How much free range is too much free range

annefirth12

Established Member
As some of you might know, my chameleon Rosie is currently in a quarantine cage for coccidia treatment. The cage is unfortunately less densely planted than before, and I don't think she likes it at all. We let her out on our big avocado tree one time, and she turned a relaxed green that we haven't seen her turn at all inside her cage. Since then, we've been letting her out on the tree after she's pooped every day for a couple hours when we can supervise her, but I'm worried that the temperature and UVB will be a problem since the ambient temperature of the house is about 68 and while she is right by a big window, she's definitely getting less UVB than in her cage (I finally got my t5 HO 5.0 UVB bulb!).

So my question is, then - how much time on her tree is too much? Getting her off the tree is a pain in the ass and she hates it, and she then spends the next few hours screen walking once in her enclosure (she never did before we let her free range a bit), and she's already getting handled once every three days for injections so she's extra pissy about hands right now. Does anybody have any suggestions about how to make getting her back in the cage easier for her? or for making her quarantine cage more comfortable? Once she's cleared I'm going to be putting her in the Dragonstrand Tall and maybe also building an outdoor cage for the summer.

spot the chameleon lol
 

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Window glass cancels out UVB so she's actually getting 0 UVB by hanging out by the window. I personally wouldn't free range her more than 1-2 hours a day. When I put my chams back in their enclosures, I will pick up the tree they are on (I have a fake one from Home Goods) and will tilt the top of it to be inside their enclosure. After a few minutes they will usually crawl back into their enclosures.
 
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Window glass cancels out UVB so she's actually getting 0 UVB by hanging out by the window. I personally wouldn't free range her more than 1-2 hours a day. When I put my chams back in their enclosures, I will pick up the tree they are on (I have a fake one from Home Goods) and will tilt the top of it to be inside their enclosure. After a few minutes then will usually crawl back into their enclosures.
Alright, I'll try and keep it down! unfortunately the tree she's on is definitely too big and heavy to tilt the top like you suggested.
 
Food is always a good motivator and may help to make it easier to get her back in her enclosure. Luring her closer with a tasty treat might work. Sometimes though, we just have to do what we have to do whether they like it or not.
 
Food is always a good motivator and may help to make it easier to get her back in her enclosure. Luring her closer with a tasty treat might work. Sometimes though, we just have to do what we have to do whether they like it or not.
food has been less and less effective recently as she's figured out that when we lure food out we're trying to get her out to do something she doesn't like (e.g., getting an antibiotic injection lmao)
 
I know the coccidia quarantine cage sucks but it'll be over soon. If it's too much trouble to free range now, don't - unless it makes giving medicine easier for you.

Alternatively have one person in your home be the medicine giver and another person the free range handler. My chameleon loves my boyfriend and will go to him no problem. He hates me. :) Except when I'm bringing him treats, and he's safe in his cage high above me.
 
Unfortunately you have now shown her that there is a better spot that she prefers. Best bet while dealing with the coccidia is leaving her inside the cage. It is going to stress her out taking her out somewhere she wants to be and then putting her back in the cage. I would go to the craft store and buy the fake ivy vines... Hang these all along the outside of the cage. So when she is inside she feels like she is in plants. Yes, it is still not the same but at least it will give her a false sense of being in plants.

Right now limiting stress is needed. Coccidia will reproduce rapidly in a stressed body. With what she is already dealing with I would limit any other exposure to outside stimuli including you.

Be cautious with the avocado tree. The leaves can be toxic to dogs and cats causing diarrhea and vomiting. There is a chance it could effect her if she eats them.
 
Just a thought...but if she's in a free range while you're trying to get rid of coccidia, how are you going to keep the coccidia from being transferred to the free range? Aren't you going to have to sterilize the free range too? Isn't it likely that the coccidia will be transferred to the free range and she will be reinfected?
 
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