Substrate and live plants

[Jbroadway]

Hey all,

I'm building my own viv for the chameleon I'm going to be getting and was wondering what impact will it have if I didn't use live plants? Also what kind of substrate is best I'm reading a lot of places saying none, but I'm thinking about depoting the plant so to hide the roots could I not use some sort of substrate

I'm still trying to plan the drainage system I was thinking a mesh layer with gravel onto to aid drainage and underneath a collection tray.

 

[AngieL]

Hi! What species/sex of chameleon are you getting?

Live plants are great for boosting the humidity which an be difficult to achieve in a screened enclosure (which is reccomended for most species) and also gives your cham leaves to lick water from and fresh air! Lots of plants have air purifying qualities too. I do have some fake plants for extra cover but couldn't do without the palm and ficus! So, if you don't have live plants it could be that you will have a tank that's too dry, if a chameleon has too dry conditions it could become dehydrated or get a respiritory infection.

As for substrate, if you are getting a male then you don't need any. It is a harbour for bacteria, feeder insects and poop! If you are getting a female they will need a large laying bin with substrate in it and I have seen female enclosures where the whole bottom is layered with deep sand or eco earth/soil for them to dig in. Sand or eco earth won't go mouldy like a lot of bark chip substrates.

Hope this was helpful!

 

[Jbroadway]

I'm going to make an auto mister so it's going to stay humid I was only thinking substrate like gravel to help with drainage

 

[Decadancin]

I would avoid substrate if possible. It will be difficult to clean and can lead to bigger issues. As for the live plants, I currently do not have any in the enclosure. I do hang some greens in the enclosure so there is a way for my veiled to supplement his hydration if needed, and the mister keeps the humidity levels where I want them. I would keep the plants in containers if possible so you can easily remove them if they are not doing well or need cleaning. Because I do not have live plants right now, I did not set up a drainage system. I mist about 4 times a day and the floor of the enclosure does not stay very wet between mistings.

 

[AngieL]

I'm going to make an auto mister so it's going to stay humid I was only thinking substrate like gravel to help with drainage

misting will only spike the humidity when the mister is going off, the rest of the time it will be too dry. Also, you need to let the cage dry out before the next misting session, that's when the live plants will help!

Your chameleon could eat gravel, become impacted and die, not worth the risk! Use a drip pan and a basin for drainage, that works well on a bare floor. You can buy drip pans with grooves in them so the water will run out.

 

[Jbroadway]

Ok I'll stay away from substrate I'm in 2 minds about putting plants in, I'm going to be getting a carpet Cham and not sure male or female yet, would it be ok to put a mesh floor in? To catch the poo and stuff? What plants do you recommend?

 

[Olimpia]

If you do decide to go the route of substrate, make sure it is an organic soil that does not contain fertilizers, pesticides, or those little foam bits. That way there is nothing in it that could poison your chameleon if they were to ingest some. Additionally, if this is going in a glass vivarium, look into putting earthworms in there as well. This will keep the soil moving, improve the health of your plants, act as a clean-up crew, and reduce the chance of your soil getting "stagnant."

Great plants are umbrella plant (schefflera), ficus, and pothos. These seem to do the best indoors and do well under the conditions in a typical chameleon cage. I highly recommend live plants, as they retain water on their leaves longer (giving a chameleon a longer chance to drink from them), hold the humidity up higher for a longer time (reducing the need to mist as often), and are not harmful if the chameleon decides to try and eat a leaf or two.

 

[Jbroadway]

i wasnt thinking soil, and its not a glass viv its a wooden one. i was actually thinking gravel maybe 20mm gravel or something just to cover the bottom but still allow water to drain through. then i can cover the plant pot and i can remove them fairly easy to give them a wash every now and then.

i did read somewhere of someone putting reptile grass down. i thought it was a good idea because the water can drain through it but the poo stays on top then all i have to do is take it out wash it off and put it back.

 

[Jbroadway]

Another question about plants will the constant water and high temps/humid not kill the plant

 

[Ferrah88]

Another question about plants will the constant water and high temps/humid not kill the plant

Not with the right plants! Besides for my African Violets (Which died because their leaves shouldn't get wet - oops!) everything is thriving! Normally every plant in my possession dies... or loses all it's leaves but 1-10 and that's that. My terrarium plants are growing new leaves all the time, and I've only had it set up for a month... it's like a mini greenhouse with a chameleon for decoration

 

[Kate]

I have a wooden viv and have two large plants in pots. A ficus and a pothus. I can usually keep ficus going for 6-9 months without killing them. I recently put reptile carpet on the floor and Hoover it every couple of weeks. It is so easy. I aim the nozzles so the spray goes through the leaves and lands in the plant pots. I would avoid gravel as there can be some very small bits in it and if your Cham shoots an inscect between the stones it may get a stone as well. Better safe than sorry.imo.

 

[Jbroadway]

I was thinking the big gravel like 20mm but I much prefer the sound of reptile grass can you send me a link to where you got it from because I can only find 26cm x 26cm peices

 

[Kate]

It's zoomed carpet I have .im not sure if that's what you are looking for. You get two pieces in a pk. I use them both and overlap them. 33cmx122cm

 

[Jbroadway]

Do you have a picture of it and what it like for drainage?

 

[Kate]

It's just like green felt. It does soak up mist but it seems to dry quickly. Pic coming up.

 

[Jbroadway]

So it's got no drainage gaps like ye reptile grass does?

 

[Kate]

Hope this helps. Dont know anything about reptile grass. Sorry.

 

[Jbroadway]

I was thinking more of something with lots of gaps so water just runs through