Is my ficus too big?

[TotalNoob]

Wondering if I should find something smaller. This thing barely fits in the enclosure! LOL

 

[Thehippie]

maybe a little smaller because you definitely dont want it to grow and break the enclosure or get stuck... maybe use this for a free range.

 

[coastal_chameleon]

yes a bit to big , you don't want it blocking your basking branch , it should be lower so the chameleon has places to get away from the light once its done basking . they regulate their d3 intake so once they have enough d3 they need options to get away from the light source

 

[coastal_chameleon]

do you have a basking branch ? you should have one about 6 inches below the uvb source depending on what light you use .a solar meter 6.5 would help you place a basking branch in the perfect spot . they are a bit pricy but if you have amazon prime you could order one ,set up you basking branch and return it lol .

 

[Zizor]

Bit too big, don’t want it to block the lights

 

[TotalNoob]

It looked so perfect in the nursery! LOL. $60 later.....I tried to pull it from it's pot and remove soil from below, but it just wasn't enough.

It may have to be the one for now as I search for a replacement. I don't want to prune it too much as all the foliage is at the top.

 

[snitz427]

I'd say its a little too large, only because you don't want the cham to be able to get too close to the basking lights. I wouldn't be concerned about it getting close to the other light so long as some passes through. It's not a bad thing to have a shady area, but obviously it doesn't optimize your plant lighting.

You could create a small planter box to set your cage on, and that would give you an extra 1+ feet of height. We do that with all of our cages. It looks really nice, but it also gives us an additional 2+ feet of usable height. So we are able to use larger plants and trees.

Or use it for a free range tree. We have two ficus allii in our free range setup and the chams love them. Most of them actually sit on TOP of the foliage, instead of hiding inside on the branches. Mine has lost some leaves due to acclimating, and the chams occasionally knock them off, so its not quite as lush... which is not a bad thing as it makes it easier for the chams to climb around with a few gaps.

 

[snitz427]

I think you could pull it off so long as the temps aren't too hot anywhere near the tree... but I wouldn't want my cham being that close to the lights, not only due to the heat, but because it's hard to not look directly at the bright lights if you're that close. That comes from experience.... one my girls likes to perch directly under her grow light, and she gets WAY too close. It was bothering her eyes at one point so I had to turn the grow light off. That, or I could have removed the branch that got so close to it... but I opted to turn off the light to ensure that was the actual issue, and I felt guilty about removing her favorite branch.

 

[TotalNoob]

I'd say its a little too large, only because you don't want the cham to be able to get too close to the basking lights. I wouldn't be concerned about it getting close to the other light so long as some passes through. It's not a bad thing to have a shady area, but obviously it doesn't optimize your plant lighting.

You could create a small planter box to set your cage on, and that would give you an extra 1+ feet of height. We do that with all of our cages. It looks really nice, but it also gives us an additional 2+ feet of usable height. So we are able to use larger plants and trees.

Or use it for a free range tree. We have two ficus allii in our free range setup and the chams love them. Most of them actually sit on TOP of the foliage, instead of hiding inside on the branches. Mine has lost some leaves due to acclimating, and the chams occasionally knock them off, so its not quite as lush... which is not a bad thing as it makes it easier for the chams to climb around with a few gaps.

Raising the enclosure never even occured to me. I like that idea a lot. Thank you!