It is an ecosystem that includes living organisms that all work together to provide your reptile with a habitat most similar to what they would experience in the wild. It is a great option for anyone who is looking to step up their care or take on an additional challenge. If you are new to keeping reptiles and/or chameleons I would advise mastering the other elements of chameleon care (UVB, supplements, humidity, etc.) before trying to make the enclosure bioactive. It’s something you can always do later on.

Bioactive enclosures are less maintenance since any poop, shed, dead leaves, etc. will be eaten and broken down by the clean up crew. They are also as close to a chameleon’s natural habitat as we can get in captivity. Bioactive enclosures can also help raise the humidity levels which can be a pro or a con depending on where you live.

A lot of keepers use PVC/hybrid or glass enclosures for their bioactive setups. These materials can make it easier to hold in the substrate and regulate the temperatures and humidity in challenging environments. PVC/hybrid or glass enclosures are more expensive than screen enclosures so I decided to convert an XL Reptibreeze screen enclosure into a bioactive enclosure so that people who are balling on a budget or live somewhere where they can achieve the required temps and humidity.

Bioactive enclosures include substrate, live plants, and a clean up crew. A naturalistic enclosure can have substrate, live plants, fake plants, and no clean up crew. The presence of live plants and substrate does not make an enclosure bioactive. It has to also have a clean up crew (isopods & springtails).

If you decide to use the enclosure itself to hold the substrate, make sure it is waterproofed. Either with waterpoof silicone or by using something like a pond liner (that’s what I used for my screen enclosure) to ensure no water or substrate will leak out. You could also use a tree pouch, tub, or whatever great idea you can come up with! Just be sure you can handle all of the water.

Some substrates will require a drainage layer to handle all of the water within the enclosure. Terra Firma is what I use and it does not require a drainage layer as long as your substrate is at least 6” deep. Other bioactive substrates will require a layer of hydroballs followed by a layer of mesh/window screen before putting in the soil.

Leaf litter is safe dried leaves that give the isopods and springtails something to snack on.

Being able to plant your live plants directly in the bioactive soil is one of the biggest perks so you don’t have the look of the bulky pots at the bottom of your enclosure. Just be mindful about what different light and water requirements each plant has and put them in the appropriate area in your enclosure. If you are looking for ideas on what plants to use please check out my safe plant list!

The last big piece of a bioactive enclosure is the clean up crew! Dwarf White isopods are my personal recommendation to use since they are small enough your chameleon won’t be interested in them and they do well in humid environments. Make sure you also get some springtails to help keep your soil nice and healthy and clean!

There’s a few different ones you can use but they help jump start your substrate and keep it healthy.

With all of the live plants and live clean up crew it is essential that you are watering your bioactive enclosure on a regular basis. This can be done by hand but I highly recommend the MistKing misting system to anyone looking to automate. Last but not least, it is normal and expected for your humidity levels to skyrocket once you add in the new substrate. Give the enclosure 1-2 weeks to dry out and have the humidity levels come down to a normal level. If your levels are still too high after doing that then you may need to adjust your misting schedule, etc.