picture when I get home tonight as I think what you guys are seeing as a spur is its other foot.

Cheers

 

[ChrisnLisa]

Well when they are young the spurs can be quite small. I circled his spur in the attached photo. Hope this helps!

 

[Evilmunky]

This picture show it any better?

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Look at what ChrisnLisa circled.
That's not another foot.
I can see it (although not as well) in the new picture too.
He is a boy.

-Brad

 

[Evilmunky]

interesting.

you see i look at this and think - there is no spur lol. Person I got it off (8 year breeder) as well as others who have seen her say female.
Clearly if she is male i need to slap them.

 

[ChrisnLisa]

That is quite odd. You are right..it appears there is no spur in the second pic but one in the first. Maybe take a few pics from a couple different angles. Also a pic of the base of the tail to see if there is a bulge.

 

[Evilmunky]

Anyone able to actually help with my original request?

 

[Brad Ramsey]

No substrate is best.
It is perfectly fine to line the bottom with paper towels if that makes cleaning easier.
Just don't use anything that is permanent that will absorb water and create a good environment for bacteria.

-Brad

 

[Tygerr]

The enclosure is going to be wood and mesh but I was wondering what to use on the floor. It will have a wood base but should I just use kitchen roll / paper towel or something like reptile carpet?

Ah... the good ol' flooring solution question. If anything is subject to extensive engineering in this hobby, it is enclosure flooring...

Basically, all you need is an open floor that is easy to clean. Chams don't need any substrate or reptile carpets - they live in their trees/plants almost all of the time.
What complicates things however is all that misting and dripping that happens. Paper towels or newspaper is often used, but you'll find yourself replacing that very often, if not daily. After going through your first dozen kitchen rolls or so you'll start to wonder if there isn't a better solution.

That's where drainage strategy comes in. There are a multitude of solutions out there. In their simplest form, you'd have some sort of drip tray that needs to be emptied quite often. More advanced solutions involve using some form of waterproof substance with holes hooked up to drainage pipes and a bucket.
Finally you could go for the ultra-engineered home-built drainage tray like the one Dave built:

(see the full article here: Watering and Drainage Strategies)

Personally, I still haven't come up with my own perfect solution. I've tried wood floors with sealants, melamine floors, plastic floors and I'm currently working on a steel and plastic design with pipe drainage. You'll probably be evolving your flooring for many years to come. For now, simply newspapers or paper towel would probably be a good start.

 

[Sassy]

ok....so how does that drainage try work...just holds the excess water and then you roll it out to dump it?