? for those that have chams outside 24/7

[draetish]

I would like to build a "Chameleon Hut" for summertime when I can leave them out 24/7. My main concern is not waking up every hour at night and checking on them or worrying about them when I'm at work. For those of you that do keep them outside 24/7, what type of safeguards do you have and what should I worry about?

 

[atsutane]

hello fellow texan, (el paso :$)

im sure you know all the basics such as make sure they have a spot out of the sun, no one wants a roasted chameleon,
that they have plenty of foliage to keep them happy, a cage serves two purposes, to keep your creature in, and things you dont want in, out.

in dallas weather id say a place on a covered porch, or some other shelter from extreme wind and sun would be a good option.

might want to look into creating a mister to give him a place to cool off if the heat does get to him. using pvc and some mist heads along with a basic sprinkler system, can be found at lowes, homedepot etc. a weekend DIY but i believe it would be cheaper than buying a mist king of comparable size

just throwin out ideas

some links you might want to check out

https://www.chameleonforums.com/home-depot-chameleon-cage-8/

http://www.chameleonparadise.com/?page=care&title=2x2x4 DIY Cage

last link takes a bit to load, and id sugest dipping the ends of the cut pieces in the wood sealer, good wood working practice and all, longjevity of your build etc etc etc.

please share with what you decide on and provide pics, i did a diy indoor cage made out of aluminum window screen materials... its a so so job

 

[Lancecham]

In addition to the above post, you have to think about what type of wildlife there is in your area. You will have to safeguard the chams against this.

A mister will be a necessity as I know it gets warm in the summertime. Also, I am not sure how cold it gets in the winter time.
So it would depend on the type of cham you have to determine if this is a good idea at all.

 

[draetish]

I have a big shade tree in the back that blocks the hot afternoon sun, so they would get the benefit of full morning sun and partial sun in the afternoon. I would definetely have a misting system set up as well as drippers and yes, lots of foilage. You got me to thinking though, about those afternoon thunderstorms and high winds that sneak up. I'll have to give them a little cubby area to retreat to if it gets too bad.

 

[draetish]

In addition to the above post, you have to think about what type of wildlife there is in your area. You will have to safeguard the chams against this.

A mister will be a necessity as I know it gets warm in the summertime. Also, I am not sure how cold it gets in the winter time.
So it would depend on the type of cham you have to determine if this is a good idea at all.

This would only be from June to Sept and with a close eye on the weather. I live in a suburb with normal neighbor pets. I have a veiled and panther. No way would I even consider it any other time of the year. They would always have their indoor set up available too.

 

[Lancecham]

Just keep a close eye on the temperature. I am sure temps can easily get over a 100 in the shade in the summertime. Mistings will keep the temps down, but prolonged excessive amounts of mistings can lead to resipatory problems in veileds as it can be too much humidity for them to handle.

 

[draetish]

Just keep a close eye on the temperature. I am sure temps can easily get over a 100 in the shade in the summertime. Mistings will keep the temps down, but prolonged excessive amounts of mistings can lead to resipatory problems in veileds as it can be too much humidity for them to handle.

Great, this is the type of advice I'm looking for.

 

[slowfoot]

For my outdoor panther cage, I ended up going with a double-sided 'screen' for more protection. We have a lot of raccoons, cats, and foxes in my neighborhood and I didn't want to risk losing my guy.

Basically, we stapled metal hardware cloth to the outside of the wooden cage frame for protection. On the inside, we used soft, plastic 'garden screen' - not sure exactly what it's called, but it's green and we bought it at Lowe's. This way, the cham's feet don't come in contact with the outside.

We also anchored the wooden cage frame on top of buried concrete block for added protection against things that dig.

Anyway, he was fine last summer in this set-up. Temps get pretty hot in Northern Florida, but the cage is partially shaded all day and our cham basked pretty much non stop.

 

[graydon]

My panther thrived outside here in tampa bay. Sadly I had to move him inside because we had record low's of 20 degrees. Keep him in the shade all day. Even one hour of direct sunlight can cook these guys without proper water. The temps where I live were nearly identical to Ambilobe.

@slowfoot. Thats a great idea for extra protection

 

[boj3434]

I just suggest using good strong screen and making sure that it is secure all the way around the cage, so there arent any holes for things to get in or out. You might want to try using a big and small screen combo if you want to be really safe.