Ultimate automated habitat

[Alexander1]

This is a prototype that would be used for small frogs or maybe pigme chams, I think it would be awesome if we could make one for chams!!!!!
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/biopod-world-s-first-smart-microhabitat--2#/
I think if they figure the small one out it would only be a mater of time before a big one would be available

 

[brownie64]

Would definitely be ideal for pygmy's. If it were taller would work for montane species as well if it has adequate ventilation. Would definitely like to get a hold of the automation aspect of it to in cooperate into my system though.

 

[Carlton]

I don't know, somehow the idea that the cham's habitat is so enclosed and separate from my home world kind of defeats the purpose for keeping them. It seems like there is no interaction, and that's a lot of the appeal to cham keeping.

 

[Alexander1]

If the habitat temperatures and humidity lighting all becomes optimized to the smallest detail which can't be achieved by keepers with jobs, school, both, etc. the comfort and health levels would be optimized for maybe a longer living Cham?... I understand misting them and designing the cages is half the fun but I can't help but be intrigued by the idea of a small micro jungle with its own climate and living things in my living room.. Especially because Chicago winters are dry and cold making it somewhat difficult to achieve ideal temps and especially humidity. Plus it looks cool as hell

 

[jpowell86]

I think it is amazing!! I keep planted aquariums, so managing CO2 injections and keeping everything automated while maintaining ferts and other trace elements can be time consuming. To have a smart system that reads levels and intuitively corrects said levels.....amazing.

Like @Carlton said, I don't think this would be great for chameleons......as of yet. But, if they could place this smart system in a larger scale environment...then it would be feasible. Maybe they could create one specific biotope for chameleons and have a variation of their programming specific to automated air exchange...now that would be something.

Anyways, I always like to see innovation, especially when it is driven by conservation! I would love to have some of these just for growing sensitive mosses and plants. Very cool stuff. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Carlton]

If the habitat temperatures and humidity lighting all becomes optimized to the smallest detail which can't be achieved by keepers with jobs, school, both, etc. the comfort and health levels would be optimized for maybe a longer living Cham?... I understand misting them and designing the cages is half the fun but I can't help but be intrigued by the idea of a small micro jungle with its own climate and living things in my living room.. Especially because Chicago winters are dry and cold making it somewhat difficult to achieve ideal temps and especially humidity. Plus it looks cool as hell

Of course you are right about balancing cham care with our real lives. but as already mentioned, the scale of such a system would need to be larger for chams, even a group of pygmies. Chams evolved in variable environments though pygmies less so than the arboreal species. If the environment is so perfect and stable the cham may end up with no stimulation or motivation to use its space at all. I have pets because I want that daily interaction-husbandry upkeep. IMHO, if someone needs to automate every aspect of a cham's environment this closely because of their lifestyle maybe they should keep another type of pet or wait until things relax before taking them on. Maybe these little systems appeal to some, just not me.

 

[ChameleonUES]

This is AMAZING it seems to be too good to be true. Except the fact that it only has place for a UVB. I just hope they design one with a heat lamp to fit a panther. And possibly taller.
if anyone gets one, please share!
Innovations as such will be beneficial to bettering the keeping of terrarium species

 

[Virgil1972]

One can make an automated cage. Just need a controller and sensors and some output devices. Just think of the cage as an office building. I install a lot of HVAC control systems for large buildings and it wouldn't be much different. The systems I install control temps, humidity, room pressure, and so on. It would't be to hard to scale it down to cham habitat size. It wouldn't be cheap though.