False Widow (Steatoda nobilis)

[Chris Waring]

Hi
This spring summer I intend to give my Veiled Chameleon some time outside in the real sun placing him in a small bush in my UK garden. I understand that this is very benificial to him and he will even hunt within the confines of the bush. My concern is with the False Widow spider Steatoda nobilis. If he catches one of these will it bite him and will it affect him if he does get bitten. The False Widow is quite prevalent in our garden.

Thanks.
Chris.

 

[trickedoutbiker]

DEFF do not let him free roam outside in a place where he can be around those spiders. They do bite, and that is NOT GOOD!!! In my honest opinion, I'd not let him roam freely where/if he can eat ANY bugs that you aren't monitoring. Who KNOWS what he could eat. What if a poisonous caterpillar walked by? Or what if a diseased grasshopper lands in front of him, and he eats it, and inherits a parasite? Maybe a wasp or bumblebee decides that it wants to sting your chameleon.... Not good.

You should really only feed insects that you keep yourself, that way you are aware of the health of the insects and what they have been consuming. Allowing a chameleon to eat insects from the wild may be okay if you are very very careful and selective in what you allow him to have (and catch them yourself to give to him). There's just so many risks involved in leaving him outside where he can get any bug that decides to float on by...... I understand you want to allow him to soak in the sun and all.... Personally, I'd make a little free-range for him that is attached to a wall or ceiling, up in the air and away from the ground.

As for my chameleon.... I have a cage outside that has real and fake plants in it, and that is his outside cage. I can place him outside and he can run around on the plants, basking in real sun. But because he is caged in, no foreign insects can wander by and bite him, or become his meal without my knowing.

 

[Chris Waring]

I was planning on supervising him at all times to guard against bees wasps etc oh and cats seagulls. Your idea of an outside cage seems a good one and I can easily build one as you describe perhaps with slightly larger mesh to get plenty of sunlight and fresh air in.

Thanks Trickedoutbiker.

 

[trickedoutbiker]

Since I'm never going to leave my panther chameleon out all day (will only be once a week once summer gets here, for a few hours each weekend) Ima just use the smaller cage that I used for him when he was young - his juvenile cage. It isn't quite as big as his adult cage, but because it will only be for a few hours once every week, then it will work just fine. It's not a small baby chameleon cage, it's a juvenile cage. Saves me from having to build/buy another one. Perhaps one day, when I have the tools to make a really really nice outside enclosure, then I will build him a huge outside paradise. But for now, his smaller cage will suffice.