R. uluguruensis/pygmy chameleon tank set up

[Charm_Paradise]

I have an aquarium that use to be my reef tank, now just sitting in the yard. We have no room in the new house for it! So it is 48"Lx48"Wx24"H european style glass ( no plastic braces) and a built in over flow box in the corner with 2 holes drilled in the bottom. I was thinking about turing that in to a home for a group of R. uluguruensis. BUT I would have to keep it outside, but it will be in the shade all the time, no full sun ever. Is this possible and how many can live in this size of a tank. I am not at all new to chameleons, but I would be new to the pygmies. Let me know what you think! This project is in the thinking stage now, I am in the middle of building caging for housing my panthers outside in the summer. I am in So. California, so the weather here is not to cold but not to hot, just right all year! I also have smaller acrylic tanks like 20gal and 40gal that I would have room for inside, but I think a large setup of these little guys would look awsome, and would make use of a $500 custom tank. All my chameleons are so spoiled!

P.S.

Trace thanks for posting that pic of your setup! Let me know what you think of this idea!

Thanks
<b>John</b>

[Trace]

Hi John! :D

I know you are fairly new to the site, but I just recently got into the pygmy chameleons and I just love them! It's a radical change from the arboreal species that you are used to keeping, but I think you'll enjoy them just the same. Geez, I want to go to California and help you decorate that tank! You could make a beautiful display with something that size with natural flowering plants and real sticks and mosses! The R. uluguruensis would just love it!

Now the only thing that concerns me is the fact that it's outside. You did mention that it would be in a completely shady area all the time, but, and I'm sure you know this, tanks can heat up sssoooo quickly when placed outside. To alleviate some of the heat, I wouldn't use a lid, but a piece of screen. This would also keep out any potential predators. I guess you could monitor the temps of that tank before you purchase the chams to make sure it doesn't get too hot. These pygmy guys do like it on the cool side.

As for the size of the group, I would think you could certainly put a 1.6 in there without any difficulty. Maybe even more females! Morgana and others might have differing opinions for you though, they have been keeping the pygmy chams for longer than myself. I have a 1.3 group in the tank I showed you (24x12x12) and they are doing excellent in there.

Let me know what you decide... and I NEED pics of the little guys when you finally get them! I would love a little group of R. uluguruensis.

Cheers!

Trace

[Charm_Paradise]

Trace-

Thanks for your thoughts on this. I was also worried about the glass over heating too, but the area is shaded all day, no direct sun light, just filtered light through the trees. I guess I could always put the tank in the area I would like to keep them and monitor the temps, never thought about that!LOL. What are you using for soil, just potting soil with out prelight in it ( those little white balls)? Well I guess since I am testing it, any soil will do. I was also thinkig about the condesation from the moistre in the soil fogging up the glass if it does get hot. Well I guess I will find out what happens. I will put it in the area, and let you know what happens! If it will work, it would make an awsome setup! But first thing first, I have to get my outdoor panther cages done! I will keep you posted!

Thanks
<b>John</b>

[Trace]

Hey Again! :D

Yeppers! The dirt I'm using is just regular potting soil that I bought at the local Home Depot. I did look specifically for a bag without the perlite additive, in case of accidental ingestion by the chams. In the pic I showed you, the bottom inch or so of soil does contain perlite, it was the leftovers of an older bag of dirt that I had lying around, then I covered that with the better, new soil. My layer of dirt is about 4 inches deep in the tank, if that helps you at all. Any caresheets I've read claim that the depth of the soil should be between 3 and 5 inches.

I find I don't have condensation problems in either tank of pygmy chameleons. I have a 1.2 group of unidentified pygmy chams that I recently picked up. They were sold to me as R. brevicaudatus, they looked like R. brevicaudatus in any pics I saw, but now that they have arrived.... I'm not quite sure they are R. brevicaudatus! But that's another thread! I must post pics of the new guys and get everyone's opinion as to what they are. That being said, I find that both groups tend to lick the water droplets off the sides of the tank and not the leaves of the plants inside their enclosure after I've misted. Any condensation MAY be beneficial to you! Who knows.

I'm hoping this idea works for you, because it sounds great. Being in the fresh air and having access to natural sunlight (whether they need UV or not) will make them just thrive. I have my fingers crossed that it will work for you and keep me posted. Get those Panther cages done! My chams are jealous because they want to be outside so badly but it's still not quite warm enough for that to happen.

Cheers!

Trace

[Charm_Paradise]

Trace-

Thanks again! I will keep you updated on that project. I have cement drying right now for the posts on the panthers cages, should be cured by tomarrow, and will have the whole frame done at that time, then I can start on the cages. It should look very nice, it will have white lattice all around the bottom of the stand (about 2'high) and wax flower vines growing on the lattice, and then 8- 2'x'2'x4' all screen cages, with a shade cloth cover over the top. If all goes as planed it will be done in 2-3 weeks!

Thanks
<b>John</b>

[Reptayls]

John,

We have several tanks for our pygmy chams.
The largest tanks are 4 ft long, 18" high. The smallest is the equivalent of a 15 gallon aquarium.

We do not use glass tanks - as you know, glass heats up easily and takes a while to cool off. We have made our tanks from plexiglass (Home Depot) and wood. Hubby is terrific at building almost anything we need... :)

We have taken to making windows in the ends and front of these tanks (except the largest tank (just windows in the ends). We place fiberglass screen over it, and apply a wooden trim (use silicone to glue it down). This allows for increased ventilation. And that is much better for the chams.

In one of the large tanks, we have 2.6 R. Uluguruensis - and there has been no trouble with over-crowding. In the smaller tanks, we usually keep 1.3 of the pygmy chams, but no more than 1.4.

I use Super Soil (brand name) for the dirt - no perlite or vermiculite. I then apply a thin layer of cypress mulch in some areas, live moss in some areas, and orchid bark (lg chip) in other areas. All of these keep the humidity up, and the chance of soil ingestion down. I also use some of the coconut fiber - fine. But I have seen a few flakes of it ingested, so use it sparingly.

Plant spreading ground cover (available at most nurseries), a small leafed variety; small leafed ivy; small ficus; mini palms; grape ivy; and other low light tropical plants. Be sure to add lots of thin twigs for highways (corkscrew willow works perfect) and some wood burls for accent. Cork bark is neat - but I notice the crickets hide under it, so I limit that in my tanks.

In some areas (around the base of plants) you can place dried leaves (crunched up) for digging and hiding. This is very necessary for the brumating pygmy chams (brookesia spp).

Hope this helps.... there are pictures in our gallery. :)
Morgana