Tall Cloud-Forest Setup & Moving Water Drops

Horizontal Bark Branches + Dripping/Misted Water + 5%–6% Shade UVB!

Temperature & Humidity Zones

Two Ways That Work (100% Stocked Store Options)

Tank Style: Tall Front-Opening Glass Terrarium

Unlike true chameleons that need all-screen cages, False Chameleons need 70–85% humidity:

• Option A: Front-Opening Tall Glass Terrarium (Our Top Pick!): An 18"×18"×24" minimum (a taller 24"×18"×36" is better for full-grown adults) glass terrarium holds cloud-forest humidity in great while keeping fresh airflow.
• Option B: Live-Planted Bioactive Canopy Tank: Add Hydroballs drainage, Reptisoil, broad-leaf vines, and a cleanup crew of springtails plus one isopod kind that likes a humid tank. We'll help you pick an isopod kind that suits your tank's climate.

How They Drink (They Don't Understand Water Bowls!)

Huge Team Tip: in the wild, they only drink moving raindrops rolling down bark and leaves:

• Option A: Little Dripper + Hand Misting (2–3× a Day): Set a Zoo Med Little Dripper on the screen top to drip onto leaves, and mist gently right on their snout every morning until you see them drink!
• Option B: Partially Covered Screen Top (Holds Dew Longer): Cover 50% of the screen mesh with a clear liner so morning water droplets stay beaded on the leaves twice as long.

Canopy UVB & Gentle Basking Bulb

Because they're daytime tree-dwellers, they need both UV light and a warm top branch:

• Option A: 5.0 / 6% Shade T5 Linear UVB Tube: Set right across the top screen over their favorite horizontal cork branch. Follow the bulb label for distance and replacement.
• Option B: UVB Bar + Low-Wattage Daylight Basking Bulb: Gives them an 82–86°F sunny perch (on a thermostat) so babies can warm up their belly after eating.

The Soft-Bug, Roach & Snail Menu

Feed Gut-Loaded Roaches, Crickets & Hornworms + Cultured Snails (Dust with Calcium!)

• Babies (0–6m) (Feed Daily): Small Crickets, Small Dubia Roaches, Hornworms & Pea-Sized Snails: Mist first so they drink! Then offer a few small calcium-dusted bugs in an elevated magnetic ledge cup.
• Juveniles (Daily): Dubia Roaches, Crickets, Small Hornworms & Cultured Snails: Put roaches and grubs in a magnetic wall cup right next to their top branch so they can stalk at eye level.
• Adults (Every 1–2 Days): Dubia Roaches, Crickets, Hornworms & Snails: Offer bugs in a ledge cup near their top branch.

Staple Foods on Our Shelves:

• Dubia Roaches & Crickets: Our #1 daily staples—gut-load & dust with calcium!
• Juicy Hornworms & Grubs: Soft favorites they go crazy for
• Snails: Cultured or canned snails
• NEVER Feed Backyard Snails!: Wild yard snails carry rat lungworm & lawn poison!

Keeper Note: Elevated Magnetic Cup Trick: Cuban False Chameleons hunt in slow motion up in the branches and will ignore bugs hiding on the floor! Stick a Magnetic Acrylic Ledge Cup high up on the glass right next to their basking bark and drop Dubia roaches or worms inside.

Essential Keeper Rules & Pro Tips

• Horizontal Bark Perches: They sleep pressed flat against rough tree bark like a piece of lichen! Criss-cross the top half of the tank with horizontal cork branches as wide as their body.
• Hydration Comes First!: Dehydration is the #1 danger for babies. Mist right onto the leaves beside their face every morning until you actually watch them drink.
• Slow-Mo Stalkers: They hunt in total slow motion! Don't dump 20 fast crickets loose on the floor—put bugs in an elevated magnetic ledge cup or tong-feed right in front of their branch.
• Let Them Walk Onto You: Never grab them around the ribs from above (it scares them and hurts their ribs). Slide your fingers gently under their chin and let them step onto your hand like a branch!

Complete Store Setup Checklist

Tall Canopy Tank & Branches

• 18"×18"×24" (minimum) or taller 24"×18"×36" Glass Terrarium
• Lots of Rough Cork Bark Flats, Branches & Bendable Vines
• Reptisoil + Forest Floor Cypress + Sphagnum Moss
• Broad-Leaf Terrarium Vines & Plants

UVB, Basking & Misting Gear

• 5.0 / 6% Shade T5 HO Linear UVB Fixture & Bulb
• Low-Wattage Daylight Basking Bulb + Dome Fixture (on a thermostat)
• Zoo Med Little Dripper + Hand Pump Spray Mister
• Digital Thermometer & Hygrometer Gauge

Bugs, Ledge & Supplements

• Live Dubia Roaches, Crickets & Hornworms + Cultured/Canned Snails
• Elevated Magnetic Acrylic Feeder Ledge & Cups (keeps bugs at eye level!)
• Pure Reptile Calcium + Reptivite / Supervite & Vitamin A Plus

How We Keep Them at Critter Cabana & Gresham Pet Supply

• Beating Dry Oregon Furnace Air (and Summer Heat Spikes): Across the Willamette Valley and Portland Metro, running the house furnace all winter drops indoor humidity to 25–35%, which quickly causes stuck sheds and dehydration in screen-top tanks. To hold 70–85% RH reliably for Cuban False Chameleon, our crew uses 3–4" of damp coconut fiber, cypress mulch and sphagnum moss, mists 2–3 times a day, runs a dripper, and adds partial screen cover when needed.
• Thermostat & Linear UVB Standard: Every heating element in our Newberg and Gresham reptile rooms runs on a thermostat. For Cuban False Chameleons that means an 82°–86°F basking branch with a 72°–77°F cooler lower zone, plus a shade-strength linear UVB tube, with lights on a day/night timer. In summer, if an upstairs room climbs above 82°F, a dimming thermostat automatically backs down the basking lamp so the cool side never overheats.
• Shopping at Newberg & Gresham: For enclosures, thermostats, UVB lighting, bioactive supplies, springtails, isopods and feeders at Critter Cabana (Newberg) and Gresham Pet Supply, ask us what we have in store today.

Common Questions (FAQ)

What size tank does an adult Cuban False Chameleon actually need?

An adult Cuban False Chameleon needs at least an 18×18×24" vertical terrarium (a taller 24×18×36" is better) so you can keep an 82°–86°F basking branch up top and 72°–77°F lower down.

How do I keep Cuban False Chameleon humidity at 70–85% RH during dry Oregon winters?

Oregon winter furnace heat dries the air out fast. Keep 3–4 inches of coconut fiber, cypress mulch and sphagnum moss evenly damp, mist 2–3 times a day, run a dripper, and cover part of an open screen top if humidity drops too low.

What is the best bioactive clean-up crew for a Cuban False Chameleon?

Pair springtails with one isopod kind matched to your tank's humidity in a 3–5 inch bioactive soil and leaf-litter bed. We'll help you pick an isopod kind that suits your tank's climate, and pick one isopod kind per build. Our 1-Page or Tri-Fold Bioactive Substrate Recipe Guide covers the rest.

Where can I get Cuban False Chameleon setup supplies, live feeders, and thermostats in Oregon?

Ask us what we have in store today at Critter Cabana in Newberg (514 E First St, 503-537-2887) and Gresham Pet Supply (2185 NW Burnside Rd, 503-665-7606).