quick question

[bugboy]

for the bottom of my pygmy enclosure i want some dead leaves but i dont know how to get them other than taking them from outside and im a little sketched out by that due to the fact that i have no idea what happens out there. any suggestions? i appreciate any comments.

 

[Will Hayward]

Constructing a Stump-Tailed Chameleon Habitat By roo

"Fixtures such as wood, twigs, rocks, and bark get washed with antibacterial soap (or the 10:1 water/bleach mix) then baked in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30-45 minutes. Leaves get baked in the oven as well but not washed (just a quick rinse before going in the oven)."

 

[bugboy]

too bad all the leaves around here are either already dead or frozen to the ground

 

[Will Hayward]

Use dead leaves.

 

[jleahl]

Dead leaves are what they prefer, anyway (well, OK, I didn't ask them...). In the forest, most of the leaves on the ground are dead, and that's where the sowbugs and other critters the brevs would eat are hiding.

 

[roo_71]

I use dead leaves. Once they are baked I will select a hand full for the very top layer but will crush the rest in a bucket and spread them over the substrate - then top it off with the leaves I kept off to the side.

Prior to winter I will collect a ton of them and store them in a garbage bag. That way during the winter I dont have to go digging in the snow for leaves when I need them.

-roo

 

[bugboy]

i found some dead leaves on the side of the house are these already fine or should i bake them first?

 

[jleahl]

You definitely want to put them on a cookie sheet in the oven, set about 250F for about 20 minutes. Kill the fungus and mold that's probably on them, any hitchhiking bugs. Rinse them off before baking, just to remove surface dirt (I think it might help keep them from getting too crispy while baking, too). I do this with twigs and small branches, too, and any bark I'm putting in the tank.