Hi, this is kind of a late night rambly first post, so I'll Tl;dr this at the end with more concise points. Hm, halfway through and this is wordy as heck, I'd recommend skipping the angst for now. Having read it all, I'd recommend skipping to the end for now.
===================================================
First, I'm amazed to have stumbled into this forum, and have spent the better part of the week reading as many stories and seeing as many pics/videos/setups that you guys and girls have. Positively inspiring and floors me at the same time, and I don't believe I've seen more than a fraction of the whole so far.
I've got limited experience with Jacksons, Veileds and Pygmies; years ago I gave them all a go. The Jacksons and Veiled had to be traded or sold off following a pretty bad car accident, and the Pygmies crashed more or less due to me being an overeager kid, though that might also have been related to the car accident.
The thing is, I enjoyed them the most despite being a generally non-handle-able species. To me they're similar in appearance to a Stegosaurus without the plates, and the size and temperaments were 'perfect' for a young guy in a tiny apartment. The issues I had were likely going into something too hard too soon(the setup was fine, as well as feeding and watering), and they all passed away in quick succession: likely due to sickness or fungus, let alone very likely being badly handled imports. This left me horribly guilty for the care I gave and the outcome, and it made me re-evaluate the level of responsibility I can provide.
Since then the better part of a decade has passed, and I've come around and decided to go into these again, and do it right. I felt that if the enclosure itself could not be kept up and healthy, then the animals would not be an option. To that end I obtained a 45g tall aquarium, with the intention to turn it into a viv. Inside are: bamboo, a small boxwood, a hinoki cypress, a small cave and a bit of Pothos. Pill bugs and springtails have been introduced and are doing well also, the goal being that the springtails would curb any fungal growth since that is what they eat. All save the bamboo have flourished for a few months, and that has given me hope for a good start.
BUT
I found this place, and read up on the advice given out by Hbskeet and others concerning these guys. It's encouraging, but also has me thinking of scrapping the 45 tall for now, and just keeping that as a project for the future like viper geckos.
What I am considering now is taking my current Leo's 55g and converting it toward cham use. The plan would be to have a 3 tiered system of layers to give them variety in all things. Starting from the ground up would be medium gravel along the lower layers for water control. Above that would be a mix of sand, peat and dirt to replicate a slightly acidic forest floor. Planted in the top layer would be covering of Schefflera reaching high but staying a few inches below the top, with Pothos running along the bottom(I plan on running it along the bottom and taking one or two strands to use with suction cups+hooks to provide a network through the Schefflera). Covering the ground would be a leaflitter layer with slight mulch under it to encourage springtails and sow bugs. Above that, failing Pothos weaving, would be false vines crossing at multiple heights across the tank. The intent is to have high light at the top of the canopy, working to lower light at the bottom, and using the broad leaves and delightfully parallel-to-ground covering by the Pothos to give them multiple light and heat gradients to choose from. To handle the air flow to bacteria problem would be both a centrally placed heat lamp to create two air currents in the tank, as well as using a computer fan to drive in new air in on each side of the lamp(they would be about halfway from the lamp to the edge).
It's a big undertaking, but it can be done. I can only offer pictures of the current 45 tall, though.
Since reading up on Skeet's posts, I've realized how bad the imports have it. Unfortunately I was planning on obtaining a few from an importer, mostly due to expense. I've since been looking for a breeder, but it can be hard to tell unless you know them personally or by reputation. If anyone knows a reputable breeder with available adults could you point me in their direction?
Lastly, a question about feeding. My plan was to circumvent crickets somehow due to their overall nastiness. Don't get me wrong, I'm not eeked out, I just dislike the amount of filth they build up combined with their propensity for parasites. Anyways, to get around having to obtain or breed a ton of those smelly things, I've been looking for alternatives. I've found a type of springtail that gets up to 8mm or so from a local breeder, but have not obtained them yet as the population is not high enough to start selling. I've also looked into some relatively new(to me) thing called Phoenix worms/Reptiworms(Black Soldier Fly larvae). I ran into these at an expo two weeks ago for a decent price, they seem to be fine for my GFs new baby leopard gecko, so I'm curious about using them for Brev's. In addition to that I found Buffalo worms online, but have had difficulty finding more information on them, let alone many for sale. Lastly, I've begun a Dubia colony for the purpose of feeding my Leo better food. I've seen that the babies are very small, but I'm unsure if they are small enough for a Brev. Does anyone have much experience with any of these?
====================================================
Thank you for skipping to the less wordy portion, I'll try and sum up without wasting your time.
-Love this place
-Love tiny chams
-Would you take a current 45gT temperate setup over a revamped 55g consisting of Pothos/Schefflera?
-Does anyone have experience with these feeders, and would you recommend any: springtails, black soldier fly larvae, buffalo worms or dubia's?
I'm just overly excited and exhausted, as it is now 3am. It's refreshing to find a community so keen on such a cool animal, so I've probably just splurged on words for the night. I've been trying to continue using the search function to prevent asking questions that were already answered. If I have done so, then I apologize for wasting your time. I'm just paranoid about making any mistakes for the enclosure prep portion of caring for these creatures.
I've probably skipped over some necessary information, I'll gladly provide upon request or as soon as I remember it. It's time to sleep now, I've geeked out too much tonight.
Edit: The plan is for Brev's due to availability, but the holy grail endgame would be Acuminatus. Unfortunately they seem exceedingly rare.
===================================================
First, I'm amazed to have stumbled into this forum, and have spent the better part of the week reading as many stories and seeing as many pics/videos/setups that you guys and girls have. Positively inspiring and floors me at the same time, and I don't believe I've seen more than a fraction of the whole so far.
I've got limited experience with Jacksons, Veileds and Pygmies; years ago I gave them all a go. The Jacksons and Veiled had to be traded or sold off following a pretty bad car accident, and the Pygmies crashed more or less due to me being an overeager kid, though that might also have been related to the car accident.
The thing is, I enjoyed them the most despite being a generally non-handle-able species. To me they're similar in appearance to a Stegosaurus without the plates, and the size and temperaments were 'perfect' for a young guy in a tiny apartment. The issues I had were likely going into something too hard too soon(the setup was fine, as well as feeding and watering), and they all passed away in quick succession: likely due to sickness or fungus, let alone very likely being badly handled imports. This left me horribly guilty for the care I gave and the outcome, and it made me re-evaluate the level of responsibility I can provide.
Since then the better part of a decade has passed, and I've come around and decided to go into these again, and do it right. I felt that if the enclosure itself could not be kept up and healthy, then the animals would not be an option. To that end I obtained a 45g tall aquarium, with the intention to turn it into a viv. Inside are: bamboo, a small boxwood, a hinoki cypress, a small cave and a bit of Pothos. Pill bugs and springtails have been introduced and are doing well also, the goal being that the springtails would curb any fungal growth since that is what they eat. All save the bamboo have flourished for a few months, and that has given me hope for a good start.
BUT
I found this place, and read up on the advice given out by Hbskeet and others concerning these guys. It's encouraging, but also has me thinking of scrapping the 45 tall for now, and just keeping that as a project for the future like viper geckos.
What I am considering now is taking my current Leo's 55g and converting it toward cham use. The plan would be to have a 3 tiered system of layers to give them variety in all things. Starting from the ground up would be medium gravel along the lower layers for water control. Above that would be a mix of sand, peat and dirt to replicate a slightly acidic forest floor. Planted in the top layer would be covering of Schefflera reaching high but staying a few inches below the top, with Pothos running along the bottom(I plan on running it along the bottom and taking one or two strands to use with suction cups+hooks to provide a network through the Schefflera). Covering the ground would be a leaflitter layer with slight mulch under it to encourage springtails and sow bugs. Above that, failing Pothos weaving, would be false vines crossing at multiple heights across the tank. The intent is to have high light at the top of the canopy, working to lower light at the bottom, and using the broad leaves and delightfully parallel-to-ground covering by the Pothos to give them multiple light and heat gradients to choose from. To handle the air flow to bacteria problem would be both a centrally placed heat lamp to create two air currents in the tank, as well as using a computer fan to drive in new air in on each side of the lamp(they would be about halfway from the lamp to the edge).
It's a big undertaking, but it can be done. I can only offer pictures of the current 45 tall, though.
Since reading up on Skeet's posts, I've realized how bad the imports have it. Unfortunately I was planning on obtaining a few from an importer, mostly due to expense. I've since been looking for a breeder, but it can be hard to tell unless you know them personally or by reputation. If anyone knows a reputable breeder with available adults could you point me in their direction?
Lastly, a question about feeding. My plan was to circumvent crickets somehow due to their overall nastiness. Don't get me wrong, I'm not eeked out, I just dislike the amount of filth they build up combined with their propensity for parasites. Anyways, to get around having to obtain or breed a ton of those smelly things, I've been looking for alternatives. I've found a type of springtail that gets up to 8mm or so from a local breeder, but have not obtained them yet as the population is not high enough to start selling. I've also looked into some relatively new(to me) thing called Phoenix worms/Reptiworms(Black Soldier Fly larvae). I ran into these at an expo two weeks ago for a decent price, they seem to be fine for my GFs new baby leopard gecko, so I'm curious about using them for Brev's. In addition to that I found Buffalo worms online, but have had difficulty finding more information on them, let alone many for sale. Lastly, I've begun a Dubia colony for the purpose of feeding my Leo better food. I've seen that the babies are very small, but I'm unsure if they are small enough for a Brev. Does anyone have much experience with any of these?
====================================================
Thank you for skipping to the less wordy portion, I'll try and sum up without wasting your time.
-Love this place
-Love tiny chams
-Would you take a current 45gT temperate setup over a revamped 55g consisting of Pothos/Schefflera?
-Does anyone have experience with these feeders, and would you recommend any: springtails, black soldier fly larvae, buffalo worms or dubia's?
I'm just overly excited and exhausted, as it is now 3am. It's refreshing to find a community so keen on such a cool animal, so I've probably just splurged on words for the night. I've been trying to continue using the search function to prevent asking questions that were already answered. If I have done so, then I apologize for wasting your time. I'm just paranoid about making any mistakes for the enclosure prep portion of caring for these creatures.
I've probably skipped over some necessary information, I'll gladly provide upon request or as soon as I remember it. It's time to sleep now, I've geeked out too much tonight.
Edit: The plan is for Brev's due to availability, but the holy grail endgame would be Acuminatus. Unfortunately they seem exceedingly rare.
