Free range & humidity

[PascalsMama]

How do you keep the humidity if you free range?

Have any of you kept your large chams in a huge bird cage? I am thinking I'd be able to work this better than putting her in a glass/screened cage.

I'm open to any and all thoughts! Thanks so much!

 

[lecham]

well i think it is a little challenge keeping humidity levels up when FR.. what i do is just constantly spray my cham .but mostly spray the leeves or plants..i alsp have this huge sponge thats like a cushion and well i get that wet and it throws off a lot of humidity..i set it up next to were he likes to chill most of the time
how big is ur birrd cage?

 

[jannb]

Use a cool mist humidifier to keep the humidity up. Sid, male panther has a BIG bird cage for his outside sun cage.

 

[splinter]

a fogger or mist machine, maybe???? Do you plan to keep the cage indoors?

 

[Carlton]

How do you keep the humidity if you free range?

Have any of you kept your large chams in a huge bird cage? I am thinking I'd be able to work this better than putting her in a glass/screened cage.

I'm open to any and all thoughts! Thanks so much!

An ultrasonic room humidifier focused on the free range area is probably your best bet. Cycle it on and off with a multiple setting lamp timer. Create a clump of forest with large potted plants or trees (even fakes help) and aim the humidifier right into it. Denser foliage will hold the moisture better. You could curtain the back and sides of the area off somewhat. I've used synthetic camo fabric with a branches/leaves pattern so it adds to the forest effect. There are some pretty realistic ones available through specialty fabric sources (search for hunting camo fabrics). I do this for my indoor bird aviary and it works great. The rest of the room will get some of the humidity...no way to avoid that, but if you put the free range in a smaller room with a door it will help.

A large bird cage can provide the basic structure for a cham cage, but the bars will probably be too wide to keep the cham in. Plus, your feeders will escape unless you keep them confined in a bin. You could get the bird cage and make a windowscreen cover for it too.

 

[PascalsMama]

Thanks!

Wow, didn't even think about the feeders. I could put them in a screened bin I guess and see if it works. The cage is 24 " wide X 24" deep x 50 " tall, although I am looking at a bigger one as well.

It would be indoors, in our bedroom, and it would be nice to increase the humidity in there for us too, it's dry in here!

Any other tips? Thanks so much!

 

[hallenhe]

Some chameleons will drink readily from an overhead dripper; if your will, that can provide the drinking water, and can be set to drip onto plants/moss and keep the humidity up with maybe less mess than a humidifier or mister, though you'll still want to give him a good misting at least once a day. I find I don't need to mist my guys more than once a day, and I free range in probably a similar climate to yours (Michigan for many years; now Nebraska), but that's going to depend on the cham. I mist for 5-10 minutes at a shot, and that keeps the surrounding leaves wet for half an hour or so.

 

[Carlton]

Some chameleons will drink readily from an overhead dripper; if your will, that can provide the drinking water, and can be set to drip onto plants/moss and keep the humidity up with maybe less mess than a humidifier or mister, though you'll still want to give him a good misting at least once a day. I find I don't need to mist my guys more than once a day, and I free range in probably a similar climate to yours (Michigan for many years; now Nebraska), but that's going to depend on the cham. I mist for 5-10 minutes at a shot, and that keeps the surrounding leaves wet for half an hour or so.

In summer a dripper and spraying might be enough, but in winter when you are heating the house a lot it might not keep the humidity high enough. You'll just have to experiment.