Hello, I'm new w/?

[Barb]

I am looking to get a sub adult veiled. I'm fairly new to chams but not to reptiles. I am wanting to FR.
Can I do it in an active room like a corner of the living room?
Can I do it with basically one fake 6 foot ficus tree?
How would I keep the humidity up?
Quick run down of my idea. The ficus tree with UVB and basking light above it. A feeder bottle attached to tree for feeding worms and a screened cage attached for feeding crickets. I will add other types of foliage vines to the tree. A plastic tote of some kind for tree to sit in to catch drainage, etc. I will have another plastic tote inside that, with a self made mister running up the tree and set on a timer.
Will he stay put? or most likely not?
Is a FR harder to maintain then a cage?
I live in Illinois. Warm to hot summers with fairly good humidity, but cold winters.
Sorry my first post is so long. I don't have a lot of time to get on this forum.
My other animals include, dog, cat, bird,Uro, 2-torts, 2-red eyed frogs, hermit crab, turtle, marine fish and pond koi
Thanks for any and all help you can give.
Barb
I forgot, I plan on attaching 2 or 3 live potted plants.

 

[Zen Reptiles]

Answers are in red

I am looking to get a sub adult veiled. I'm fairly new to chams but not to reptiles. I am wanting to FR.
Can I do it in an active room like a corner of the living room? Yes, but provide lots of leaves in the cage for him to hide behind. This will help him feel secure and safe.
Can I do it with basically one fake 6 foot ficus tree?Yes, but live plants increase the humidity which helps their sensitive eyes and also keeps them from 'drying out' too fast which can cause dehydration. Veileds are very hardy though, so as long as you are spraying consistently the lack of real plants will be okay.
How would I keep the humidity up?Live plants will keep it 50% at all times and spraying brings it up to 70-80%. Most of us use misting systems like the Mist King www.mistking.com there are others to choose from as well. An ultrasonic humidifier is a good idea too. The most basic method is to use a hand sprayer and spray 3-5 times a day until all the leaves have drops on them for him to drink from. Use distilled or Reverse Osmosis water.
Quick run down of my idea. The ficus tree with UVB and basking light above it. A feeder bottle attached to tree for feeding worms and a screened cage attached for feeding crickets. I will add other types of foliage vines to the tree. A plastic tote of some kind for tree to sit in to catch drainage, etc. I will have another plastic tote inside that, with a self made mister running up the tree and set on a timer. Just make sure the gaps between the totes aren't big or small enough for him to get stuck in if he falls in between them. Most chameleons don't take well to feeding from a bucket and prefer to catch their food as it climbs up the plants, cage, and vines.
Will he stay put? or most likely not? Depends how you have him set up. Males are more curious than females it seems, and tend to wander more especially during the summer. Chameleons tend to stick to a territory though and are likely to stay within their own territory for long periods of time.
Is a FR harder to maintain then a cage? I would do a search on the forum to get some ideas, there are lots of options and it depends what works for you.
I live in Illinois. Warm to hot summers with fairly good humidity, but cold winters. I use a space heater during the winter, you can also enclose the cage or FR with a shower curtain to keep humidity and heat in, and I upgrade my lights from 60watt in the summer to 75watt in the winter (I move them a little further away though)
Sorry my first post is so long. I don't have a lot of time to get on this forum.
My other animals include, dog, cat, bird,Uro, 2-torts, 2-red eyed frogs, hermit crab, turtle, marine fish and pond koi Cool! What kinda torts? I am on the hunt for an Indian Star. You got a good collection, I have a koi pond too, love them.
Thanks for any and all help you can give.
Barb
I forgot, I plan on attaching 2 or 3 live potted plants.

 

[absolutbill]

Just wondering - how will you keep your cham separated from your cat and your dog? That has the potential for a major disaster. Your cham WILL roam - a lot seem to like power cords, blinds, windows, and to hide behind a tv. I ask only because while I'd love to FR my guys I have 2 cats with claws, and a very playful boxer, so they are relegated to cages for now. I do take them out and carry them into another room and let them FR for a little while with the door shut.

Another idea is that if you have a spare room in your home you can use that as a permanate FR - your set-up sounds pretty good - and this way you can keep the door closed off from the cat and the dog. Just my 2 cents - we've had people on this forum who have had their cat attack their cham and it's not pretty.

 

[Barb]

Thanks so much for the help and suggestions. I have a leopard tort. Sorry, I posted that I have two, I actually have one, I counted the RES for some reason LOL. Have you joined the tortoiseforum.org? You should. A fantastic sight with great caring, giving and knowledgable members. That's the place for the correct care info.
AS for the cat and dog. The cat lives with the ability to get my Uro and leopard and has no interest. No interest in fact with the bird or crab when I let them out either. Funny too, he's a Bengal, but he is 15 1/2 and has reno failure But doing good He like chasing light beams instead. The dog, is never unattended in the house. She also could get to my Uro and leopard if she wanted, however, she is not left alone with them. She is caged when we are away or at night. Also, all my animals are trained to get along, no chasing or hassling each other, not even a touching sniff. Only from a distance. I do have a all soft screen cage I can use if needed.

Now, next question. If he won't eat out of the feeder bottle, the home made kind, with one side cut out, how would I feed him without getting bugs all over my house? I'm already dealing with crickets that got out of the frogs cage and invaded my torts home. I live in a building I own that has 3 apartments. The second floor, which is below me, already found some of my crickets. I can't let my building be taken over by bugs, or my apartment, my husband is very tolerant, but that will put him and me over the edge. I hate bugs
Could I put him in a cage for feeding only?
Thanks again. Very helpful.

 

[thephotoprincess]

I free range many chameleons. Mostly they are hand fed but they also eat out of cups/buckets on occasion. It's never been a problem and even my 7-week old babies and hand and cup feed as well as hunt.

 

[Barb]

Thanks. I will try it. If he won't eat out of jug, I will figure something else out. Keep fingers crossed though that he will. Sure would be easier, then putting in and out of a cage.