is it crazy ? or will it work?

[elfbane]

i have a tank that is aprox. 2 1/2 wide and 3 1/2 tall as i understand it just falls short for a veiled and the poor guy can develop breathing complications but what if i constructed a free range area for him as well (haven't got him yet i need to sort this out first ) im just not into the pygmy's they kinda look like tiny potato's lol and my local pet store doesn't carry them

 

[Lazereth]

Brad said it best here, https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/free-range-read-me.48674/

 

[elfbane]

my tank its in the workings

 

[Lazereth]

my tank its in the workings

There just isn't enough air circulation, the bacteria and other issues is just to risky to use that setup IMO.

 

[Lazereth]

Could you remove one if the glass panels and put in a screen?

 

[savage13]

please don't... leave aquariums to fish not to tree dwelling chameleons...

 

[elfbane]

Could you remove one if the glass panels and put in a screen?

you know i just may be able too i didnt think of that also i have done free range but it was for a iguana who is liveing with my fèance i am going ro get a wire cage at the end of the year im just wondering would this be ok until i can get it? i cant bring this tank with me sadly and i will have to get a bigger cage because i cant do free range with the chem and i dont want to risk hector ( the iguana) getting ahold of him as hector sometimes free ranges

 

[brownie64]

It's not recommended, but if you are going to use it you will have to get circulation in it some how, or like @Lazereth said you will have issues. Good luck

 

[elfbane]

hmm perhaps a tiny fan on low angled to blow air down and up would work?

 

[elfbane]

i only need this to work until i can buy or build a cage so max half a year

 

[Lazereth]

hmm perhaps a tiny fan on low angled to blow air down and up would work?

Not really, you will be blowing out the heat and the chameleon probably won't like the constant wind.

 

[Lazereth]

Do you own the chameleon yet?

 

[brownie64]

hmm perhaps a tiny fan on low angled to blow air down and up would work?

If you were to use a fan I would use a real small fan like a computer fan, and I would have it sucking the air out rather than blowing it in. That way it wouldn't effect the heat gradient that much, but would still keep an eye on it. I think if you could get one of the sides off like @Lazereth said it would be preferable. Good luck,

If I were to do it I would find a way to pump air into the bottom of the enclosure. Back in the day I used an aquarium pump, and pumped air through a hose to the bottom.

 

[brownie64]

Look if you are truly going to only do this for six months even though I'm strongly against it, it should be okay. Back in the day before we new as much about them as we do today "with luck" I successfully kept chameleons in an aquarium without issue. However if you don't have the chameleon yet I strongly advise you wait until you have the proper enclosure. Why risk making your cham sick if you don't have too?

 

[Lathis]

Generally, if you can't afford the cage, I would say that you can't afford all the other supplies a chameleon needs. You should expect to spend a few hundred dollars getting everything set up before you even buy the animal. My grandpa always said "do it right or do it twice", and that definitely applies with chameleons. You're setting yourself up for a bad experience and maybe even failure if you start from a bad foundation. Chameleons have very particular needs and don't tolerate mistakes well.

Take your time, get all the correct supplies, read the care sheets here, and wait to get the cham until you have everything you need. Trust that the people here saying "don't do it" are giving you good advice.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/

 

[savage13]

Lol..I was not going to show my age back in the 1990 manufacturers screen cage is started hit in the market..Before that was Tank and a lot's of horror stories but most success were from individuals using larger tanks like 125 gallon...

Look if you are truly going to only do this for six months even though I'm strongly against it, it should be okay. Back in the day before we new as much about them as we do today "with luck" I successfully kept chameleons in an aquarium without issue. However if you don't have the chameleon yet I strongly advise you wait until you have the proper enclosure. Why risk making your cham sick if you don't have too?

 

[JLP474]

Look if you are truly going to only do this for six months even though I'm strongly against it, it should be okay. Back in the day before we new as much about them as we do today "with luck" I successfully kept chameleons in an aquarium without issue. However if you don't have the chameleon yet I strongly advise you wait until you have the proper enclosure. Why risk making your cham sick if you don't have too?

I concur. Lots of great advice in these posts...save up and do it right from the start. I'm in the process of getting everything set up properly, taking in a lot of the advice, asking questions, etc...I'm also going to have the enclosure up and running for a couple of weeks to make sure everything is balanced and stable(humidity, temps, etc) before actually getting a cham to put in.

 

[elfbane]

thank you for all the advice i think i may go the pygmy route until i can get a large cage or put my hubby to work building one lol i do think i want to build a custom cage is there a forum that can help? i have to drive the next town over to get pygs any transport tips?

 

[JGuinan007]

Why not cut the bottom out put in track ceiling screen in and set a small fan in the bottom to force air circulation and have a screened top it will like a big chimney drawing fresh air in from the bottom
Ps make sure fan can get wet since the bottom would most likely get wet from misting

 

[elfbane]

i cant realy do any big modifications to it sadly when i move out the tank is staying with my mom and i am redoing it to acomidate asian long tailed grass lizards cause they are her favorite