Products...

meow_mix450 · 10-07-03, 05:33 PM

Hey, to all chameleon lovers

I wanna start a forum thats talks about products, so then we dont waste our money on something that doesnt work...also stuff that people make that works as well, If anyone finds a new product online, it would be nice to let everyone know...Hope this theard will save us money, and time.(We are not here to say that this persons idea doesnt work and its crap)

Hmmmm i was at a mall the other day, and i droped into the dollar store

And i saw they had fake plants and stuff, such as vines etc, can i use them, or should i get them from the pet store???

Meow

dank7oo · 10-07-03, 05:57 PM

michaels sells 6 foot long fake pothos for 15$ and 4 foot tall fake ficus for 30$

Trace · 10-07-03, 07:39 PM

Another interesting thread idea Meow!

I certainly don't want to take business away from pet stores, because there are some products you HAVE to buy from them. UV lights, bugs, supplements etc. You can not cut corners on things like that IMHO.

Things like fake plants though... yes you can get them at the dollar store. Before you put them into your cage, make sure that they are washed thoroughly! Sometimes the dyes that manufacturers use does come off the leaves when wet and then your chameleon may drink that. Try and buy the fake plants are a green plastic, not dyed green. Follow me? I still maintain that real plants are the best for chameleons.

Sticks! Sticks are free outside! They are just lying there on the ground! I do like the spongy bendy vines you can buy, but I prefer a real stick any day. Real branches are generally varying widths and thicknesses and this promotes good foot health in chameleons when they climb on them. Obviously, make sure that any natural wood is disinfected before using it in your cage. Also avoid the softwoods.

Ballasts for your UV tubes can be picked up at hardware stores for a quarter of the cost. Yes, they aren't as nice looking as the pet store variety, but they do the job. Same with the dome light fixtures. You have to be careful with those though. I'm using 60watt bulbs here so the hardware store domes are fine and CSA approved for that wattage. If I was to buy more of the PowerSun bulbs, I would invest in the pet store dome fixtures because those have a ceramic element that is made for the higher heat output of those bulbs. I'm not going to burn down my house to save a few pennies there.

I've picked up half-dead Pothos plants for almost nothing on the clearance tables at the floral departments at Home Despot and Loblaws. I figure A: they are going to be eaten or B: they grow like mad under the UV lights. Why invest in an expensive Pothos. When some of my Pothos gets big, I'll take cuttings off them, put the cuttings in water and re-root them, therefore I've always got spare plants for the nibblers here.

I'm sure I'll come up with some more cost/time savers.

Cheers!

Trace

dank7oo · 10-07-03, 07:49 PM

i should really retry the whole real plant idea
i had a nice schefflera tree, which by my own fault (overwatering) got infested with gnats!

trace - can i purchase a 'clipping' pothos plant from you? i will pay you well, i swear

Jason

meow_mix450 · 10-07-03, 08:49 PM

lol ha ha ha
hmmmm im gonna add another thing"Cages"
A lot of people buy the cages, that cost up to $200 and up, why not make one??? Get your dad to help you out you might even learn a thing or 2.
I just made a cage not long ago, and it costed me 100 bucks, and i made 2 cages out of them, and they're still in good shape. All you have to do is, find the stuff you need and make a plan that will work. Im not agaisnt buying just trying to save money, if you got the money then you pretty lucky to get one.

Another thing that i find that will save you money is if you just used newspapers or rep carpit. Instead of buying wood chips, plus they arnt any good if a cham ate one....could even kill it.

In the end the only thing that will really cost you are the crikets, meal worms, silks, and wax worms....(they eat a lot)!!!O ya and mayb the chameleon too lol

Plus feel free to put any products that you used, that work great! cause you dont wanna buy stuff that breaks like i already said

Meow

dank7oo · 10-08-03, 07:36 PM

here is a way to save a fortune on food (if you do this properly)
buying silky eggs online for 60$ for 3000 is a great way to save $$ ... it works out to 2 cents per silky, and i know people that have lost 0 eggs, and hatched out about 3000 silkies .. having said that, the eggs do require very specific temperatures and conditions, but once you research and master it, it is a great money saving idea
i prolly would have by now, but my mom is AFRAID of eggs - LOL

Jason

meow_mix450 · 10-08-03, 08:08 PM

o WoW kool where can i buy these eyes???? a site or a store

Trace · 10-08-03, 08:10 PM

www.silkworms.ca

meow_mix450 · 10-08-03, 08:18 PM

lol thanks, i went to the dollar store and bought some fake plants, i put it in his cage and he LOVING IT!!!!(no dyes)

choriona · 10-09-03, 10:14 AM

If you are lucky, you may find a dome light fixture in the hardware store that supports up to 100watts. I just bought one from Totem that cost $9.99! It is ment for working in the garage I think, it comes with an extra long cord (3meters) and a clamp device.

choriona · 10-09-03, 10:17 AM

When the pet shop is low on food supplies, I sometimes buy my mealies from the bait shop (where they are a lot cheaper.) I take them home and put them in a container with oats and a carrot and some dirt. Then I leave them for a week, not in the fridge, so they can flush their systems and be yummy to eat!

meow_mix450 · 10-09-03, 07:27 PM

o wow thanks choriona, never knew that lol

meow_mix450 · 10-11-03, 09:59 AM

Has anyone bought something online that is trust worthly???? i kno silkworms.com is a good one, but im trying to find sites like products that you can trust, and if you buy at silkworm.com how much do u usually have to pay for delivery??

Meow

Wuntu Menny · 10-11-03, 10:24 AM

ESU Reptile has an interesting new product. Its a powerbar with a built in timer. As if that wasn't slick enough, the unit has two output circuits. When the timer cycles the day lights off it automatically trips the nocturnal lights and /or heat pad on. I thought it was a brilliant concept, but I haven't heard any reliabilty reports yet.

WM

meow_mix450 · 10-11-03, 03:42 PM

ooo u got an idea of the price???