Set Up Question

[petparadisevt]

Exo Terra Glass with Screen Top ~ Should I do the Bio Balls, screen, covered by eco earth and make sure thats really moist. I am going to add live plants and climbing vines.

My next question is with a drip system what happens to all the water and am I going to end up with issues?

Thanks
Patty

 

[lisa h]

What kind of chameleon are you putting in there?

Oh, I see from another post that it's a Veiled. I don't have experience with those, so I'll leave it to someone that houses them like that. Good luck.

 

[Jamelon]

for chameleons its usually recommended that there be no substrate. They can eat some of the substrate accidentally shooting at a bug and it could cause impaction. I use a reptile carpet because i just felt like there should be something that wont be eaten lol. Alot of people use paper towel in their enclosures. As for the dripper people make drainage systems for their cages. As for me, since im not as handy i just use a tupperware container and glued some mesh over the top and put it under the dripper to catch the water. The screen is there so that i dont waste money on drowing my feeders

 

[moviemanmania]

Potted plants work best because they will be easy to remove when they need maintenance.

Also, you will defiantly need to start planning some sort of drainage system.
A larger screen cage would work better than the exo-terra glass ones. If you intend on doing so you will need to have some sort of collection pane to collect the water. You would then have to change this out daily, if not twice daily. This is where drilling a hole and making a hose connected to a reservoir would come into play...

What age are you going to get your chameleon? A baby will require a smaller area to start off with but will grow very fast in a year and need a bigger cage. By using a large screen cage and using a divider for the top half of the cage, you can accommodate a small chameleon and give him room to grow into the full cage.

 

[petparadisevt]

I don't know the age as of today but I do know that it's 2 1/2 inches long before the tail. I think it's pretty small so thus why i was going to put it in the exo terra to start. I have on order to receive this week on Thursday a Aluminum screen cage Large front door for easy cage access plus bottom door for easy substrate removal.
Beautiful corrosion resistant, black anodized aluminum screen cage.
16 in x 16 in x 30 inch

How would I even begin to make a collection pane? Can I drip the water into the potted plants?

 

[carol5208]

No substrate is best and When you get your screen cage, do not use any substrate either. It really just holds water and breeds bacteria. Most all of us leave the cage bare or put down paper towels on the bottom. You do not want to risk your cham injesting the substrate accidentally or intentionally. It could lead to a lot of digestive problems. As far as the dripping of the water, I drip mine into my plants but of course they start to drain. I have a large dish under the plant that catches the water and then of course that over flows too! So I wrap a towel around to absorb the water and then remove the towel when it gets wet. I also drip straight to the bottom sometimes and use a very shallow tupperware container to catch the overflow. If your cham is very young I would be leary on that because he/she could fall in and possibly drown. But you might want to do that down the road. If you search the threads for drainage systems there are member on here who have thought it out alot more scientifically than me! They have alot of good ideas.

 

[moviemanmania]

I read your other posting. Your chameleon is going to be around 2-3 months in age. It will be a very critical time for him/her in that you must have your humidity, temps, water, and food, all working/in order otherwise their health will fade quickly at those young ages.

I would def hang onto the screen cage because you will need it in about five months or so when your cham starts getting bigger.

I have read on the other posts of people having success with those cages at young ages so maybe it would be ok so long as all your requirements are met.

As for drainage. tubberwear, bendable baking pans, etc. get creative with things that you can use as a drain pane. The potted flowers sit inside of the bigger drain pane and the dripper drips onto the leaves, down to the plant, through the roots into the drain pane. Make sure you read about how to repot your plants to make them cham safe.

Are you excited about your first cham coming in???

 

[petparadisevt]

Excited and scared for sure.

 

[moviemanmania]

You got all your vitamins and calcium supplements ready too?

 

[petparadisevt]

I am ready, I own a pet store so she will have everything she would ever want. She is coming tomorrow around 1pm. So excited

 

[moviemanmania]

So tomorrow's the big day???