First time setup.

[SugarMagnolia]

I have the lighting fixtures, the screened in enclosure, etc. I'm leaving for Home Depot at tonight and purchasing a pothos plant that was referred to me. The only part I am unsure about what to use on the floor of the enclosure. Also, should I have a background picture for the enclosure to possibly make it seem more realistic to its original habitat. Any suggestions?

I will be getting a male baby veiled chameleon next week and I want everything to be just right for him when he comes home.

 

[Texas Ranger]

Use paper towels for the floor. Easy to clean. The back ground is your personal desesion. I dont use it.

 

[Tandra Lee]

yay on getting your new baby!! i use nothing for floor covering,just bare bottoms,i find it was easier to clean and also to spot anything unusual or odd that could be going on..this only my opinion but it works well..some use paper towels some nothing,my only concern is that with paper towels my cham shot at a cricket and got his tongue stuck to it(paper) and it freaked him and i both out,so thats my reasoning behind bare flooring

 

[Hoj]

yay on getting your new baby!! i use nothing for floor covering,just bare bottoms,i find it was easier to clean and also to spot anything unusual or odd that could be going on..this only my opinion but it works well..some use paper towels some nothing,my only concern is that with paper towels my cham shot at a cricket and got his tongue stuck to it(paper) and it freaked him and i both out,so thats my reasoning behind bare flooring

ya no paper towel in my opinion, i had the same thing happen, i use a brown paking paper or bare

 

[TheVainity]

Yea I would believe bare is the way to go. Easiest to clean and maintain.

 

[Texas Ranger]

You know I have 7 panthers and have never had a problem with the paper towels. But also mine dont go after insects that are on the bottom. I guess that helps. If you know your chams eatting behavior.

 

[oldmann]

I built my cage with a screen floor just like the walls. Everything drains into a washing machine pan underneath that drains into a bucket.

 

[SugarMagnolia]

Thanks everyone, I will definitely take that into consideration. Also, I know they sell fake vines at the exotic pet store I go to, but I was wondering if it would be cheaper to buy them at a craft's store or not.

 

[Texas Ranger]

Thanks everyone, I will definitely take that into consideration. Also, I know they sell fake vines at the exotic pet store I go to, but I was wondering if it would be cheaper to buy them at a craft's store or not.

I use both. Just was them in hot (antibactiral) soapy water. Then rinse very well. Its still a fake plant like the petshop sells. Just a lot cheaper.

 

[Tandra Lee]

sugarmagnolia:its me again lol..alot of people on here as well as myself use real vs. faux plants,some chameleon species like to munch on plants,plastic could prove to be fatal (due to impaction)if not extremely hard to pass the other bennefits to live plants are that they help keep the humidity levels up in the enclosures,look great and provide a variety of vine/branch sizes for the chams feet,and the leaves seem to hold water droplets for alot longer allowing your cham plenty of opportunity to quench its thirst just be sure to search on here for the "live plant,cham SAFE" link on this forum..some suggestions are ficus benjamina,pothos(really hardy plant,tollerates alot of water) please please be sure to wash all the old soil away and repot in an organic soil,also important to cover the soil with "large"rocks so the cham has no chance of injesting the soil

 

[MATT2504]

sugarmagnolia:its me again lol..alot of people on here as well as myself use real vs. faux plants,some chameleon species like to munch on plants,plastic could prove to be fatal (due to impaction)if not extremely hard to pass the other bennefits to live plants are that they help keep the humidity levels up in the enclosures,look great and provide a variety of vine/branch sizes for the chams feet,and the leaves seem to hold water droplets for alot longer allowing your cham plenty of opportunity to quench its thirst just be sure to search on here for the "live plant,cham SAFE" link on this forum..some suggestions are ficus benjamina,pothos(really hardy plant,tollerates alot of water) please please be sure to wash all the old soil away and repot in an organic soil,also important to cover the soil with "large"rocks so the cham has no chance of injesting the soil

Hi,
I hear a lot of people harp on about organic soil! (i understand the need for repotting) but what i dont seem to get is the need for ORGANIC soil.
Could somebody please explain?

 

[Texas Ranger]

But not all Fake plants are plastic. I dont use plastic plants. I use silk plants. It works the same for creating water droplets, than a real plant does. And live plants can be tricky to keep alive. They are heavy, they drop leafs, they cant be heavly disinfected with say Novalson. And I can have plants that are all different kinds of plants. Because they are not real. So I just wanted to put in my 2 cents about why I dont like live plants. Oh and humity is not a problem if you have a mist king.

 

[Tandra Lee]

sugarmagnolia: the reason for organic soil is this; there are no chemicals or fertilizers or perlite(little foamy pieces) in organic,it is just pure and clean

 

[laurie]

Hi,
I hear a lot of people harp on about organic soil! (i understand the need for repotting) but what i dont seem to get is the need for ORGANIC soil.
Could somebody please explain?

Even if you wash the leaves if the soil has chemicals in it, they can show up in the leaves also. The soil it where the nutrients for the plants come from so you want organic or non fertilizer if you prefer.

 

[SugarMagnolia]

Thanks for the great advice everyone. I went ahead and purchased a schefflera plant to put in the enclosure at Home Depot, pesticide-free. I also got a few branches, washed them and put them in there to walk on, and a few faux vines to hang up as well.

My little cham will be living large when I get him next week!

Thanks for your help.

 

[Jcokenr]

sugarmagnolia: the reason for organic soil is this; there are no chemicals or fertilizers or perlite(little foamy pieces) in organic,it is just pure and clean

I don't know if this is necessarily true-- I had a bag of organic soil picked out and I mentioned to the guy at Home Depot in the garden department it was for a chameleon and he said that even the organic still contained MiracleGRO and even pointed it out to me right in the ingredients. What I bought instead (based on his rec- and he also kept reptiles) was basic topsoil with nothing further added.

Edit: quoted wrong post.