ArowanaLover1902
Member
BACKGROUND INFO
Well, I don't actually have a chameleon (yet...) but am trying to get some pre, and post, buying chameleon advice. To be honest, the chameleon is only meant as an addition, he is not the centerpiece. My true purpose is growing nepenthes (for those of you who don't know, these are the carnivorous pitchering plants of Asia and Australia (but not every pitcher of Australia is a nepenthes)). But I feel like a chameleon would be an amazing addition I could learn to really like. My current primary terrarium is a 29 gallon with 19 pitcher plants (21 if you count my new sprouts of a N. Ventricosa) and 16 different species, there is also a small banana tree, lily of the nile, tropical fern, and two air plants. I keep the humidity at 90 RH with a Zoomed Hygrometer and humidifier. The temp is generally 77. I have a PC cooling fan that runs air across the terrarium and cools it down. My plan is to make a new nepenthes terrarium with the following specifications...
- 55 gallon
- Humidity at 80 RH
- Temp in the 70's but with changes at night
- Air flow from dual PC fans at both corners
- A small nightime drop of temp (10-15 degrees if possible) and increase of humidity
- A custom 3-D background with lots of ledges, areas for plants, and maybe a waterfall
- Varying levels of structure
- Several branches and live vines (I love vines ha ha ha) (this can't block too much sunlight though)
- A waterfeature, perhaps a waterfall that recycles into a stream
- A grow light
- A substrate with tone of live plants like spaghnum moss, N. Ampullaria, ferns, and maybe an orchid or two
QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS
- What type?
- Needs to be small enough so that the relatively short height of the terrarium isn't a problem and so that he doesn't wreck my plants
- Needs to be big enough so as to not get eaten by the pitchers, which are, at max for me, like 2 inches tall with a .25 inch opening, but lets say a max of 1 inch opening, just to be safe, I do have species that get huge
- Is he fine with not having tons of branches (just 5-6)
- I plan on dedicating areas of the tank to him rather than all of it, maybe 2 areas that connect?
- I'm new to chameleons, I don't want to buy some super rare, expensive, and hard to care for lizard
MY IDEAS FOR CHAMELEON CARE
- I plan on having maybe one or two areas with dense foliage and branches
- one of these areas will be right in the way of the humidifier so that he can lick water off of the leaves and branches
- A few bowls of stuff for him to eat built into the 3-D background
- A special lamp that the internet says he needs on the top
- Live moss and etc so that he can get easy grip on stuff
- Let the tank "grow out" for a month before purchase so that it's ready for him/her
Thanks for the help and advice
Well, I don't actually have a chameleon (yet...) but am trying to get some pre, and post, buying chameleon advice. To be honest, the chameleon is only meant as an addition, he is not the centerpiece. My true purpose is growing nepenthes (for those of you who don't know, these are the carnivorous pitchering plants of Asia and Australia (but not every pitcher of Australia is a nepenthes)). But I feel like a chameleon would be an amazing addition I could learn to really like. My current primary terrarium is a 29 gallon with 19 pitcher plants (21 if you count my new sprouts of a N. Ventricosa) and 16 different species, there is also a small banana tree, lily of the nile, tropical fern, and two air plants. I keep the humidity at 90 RH with a Zoomed Hygrometer and humidifier. The temp is generally 77. I have a PC cooling fan that runs air across the terrarium and cools it down. My plan is to make a new nepenthes terrarium with the following specifications...
- 55 gallon
- Humidity at 80 RH
- Temp in the 70's but with changes at night
- Air flow from dual PC fans at both corners
- A small nightime drop of temp (10-15 degrees if possible) and increase of humidity
- A custom 3-D background with lots of ledges, areas for plants, and maybe a waterfall
- Varying levels of structure
- Several branches and live vines (I love vines ha ha ha) (this can't block too much sunlight though)
- A waterfeature, perhaps a waterfall that recycles into a stream
- A grow light
- A substrate with tone of live plants like spaghnum moss, N. Ampullaria, ferns, and maybe an orchid or two
QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS
- What type?
- Needs to be small enough so that the relatively short height of the terrarium isn't a problem and so that he doesn't wreck my plants
- Needs to be big enough so as to not get eaten by the pitchers, which are, at max for me, like 2 inches tall with a .25 inch opening, but lets say a max of 1 inch opening, just to be safe, I do have species that get huge
- Is he fine with not having tons of branches (just 5-6)
- I plan on dedicating areas of the tank to him rather than all of it, maybe 2 areas that connect?
- I'm new to chameleons, I don't want to buy some super rare, expensive, and hard to care for lizard
MY IDEAS FOR CHAMELEON CARE
- I plan on having maybe one or two areas with dense foliage and branches
- one of these areas will be right in the way of the humidifier so that he can lick water off of the leaves and branches
- A few bowls of stuff for him to eat built into the 3-D background
- A special lamp that the internet says he needs on the top
- Live moss and etc so that he can get easy grip on stuff
- Let the tank "grow out" for a month before purchase so that it's ready for him/her
Thanks for the help and advice
