# Arboreal lizards



## piranhasrule (May 31, 2004)

Well the parents are finally coming round to allowing me to have a reptile again. I think finally having a permanent job and offering to contribute to the electricity bills helped alot. So did offering to stock the fish tnak in the hallway aswell.
I'm looking at this viv right here 
Its 3ft long 4ft tall and 17'' wide. I'm pretty much set on a Yemen chameleon. This would be a good size right? The only problem is they arent the most active of reptiles are they?

I'd really like a setup which I can keep a pair or small group of something together. What about Green Basilisks _Basiliscus plumifrons_ ?
Any other suggestions? bare in mind its going to be an arboreal jungle themed setup

I'm really excited about this project. If it goes ahead i'l be putting a hell of alot of money into it.


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

that would be really nice for a chameleon looks really nice. im not sure if you can house more then one together but i would think there is more then enough room for 1 male and 2 females if you wanted to breed them one day.


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## studmuffin992 (Feb 27, 2006)

u can not house more then 1 chameleon in the same enclosure it wud make them stressed as they are very territorial if u are wanting 2 keep 2 and look at breeding them get 2 vivs and have them side by side and try putting them 2geather for short periods at a time but keep an eye on them and watch there behavior, if u were wanting 2 keep them i wud go for the glass exo terra vivs there pritty cool. At the mo i keep 1 yemen in a 3ft by 1ft by 1ft and i some artificial plants in and a water fall in there 2.


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

All glass terrariums, like the ones from Exoterra, are not good. Chameleons really shouldn't be in an all glass enclosure because of issues with stress (they're too dumb to understand glass and its see through/reflective properties) and also ventilation.


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

i agree with mettle and the screen enclosure would allow much better ventilation which would benefit the chameleon a great deal


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## studmuffin992 (Feb 27, 2006)

well mine is fine and dont seem stressed at all plus glass is much better looking and with alot of decoration and coverage for the chameleon it wud be fine so.....


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

I'm not a fan of fully screened enclosures unless the chameleon is in a temp/humidity controlled room. The reason for this is it is nearly impossible to properly light, heat and keep humidity levels up in a fully screened enclosure.

The best enclosures I have seen so far for chameleons that combine the best of all worlds are ones with three solid sides, adaptations for lighting/heat, and then a screen front to allow for quality ventilation. It seems to cover all bases very well.

This is just my opinion however from what I've read and been told by experienced herpers and a former chameleon breeder.


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## piranhasrule (May 31, 2004)

If I do get that viv (still need to work on the parents a little bit) I'l probably replace either the bottom glass panel or one of the sliding doors with mesh for better ventilation. The viv has a vent going all the way along the back apparently, but I dont think that would be adequate. I was also thinking about one of those all mesh enclosures. They're extremely cheap compared to vivs the same size, and would provide excellent ventilation. But the downside would be reduced viewing ability, and heat and humidity would be difficult to control.


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

Unless you have a temp and humidity controlled room it will be nearly impossible to control in one of those all screen enclosures.

Replacing some of the glass with screen would go a long way to improving those cages. But if you're going to be doing a lot of customizing you may want to think about doing it yourself. For about $100 you could probably build the same thing on your own.


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## piranhasrule (May 31, 2004)

I very much doubt my DIY abilities will stretch to building a viv. I had enough trouble making a bookstop back in school lol

plus I thinkthe viv comes flat packed, so all I'd have to do it cut a piece of mesh to the size of the glass panel before I put it together. I think even I could do that.


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

I like that viv, good looking and attractive both inside and out......if you want a fun project and are looking for a worth while arboreal species to work with I STRONGLY urge you to look into Prehensile-Tailed Skinks (Corucia zebrata).

Captively produced animals can be found, and they are live bearing herbivorous skinks that attain a decent size and are quite interesting captives....


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## piranhasrule (May 31, 2004)

Just had a look into the species, and WOW! I'd heard of them before but never looked into them, those things are stunning little ceatures. But when I took a look around for prices I found a trio of 1.1.1 for £900, which I think is about $1500? give or take some. Thats a little out of my price range at the moment


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## piranhasrule (May 31, 2004)

After much pestering tonight my mums pretty much said yes, its just my dad that I need to work on now. My mum said we'l sort it out at the weekend whatever that means.

I'm pretty much set on the cham, but if you have any other suggestions then feel free to throw them into the hat, no matter how big or small the lizard is aslong as its suitable for this sized viv. I reckon a breeding group of anoles would be quite intresting, the only thing putting me off that is I have this image in my head of me opening the door and them all running off!


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

Basalisks are rewarding, and you mentioned an interest in them...but do not overlook brown basalisks..they are awesome as well....and the genus Anolis is a very fun group of lizards and Jamaicans, smallwoodi, and equestris are larger (equestris are huge) and easier to keep an eye on...another group seriously underreprestented but almost as easy as anoles to reproduce if given room are the Draco....whatever you decide on, spend time researching them, and really look for captive stock, that will help you enjoy your animals as you will not have parasite issues etc...


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## ESPMike (Mar 23, 2005)

I obtained 2 Eastern Water Dragons on Crocs advice and they have been phenominal lizards to keep. Watching them climb and swim is amazing as theyre very active, and they are very hardy. They get a bit large for that enclosure however, considering males can reach upwards of 3 feet. But if you are considering balisks I believe a larger enclosure would be neccessary eventually anyways, correct?

They also enjoy being handled. I have only had mine since October, and they are still only 4-5 months old, but they have lost fear of my hand entering the enclosure, often jumping into it and even running up to my shoulder to hang out. Its amazing how comfortable they have got. Just another option to consider.


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## Kudos (Dec 22, 2005)

I'm a big fan of my crested gecko. you could do a clan of those


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## piranhasrule (May 31, 2004)

I'm not really a fan of geckos, my old leo put me off them for life, he was such a boring sh*t!

I'm a little confused about the basalisks. Everysite I'v looked on says a min of 55 gallons, which would make my proposed viv fine. But when you consider the size the lizards can grow to it just doesnt make sense


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

The basalisks are long, but a graet deal of that lengthg is tail. The heighth of that viv you are looking at will allow ample vertical climbing space for limbs, etc...
I used to breed the snot out of plumifrons and vittatus in enclosures 4 feet tall 3 feet wide and 3 feet deep....1 male to 3 females (plumifrons) and 1 male to 4 females (vittatus). Set up number of animals etc...important factors.

Get them young, grow them up, allow your parents to be part of the growing up, the learning, the interest....I really feel that is an important key. Then you will not have problems getting a bigger viv in a year and a half so that your adults can have more room, and you have a smaller viv for future offspring.....

ESP gave a heck of a testimonial for the Australian Water Dragons..and it is one seriously hard to beat but would definately require a little larger viv as an adult lizard...if you PM Mike he can give information on how to get a hold of Agama International, I believe Burt ships to the UK..


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## piranhasrule (May 31, 2004)

I'm about to order the viv now as both parents have agreed to it. I'm set on a chameleon. I'v done alot of reading on them (planned on getting one ages ago but it all fell apart) And I'm confident I know their requirements, but I will carry on researching untill I buy the lizard, probably sometime early next month.

Hows this for the basics?

Housing- aquapac chameleon vivarium - 4ft tall, 3 foot long and 17 inch wide

Basking area of 90-95F, dropping to about 80 at the lower end. Basking spot on for 12 hours a day. Also a UVA/UVB source. And I can drop the temp by 10F at night right? Also a heatmat. Lamps and heatmat on thermostats.

Water- dripper system, and misting twice a day

Feeding- Gut loaded crickets dusted with a calcium supplement, locusts, the occasional mealworm, and wax worms. Am I right in thinking wax worms are best fed as treats, and that wax moths also make a good food?

One problem is i'm not too clued up on the equipment, i.e which brands are good and which of their products would be suitable.


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