In 2022 I was having a discussion with Paul Barclay, who own Custom Reptile Habitats, about what the features would be for an enclosure to be ideal for arboreal reptiles and amphibians using the latest husbandry. From this conversation a collaboration grew to the point where we have launched the Chameleon Academy line of arboreal enclosures. There are a number of purposes to fulfill so enjoy the first offerings!
This is a high end enclosure offering and you can continue to expect education on all levels of cages. But I could not pass up the opportunity to make my ideal arboreal enclosures!
I invite you to review the latest offerings below!
The Arboreal XL was designed for people who want a beautiful bioactive floor with a beautiful set-up for their arboreal reptile
The Arboreal L was designed for people who want a functional bioactive floor to support the arboreal reptile
Chameleon Academy Arboreal XL - 36"x30"x48"
The current flagship enclosure has the following features
- 36” x 30” x 48” Wide format cage – provides room for crawling, jumping, and creating an environment.
- Branch Anchors suspend branches and plants above the cage floor
- 8″ deep Bioactive Basin to create a bioactive floor
- Forest Floor Window to see your bioactive floor close up
- Chimney effect vents for natural airflow
- Sliding 1/4 inch Tempered glass doors – can hold heat and withstand 100% humidity.
- Upper lip hides unsightly light fixtures on top of cage
- Predrilled holes for three 1/2” mist nozzles and one 1” fogging tube
- Top panel cut-outs allow variations in lighting strategy
- Optional Background print
- Optional Stand and Utility Shelves
Product Description
The Chameleon Academy Arboreal XL was designed to give you the space and features to create a nurturing and enriching sanctuary for your arboreal reptiles.
- Wide Format – The Arboreal XL is in a larger 36” wide format to give arboreals the chance to move and jump side to side.
- Extra Depth – The depth (distance from front to back) has been extended to 30” to allow light to the bioactive floor even if a plant canopy is suspended above the ground.
- Branch Anchors – These anchors allow you to easily zip tie or attach branches and potted plants above the cage floor to create a canopy and dense leafy layer. This provides security for small arboreal reptiles and amphibians. There are four branch anchors on each side and the back. With this coverage you are able to attach branches that will create a network that allows your arboreal to use all the air space in the enclosure.
- BioActive Ground – This enclosure provides 8 inches of depth for a bioactive soil. This allows root penetration for most indoor decorative plants. Drainage may be accomplished by the typical drainage layer or an optional drain feature.
- Forest Floor Viewing window – We all know we might have a beautiful chameleon in the trees, but we love watching the forest floor with our isopods or, perhaps, colorful dart frogs. This special feature allows you to view your bioactive enclosure at its level.
- Air Exchange Vent System – Air exchange is a critical component to vivarium health. We have a series of vents below the door and multiple screened areas on the top panel to encourage cool air to come in below and be drawn up which provides a natural air exchange. If more ventilation is required, there is a cut out where a small fan may be placed.
Chameleon Academy Arboreal L - 36"x24"x48"
The current standard enclosure model has the following features
- 36” x 24” x 48” Wide format cage – provides room for crawling, jumping, and creating an environment.
- Branch Anchors suspend branches and plants above the cage floor
- 12″ deep Bioactive Basin to create a bioactive floor
- Forest Floor Window to see your bioactive floor close up
- Chimney effect vents for natural airflow
- Sliding 1/4 inch Tempered glass doors – can hold heat and withstand 100% humidity.
- Upper lip hides unsightly light fixtures on top of cage
- Predrilled holes for three 1/2” mist nozzles and one 1” fogging tube
- Top panel cut-outs allow variations in lighting strategy
- Optional Background print
- Optional Stand and Utility Shelves
Product Description
The Chameleon Academy Arboreal standard was designed to give you the space and features to create a nurturing and enriching sanctuary for your arboreal reptiles.
- Wide Format – The Arboreal L is in a larger 36” wide format to give arboreals the chance to move and jump side to side.
- Extra Soil Depth (12”) – A substrate basin of 12” is provided to give plants space to have a strong root structure
- Branch Anchors – These anchors allow you to easily zip tie or attach branches and potted plants above the cage floor to create a canopy and dense leafy layer. This provides security for small arboreal reptiles and amphibians. There are four branch anchors on each side and the back. With this coverage you are able to attach branches that will create a network that allows your arboreal to use all the air space in the enclosure.
- Air Exchange Vent System – Air exchange is a critical component to vivarium health. We have a series of vents below the door and multiple screened areas on the top panel to encourage cool air to come in below and be drawn up which provides a natural air exchange. If more ventilation is required, there is a cut out where a small fan may be placed.
How To Choose?
Why buy the Arboreal XL? You want your bioactive floor to be beautiful
The Arboreal XL is the choice for those who are interested in detailed bioactive floor management and will have aesthetic details or inhabitants on the floor such as dart frogs or invertebrates you would like to observe.
Specific Unique Features:
Forest Viewing Window to watch your frogs and invertebrates. You can see the world from their perspective.
30″ from front to back. The extra enclosure depth was designed in to allow an LED light bar to be placed near the front and one near the back. This is provide light not blocked by the canopy of leaves that are there for the chameleon or other arboreal reptile/amphibian to enjoy. So you get more light to the bottom of the cage. That means better terrarium gardening!
Why buy the Arboreal L? You want your bioactive substrate to be functional to serve your arboreal reptile
The Arboreal L model is 24″ from front to back. This one was designed to have a deeper substrate for root systems. So if you wanted a functional bioactive floor, but your focus is up top then this model will allow you to have robust plant growth with a basic bioactive floor.
Specific Unique Features:
12″ substrate depth. Bioactive substrates are often shallow which is fine if it is to support small animals. But when we deal with arboreal species you start wanting plants that need a solid root system. This enclosure was designed to provide that benefit for arboreal reptile keepers who still want the functionality of a bioactive substrate.
Accessories
Available Accessories
A number of options are available to complete your cage presentation. You may add these on with your enclosure order
Enclosure Stand: The stand is 48” wide, 30” tall, and 24” deep. Your enclosure sits on top of this stand with 12” of extra space on the side. This space may be used to set your fogger or other equipment Or else you can purchase 12”x12”x24” Utility Units which can stack up to four beside the enclosure for storage or display. There is additional storage inside the stand. Two table options are offers that put a shelf at either 12” or 18” of height. These can be used for any purpose, but one useful example would be to hold a drainage bucket on one side (if you purchase the drain option with the enclosure or add one yourself) and a misting reservoir on the other side. There are holes on the left and right of the back for electrical cords.
Utility Shelves. 12”x12” Utility Shelves that can be stacked next to the enclosure and offer storage or display space. They come in 24″ and 30″ lengths. Select the length of the Utility Shelf that matches the length of your accessory stand.
Stand Tables. Choose between putting a shelf at 12” high and 18” high. One table will fit in one half of the stand.
Backdrop
If you purchase a backdrop at the time of buying your cage we will send the backdrop already installed on the side and back.
Drain
A purchase of a drain when you purchase the enclosure does with the option of having us drill the installation hole. The default is to put it in the middle of the cage. If you purchase a drain, please specify if you would like us to drill the 2” diameter drain hole in the floor of the enclosure. If you are purchasing both an enclosure and a stand then we can make sure the holes line up. (The stand hole will be larger to allow some movement.)
Silicone
100% silicone. We sell tubes which require an applicator tool.
All of these can be ordered at the same time as your cage
The Story Behind These Enclosures
As you may suspect, when I design an enclosure, it is more than just a box. There is a reason and purpose to every feature and dimension!
These enclosures contain features that support where I am taking my outreach in the upcoming years. They are designed to support the Environment Mindset and facilitate Small Batch Breeding
Environment Mindset. An Environment Mindset is where we look at the enclosure not as something to contain our chameleon, but as the borders of the environment which will nurture our chameleon. This is a subtle but significant mindset shift. We are the care takers of the environment in the enclosure and the chameleon takes care of itself within that environment. Part of this shift is an increasing awareness of the benefits of a bioactive substrate. For most of our chameleon keeping life we have ignored the floor because the chameleons don’t go down there and, in traditional 2’x2’x4′ pillar style cages, all the light was blocked by the plants mounted in the mid height where the chameleon would use them.
The first requirement for the Environment Mindset is simple space to create microclimates. While 2’x2’x4′ cage size may be an effective minimum for most chameleon species, going to 36″ wide makes worlds of difference for chameleons sized like Veiled Chameleons and Panther Chameleons. It still holds that bigger is better and it is a given that I will be having larger sizes come available. But I specifically wanted to work wit 36″ wide because that is the size I would say an enclosure is comfortable for a Panther Chameleon. (36″ wide also has strategic value in small batch breeding, but more on that soon)
In addition to airspace we need substrate space. Both enclosures offered first have substrate areas. The XL version has 8″ of substate depth and even a special viewing window at the surface level so you can enjoy your isopods, dart frogs, or plant design at their level! The L version I elected to give 12″ of substrate depth so we can explore using plants that will enjoy a more substantial root system. Have you ever seen what pothos looks like when it is planted in the ground? It is an impressive sight and I want to be able to explore more plant types that want more root space. My Alocasia collection has become my new obsession. If you are not familiar with Alocasias then just hang out round here! We will be reviewing and learning about many incredible plants that we passed up before for lack of a substrate!
You will also notice that this cage line has a top with cut-outs for lights. There are extra spaces for LED light bars placed specifically so that the light would go on either side of the suspended plant canopy and reach the bioactive floor. That is one way to help solve the problem of light being blocked from reaching the floor. With the advances in LED light bars we can keep a wider range of plants. And we should take as much advantage of the new technologies as possible!
Now, some may ask how creating a bioactive or even just naturalistic substrate has to do with the chameleon or other arboreal. In addition to humidity retention and a whole lot of enjoyment for people who love beauty, the mere act of maintain a bioactive substrate creates an awareness of the environment in the enclosure. And this has both direct and indirect benefits to the chameleon whether the substrate itself does. It is kind of like whether talking to plants really has any effect. Whether the air blowing or sound vibration is proven to be noticed by the plant at all, the mere fact that you are paying such close attention to the plant will, itself, make you a better plant keeper. It is just like that.
Small Batch Breeding
Small Batch Breeding is where the breeder keeps their breeding group to the numbers where they can give each one the best husbandry care. By keeping the population you are caring for to a strategically small size you retain the enjoyment and wonder you have when you only had one chameleon.
The most important part of small batch breeding is to retain the joy you have when you first got obsessed with chameleons. The 36″ wide cage is a strategic number because you will be able to spoil your chameleon! You will also find compatibility in future products which, together, will facilitate the Small Batch Breeding concept.
(Note: The Dragon Strand Chameleon Caging Company is unaffected by this collaboration. Custom Reptile Habitats and Dragon Strand produce enclosures at different price tiers and so both can exist comfortably in the same market.)
Please visit Custom Reptile Habitats for purchasing or further information on purchasing. If you want to discuss the reasons for the feature decisions and the strategy in using them then join one of my weekly live sessions for a real time answer to your questions. But to purchase, click this link!
