Setting up Enclosure

[courtschams]

Hi all! I am moving my chams from a Reptibreeze enclosure to a hybrid Zens habitat (2 by 2 by 4 of course). I live in CO so it has been hard to maintain the correct humidity levels to ensure proper husbandry in a fully screen change. I have ordered a myriad of live plants and have secured the proper lighting and humidity systems. My question is how to I set up the vines/branches in this kind of enclosure. Thank you in advance!

 

[BleuSaphir]

With branches and fake vines, you might have to get creative and buy foam spray you can find in the outdoor pond supplies in Lowe’s or Home Depot. You can buy drylock or cement paint. Spray the ends of the fake vines for support.

 

[courtschams]

Ah gotcha that is super helpful, thank you! Do you have any suggestions for hanging the smaller plants

 

[IrohtheVeiled]

Ah gotcha that is super helpful, thank you! Do you have any suggestions for hanging the smaller plants

Mount pots on your support branches

Dragon ledges are a good option for creating good mounting points for brackets

I like to do the double pot method for hanging pots. You use zip ties at 3 points to mount a pot to branches and you can place a pot of the same size inside of it

If dragon ledges aren’t an option, I know @MissSkittles has made lattice on the sides of her cages with garden trellis but I think she uses full screen cages

 

[courtschams]

This is super helpful thank you! So dragon ledges can be used in a Zens habitat as well?

 

[IrohtheVeiled]

With the solid walls i imagine the install will require a bit more precision but if the walls are pvc I don’t know why you couldn’t you could always ask bill strand directly he’d be the best person to ask

 

[courtschams]

I didn’t think to reach out. Appreciate it!

 

[Lucas00-]

Mount pots on your support branches

Dragon ledges are a good option for creating good mounting points for brackets

I like to do the double pot method for hanging pots. You use zip ties at 3 points to mount a pot to branches and you can place a pot of the same size inside of it

If dragon ledges aren’t an option, I know @MissSkittles has made lattice on the sides of her cages with garden trellis but I think she uses full screen cages

I keep putting it off lol but your set up is gonna inspire the next time I redo the layout of mine. I have a dragon strand as well and I didn’t think of doing the supports from top to bottom both the dowels like that.

 

[MissSkittles]

Mount pots on your support branches

Dragon ledges are a good option for creating good mounting points for brackets

I like to do the double pot method for hanging pots. You use zip ties at 3 points to mount a pot to branches and you can place a pot of the same size inside of it

If dragon ledges aren’t an option, I know @MissSkittles has made lattice on the sides of her cages with garden trellis but I think she uses full screen cages

I do use full screen, but garden trellis can be used with solid sides as well. Just you won’t be able to secure to the frame, which provides additional support for heavier branches and plants. Dragon ledges seem like the best solution to avoid worrying about weight. @DeremensisBlue can tell us if they would work or not for a Zen. While the sides of the Zen I have for my beardie seem solid enough, I’m not sure if they are still using the same material and thickness (they have changed a tad since I bought it) or how well much weight it could withstand. You could suspend garden trellis using the top frame…just secure the ends of the wire used.

 

[IrohtheVeiled]

I keep putting it off lol but your set up is gonna inspire the next time I redo the layout of mine. I have a dragon strand as well and I didn’t think of doing the supports from top to bottom both the dowels like that.

If I had to redo mine I’d swap the dowels out for natural branches though they seem to work fine

I’m paranoid that the water will cause issues over time but I’ve had them in the cage for a year and there’s no issues yet you just don’t know with dowels and persistent water exposure though they could rot over time

 

[DeremensisBlue]

This is super helpful thank you! So dragon ledges can be used in a Zens habitat as well?

Dragon Ledges can be used with PVC sided cages. It just requires a little bit of work. You would have to drill holes in the cage side and get screws the proper length to go through the thickness of the cage wall. The machine screws are easily found at Home Depot. So, yes, it can work. It just takes a little preperation.

 

[IrohtheVeiled]

You did make the right call going with pvc for humidity retention if you struggle with dry air it’s a night and day difference

I will say also keep in mind it retains heat too and to monitor temps

I run a thermostat in my enclosure to and I only use like 40% power of a 60w bulb to keep my temps on target