vavarium

Question
Hello, I am trying to do some research before buying and causing a disaster. I have built a Large Vivarium/terrarium (7 ft wide X 7ft high X 3 ft deep) there are shelves, a waterfall, large logs, a central stump mounted to the wall. The idea is to have a tropical forest/rainforest. I plan on putting several plants, looking for something with very colorful flowers if possible, or at least vibrant if not interesting leaves. I would also like to put in several creatures that could preferably share the area. A small lizard group with bright colors would be great (Geckos? Anoles? Chameleons?), maybe some frogs/amphibians, Insects? Tiny Bird? I am fishing for suggestions; I am willing to do the work and am quite creative in building habitats. Please, I am willing to entertain any suggestions; I often take a wild idea and maybe use a bit or two. Thank you for your time.  Jerry Farkas  

Answer
Let me revise my answer. What I meant is, that each of the animals you mentioned (and any others, too) require a very specific environment to live a good life. It is important that you perfectly understand these needs for the animals/plants that you choose, therefore you must first know about the animals. It may be good to start with selecting an environment, then looking at what kinds of animals can live together ... the easy way to do that is to select a region, then learn more about the region. Environments differ within even a small radius as well, so it can be a challenge.

Please understand that your question is incredibly general. It would not be possible for anyone to submit to you a listing of all of the husbandry requirements for the available candidates for a tropical rainforest setting. In almost all cases, I would recommend against this type of setup, without very careful and specific goals. It is one thing to say "I will recreate the lower scrublands of Madagascar", and another to choose animals by beauty or ease of care.

I would focus on one species, possibly Chameleons. They are beautiful and do well in captivity when properly cared for. I would not mix species of chameleons, and be mindful of the male/female ratio. Perhaps one of each would be a good start. Whichever chameleon species you choose, if you go this route, make sure to research it. Each species, again, has different needs, and it cannot be generalized by myself or anyone else without specific candidates.

Good luck with your project.

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I've done something similar in the past, and what I can offer up as the number one thing to keep in mind is that ANIMALS POOP, and you'll have to clean it up every day. How will you do this? When you open the door, will 10 small animals leap out? Will they get caught in the filtration system? A billion things can go wrong if this isn't thought of at every turn.

Chameleons would be great, but keep in mind that most species are territorial to some degree and you may end up with some fights here and there. Just make sure to research the hell out of anything you plan on putting in there.