So.. plant cover?

Dawson

Member
Hello again! Thanks a bunch for all of the answers I received on my previous post, super helpful. I am, however, still a little iffy about plants and their placement inside of the cage. I would also like to provide all of the info I can on all of the supplies I have (i have yet to purchase a veiled cham)
Repti-Breeze XL cage (2x2x4)
24" T5HO UVB light fixture from reptilebasics as well as a 6% arcadia uvb bulb
Flukers 8.5 inch dome reflector thingy with a 40w incandescent bulb (not warm enough, I do have a 60w but am not sure if that is even enough, plus for some reason I can´t find any other incandescent bulbs that are higher than 60w)
Repti Zoo 10L automatic mister (timer, spray intensity and duration of spray are adjustable)
A temperature gun (as well as horrible stick on ones that dont work and fall of every 30 seconds)
Arcadia supplements (calcium w/o d and w/ d3, as well as another one I can not remember for the life of me, I purchased the full starter pack off of Bill Strands website)
OH also the dragon ledges that took me forever to install but they are totally awesome.
I have also gotten a bunch of plastic bins and made them ventilated (16 quart as well as 6 quart) for bugs that i dont have
OKAY, i think thats all of the non-living supplies I have, might be forgetting one or two things. I still need a hygrometer but one is on the way! Now, for the plants I have. I have one Golden Pothos that is growing super fast, one Dracena Marginata that is hopefully still doing well.. I have washed and transplanted both of these with soil that is super organic and airy. I have also recently purchased a beautiful Wandering Jew as well as a 1.5 foot tall Schefflera that I have yet to wash and transplant.
I also just took a Madrone branch from a park around me, im not sure if its safe for chams or not. There is no sap from what I can tell and I dont plan on keeping the leaves as I am hoping that can be part of a little network of branches or maybe a basking spot. I am also planning on finding willow branches as well as grape ivy branches and hopefully a chunk of dried out wood!
So sorry for all of that information, I figured the more the merrier! Now, I am concerned that the golden pothos and wandering jew will provide enough hiding places for the little dude, and I am concerned that the Scheflerra and Marginata will not be strong enough to support the chameleon or really even cover enough space as well... I would provide pictures but I am still really setting everything up, I am hoping to wrap a couple sides of the cage in a shower curtain to avoid getting water all over the walls, last thing I want is a chameleon to be living next to some mold I have yet to spot. Plants that are safe for chams are for some reason really hard to find around where I live (Near Seattle, WA).
I am the worst at constructing my thoughts into sentences that make sense, so please feel free to ask whatever questions and as many as you want. Thank you so much for reading this!!
 
I am concerned that the golden pothos and wandering jew will provide enough hiding places for the little dude,
They can... Some people use them as hanging plants; I use both as climbers up the back wall of my enclosure. They climb a trellis of ceiling egg crate. (Also have a variegated English ivy climbing a side wall.)

and I am concerned that the Scheflerra and Marginata will not be strong enough to support the chameleon or really even cover enough space as well...
If you're getting a baby (~3 months), they weigh like as much as a fart. You probably wouldn't believe how slender a plant stem will support their weight.

After that, they'll both grow (and fill-in) and adapt fairly quickly.

I really like the concepts presented here: Chameleon Cage Plants, i.e. start with one or more "centerpiece" plants, and build out from there with trailing/climbing, wall cover, and accent plants.

As you research each plant type (and species), look up varieties of that plant for color, size, density, and other factors that may be useful in developing an interesting and attractive (to you—the chameleon just wants a good place to hide ;)) habitat. Let your freak flag fly! 🤪 😁
 
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