Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I may aquire a few juveniles.
I currently have 3 empty chameleon cages that are home made of wood (4ft X 2ft X 2ft).
How would i set up since they are aboreal meaning logs,thick braches, etc;
What type hide box (snug or space to move round in)?
How many juvi's can i house in one cage?

I have Philippe de Vosjolis' book The General Care and Maintenance of MTS but not sure how much has changed with there care since '93 lol.
I have owned one in the past but much was forgotten..
Any insight would be appreciated and pics of set ups or links to pics would be great.
Thanx All,
Joel

SOUTHERN FLORIDA CORUCIA RESEARCH CENTER (SFCRC)

Location: LEE/1.

Joel, If they come in in harmony with each other you can keep them all together. Otherwise 1 male with 1-2 females is the standard ratio.

There are artifical stumps (The large size) with holes that are perfect for Corucia. Also there are stone bridges that we have used (2 side-by-side) for Corucia retirement during the day. Platforms should be constructed at various levels. I personally like to use Artifical hanging vines and plants so that the display isn't constantly ripped up or eaten. That way too you know how much food is being eaten and when.

I don't have the means to send pictures, but if you have any other questions, Let us know.

Sincerely,
Brian
SFCRC

The artificial stumps you mentioned, where would i look for something like that?
Not sure of there sexes (juves) but i will once they arrive.
I plan to build one large cage if they're compatible approx. 6-7 ft high by 4-5ftwide and long. Is this suitable? The ones that don't seem to get along i will house in one of my separate cages.Thanx again,
Brian

SOUTHERN FLORIDA CORUCIA RESEARCH CENTER (SFCRC)

Location: LEE/1.

Your most welcome. The stumps I believe are made by ALL LIVING THINGS and can be found in many petshops. I highly recommend them. The size of the upcoming enclosure sounds wonderful.

Sincerely,
brian
SFCRC

SOUTHERN FLORIDA CORUCIA RESEARCH CENTER (SFCRC)

Location: LEE/1.

Location: LEE/1 uses a wooden frame enclosure concept also by the way. All sides are constructed of hardware cloth. Other breeders like Jess have used a different concept with positive results (If you look further down in this forum, you can see pics of Jess's set-up.) but we have found this format works best for us here in Southern Florida.

Sincerely,
Brian
SFCRC

Here's a photo of my two PTS enclosures- they are wood/ melamine/plexi glass. Approximately 5' tall, 2' deep, 3' wide. Multiple levels, and multiple hides are key. I like cork bark tubes, wood half rounds, and piles of plastic plants as hides. They also like the wicker baskets. Connect the levels with bark, wood or thick climbing ropes. Large (whole body) soak bowl on the bottom. Feed off of a middle shelf. They will likely go to the bottom to soak and defecate, so have an easily cleanable bottom. I use newspaper on the bottom so I can easily clean daily to every other day. I don't recommend stuff on the bottom like bark pieces or litters- they mould and encourage less cleaning by hiding the poop.
Basking zones should be 85-90ish. Aim for high humidity 60 is ideal. I have found that over 75% and I have mould on everything.
I use mercury vapor lamps for heat/light/UV on the top, plus a second heated area for gravid females or antisocial PTS via a heat pad.
Diet is also very important---- the are herbivores/vegetarians. Mine get 75% dark leafy greens (ex: mulberry, dandelion,kale, chard, mustard ect *lettuce has zip value*), 25% grated veggies (carrot/yam/zuccchini ect), plus a small amount of chopped fruit (mango/papaya/banana/tomato/kiwi) and fruit juice squeezed over all to make my supplement stick. SUpplement: calcium/vitamin D3 a few times a week. I make food weekly and store it in a big tupperware. Safe house plant treat you can give them is Golden Pothos (don't worry if you see red urine after feeding this- it is not blood)
Cheers, Jess b

Now i have a model to use when i build my large cage...
Time to dig into the wifes purse and pull out the debt cards aka credit cards lol.

Anyway great looking cage..

Thanks- glad you like the cages. One other comment on building at home- the one with the single swinging door has the solid portions built from melamine coated particle board- in retrospect: easy to clean the melamine surface, but it is DARN heavy, and where I drilled a hole to run a cord through- despite my sealing it- water still gets in and the particle board is slowly swelling and warping. NOT ideal material to work with.
The one with the double doors has solid portions built with plywood painted with white bathroom type paint with floor vinyl covering the bottom for easy cleaning. This works a little better and is lighter (and cheaper) than the melamine.
Here is a photo of some of our PTS family (mom Gertie and 3 of her offspring)
cheers, jess B

If the mother just has one baby per year and this is a picture of a mother and three of her offspring, does this mean you have kept them all for three years and the mother continues to care for and be friendly to her offspring as they grow up? Wow, I knew they took care of them for a while, but I didn't know how long.... They certainly are unusual in the reptile world! I've got a trio arriving next Wednesday and I'm really excited! -Lucy

Thanks- glad you like the cages. One other comment on building at home- the one with the single swinging door has the solid portions built from melamine coated particle board- in retrospect: easy to clean the melamine surface, but it is DARN heavy, and where I drilled a hole to run a cord through- despite my sealing it- water still gets in and the particle board is slowly swelling and warping. NOT ideal material to work with.
The one with the double doors has solid portions built with plywood painted with white bathroom type paint with floor vinyl covering the bottom for easy cleaning. This works a little better and is lighter (and cheaper) than the melamine.
Here is a photo of some of our PTS family (mom Gertie and 3 of her offspring)
cheers, jess B

Thanks- glad you like the cages. One other comment on building at home- the one with the single swinging door has the solid portions built from melamine coated particle board- in retrospect: easy to clean the melamine surface, but it is DARN heavy, and where I drilled a hole to run a cord through- despite my sealing it- water still gets in and the particle board is slowly swelling and warping. NOT ideal material to work with.
The one with the double doors has solid portions built with plywood painted with white bathroom type paint with floor vinyl covering the bottom for easy cleaning. This works a little better and is lighter (and cheaper) than the melamine.
Here is a photo of some of our PTS family (mom Gertie and 3 of her offspring)
cheers, jess B