Indoor/Outdoor Chameleon Enclosures

CBee7726

Avid Member
Hi All,

This isn't something that I'll be doing in the near future, just more of a curiosity regarding how creative I can get with a DIY enclosure. I've read that people who live in areas like Hawaii often keep outdoor enclosures for their chams, and I've read that natural sunlight and humidity is good for them.

Has anyone built an indoor/outdoor enclosure (such as off a window) so that their cham can go in and out as they please? The summer where I live is warm/humid and I would close this off during the winter to block cold air/drafts.

Another option I was thinking: does anyone keep their chams in greenhouses? A greenhouse can be pretty well temp/humidity controlled year round and in theory could provide them with more space and plant options.

Thanks!
 
I was wanting to do this a while back, but not a possibility at my new house. I believe @Twitchet did this for her Parsons, but I haven't seen her on the forums in a while. @snitz427 has a greenhouse i know, but she doesn't keep them their full time. I bet she could share some info on that. I *think* @Garrett @Motherlode Chameleon keep their chameleons in greenhouses full time, correct me if I'm wrong.
 
Ive found it too difficult to manage temp swings in my small greenhouse, and so I only take the chams out there on ideal days in fall, winter, and spring. Even still, Im right there the whole time.

I do plan on sizing up, which will make it easier to manage temps, but they can still swing wildly. I plan to add a swamp cooler setup and a whole lot of pressure activated vents, because if the fan or pump goes up on the swamp cooler setup, temps can sky rocket.

I have like 90% shade cloth up, plus insulation on sun facing walls... and my little greenhouse still runs about 20 degrees hotter than outside temps. Thats with the door and roof vents open (about 1/4th of the greenhouse’s size. Its been 90 degrees this week, and my greenhouse has been around 105-110. The good news is my grasshoppers love it! Without shade cloth and in direct sun, I think my greenhouse would be more like 140 degrees. Seriously.

Then the flip side is heating in the winter. We average around 30 degrees over winter, dropping down to the teens. Keeping it warm was challenging and expensive last winter... and my humidity was super low which didnt help my plants!

I think with good planning and some redundancy built in, greenhouse temps can be more managable... but I’d be a nervous wreck about leaving my animals in there 24/7. All it takes is something to fail... and you have either an oven or a freezer in minutes! Oh and not to mention predator proofing. Had a rat get in the GH and chew through my hawkmoth cage last week. :mad:

I think @Kaizen has a GH too.
 
That being said… I have seen the same exact greenhouse that I have the converted into an outdoor aviary. It is built with very heavy duty screen material on all walls. So the oven factor is no longer a problem. Obviously it’s still only good for Fairweather… But I thought it was pretty nice. It looks like they’re sold as prepackaged aviary kids.
 
Ive found it too difficult to manage temp swings in my small greenhouse, and so I only take the chams out there on ideal days in fall, winter, and spring. Even still, Im right there the whole time.

I do plan on sizing up, which will make it easier to manage temps, but they can still swing wildly. I plan to add a swamp cooler setup and a whole lot of pressure activated vents, because if the fan or pump goes up on the swamp cooler setup, temps can sky rocket.

I have like 90% shade cloth up, plus insulation on sun facing walls... and my little greenhouse still runs about 20 degrees hotter than outside temps. Thats with the door and roof vents open (about 1/4th of the greenhouse’s size. Its been 90 degrees this week, and my greenhouse has been around 105-110. The good news is my grasshoppers love it! Without shade cloth and in direct sun, I think my greenhouse would be more like 140 degrees. Seriously.

Then the flip side is heating in the winter. We average around 30 degrees over winter, dropping down to the teens. Keeping it warm was challenging and expensive last winter... and my humidity was super low which didnt help my plants!

I think with good planning and some redundancy built in, greenhouse temps can be more managable... but I’d be a nervous wreck about leaving my animals in there 24/7. All it takes is something to fail... and you have either an oven or a freezer in minutes! Oh and not to mention predator proofing. Had a rat get in the GH and chew through my hawkmoth cage last week. :mad:

I think @Kaizen has a GH too.

Wow this is really helpful, and enough to scare me away from trying it anytime soon! I guess it sounds like a neat idea in theory, but a lot of work and risk in practice and ultimately might not be worth it. Like you said, I'd hate to have something fail on either a really hot or really cold day and wind up hurting my little guy ☹

Good to know about the grasshoppers though, at minimum it sounds like a great spot to maintain my feeder colonies ?

Maybe someday it'll just be a little field trip for him on a nice day. Are most fruiting trees/ veggies safe for him to climb on, like a lemon or orange tree? If the plants I'd have in there are not all cham safe anyways that is certainly a good reason not to put him there.
 
Wow this is really helpful, and enough to scare me away from trying it anytime soon! I guess it sounds like a neat idea in theory, but a lot of work and risk in practice and ultimately might not be worth it. Like you said, I'd hate to have something fail on either a really hot or really cold day and wind up hurting my little guy ☹

Good to know about the grasshoppers though, at minimum it sounds like a great spot to maintain my feeder colonies ?

Maybe someday it'll just be a little field trip for him on a nice day. Are most fruiting trees/ veggies safe for him to climb on, like a lemon or orange tree? If the plants I'd have in there are not all cham safe anyways that is certainly a good reason not to put him there.

Unfortunately fruit trees have varying issues. Citrus trees can have major thorns (at least mine do), and pear, apple, peach, nectarine, and cherry trees are all toxic - with their leaves, seeds (and I think bark) containing cyanide.

The greenhouses are awesome when you get them dialed in - but as you said - I think its a lot of work, and trial and error to get there. They are cool cham vacation homes though!
 
Unfortunately fruit trees have varying issues. Citrus trees can have major thorns (at least mine do), and pear, apple, peach, nectarine, and cherry trees are all toxic - with their leaves, seeds (and I think bark) containing cyanide.

The greenhouses are awesome when you get them dialed in - but as you said - I think its a lot of work, and trial and error to get there. They are cool cham vacation homes though!

Good point about cyanide, that's the reason I remove seeds before making my gut load, just to err on the side of caution.
 
Has anyone built an indoor/outdoor enclosure (such as off a window) so that their cham can go in and out as they please? The summer where I live is warm/humid and I would close this off during the winter to block cold air/drafts.
Thats a cool idea. I have seen similar ideas for cats. I really like the concept though!
 
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