Improvements

[Darwin]

i've owned a male yemen for about 8 months now (Darwin's about 12months) i have him in a vivexotic AX36 (wooden viv with glass frontage) which he seems very content with.

i have changed/improved his viv once in this time, adding coconut husk to one of the sides using sticky backed plastic squares, however these are not keeping it up, it does not reach to the very top of the viv and he used to love sitting on a small piece added to the top of the husk which acted as a kind of shelf. now it is falling further down the side he no longer uses it to climb up etc he sits under it on his fig tree instead, again he seems quite content with this.

as he used to enjoy sitting on top of the husk i was wondering if it would be an idea to fix a shelf into the viv and cover it with the coconut husk for him to sit on and underneath.

any ideas about whether this would be good for him not?

also i want it to look good and fill it with more plants and shrubs but i am not greenfingered! and things tend to die off under the heat. at the minute i have a fairly large fig tree which spreads over most of the viv and gives lots of dimensions for darwin to climb over, i've also got a small spider plant at the bottom which the locusts love and eat if their in there long enough! i have also seen Darwin eat and drink from this. on the other side i have a small ivy which is growing up a tea-pea designed for gardens, this is something else he loves to eat, sleep, hunt and hang off!

is there any plants i can add that will bulk out the viv as it looks sparce and also benefit Darwin.

any advice and tips would be great

 

[laurie]

Can you get umbrella plants? They are good, also just to add greenery a pothos is good but won't provide a good climbing surface. Are the coconut husk solid, or are they something he could get into his mouth and become impacted? If you are sure they are safe, a shelf would be ok as long as he has a vine or plant as a highway to get to and from the shelf. A picture of your set up would greatly help us.

 

[Darwin]

not sure about the plants you mentioned.

i've just taken a few pictures but don't know how to upload them?!

the husk is in the form of matting so he can't eat/swallow it

p.s thanks for your reply

 

[SliK JiM]

A shelf isn't a bad idea, but you might just want to go on a hunt and find a big thick piece of wood to just stick in there instead! You could find one or just buy a log for the fire and stick that in! Make sure you rinse it with boiling water a few times before you put it in if you do!

You'll find umbrella plants everywhere, along with various ficus'. They'll be your best best to fill out your enclosure. A pothos always works well as they grow pretty quickly in the conditions! Camelia is also another good plant plus it has lovely flowers if you let it flower!

When you say ivy, what type of ivy is it as most are poisonous if consumed quite often!

 

[SliK JiM]

Oh, and to post a picture, select the go advanced option to reply and there is a little bit that says manage attachmets! Click it and you'll know the rest!

 

[Darwin]

thanks for the tips!

think its just a common ivy, the bugs and darwin only eat the spider plant and they don't eat that as much as they used to.

will the flowers die off on a camelia?

i've added some pictures, as you can see the husk flops down, this is where i intend to add the shelf.

i'm also thinking of DIY'ing some mesh screens to replace the glass during the summer months, what are your thoughts on this?

can't wait until payday now i so i can get started!

 

[Darwin]

oh and dont worry about the heat lamp, he can't get to it, looks like he can here but he never has!

 

[SliK JiM]

Yeah mate, by the looks of it, that is one of the poisonous varietis of ivy (there are many) so I'd suggest you remove it just to be safe. You could replace it with a pothos which will have the same effect.

They will fall off and grow back. If they last long enough to! They're pretty tasty for chameleons as mine would eat them as soon as they started to bloom.

You could just glue the husk in place? Maybe put a screw into it or something?

Yeah, it's probably a good idea to replace the glass with screen as it'll help with the airflow in your enclosure.

If you want some mesh, this is probably the best/cheapest you'll find in the UK. http://www.themeshcompany.com/ It's where I got mine from.

I'd watch the heat lamp just in case, but you might want to switch for a normal incandescent bulb as they have the same effect. They sell guards for light bulbs for a few quid, so it might be worth buying.

Here's my enclosure for some inspiration!

 

[Darwin]

what kind of mesh is it? just looked at the sight and got confused lol

on another thread, someone had cut a square out of the top of their wooden viv for the heat lamp, looked quite good, something else to think about.

thinking about a shelf as he loved to sit on it when there was a small piece at the top that fell down and formed its own shelf, it gave him another view and meant he could see into my kitchen which he loved and it would also provide some shelter for him as he sits under it at the minute.

your set up looks ace by the way!

 

[SliK JiM]

The stuff you want is the epoxy coates aluminium mesh! There's a search function so just stick it in and it'll find it! Or you could just give the guy an email, he was really helpful when I ordered.

That's a pretty good idea, plus it'll give him more space within the enclosure that you can fill!

Yeah, I've seen some people build shelves which they've put plants pots and things on so t definitely works well! Plus it's a good way to get hanging plants like wandering jew near the top so that the vines can hang down and twist around things.

 

[Darwin]

One concern with the mesh is that darwin'll get his nails caught in it if he climbs it, is this a worry?

off to homebase later to hopefully get some cheap plants and shelving!

really excited about filling his viv out more now he's getting older and more timid

 

[Matt1851]

wow nice terrarium!!!

 

[Nixehface]

thanks for the tips!

think its just a common ivy, the bugs and darwin only eat the spider plant and they don't eat that as much as they used to.

will the flowers die off on a camelia?

i've added some pictures, as you can see the husk flops down, this is where i intend to add the shelf.

i'm also thinking of DIY'ing some mesh screens to replace the glass during the summer months, what are your thoughts on this?

can't wait until payday now i so i can get started!

I just nailed my coco background to the viv..
It caused pretty much no mess and they are permanantly fixed to the back and also easy to unscrew when it's time for a big clean!

 

[Darwin]

what about sealing around the screws? if their being taken in and out surely water will seep in and cause the wood to swell and rot? with a shelf i can seal around it and it'll be permanent.

plus he loves to sit both on and under the husk.

thanks for your tip tho!

 

[SliK JiM]

Don't worry about the nails getting caught, they use them to climb up it! Never had any issues with it!

I don't see much of an issue with a screw not being sealed, but putting a shelf it sounds good! You should check out focus as they've had some good deals on lately! I pickedup a giant pothos for £5!

 

[Darwin]

great i'll order some mesh in time for warmer weather!

got a shelf earlier and some smaller foliage plants recommended by the place i got darwin from, also bought a deep litter tray to plant them and the spider plant in, already got the right soil from last year.

gotta talk nicely to my dad now to put the shelf in and do the hole in the top for the light! the light may have to wait a while tho, until i've got the mesh sorted and a holder for it.

 

[Darwin]

oh and i'll check out focus at some point soon!!

 

[Leilaskeeper]

thanks for the tips!

think its just a common ivy, the bugs and darwin only eat the spider plant and they don't eat that as much as they used to.

will the flowers die off on a camelia?

i've added some pictures, as you can see the husk flops down, this is where i intend to add the shelf.

i'm also thinking of DIY'ing some mesh screens to replace the glass during the summer months, what are your thoughts on this?

can't wait until payday now i so i can get started!

I am in the process of designing an enclosure myself. I know that air flow is a huge factor in the building process. I see you have some screen in the back. Do you have mesh on the ceiling as well? To me, it looks like cutting the front above the cabinets and below the first glass door, you could put screen there to increase air flow. By no means am I telling you that your enclosure isn't good. I think it looks fantastic! I'm just throwing out some info that I've been reading on lately.

I, too, feel the excitement of a paycheck lol .. I just wanna spend it all on my chameleon!!

 

[Darwin]

the mesh at the back is for him to climb on. the only ventilation at the minute is the built on vents at the top and bottom.

the problem i have is the room darwin' viv is in is cold all year round and being in the UK it would be very drafty as he is next to the window too. i can't move the viv neither as i have nowhere else with a big enough gap for the viv! its a bit on the large side! lol

thanks for the suggestions tho dude i'll keep it all in mind

 

[Nixehface]

what about sealing around the screws? if their being taken in and out surely water will seep in and cause the wood to swell and rot? with a shelf i can seal around it and it'll be permanent.

plus he loves to sit both on and under the husk.

thanks for your tip tho!

Well the coco that I have doesn't soak into the back and I used a wood sealant to cover all the wood in my viv anyway.
I have a shelf in mine too where I just cut a whole in the background which was a little smaller than the shelf and squeezed it over!