Halp with plants/drainage

[JCDenton]

So, I'm gonna be getting one of jann's baby veiled chameleons pretty soon and I've got a couple questions about setting up my cage.

One thing I'm wondering about is drainage. Sometimes I've seen drip pans inside peoples cages, sometimes under them, sometimes they don't use them at all. What is recommended?

Also, do I need to worry about giving him a plastic plant? I saw someone say that they might eat silk leaves. All I have right now is a little vine with leaves that I was going to put in the top part of the cage where it would be hard to get a real plant, but I won't give it to him if it will be a problem.

Are there any plants I need to worry about getting sticks/branches from? I was planning to just go to a random wooded area, grab whatever looks good, and then bake them.

Lastly, any other good cage plants to consider other than pothos, schleffera, and hibiscus? I was thinking of putting a pothos in the lower part of the cage and then having a taller hibiscus to give cover in the upper part.

 

[beeze]

Ficus trees work well inside. Hibuscus need allot of sun and usually don't live very long inside. I like the way the Potho holds the water for a long time and helps keep up the humidity.

As for drainage use the search tab at the top. Allot of different ways people are taking care of the water. You could set you cage in a cement mix pan to catch the water.....just put a few holes in the bottom of the cage or tilt the cage a little to drain on one side or corner. I put a drain like you'd see in a sink in the bottm of my cage and put a pan or bucket under the cage to catch the water. If you search you'll see a way that might work for you.

Welcome to the forums and good luck with your baby. Post some pictures when you get him/her. We all love pictures.

 

[jannb]

Hi Brandon, I wouldn't go to elaborate on the baby cage. BTW What size cage did you get? When you get him in his big boy cage then I'd set up a really good drainage system. I know that lllreptile has a drain pan now. Here's a thread about it. https://www.chameleonforums.com/lll-drain-pan-drainage-36941/

 

[JCDenton]

Hi Brandon, I wouldn't go to elaborate on the baby cage. BTW What size cage did you get? When you get him in his big boy cage then I'd set up a really good drainage system. I know that lllreptile has a drain pan now. Here's a thread about it. https://www.chameleonforums.com/lll-drain-pan-drainage-36941/

I got 24x24x48 but I raised the floor so that it's more like 24x24x28. Then when he grows up I'll drop it down and let him use the whole cage. My stand is only 2.5 feet tall so I wanted something tall enough to let him get above eye level. I also got the reptisun 5.0 bulb, some biovines, the hygrometer/thermometer, D3 cal, non D3 cal, and some vitamins.

All I need to do now is buy him some plants and go find some branches, I think. I wanna make him a nice setup for his baby cage so he has a good place to chill.

 

[Berg]

I got 24x24x48 but I raised the floor so that it's more like 24x24x28. Then when he grows up I'll drop it down and let him use the whole cage. My stand is only 2.5 feet tall so I wanted something tall enough to let him get above eye level. I also got the reptisun 5.0 bulb, some biovines, the hygrometer/thermometer, D3 cal, non D3 cal, and some vitamins.

All I need to do now is buy him some plants and go find some branches, I think. I wanna make him a nice setup for his baby cage so he has a good place to chill.

I wish i was as prepared as you when i got my cham(It was a gift).

 

[jannb]

I got 24x24x48 but I raised the floor so that it's more like 24x24x28. Then when he grows up I'll drop it down and let him use the whole cage.



That's a great idea. Wish I'd though of that before. It save you from having to buy two cages. I do like to have a travel cage though for vet visits, hurricane evacuations and so forth.