decorating a reptarium

[xdiversichicx]

im totally clueless on how to decorate the reptarium we got for the chameleons. its 65g. anyone got any ideas or pics that i could check out?

[Linds]

You could try putting a ficus tree in there for starters, maybe some Pothos vines as well I'm sure the other members have a lot more ideas to add

[Darren179]

rocks! *clean ones*

[Oliverian]

I use the fake plants you can buy from wal-mart. IMO they're easier to care for. You can probably get a background like the ones for fishtanks if you really wanted to. (if it would work in the kind of reptarium you have) I like using some nice sterilized driftwood in my tanks as well. Have fun decorating the new cage!
-TammyR

[Big_V]

Bamboo sticks are always cool in there...Pathos plants rap around them and it looks really cool. If you want that jungle vine look in it.

[xdiversichicx]

im gonna go check at walmart and see what kind of fake plants are there.

[snakehunter]

pretty much decorate to taste, your cham probably wont leave if it is tacky, or too gaudy! just remember to have fun

[Trace]

I may seem like I'm putting down your ideas here and on the other chameleon thread you've got going... I'm truly not, so please don't be offended!

I do find that real plants are better in a chameleon cage than fake ones. Real plants hold the humidity better and the water droplets for longer than the fake ones. If you are at Walmart, check out the plant section for a cheap Pothos or a Ficus, both are non toxic to chameleons if they decide to nibble. You can use fake vines as filler if needed.

Also look for fake plants that are green plastic, not dyed green if you follow me? When you mist the cage, sometimes the dyes come off the fake plants and your chameleons may end up drinking that. Always wash any fake and real plants before putting them into your cage.

Cheers!

Trace

[xdiversichicx]

Originally posted by Trace
I may seem like I'm putting down your ideas here and on the other chameleon thread you've got going... I'm truly not, so please don't be offended!

I do find that real plants are better in a chameleon cage than fake ones. Real plants hold the humidity better and the water droplets for longer than the fake ones. If you are at Walmart, check out the plant section for a cheap Pothos or a Ficus, both are non toxic to chameleons if they decide to nibble. You can use fake vines as filler if needed.

Also look for fake plants that are green plastic, not dyed green if you follow me? When you mist the cage, sometimes the dyes come off the fake plants and your chameleons may end up drinking that. Always wash any fake and real plants before putting them into your cage.

Cheers!

Trace

not offended at all. im new to chameleons, so ill take any advice i can get.
my landlord is weird. we cant have but 2 sm-med sized plants in our apartment. and we've already got them. since they were from a funeral i dont really want to get rid of them to get smaller ones for the cages. we bought some vines at walmart for our iguana cages. they're a kinda hard but not really hard plastic. they kinda feel like the leaves on a rubber tree. and they have folds in the middle so they hold water pretty good when we mist. my friend is gonna give us some terranim moss and rocks that he has left over from his gecko cage. im thinking abous putting that in the bottom, but it took me forever to get it fixed right in our leo's cage so the crickets couldnt hide.

anyway about her being weird. no more plants, no animals with fur, no snakes, no birds, but we can have all the lizards we want? i thought that was weird.

ill check on the pothos and ficus tonight too though. are they hard to keep alive? as soon as we get our new bedroom suit (next week) we're moving the chameleons into the bedroom. less traffic. i hate it when people come in and stare at the cage forever trying to find them. freaks the little guys out. if i can get the live plants maybe i can make it to where i can take them out easily so when the landlord gives us the two days notice of inspection i can get them out and hide them in the closet. lol.

[Trace]

not offended at all.

Oh good! I just reread some of my answers to your questions and I thought perhaps I sounded a bit snippy or bitchy in some of them.

Yeah, your landlord does sound a little odd... I can somewhat understand a no pets rule, but no plants??? Weird. Anyways, I can understand your wish to keep the 2 existing plants in your house as they are a memory of somebody important.

I use Pothos almost exclusively in my cham cages. I've got a brown thumb when it comes to plants, but the Pothos does do well under the UV lights, it can tolerate, to a certain extent, all the water that gets misted into the cage and it does seem to grow quickly. Fake plants will work in cham cage, but you'll find that you spend more time misting with them.

As for substrate, you'll get a few different opinions on this I'm sure, but I don't use anything at the bottom of my cages. I do have the odd Reptarium for my chameleons and although it looks bare and silly, I think it's better for the animals. I'm always concerned about them accidently zapping rocks, moss, sand, bedding etc when they eat the bugs and I don't want them impacted with anything! Because there is no substrate, it solves the issue for you of the bugs hiding in it. If you ABSOLUTELY need a substrate, use paper towel, regular bath towels or newspaper.

Cheers!

Trace

[xdiversichicx]

right now we're using some of that clear plastic like you put over windows. its easy to clean so ill more than likely stick to that.

[Wuntu Menny]

Well, its probably too late but I'll throw in my 2 bits. I know most of you have heard my position, but it bears repeating from time to time:

Reptariums, contrary to what the manufacturer tells us, are not the best cham enclosures. The mesh is perfect for breaking off and tearing out claws. Its fine enough to block the majority of the light you are trying so hard, and at considerable expense, to provide for your chameleon. Crickets, should they decide to leave, can easily chew through the mesh and wreak havoc with the neighbors.

On the topic of plants:
I can't recall who said it first but it goes something like this, "plastic plants are perfect if you're keeping plastic chameleons." I realize you're trying to work within the restrictions placed on you, but I'd have to agree with Trace on the superiority of live plants in the enclosure both for humidity reasons and the overall health of the chameleon.

Yep, your landlord is certainly one of the strangest I've ever heard of when it comes to house rules. Small crocodilians aren't a problem but one too many ferns and its out the door you go. Just when I thought I'd heard it all...

Good luck,

WM

[xdiversichicx]

Yep, your landlord is certainly one of the strangest I've ever heard of when it comes to house rules. Small crocodilians aren't a problem but one too many ferns and its out the door you go. Just when I thought I'd heard it all...

yup. when we moved up here we had to leave my chihuahua with my dad, but could bring all the lizards.

here's a pic of the final product. (sorry it sucks, but you should get the idea). all the moss in there is alive, thanks to a friend of mine. i dont think my landlord will be able to tell it apart from the fakes though. looks pretty much the same. this just has more color. we got some of those bamboo sticks at walmart to use in there. the had a bunch of different sizes, so it worked out really good.



went to walmart and asked the lady in the greenhouse about those plants, and she's ordering me some. she said they'd be here next week.

we're going to build the second cage for the male next week. the only thing we're not sure on is the type of screening to use. any suggestions?

well thanks to all thats helped and continues to help! much appreciated.

[Trace]

That set-up looks pretty dang nice! Good job. Come decorate my cages now...

Screening. Both PetScreen or aluminium screen are fine for chameleons and both can be bought in lengths at your local hardware store. Avoid fiberglass screening as it does break down over time and minute shards of it fall off. These pieces can get caught in a chameleons feet if they walk on it causing icky infections and other such nasties. Ewwww.

Cheers!

Trace

[meow_mix450]

Very very nice this is my set up real simple, nd looks very nice, i jsut love it, my cham loves it, and its a custom mde tank, age 14 not bad eh???? took a lot of planning, i mixed it with some real plants and some fake plants that were from the dollar store, and the dye doesnt come off, o ya just to say tht you have to wtch out for that white milky stuff tht comes off ficus trees, that will cause an eye infection, it only bleeds like that when a twig is snaped. Im planning on adding more live plants in there, and some more vines. the black plastic bag t the back stops me from hitting the walls Enjoy


Chameleon cage

Meow