Cage setup location

[mythreetorts]

I am new to the forum but am a 16 year tortoise keeper ( I’ve housed, bred and maintained 8 different species in the northeast, not easy ).
I’ve always admired them but am now taking a serious interest in chameleons.



I am researching to get a juvenile veiled.
For the first few months I’d like to keep him in a 24”tall/24”wide/ 15” deep full screen cage, I know this won’t house him after 8 months or so. But my question is. This screened cage would be inset in the wall. Some ventilation around the cage but not like a free standing cage. Will this be a problem?
Also i was looking at a veiled due to cost but in winter the ambient house temp would be between 68-72 and I’m thinking a panther may be more suited to that ? Of coarse with basking heat and uvb. Thoughts?
Also wondering how the veiled’s would do with a daytime outside cage and a nighttime inside? Consistency seems to be important so I wasn’t sure about changing cages on nice days...?
Any help would be appreciated

 

[Goose502]

I don’t recomend starting with a small enclosure. It’s a waste of money. Just start with the one you want to keep him in for life. I would be more concerned with the humidity ruining your walls, not so much ventilation. Also, remember your lighting needs ample space to vent heat, if it’s a tight fit on your inset wall, it’s a fire hazard. Moving indoors at night won’t cause much stress if any, and the benefit of outdoor sunlight far exceeds any potential stress of moving in and out. As far as your temps, veileds are slightly more tolerant of night time temp drops. At those temps though, either species would be fine.

 

[jamest0o0]

Completely agree with above^

One thing to add, I really feel like consistency is not ideal. Within reason. Nowhere in nature is the temperature the exact same day after day. Outside time is great. Reptiles need night drops as well, it's a myth a lot of us get in our heads that they just love heat constantly. At night they should feel almost cold to touch, this is normal.

What I do is just aim for ranges rather than a set temperature/humidity. In the winter things get cooler and slightly dryer, while in the summer it's more humid and hot. This makes much more sense to me than just always having a basking spot of say 90 degrees and an ambient of 75.

 

[JoshD49]

I was considering putting my cham cage in the garage because my wife is scared of reptiles and I am also worried about the bugs getting out of the cage and don't want them in the house. I was concerned about temperature being an issue but like others have said the only thing I was worried about was night time but that seems to not be an issue since they like cold at night and since I am in southern CA I don't think it would get cold enough to be a real issue.

Where are you located? There are plenty of people on here that would know better but from what I have been reading it seems like night time temps are not an issue.