Slight revamp of Verrucosus enclosure and he needs a name!

A

AZChamFan

Avid Member
Well the big guy (my biggest anyways!) got a few minor changes to his enclosure so I took a new pic to share. Nothing real obvious but he got another large branch added to the upper area so he has more pathways up in his favorite spots. He has kind of a bum elbow from being battered during import (I had him treated by a good vet) and although he gets around very well he's not 100% with one arm (strong but just not full reach), so I want to give him lots of options for where to hang on to and reach for. Also added and replaced a few plants. He is so mellow - never tries to get out of his enclosure - just happily lounges around on his upper branches. He eats every meal from my fingers. He's not a fan of being held but otherwise extremely tame and friendly. His enclosure measures 46" wide x 46" high x 24" front to back, inside dimensions. I removed the front glass temporarily to take the photo - normally it swings open like a door for easy full access to the enclosure.

Anyways I've had him for about 6 months and still don't have a name. If anyone has any suggestions that would be great. I've been calling him "Buddy" and that might just stick but I'm open to suggestions!

His colors in the photos are his totally relaxed colors - dark browns mixed with lighter browns and creams. He can show quite a lot of bright greens and blues but only when he's excited or upset about something which is rare - I mostly see them when he's excited to get a hornworm or silkworm!!!

Enclosure reduced.jpg

Verrucosus reduced.jpg
 
Really nice flow to your enclosure. You did a great job creating pathways. It looks like a very well groomed jungle.
I think buddy is a fine name but Balthazar came to me when I was looking at his picture. He's a very good looking guy.
It's obvious he's cherished.
 
Very impressive enclosure! Lots of foliage but even more usable pathways.
Can you pass any decorating tips along to us less artistically inclined folks?
 
jpowell86 said:
Very nice non-traditional enclosure. I like the idea. What exactly did you use?

I would name him Biby. It is Malagasy for beast. I love verrucosus and they are definitely undervalued in the hobby. Well done!!
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It's basically a shell made from 1/2" particle board (chosen for it's smooth finish, flattness and stability) which is then lined with 1/8" acrylic. I can also round corners and shape the particle board any way I want very easily. The particle board shell was first painted a dark variegated brown on the inside before lining with acrylic. This dark background color seems to be very relaxing for the chams. Then it is lined with a special acrylic plastic which has a very hard scratch resistant surface (not normal acrylic but just as easy to work with). This hard coating not only means it's as easy to clean and just about as durable as glass, but silicone also sticks to it just like glass so I can permanently seal the corners. The outside of the enclosure is then coated with a sandstone like finish which I came up with just for this purpose which uses real sand and looks very natural - it's also extremely durable. This might seem like overkill to some but it allows for some great design flexibility (such as the recessed lights, rounded corners and seamless design) and results in a very strong and clean looking enclosure. The top is 75 percent "open" and instead of screen I use one of those "grids" like you see under flourecent lights - can't remember the proper name. I use an aluminum version for safety reasons with the lights and this also blocks much less light than screen as it is much more open. The cham cannot reach the top so that's not an issue.

I love the meaning of the name Biby but I'm not sure if I like the name itself. Have to think about it! Thanks so much for he suggestion though!!!


jamest0o0 said:
Do you have a ventilation fan that runs? And are those plants real or fake? Looks great either way
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Yes there is a computer fan on top next to the basking light pulling air out. Because of the generous width of the cage and the location of the heat light, chimney effect also pulls air out and basically creates a large "U" shaped current as it pulls air down from the right side to replace the rising air on the left side. The front glass also has a 1/4" gap all around which is equal to a 3" x 3" hole just from the gap along the bottom edge alone, helping even further. The plants are fake! I just don't like the hassle of live plants and feel like I can fine tune the design even better with artificial. I rely on the substrate to provide humidity between mistings and it does a great job of that. I have springtails and isopods in the substrate. I don't mean to bash live plants - they are wonderful in their own way - there are pros and cons to both! If I ever had a veiled I would use live of course!!
 
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RedMountainHome said:
Very impressive enclosure! Lots of foliage but even more usable pathways.
Can you pass any decorating tips along to us less artistically inclined folks?
Click to expand...

Thanks!! Well there's really no special method - just a bunch of branches and plants arranged and held together with cable ties! I very often see enclosures which look quite full with plants and leaves but in reality have very few usable pathways in the way of branches which the cham can actually use. That's what I try to avoid and create a nice balance instead. Use as much of the space as you possibly can because open air is useless to the cham (well except for breathing!!!!).
 
Yeah i was going to mention the substrate. I love people going with substrate (when it's the correct way!) It adds so much. And you seem to have nice quality fake plants because they look so real. Wasn't criticising that at all, however as far as hassles, if you can set up that cage along with everything else you have, a plant would be np for you lol.
 
I love your enclosure! It's really beautiful, and he looks like he loves it! I had the name Zaphod come to mind, when I looked at the close up of him.
 
jamest0o0 said:
Yeah i was going to mention the substrate. I love people going with substrate (when it's the correct way!) It adds so much. And you seem to have nice quality fake plants because they look so real. Wasn't criticising that at all, however as far as hassles, if you can set up that cage along with everything else you have, a plant would be np for you lol.
Click to expand...

Didn't take it wrong at all about the plants!!! I think the most important thing with artificial is to get good quality silk plants and arrange them as lifelike as possible. I never use aquarium plants as they usually do not look realistic since they are plastic and meant to be supported by water - in a cham enclosure they just hang there are look fake. I get all my silk plants at Michaels!
 
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