Taking in an adult male Oustalet's ..lots of questions

Aminah Undone

New Member
As the title says, I'm taking in an adult male Oustalet's very soon ..maybe as soon as tomorrow.. and other than "he's large" ..I have no detailed information.

The largest cage I have available ..here at the moment.. is a 2x2x4' and I'm worried that is only going to accommodate him for a very short time. Actually, will that accommodate him long enough for me to finish something larger ..a day or so?

I have a couple of big Ficus and Scheffleras ...3 or 4' tall ..but I don't think those will hold his weight. What do you think? Bigger? If so, by how much ..bigger?

Vines, branches... I have plenty of stuff in the 1/4" to 1/2" diameter. Will those hold him? Do I need something larger?

...and before you tell me to go search ..I have searched. I'm still reading. I just thought I'd ask also. :)

T.I.A.
 
The largest cage I have available ..here at the moment.. is a 2x2x4' and I'm worried that is only going to accommodate him for a very short time. Actually, will that accommodate him long enough for me to finish something larger ..a day or so?

I have a couple of big Ficus and Scheffleras ...3 or 4' tall ..but I don't think those will hold his weight. What do you think? Bigger? If so, by how much ..bigger?

Vines, branches... I have plenty of stuff in the 1/4" to 1/2" diameter. Will those hold him? Do I need something larger?

...and before you tell me to go search ..I have searched. I'm still reading. I just thought I'd ask also. :)

T.I.A.

That should be OK for a while...remember he'll be pretty stressed by the move and won't be acting normally. He may either be shy, immobile and hiding a lot, or over active.

I like Ficus alli (a sturdier type with long blade like leaves) for larger chams. You tend to see them in big box home improvement stores or larger houseplant nurseries. They often braid their trunks. What I usually do is gather some natural barked branches from a yard, scrub them well with hot water and a 10% bleach solution, and use them to make a stronger network of climbing paths around and through your existing plants. The schefflera will be more useful for hiding cover or drinking surfaces rather than actual climbing paths. Anchor the branches to the cage frame with light gauge wire or zip ties.
 
I kept a 2 foot Male in a 30 gallon aquarium 5 days until his 175 gallon Reptarium came in. He did fine.

I used mounted blasted grape vine, flat 1/4" x 3" inch wood slats, sections of 1/2" PVC, and have a large Porthos growing up a wood support in the Reptarium.These all seem fine for his weight. Except for the Porthos I cable tied silk vines to the other stuff for looks and something to mist.
 
Quick update:

I'm still waiting for this guy to get here. I was told "possibly this week" ..meaning the coming week.. so I'm really excited. I have such a horrible case of "empty cage syndrome" :eek:

I found out the Oustalet's is more sub-adult ..in the 5" range.. which, in my mind, is TINY for this species. I'll just have to see when he gets here.

Thanks for the input, btw!
 
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