Husbandry

Chondro cages are now available in several different materials. I am currently using wood and plastic cages in my collection. Most of my cages are approximately 2x2ft cubes.I must admit that over time I have began to favor the plastic cages because they are very easily cleaned, but more importantly they seem to hold the humidity and heat extremely well. The problems I have experienced with wood is after a few years of use they begin to swell and deteriorate, often going moldy within the cracks of the varnish.

However the up side of using wood is it is very easy to custom build your own cage and a fraction of the cost of a plastic cage. The picture below is of one of my plastic vision vivs which I am currently using.

I have added a perch,artificial plants, a strip light and the heat is supplied by heat cable, which is connected to a pulse proportional thermostat. The thermostat and heat cable can be purchased from our available accessories page and is available in various lengths.

Chondros are solitary animals and should be housed individually, except for breeding trials. Cage temperatures are maintained at 85-86f at the hot end of the cage. The colder end and also the cage floor is approximately 82-83f which allows the female to chose her own heat preferences. I will feed my adult chondros approximately once every 10 days this will increase as the start of the breeding season draws near. I also manually spray the inside of each cage in the mornings, this allows humidity to build up and a slight condensation will appear on the inside of the glass. During the day the humidity will lower and the cage will start to dry out by early evening. This cycle should be repeated every day.

My neonates are removed from the hatching tub and put into individual containers. The containers measure approximately 10"x5". I also use plastic coat hangers which are cut to size and use cable ties to make a ticktack arrangement for the young hatchling to perch. I always leave a few millimeters of water in the bottom of the container which helps to maintain a high level of humidity. The picture below shows a typical hatching tub which I am currently using.

As you can see I also provide a small drinking bowl of fresh water, keeping the volume to a minimum to prevent drowning's which can occur if too much water is provided. A few ventilation holes are drilled 3/4 of the height of the hatchling tub. The lid of the hatchling tub is almost air tight. The individual hatchling tubs are then slid into one of my hatchling racks. One of the most important things to remember when dealing with neonates is to never allow the babies to dry out, their skins are very delicate and they also dehydrate very quickly if these conditions are not met. The temperature of the neonates is maintained at a steady 86f, slightly higher than adult chondros are kept. The heating of the hatchling rack is supplied by soil warming cable (heat cable) mounted on a thin piece of plywood on the back of the racking system which is connected to a pulse proportional thermostat.

Individual neonates can be maintained much easier by using the same idea, but in a much smaller scale.

I hope this helps by giving you a few ideas to house your own animals. You do not have to follow my exact method but just remember the principles and I'm sure you will create your own brilliant ideas. If you need any more detailed information please email me.

All picture content by myself unless otherwise stated.