4 hour sun exposure..still need uvb?

[yong]

I am planning to put my chameleons in an outdoor cage. i have a few question i hope the members can clarify .. note that i live in a tropical country. ..

1. if they are put ouside with exposure to sun ..even perhaps al day, do i still need the uvb/a lights?

2. if the area is 4ft x 6ft x 7ft, can i put 2 chameleons inside? both female, veil and senegal. provided i have a lot of folliage of course.

3. tthey are a bit young .. senegal at about 6cm and veil at about 5cm, is it advisable to put them in the big cage?

4. the cage is next to some parrots which are noisy, and distracting.. will they get used to it .. ir ge stressed?

5. they are now placed in a sperate cage .. one placed inside th apatio while the other one exposed to the sun daily (because of position).. it seems that puting them outdoor accelerates the growth .. theres a lot of difference ....just a thought. .

any advise? highly appreciate it.

 

[KarmaChameleon1337]

I would not put them together. Also chameleons don't exactly hear, but they can feel the vibrations. I'd create a vision barrier.

 

[carol5208]

Well hello and welcome. You will not need a uvb light if you can give them 4 hours a day plus of natural uvb. A uvb light can never compare to natural uvb. It is not ever recommended to put them in the same cage, unless they are babies. By about 3 months or they should be seperated . On rare occasions two in a cage can get along, but that is rare. Unfortunately, putting them together may seem ok but chameleons are masters at masking illness often until it is too late. As far as the cage size, the bigger the better, but you want them to be able to find their food and that is usually the concern for putting small chameleons in large cages as feeders tend to hide. You can eliminate that problem by cup feeding. Chameleons really cannot hear, so the noise of the parrots should not be an issue; however, the sight of the parrot might be. Every chameleon is different as far as what will stress them out. My chameleons are not bothered by my bird. Yours might be. Alls you can do is try and see how they react. Being young they may view the parrot as a predator.

 

[chameleoman]

idk about the uvb but if the cage was bigger im pretty sure you can house both together but it has to be pretty big and lots of folliage. i remember reading that some one housed 2 veileds together, male and female the cage was a big walk in and the chams were adults

 

[yong]

ok .. i think i ge tthe idea ... i had a precvious post of my veil not eating .. then i took the senegal away ,.. she started eating after a few days .... im sure i have the answer but, jsut the fact that i wonder if the area is bigger would they get a long . thanks for the immediate feedback though .. i guess the best is seperating the cage via a divider and create two doors. .... i was having 2 option . first was to buy two vivariums (L) and heavily interior design it, which is more of My liking .. a bit selfish here .. but i guess the best for the chameleons would be putting them outdoors. .. i guess i will have to go with the outdoor bit .. it would not be as nice .. but i bet chams will be happier outside rathar thn a nice viv inside. right?

 

[carol5208]

I agree, my chameleons are always the most colorful and happiest outside. Why put them under fake UVB when you can have the real thing? The big cage with a divider sounds like a plan to me!!!

 

[mirrinias]

Mind if I jump in with a question/concern? I took my little guy outside, and I think it stressed him out. I have a birdcage for him to be in when he's outside (ONLY with my supervision), and he just kept trying to get out to get in the tree, and he was getting stressed out with me carrying him to the cage so we didn't get very far into the "yard". I live in a condo grouping so I wanted to take him back where it was quieter.

Do you think I should keep trying to take him outside? Have your chameleons ever gotten stressed like that?

 

[yong]

hmmm .. funny enouhg my case it totaly opposite. ..my two chams are eager to come out. everytime i had the doors open they would lunge straight at my arms and try to get out ...

 

[carol5208]

yes, I would keep trying to take him outside. It is very beneficial for him. Maybe he is seeing something outside that is threatening to him like a bird or something. You say you have him in a bird cage. Do you have lots of plants in there for him to hide or are you exposing him to everything where he cannot feel safe? Also, make sure you always provide shade and water and do not leave unattended for long periods of time if you are not going to be home unless you know your cage is 100% predator proof.

 

[Lathelia]

Mind if I jump in with a question/concern? I took my little guy outside, and I think it stressed him out. I have a birdcage for him to be in when he's outside (ONLY with my supervision), and he just kept trying to get out to get in the tree, and he was getting stressed out with me carrying him to the cage so we didn't get very far into the "yard". I live in a condo grouping so I wanted to take him back where it was quieter.

Do you think I should keep trying to take him outside? Have your chameleons ever gotten stressed like that?

My girl was like that at the begining. I was taking are out once a couple of days and now she enjoys it! Give you boy couple of days and try again. Also, they don't like to be in an open space, cause they don't feel save. Just my observation

 

[mirrinias]

yes, I would keep trying to take him outside. It is very beneficial for him. Maybe he is seeing something outside that is threatening to him like a bird or something. You say you have him in a bird cage. Do you have lots of plants in there for him to hide or are you exposing him to everything where he cannot feel safe? Also, make sure you always provide shade and water and do not leave unattended for long periods of time if you are not going to be home unless you know your cage is 100% predator proof.

Oh yeah, he'd NEVER be out there in the bird cage without me right there keeping an eye on him! We have way too many birds of prey and cats. I live right next to a small wetland patch -- even one of our Stellar's Jays could eat him. I'll DEFINITELY add more plants. I have an idea of a better, quieter place I can take him next time. I'll keep trying, thanks.