Bioactive Panther Chameleon Vivarium - 50 Different Species of Plants!

12/26/2020: To see the Bioactive Panther Chameleon Vivarium at the two year update with a plant list and discussion of enclosure size and glass enclosures: • Bioactive Panther Cham...
To kill some time while stuck inside under quarantine, I give you a tour of the planted bioactive canopy vivarium I set up for my pet panther chameleon Spicoli, along with an explanation of the basic specs of this setup. Cited sources and recommended reading for anyone looking to build a similar setup are included below. In the future I may release tutorials specific to my builds, but in the interim I recommend the tutorials available on the “SerpaDesign” KZbin channel, which contains very good information that I have made heavy use of in the past. If you have additional questions about Spicoli’s setup, please leave me a comment.
General Vivarium Construction and Maintenance Sources:
1) Basic Tropical Vivarium Construction: • Naturalistic + Bioacti...
2) Tropical Terrarium Substrate Mix: • Tropical Terrarium Sub...
3) DIY ABG Substrate Mix for Bioactive Vivariums: • How to Make ABG Substr...
4) Vivarium Setup 101: www.neherpetoc...
5) Vivarium Lighting: www.neherpetoc...
Chameleon Sources:
1) Keeping chameleons in glass terrariums: www.chameleonne...
2) Bill Strand’s Chameleon Academy: chameleonacade...
3) Panther Chameleon Care (Reptiles Magazine) www.reptilesmag...
4) Panther Chameleon Care (Chameleon Forums) www.chameleonf...
Musical Sources:
1) Forest Food by Ethernate
2) Chalk Railroad Tracks by Morgan Komure
3) Title Theme: The Shining (30 seconds per fair use)
4) Reminiscent Chords by Ethernate

[@zazzalis]

wow best chameleon vivarium, congrats

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Thank you!

[@josiahmccloud2366]

Just incredible!!! The blooming orchid alone is incredible. Outstanding job on that!

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Thank you! I have three other orchid varieties in the setup I am hoping to get blooming as well.

[@dannygonzalez2502]

Truly amazing!!!! I'm blown away. Enclosure is awesome and your cham is beautiful!!!!

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Thank you!

[@taylord9772]

Best setup, he just motors around there non stop

[@LukeMcGuireoides]

Wow, amazing setup

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Thank you!

[@regiopazzo]

This is such a great channel. My son is getting a Nosy Be for his 8th birthday and I’m considering going bioactive thanks to you.

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Thank you for the kind words. I will say, I would not recommend a chameleon as a good first pet reptile or as a good pet for kids. They're just not very forgiving of husbandry mistakes and most chameleons don't like being handled. If you're experienced with reptiles and are planning to do the care yourself, and your son understands that he won't be able to handle his new pet very much or at all, it's probably doable. If not, you might be in for some heartache down the line when something goes wrong. When I was eight and wanted a chameleon my family ultimately decided on a leopard gecko instead after talking with some experienced reptile keepers, and it wasn't until years later that I got my first chameleon. I don't know your level of experience so I may well be preaching to the choir, but if you haven't seen his videos I would recommend the KZbin channel "Clint's Reptiles". He has a number of videos discussing the best pet reptiles for beginners and for kids.

[@regiopazzo]

@@ConnorLongDVM Great points! Thank you!

[@Thedopaminecyclist]

Absolutely incredible!

[@Mjt6429]

Bro that sucks so bad, you worked hard for this moment and then it is postponed. Great vivarium and a beautiful panther.

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Thank you! And all's well that ends well. We're all graduated and working now. Assuming peak three doesn't kill everyone, I imagine one of these vaccines will pan out and we can go back to being humans.

[@aloksreptiles6475]

Amazing!

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Thank you!

[@wakefieldwildlife]

Really love this setup!

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Thank you!

[@prime-timesports4323]

Connor... this is one of the best live-plants vivariums I’ve seen for panther chameleons online. Question: What kind of lighting do you use to keep all those tropical lights alive and growing? Grow lights? Standard LEDs?

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Thank you - I address it briefly in the video. It's sort of complicated how I do it, but I have 4x t5 tubes in the back, two are for UVB, two are full spectrum tubes, and the come on and off at various times to emulate UVB exposure at different times of the day (this is all measured with a UVB meter).That's more for Spicoli himself, but it provides light for the plants too. The row of domes in the front: the heat light is an incandescent grow light. The other three are all high CRI ~5000k LEDs. These are not lights marketed as grow lights, just standard cool white LEDs. Two are floodlights with a focused beam angle (you can buy them at Lowes or Home Depot), the third is a regular non-focused LED bulb. It's worked very well so far, I can get orchids to bloom repeatedly and my Nepenthes to make traps.

[@prime-timesports4323]

Wattage on those focus-beamed floodlights?

[@williamhoran4583]

where did you find/make the vines? They're wonderful! Building a vivarium for my baby panther chameleon hatching soon :)

[@ConnorLongDVM]

I made them from two types of commercially available climbing vines. I don’t remember the exact brands unfortunately (and there are a few brands that make very similar products - I believe you can get them on Amazon). I just twisted the branching/stringier smaller diameter vines around the larger to make them easier to grip. Looks better too.

[@sabrinamatejcek2865]

Where did you purchase your exo terra XL & XTall? I’d love to transfer my Panther Chameleon, Pascal (I know cliche name, right? #Tangled). I had a screen enclosure for him but I live in North Dakota so this time of year especially is impossible to maintain adequate humidity levels. I’d also love if you have some plant suggestions that I can use to start a bio active terrarium. Did you let a lot of your plant species grow before transferring your little guy into this environment? Or was a lot of it transplanted into the enclosure? This is huuuuge inspiration and I’m looking forward to providing a safer and more natural environment for my colorful friend! Thank you for sharing!

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Thank you for the feedback! Yes, I agree the exo-terra is better in low humidity environments than an all screen counterpart. I would read the article "keeping chameleons in glass" by Chris Anderson if you haven't already, I believe I have it linked in the description. There are some husbandry differences for glass enclosures. I bought my enclosure locally. I would recommend calling around to reptile shops if you have any locally. They're often sold at expos as well, though due to COIVD most expos are likely canceled for the foreseeable future.

[@ConnorLongDVM]

For plant species, I think Schefflera and Pothos are probably the easiest and most commonly used. Lots of chameleon keepers will use ficus as well. I have a video where I talk about plants specifically and I also list off a bunch in my video about my ball python enclosure. It is best to let them grow for about a month prior to introducing your pet

[@sabrinamatejcek2865]

@@ConnorLongDVM Thank you so much for the feedback! I will definitely check into your plant description video for some more insight. I’m very excited to get started!

[@jdogfunk100]

I've seen hundreds of vivariums and this may be my favorite. Really impressive. What did you use to wrap around the larger branches?

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Thank you! I assume you mean the climbing vines - I just bought two commercially available products off Amazon and wound them together to look more like a real vine. I do not remember what they are called unfortunately - several companies make essentially the same thing. I think the larger vines were Flukers. I know ZooMed makes a version of the smaller vines, but other companies do as well. They've held up well, I set this up in originally in December 2018.

[@blackleatherboots]

This is amazing man

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Thank you!

[@brodiecroc6034]

How do u get the water to siphon out? I see it be excessive to let sit even with false bottom? I am planning on doing a bioactive for my chameleon in a bigger space

[@ConnorLongDVM]

You just use a siphon. If you watch my follow-up video with all the vivariums I show it - I have the back drilled and a tube that goes in under the false bottom and then I siphon it out. And leaving water sit under the false bottom is not really a big deal as long as the waterline is beneath the substrate so the enclosure itself isn't swampy. Plants are tapped into the false bottom anyway, the whole system is cycled, it's not going to get a random bloom of fungi or bacteria at this stage. The substrate will actually dry out without regular misting even if there are gallons of water in the false bottom. I'm almost at the two-year birthday of this setup; any theoretical concerns folks have with it if you scroll through the comments - they just don't actually happen. If you're going to go bigger you might have to go custom (this is my ultimate plan, but I need substantially more free time and a table saw so it's probably eight or so months out). SerpaDesign has some good tutorials on making plywood vivariums - you could waterproof the whole thing with epoxy and have a screen top and a screen strip above the substrate for chimney effect ventilation. Or if you live somewhere humid you could use mostly screen and have a couple sides covered with pond liner so that your misters don't spray water all over your house. Good luck, and send me a link so I can check it out!

[@brodiecroc6034]

Thanks for the detail response will look at ur other videos for the info u mention, never been to crazy about making a hole in the back of my vivarium hahaa but yes I siphoned water out of my tanks with a tube that goes all the way thru to the bottom so I can easily remove if any excess water

[@miok4209]

Amazing vivarium! ,i was wondering is it okay if you make the background also glass so as a display u can see from front and back angle (going to use the tank as small room divider) Thansk for making the video 😊

[@ConnorLongDVM]

There's likely not a definitive answer - I would say in general the more sides that are clear the harder for the animal to feel secure and the more stress for the animal. If you go that route you'll need to make sure you have very dense growth in part of the enclosure so that your pet has the option to hide from view

[@seskovincent5533]

Good morning I wonder about the pool effect. I make a terra to put parsonii in it, which requires a lot of humidity and spraying. In addition they need a lot an essential factor for its maintenance. So it can quickly make a swamp. Thanks in advance PS I want to make a black glass terra and of course proportionate mesh walls. 😊

[@ConnorLongDVM]

The vivarium has a drainage layer and plumbing so there is no pooling of water

[@exploretheworld1201]

How did you build the computer fans into the lights ?

[@ConnorLongDVM]

I didn't, the fixture has fans as active cooling

[@Chris-so1tn]

This is great! I’d love an update on your Ball Python’s Vivarium. What humidity levels do you keep it at, and what what plants have worked out well for you?

[@ConnorLongDVM]

I can probably do that, especially if we stay stuck on quarantine

[@Opeth614]

Hey Conner. Enjoy your videos a lot! How loud is the mist king at night and does the lights make the ambient temperature raise a lot in the room it is in? I'm thinking about adding this to my bedroom but looking for low impact.

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Thanks for the feedback! Good questions - I would say impact is minimal. The mist king makes low-medium noise when running if set up properly (the pump is quiet but if you don't secure your tubing it can rattle annoyingly). It has not bothered me when located in my bedroom. It could bother a romantic partner on the fence about having a lizard in the room so keep that in mind. I do not run it at night though, I run it in the morning, in the evening, and then it comes on a few other times during the week to simulate showers. The lights really don't add too much heat to the room. Fluorescents and LEDs don't generate much heat, and my basking bulb is on a thermostat. In the summer when my house is hot it just doesn't come on as much. Most of the year I'm using a 75W flood, during the winter I will switch to a 150W. This really isn't much more heat than what was generated by room lighting pre good LED era (which is only like 5-10 years ago). Turning the lights on in your house then didn't like... significantly heat up the room.

[@Opeth614]

@@ConnorLongDVM wonderful tips man I really appreciate the thorough response! 😊

[@dominicolazzara2853]

Have you found that you have needed to water your plants a lot more water than the misting system provides? Going to be starting my own bio active chameleon terrarium. And definitely want live plants. But wanted to know how regularly you had to water ur plants specifically. If any. Thanks!

[@ConnorLongDVM]

That’s a good question that’s dependent on a number of variables. The short answer is no, you don’t need to water the plants with anything other than the misting system. The longer answer is that how much you need to water depends on what type of terrarium you’re using (glass, screen, other), how long the misters stay on, what plants you’re using, where the plants are located, temperature, etc. I manually water epiphytic orchids and airplants because they aren’t positioned in a way they are watered by the misters. If the misters hit them directly they’d be fine.

[@dominicolazzara2853]

Thank you! Your vivarium build has rlly inspired me and I am hoping to do something similar to yours, definitely in the EXO terra 36x18x36. Thanks for the advice!

[@Trioceros_h]

Nice enclosure. Have you tried fogging at night ? Most chams have the ability to drink fog thru breathing at night. They can even stop drinking from leaves or drips if fogged properly. Check out James Cross for DIY foggers. I enjoyed the sky background, great idea.

[@Vr30LOL]

Does your chameleon ever get defensive with his reflection of the glass, I just tried to mimic this setup and my chameleon is very angry with his reflection. Help!

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Is your chameleon a panther? I have had no issues with stress or anxiety in response to the partial reflections in the glass. The back of my enclosure and one of the sides is covered so that there are no reflections at all. You could try covering all sides but the front to give him somewhere to hide and give him time to acclimate. Ultimately this is not an issue I have had so I have no firsthand experience with it.

[@niklas-jf8oi]

Wow amazing vivarium ! Is it big enough for a Chameleon ? The depth seems a bit small i read that they don't like glas because they can see themselves in it ? greets from Germany

[@ConnorLongDVM]

thanks for the comment! I address those questions in the follow-up that is linked in the first line of the description

[@Chris-so1tn]

Hi Connor! Hope all is well. I have a question about your exact same glass Vivarium, but specifically doing a habitat in the same for a Ball Python. Do you think that there is any reason why I would not be ok with replacing one of the screens(half the top) with a glass top to help keep heat and humidity inside of the x-tall enclosure? I ask because you seemed really concerned about airflow, but I have seen guys on youtube take these same x-tall enclosures, cut the all the top screens out, and replace them with glass. Then they put small fans inside mounted to the top for air circulation. I have the the Zoo Med Palidarium version of the same Extra Tall, and It has two screens on top, and am considering replacing one side with glass.

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Hi Chris, thanks for the comment - I am particularly concerned about airflow for chameleons as they are arboreal animals with a reported predisposition to developing respiratory infections as a result of inadequate ventilation. Ball pythons need less ventilation and I wouldn't be so worried about that myself as long as you still have some screen up top. That said, I haven't tried it personally, so you might be better off asking one of the people you've seen do it what their experience was, and then check your parameters after installation to confirm its working. A word of caution: I really like this enclosure for my chameleon, but I personally would not use it for a ball python. The vertical orientation of this enclosure and the all glass frame might make it challenging to meet the appropriate ball python heat parameters since you're heating so deep into the enclosure. Especially since the all glass frame will make it hard to modify to install ledges or wiring and whatnot. I'm sure you could do it with enough creative application of ledges and different heat elements, but I have never tried so I'm unfortunately of limited help.

[@Chris-so1tn]

Connor Long I have the entire floor heated by 3 pads below the glass and each are center spot monitored on top inside the tank (just under the crate in the drainage area) by Inkbird C929A redundant thermostats to ensure no more than 95 deg glass surface temperatures. Then the cave on the floor and two other ambient temp spots at grade are monitored by Inkbird-ITC-306A redundant units to ensure an exact ambient temperatures I want corresponding to to heat pad directly bellow each zone. Then I will have a grade filled platform with a hide at the 12” raised level (representing the norse Midgard) with a heat-pad under the hide with two more thermostats regulating surface and ambient temperatures. And then another smaller platform,12 more inches above that (about 12 inches below the top) (representing asgard) with another similar setup. I am targeting 78 deg in Nifleheim (bottom middle) 80 deg Jontunhim (bottom left) 75 deg in Hel (bottom right), 84-86 deg midgard, and 90-93 deg Asgard zones. So ya, 5 heating pads and 10 total redundant thermostats controlling surface and ambient temperatures. All waterproof and cords will travel through the corkbark tubes that makeup Yggdrasil. I love those particular thermostats because of their dual relay and dual temperature probe redundancy built in for pet/fish protection from faulty probes and failed on conditions. Plus, I get recorded measurements over time and alarms that will reach me anywhere. I also have a 1500VA full sine wave UPS to protect all devices and heaters from electrical spikes and provides a few hours of battery backup.

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Chris Well that sounds like it should do it! As long as you’re comfortable the area your pet is going to be spending most of its time in/on is the right temperature, you can do a lot of creative builds. Send me some pics when you have it all up and running, I’m excited to see it

[@MaverickTyler]

What thermo/hygrometer do you use? I’ve been trying to find a reliable one for so long and the zoo med ones are just awful

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Yeah don't use the ZooMed ones. I use these little black rectangular digital ones that come in packs of ~4 on Amazon for maybe 12-15 bucks. They do crap out eventually if they get too wet, but generally even higher quality hygrometers will die in very humid conditions. I treat them like consumables and just replace them if/when they go out. You can manually calibrate any hygrometer using a method of putting some salt and water into a bottle cap and sealing it up in a bag. Cigar enthusiast sites should explain how to do this kzbin.info/www/bejne/raKxqqmKftl4f7M&feature=emb_title

[@rubenpadilla5386]

Love the set up. Trying to keep a Panther chameleon for the first time ever however when doing the research there is a huge debate between glass terrarium or screen terrarium. But I see success in both so why people say glass terrarium is a definite No? Want to make the right call but I do enjoy seeing them through glass.

[@ConnorLongDVM]

I linked an article called "Keeping Chameleons in Glass" in the description - Chris Anderson does a better job explaining than I will in a KZbin comment, I'd recommend taking a look. The TLDR is that chameleons need ventilation, and glass enclosures need appropriately placed vents to provide that ventilation. Exo-Terra front opening enclosures do provide sufficient ventilation, but are new on the market compared to older repurposed fish tanks that are not appropriate but were the standard available glass enclosures when the "chameleons can't live in glass" mantra was established.

[@rubenpadilla5386]

Connor Long Appreciate the response and will definitely try to replicate something similar to what you have accomplished just not that many different plants! Lol ... Must say yours is probably best I’ve seen yet posted on KZbin!

[@ConnorLongDVM]

@@rubenpadilla5386 Thanks, I appreciate that. I've been obsessing over it for a long time. I'm hoping to build an enclosure from scratch in the future to make it truly huge - something between a chameleon enclosure and a plant wall. Good luck on your build - check out Bill Strand's "chameleon academy" website if you get a chance, lots of good info there. Chameleon Forums has good build ideas too and some very knowledgeable keepers.

[@Obedience2Abundance]

Hey is ok to put a humidifier in the enclosure to keep it humid or would that be too much?

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Some people use humidifiers with screen cages. I wouldn’t put it in the actual enclosure probably, just adjacent. And you’ll have to make sure it stays clean. I am of the opinion a mister is more important than a humidifier. Humidity is important, but the ability to drink is likely more important (and a mister also increases humidity). The start up cost for a mister is more (probably $100-200) but is ultimately much less than paying for a vet visit and treatment for a dehydrated chameleon.

[@jackkitchener1853]

What are those vines you have stuck to the glass with suction cups?

[@ConnorLongDVM]

They do have suction cup. I also attached strong magnets to the ends and use those, I have found the magnets are more reliable than the suction cups.

[@nazblack6771]

How long did it take to put this together. With the plants and everything

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Once I had everything it was a quick setup because I needed to get my chameleon back in his cage. I'd estimate that I spent 2-4 weeks accumulating supplies, a couple days building the backdrop and then letting it air out as I awaited whatever additional plants/pieces I needed in the mail. Once I had everything setup was a few hours, though I continued to add and remove plants afterwards.

[@nazblack6771]

@@ConnorLongDVM did you let the plants grow in or "take" before you put the chameleon in? I'm really obsessed with panther chameleons but I don't have one yet. I'm moving into a new house soon and I'm trying to dedicate a space for em

[@ConnorLongDVM]

@@nazblack6771 Normally I would give the plants time to acclimate, but I needed the enclosure to be ready as quickly as possible

[@parkerpeabody9079]

Did you just drill a hole in the glass of the terrarium? Or is there a built in hole?

[@ConnorLongDVM]

I drilled a hole with a diamond burr in the back panel, and fitted it with a bulkhead intended for aquariums. There are some good KZbin videos on how to do that. I will say, if you're uncomfortable drilling: you could also insert a piece of pipe through the false bottom so that it taps into your wastewater, cap it off so your animals can't get to it, and then remove the cap and siphon when you need to drain. I have used both methods.

[@Акватеррия]

👍

[@saulcovarrubias5986]

Is this size tank good for panther chameleons hole life. I want to purchase a chameleon an I don’t what to buy multiple tanks as he grows

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Yes, the extra large extra tall exo-terra is suitable for an adult panther chameleon provided you have enough climbing branches and vines in it as well as foliage for cover. Depending on where you live and what your house is like, you'll need to make an informed decision about using a glass terrarium like this vs. a screen terrarium (I cannot keep humidity levels up in my house with a screen enclosure, it's too dry, but most keepers in the US do use screen). I would recommend checking out "Chameleon Academy" which is a great chameleon husbandry website by Bill Strand. The chameleon forums website is another good resource where you can have experienced hobbyists answer any questions you might have (I have links to both in the description). I'd recommend that you have everything set up prior to acquiring your new pet. Good luck!

[@saulcovarrubias5986]

Connor Long ok thanks for the info I will definitely have the tank set up before I get the chameleon .. one more question we’re did you purchase your chameleon? What type of panther chameleon is he

[@ConnorLongDVM]

​@@saulcovarrubias5986 He was an adoption from a local keeper who needed to downsize her collection. He is an Ambilobe blue bar.

[@HugDeeznueces]

Nice but does the glass causes the chameleon stress when they see themselves on it thinking that there is another chameleon.

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Hello Rob, thanks for the comment - The short answer is no, that doesn't happen, at least not with Spicoli. Chameleon Academy discusses that concern as well, with the assertion that chameleons seem to be able to tell the difference between a partial reflection and an actual threat. I have not seen Spicoli go into stress/fight mode from a partial glass reflection, but he will do so vs. a mirror. I personally have not talked to anyone who has had firsthand experience with the reflection "issue". My impression is that it sort of sprung up as a myth on chameleon message boards as a hypothetical argument against glass enclosures when pro-glass keepers started pointing out that you could ventilate the enclosures appropriately (though if you or anyone else has evidence the origins are more concrete please feel free to send it to me, I am interested). Alternatively, it's possible wild caught animals, or certain species react worse to glass than captive bred specimens of commonly kept chameleons, or some similar situational issue that does not apply to my setup. All-in-all I have had no issues, and I have not seen any evidence that any of the oft-mentioned internet wisdom against (properly ventilated) glass enclosures is accurate. Zoos will often keep their animals in glass fronted enclosures, and you don't see professionally kept zoo animals suffering from exposure to a partial reflection.

[@monsterkajiu1912]

How big is your chameleon?

[@ConnorLongDVM]

A little shy of 200g I think

[@monsterkajiu1912]

I meant to say inches, sorry about that.

[@spoloka2818]

What stand do u use it what is it called

[@ConnorLongDVM]

I am not sure, I bought it in the ikea discount section of showroom items they are offloading like 7 or 8 years ago.

[@maroskniha2922]

What about chameleon's poops ? how do you clen them ?

[@ConnorLongDVM]

I don't. The enclosure is bioactive, so any waste is broken down by detritivores in the enclosure (mostly isopods and springtails) and converted to fertilizer for the plants. The enclosure is also plumbed so I can drain stagnant water out of the bottom.

[@alfonsodominguez6326]

whats the name of the plants you have inside there ???

[@ConnorLongDVM]

It is too long a lost to type out here, I may make a video listing them in the future. However, I do have videos about the top 5 I'd recommend and I go over all the plants in my BP enclosure (there's overlap) if you'd like to check those out.

[@Rudebwoy64]

Damn this seems a lot of work ? Do the plants dye?

[@ConnorLongDVM]

No the plants started and remain their healthy natural colors

[@Rudebwoy64]

@@ConnorLongDVMhow Does the bio stay like that

[@Rudebwoy64]

@@ConnorLongDVM Because I’m trying to get my set up like yours and I don’t want to mess up anything lol

[@ConnorLongDVM]

@@Rudebwoy64 I'm not sure I understand the question

[@Rudebwoy64]

@@ConnorLongDVM No I’m saying that I want to get my set up like yours but don’t want to mess up

[@van-derverdugo4741]

Do you have orchids in pots?

[@ConnorLongDVM]

No, they're all free growing

[@stab1193]

where did you buy that terrarium can you send a link ?

[@ConnorLongDVM]

It's the largest exo terra. I bought it from a local reptile store.

[@porky99svb]

does a bioactive terrarium smell ??

[@ConnorLongDVM]

If properly cycled with detritivores like springtails, isopods, and whatever fungus naturally takes hold, it doesn't smell at all, and any waste is quickly broken down.

[@imtherandom1-780]

My plants always start dying for some reason

[@crazy4reptiles528]

you would make a movie how you arrange this terrarium how you make it step by step if you could !!! maze about such as this, so how can you do such an episode, write and do 😳 and if you could tell what plants you have there !!! Pls

[@crazy4reptiles528]

This’s The most beautiful terrarium what i’vz ever seen

[@ConnorLongDVM]

@@crazy4reptiles528 Thank you! I am not sure I fully understand the request, but some of what you asked about is contained here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5XGlHVnlr-MoNE

[@crazy4reptiles528]

Ok my english’s so bad :(

[@crazy4reptiles528]

in short a video of how you made this terrarium

[@ConnorLongDVM]

@@crazy4reptiles528 the footage to do so does not exist - the end of the first video shows some photos of the process, and I have other videos that show how to work with spray foam

[@cloudzzgaming7260]

Wtf was the scary crap in the middle I’m so confused

[@ConnorLongDVM]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabin_fever

[@ArnoldWender]

This Terrarium is beautiful but is too small for a Furcifer pardalis, it should be at least 120cm tall, cheers

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Hello Arnold, This exact model of cage is used frequently by chameleon keepers with success. It's one of the larger commercially available enclosures and the largest widely available glass enclosure. Spicoli has another outdoor enclosure as well. This enclosure is twice as large as the minimum recommended size from Reptiles Magazine and about on par with the size recommended by chameleon forums. It is also larger than the minimum recommended size in the published husbandry guides I own (Ferguson's "The Panther Chameleon", The AVS "Chameleons", "The Chameleon Handbook"). I have one of the 4’ by 2’ mesh cages lots of keepers use and I think it is worse because it doesn’t have as much horizontal space for climbing and Spicoli doesn’t like to hang out near the bottom of the enclosure anyway, so adding an extra foot of vertical space doesn’t really give him extra climbing space.

[@pyrox9944]

Way to small setup

[@ConnorLongDVM]

This exact model of cage is used frequently by chameleon keepers with success. It's one of the largest commercially available enclosures and the largest widely available glass enclosure. Spicoli has another outdoor enclosure as well. This enclosure is twice as large as the minimum recommended size from Reptiles Magazine and about on par with the size recommended by chameleon forums. It is also larger than the minimum recommended size in the published husbandry guides I own (Ferguson's "The Panther Chameleon", The AVS "Chameleons", "The Chameleon Handbook"). I am open to discussing husbandry practices, but you need to cite some evidence to back up your opinion. My evidence is demonstrated success and a list of resources that are available in the description.

[@pyrox9944]

@@ConnorLongDVM First i would never use glass enclousers... A screen cage is much better for them. and in america the people are ceeping the reptiles in Plastik containers so dont tell me whats right. I know you are good person your chameleon looks very halthy sorry for my bad englisch

[@ConnorLongDVM]

​@@pyrox9944 My issue here is that you are making assertions and not providing any evidence, which is how misinformation spreads online. I am a veterinarian with 23 years of experience keeping reptiles. I have also cited sources to support my positions. You are allowed to voice your opinion and dissent, provided you are transparent about where that information is coming from. Respectfully, if my chameleon is healthy and I can cite a half dozen resources supporting my husbandry decisions offhand, and you say my decisions are bad but you're not willing to provide a single resource or even explain what your concern is or why you have it, why should I believe you? What am I supposed to do with that criticism? You're not adding anything to the discussion.

[@reggae568]

To small poor Boy

[@ConnorLongDVM]

Here are several citations to the contrary: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5XGlHVnlr-MoNEsi=zoeE5bs_aQcNHHKm&t=323

[@mrwisher1250]

beautiful enclosure, but chameleons should only be kept in mesh enclosures. they do not like other chameleons hate each other and seeing the reflection of themselves stresses them out a ton

[@ConnorLongDVM]

As a veterinarian and long time reptile and chameleon keeper, I respectfully disagree. Spicoli has been in this enclosure without incident since I adopted him in 2017. I will occasionally have keepers criticize my husbandry, saying that there's not sufficient airflow or that reflections are a problem. That's just not true. I think that in dry climates mesh enclosures do not allow adequate control over humidity. If stress from reflections is a concern I have yet to see any evidence of it in animals I have kept, and I am familiar with signs of stress and aggression. I have seen the reflection concern mentioned on social media and message boards, but never by anyone who has actually kept a chameleon in a glass or partially glass enclosure. I have sources cited in the video description - Chris Anderson, a PhD biology professor studying chameleons - keeps a large population of several species in these types of enclosures without incident. Bill Strand from the chameleon breeder podcast and Chameleon Academy has a whole section on reflections and glass enclosures too. Based on reputable sources and my own experience, this does not seem to be a pervasive problem.

[@alfonsodominguez7428]

what’s the name of the plants you used ?

[@ConnorLongDVM]

It is too long a list to type out here, I may make a video listing them in the future. However, I do have videos about the top 5 I'd recommend and I go over all the plants in my BP enclosure (there's overlap) if you'd like to check those out.

[@alfonsodominguez7428]

thank you