Is it too soon to put my Jackson's outside?

[Lovereps]

I have not yet had him for a week and wonder if it's better to just let him settle-in to his indoor habitat for a while longer--or if it would be beneficial to put him outside in a smaller screen cage (30"H x18"W x24"D), with a small ficus and constant drip, with a partial cover on top of the cage to create some shade.
I'm in NY and the temp is expected to reach 80 max. and the humidity is around 65% to 75% --- which seems like nice Jackson's chameleon weather
Would he be better off being placed in a shaded area of my yard or is the cage all right in direct sunlight?
I would want to bring him outdoors for at least a few hours and then back indoors in the evening.

 

[darkfader]

I would wait a few more days if not a week. If you are providing him with proper uvb lighting in door he will be ok. You want to make sure he has enough shade in his cage. He will come out when he wants sun I hope that makes sense.

 

[xanthoman]

i'm a big fan of getting chams natural sunlight at every available opportunity, if you can get him out of his current cage without stressing him out to bad (by getting him to step on to a piece of branch rather than just grabbing him), i see no reason not to stick outside while you can , aside from the physical benefit ,it provides a general feeling of well being ,which could help him acclimate better, remember ,weather report temps are ambient air temps in the shade,and actual temps could be significantly higher in the sun , so just keep an eye on temps and critters.

 

[Lovereps]

Interesting

Basically, each post echoes what I've been mulling over before posting.
The less handling and fewer changes during acclimation, the better, but....
from (long ago) past experience, I'm sure that natural sunlight offers psychological, as well as physical, benefits to the chameleons--like xanthoman states.
There are typically only be a few more weeks this year when temps in my area will be suitable for outdoor chameleon basking