So after watching some videos and seeing some pictures, I've decided that I want to free-roam my panther sometime in the future. But before I completely make up my mind, I have some questions. How do you prepare a chameleon for free-roaming? What age should they be? What are the requirements/specifications? Also, what are some pros and cons of free-roaming versus staying in a cage?
Free-roaming Q's
- Thread starter LucasD
- Start date
camimom
New Member
you dont prepare the cham for anything lol.
i wouldnt do it beofre 6 months old, because then they are easier to find.
plants, lights, vines, and making sure they cant wander off... mostly.
pros- helps attitude, cool, more natural..
cons- have to cup feed, hand feed, tong feed. misting can be an issue. and he can wander off his plant and get somehwere else.
camimom
New Member
same as using a cage. just hang the lights over the plants.
and you can teach him to cup feed then attach a cup. or hold the cup for him while he eats.
camimom
New Member
water can get everywhere if you use an auto mister.
Solid Snake
Avid Member
I agree, the water is the main "issue".
You can see how I solved this here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WTefICWrPw&feature=g-upl&context=G20fb2f3AUAAAAAAACAA
I have absolutely no water on my carpet, or anything else.
The mist nozzle is pointed at the shefflera, it hits it, and drops straight down.
Alot of supervision is needed, at least at first IMO.
A closed off room as well. They wander, and you dont want to walk into your house and step on a chameleon.
I started free-ranging at 4 months, but I was also home to supervise him.
Another main con is dealing with weird looks from people, when they see you have a jungle in your house
I like it because it gives them more room as well
Good luck!
You can see how I solved this here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WTefICWrPw&feature=g-upl&context=G20fb2f3AUAAAAAAACAA
I have absolutely no water on my carpet, or anything else.
The mist nozzle is pointed at the shefflera, it hits it, and drops straight down.
Alot of supervision is needed, at least at first IMO.
A closed off room as well. They wander, and you dont want to walk into your house and step on a chameleon.
I started free-ranging at 4 months, but I was also home to supervise him.
Another main con is dealing with weird looks from people, when they see you have a jungle in your house
I like it because it gives them more room as well
Good luck!
Olimpia
Biologist & Ecologist
At one point I free ranged 6 chameleons in the same apartment, so it certainly can be done. It's not as daunting as it may sound!
- The youngest chameleon I started free ranging was a nice sized 3 month old panther, and he did great from the get-go. They don't really need to adapt to it slowly, you just move them over and they'll settle in within a couple days, like they would to a new cage.
- I don't think it's a matter of age, but a matter of size. Or not, depends how escape proof you make it. A fellow member, JannB, free ranged her baby veiled right out of the egg and since the free range was escape proof there were never any issues with her not finding the veiled.
- The big things to consider are: Escape proofing the free-range as much as possible, considering what to do with water, and cham-proofing the room a bit (just in case.)
- To escape-proof, I think the easiest thing to do is either (1) make the free range up on a table or something so the chameleon cannot climb down or (2) build a little fence around the perimeter of it. These animals can't climb smooth surfaces, so just 10" or so of something like plexi-glass around the free range, on the floor, should be enough to keep them in. Most chameleons will not leave their free range anyway if it has everything they need/want.
- The table thing also helps with drainage, I think. I've had my free ranges set up on custom-built tables that would funnel the water down and into a bucket, to drain later. So then I could run the mistking for a long time during the day and not get the carpet wet.
The lights you can hang from the ceiling, you can make plants taller by putting them on plant stands, and then feed by hand. I think that's all I can think of right now to consider. I had all 6 chameleons in the same apartment with a dog, and occasionally one would wander around the house, but it was never a problem. If you keep the house clutter-free it's pretty hard to miss a chameleon walking across the floor. They would go back to their free ranges too when they wanted to, at the end of the day.
A big plus in this is that they're more mentally stimulated if they can wander. Which I think can go a long way, health-wise.
- The youngest chameleon I started free ranging was a nice sized 3 month old panther, and he did great from the get-go. They don't really need to adapt to it slowly, you just move them over and they'll settle in within a couple days, like they would to a new cage.
- I don't think it's a matter of age, but a matter of size. Or not, depends how escape proof you make it. A fellow member, JannB, free ranged her baby veiled right out of the egg and since the free range was escape proof there were never any issues with her not finding the veiled.
- The big things to consider are: Escape proofing the free-range as much as possible, considering what to do with water, and cham-proofing the room a bit (just in case.)
- To escape-proof, I think the easiest thing to do is either (1) make the free range up on a table or something so the chameleon cannot climb down or (2) build a little fence around the perimeter of it. These animals can't climb smooth surfaces, so just 10" or so of something like plexi-glass around the free range, on the floor, should be enough to keep them in. Most chameleons will not leave their free range anyway if it has everything they need/want.
- The table thing also helps with drainage, I think. I've had my free ranges set up on custom-built tables that would funnel the water down and into a bucket, to drain later. So then I could run the mistking for a long time during the day and not get the carpet wet.
The lights you can hang from the ceiling, you can make plants taller by putting them on plant stands, and then feed by hand. I think that's all I can think of right now to consider. I had all 6 chameleons in the same apartment with a dog, and occasionally one would wander around the house, but it was never a problem. If you keep the house clutter-free it's pretty hard to miss a chameleon walking across the floor. They would go back to their free ranges too when they wanted to, at the end of the day.
A big plus in this is that they're more mentally stimulated if they can wander. Which I think can go a long way, health-wise.
