Question About Cage

[Zoey]

Okay so I have a Male Veiled in a large mesh cage..

(The cage is like 4 feet tall, 2 feet wide, and 2 feet long)

I bought him from someone in the next town and they have a piece of cardboard under a bucket that they put this live plant into. When the guy moved the cage from its spot in his house there was mold, I want to avoid.

I was wondering what I could use to put some supports on the bottom of the cage, like the bottom and then like 5-6" up the sides of the bottom so that it can hold sand.

He currently has some kind of reptile mulch in the cage and I've had a reptile die on me from ingesting that after the pet store told me it was best. I like this guy too much to take risks.

If anyone know please let me know. Or have any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Justin Carl]

if i were you i would get rid of that bucket at the bottom. put your plants in seperate pots with a plate under them. if you want place large rocks ontop of the soil to keep from them ingesting dirt. then use a small bucket where you can isolate your dripping too.

 

[nightcrawler]

i have a question for you. is their a turtle in the cage with him?

i would have to agree with justin. i dont think you will need sand in the cage unless its a female and she needs to lay eggs but there are better ways of doing things with that then i can mention. what i would also do is put more plants and cover in the cage with him. and if there is a turtle in there take him out too.

 

[Zoey]

Okay Thanks

I still want to put sand on the bottom of the cage like I do with my Female.

Is wood too dangerous to use because it can splinter? Or could I use wood around the mesh to hold the sand?

 

[Zoey]

i have a question for you. is their a turtle in the cage with him?

i would have to agree with justin. i dont think you will need sand in the cage unless its a female and she needs to lay eggs but there are better ways of doing things with that then i can mention. what i would also do is put more plants and cover in the cage with him. and if there is a turtle in there take him out too.

Its fake it came in the cage with him, its supposed to be a fountain, they had it hooked up to have running water so he would drink. I didn't like it so I took the pump out and set up a watering drip thing.

 

[Dylan Dutz]

Do you have a turtle in that cage? I don't want to sound rude but that's one of the dumbest things you can do.

 

[Dylan Dutz]

Sorry I just read that you said it's a fountain... my bad

 

[Zoey]

Sorry I just read that you said it's a fountain... my bad

its fine. I have to throw it out today. I'm in the middle of redoing his cage. I don't like how the people I got him from set it up.

 

[Dylan Dutz]

its fine. I have to throw it out today. I'm in the middle of redoing his cage. I don't like how the people I got him from set it up.

That's O.K. that you're redoing it once, just don't redo it very often, chams get very stressed when they're cages are redesigned.

 

[Zoey]

That's O.K. that you're redoing it once, just don't redo it very often, chams get very stressed when they're cages are redesigned.

Yeah, I heard that. I've been skeptical on redoing his cage for that reason, Its been about a Month or Two since I bought him and I figure he should be settled in from the move and ready for a change/safer cage.

 

[nightcrawler]

i like redoing my cage. i only do it every 3 months or so. but i dont understand why you want to get sand in his cage. i have a male veiled and i have nothing on the bottom of his cage. its just the pvc plastic thing with holes drilled in the center so water can leak out. i have pots and stuff then a large log that he can climb up on if he falls (hopefully never). plus the log holds a pothos plant. i would also take the water dish out. when i first got mine i had bark and a water bowl and all that. now i dont have anything i started with. its a shame i wasted money.

 

[Zoey]

We're planning on taking out his huge dish, that stupid turtle and the water pump.

We put the sand in because we find it easier to clean. We are crunched on time and we need to clean out their cages from the dead crickets and their poo about once a week and its a pain to do when there is nothing catching it. If it makes since. The Females cage is so easy for us to clean because we have sand it is, so we are planning on putting sand in his cage as well.

If that sounds weird, sorry. Its just our preference.

 

[Julirs]

I have to agree with what others have said here. If you do put wood, you will have wet wood holding in wet sand which will mean MOLD. Most breeders do not recommend sand in the bottom. No substrate is best. I have my potted plants on plant stands on just the PVC bottom that came with the cage. Pick up poop and dead crickets with a dry paper towel, wipe down with a wet paper towel, and every few weeks take out the bottom and clean it with soapy bleach water. Proper chameleon care and crunched time don't really mix.

 

[Ashley]

Julirs is a genius, I would heed her advice. I can't imagine that it is easier to clean a cage that has substrate compared to one that doesn't. I don't think it is worth the risk of an impaction personally but if you have a good vet on hand 24 hours a day to fix the problems that you will have then go nuts.

 

[Julirs]

Julirs is a genius, I would heed her advice. I can't imagine that it is easier to clean a cage that has substrate compared to one that doesn't. I don't think it is worth the risk of an impaction personally but if you have a good vet on hand 24 hours a day to fix the problems that you will have then go nuts.

Geez-not a genius-but I have certainly cleaned enough chameleon cages!

 

[Ashley]

You really do know what you are doing though...I would trust any advice that you gave...

 

[Julirs]

You really do know what you are doing though...I would trust any advice that you gave...

I have been advised and guided by the many combined years of experience of the long-term expert keepers on this forum. Thanks for the compliment!

 

[davemailcall]

Just a tip. I bought the little plastic stands that raise your plant pots off the floor of your cage. They cost about $2 at Wal-mart. Makes it easier for excess water to dry and not collect under the pots. Also makes cleaning a breeze when you use a hose attachment on a vacuum cleaner.

 

[Maganda]

I have 3 chams and what I do is place a few paper towels at the bottom of the cage. Once a week I take them paper towels out and put new one in. Thats my setup for now on all 3 cages and fast and easy cleaning for me too. Here is a pciture from 2 out of the 3 cages.

 

[stephen]

Are those mercury vapour bulbs on top of those cages?If so what wattage. I f not ,what are they??? LOve the humidifier action you have going on!!I am in the middle of doing that myself.. thanx