Keeping Chameleon outside.

[astroprojector]

Is it safe to keep the chameleon outside during the warm months. I live in Los Angeles and starting around March and through October/November it is pretty warm. I would like to keep my 18x18x36 cage outside. This way the cham can get sunlight, fresh air and I could set the kingmist to mist every hour. It would eliminate the basking and UVB lights.

My questions would be:

1. What are the temperature ranges Jackson can tolerate? I have read anywhere between 65 to 85 degrees.
2. How Much sunlight should the cage get? Should be in sunlight most of the day?
3. If you live in LA and keep your cham outside how do you do it?

 

[boj3434]

If you do just make sure to have enough foliage for your chameleon to get in the shade if it does get to hot but chameleons really benefit from natural sunlight

 

[Texas Panther Man]

You will want the cage to catch morning sun. Panthers and veileds can handle much warmer temps than jacksons can. So make sure you use your degital therm to monitor the temps at different times during the day to make sure all is ok. It should be partially shaded for the hottest times in the afternoon. Jmo, but i would keep mine outside til summer and June-Aug put him back in the house. I had outside and inside cages set up though. Also you will need a cage with a lock. Because people will steal your cham. You have elec co people checking power meters, cable men etc... They see your cham and he's gone. I kept mine outside on weekends when I could be home most of the time. Good luck. They really thrive when given time outside.

 

[astroprojector]

My backyard is locked all the time, so I am not worried about it being stolen. Do you keep the UVB light?

"You will want the cage to catch morning sun."

I get the sun in my backyard from about 10am. Is that good enough?

 

[Texas Panther Man]

You want him to catch direct sun from dawn til about 11-12. By noon its getting pretty warm especially for a jackson. I would just begin looking at the way the sun rises and find the appropriate spots. Then bring a temp gage out there and set it up to take sample temps. Helps if you have aan extra cage. Above all make sure hes getting misted alot thrughout the day. I lost a fem jackson that was gravid in less than 2 hrs. And yes she was in a screen cage that was heavily planted with real plants. She overheated and i felt horrible. I learned quickly that just because panthers and veileds can handle direct texas sun w no worries jacksons cannot. Good luck.

 

[graydon]

You want him to catch direct sun from dawn til about 11-12. By noon its getting pretty warm especially for a jackson. I would just begin looking at the way the sun rises and find the appropriate spots. Then bring a temp gage out there and set it up to take sample temps. Helps if you have aan extra cage. Above all make sure hes getting misted alot thrughout the day. I lost a fem jackson that was gravid in less than 2 hrs. And yes she was in a screen cage that was heavily planted with real plants. She overheated and i felt horrible. I learned quickly that just because panthers and veileds can handle direct texas sun w no worries jacksons cannot. Good luck.

5 hours of direct sunlight on a jackson could easily overheat the cham. You would need to be watering every hour for 2-3 min at least.

I had a juvenile panther in the hot Florida weather during the summer and he did really well. The temps were near identical to Ambilobe. I only had my cham exposed to maybe 2 hours of direct sunlight and thats when the sun was setting. The cage was also underneath some of the roofing on the house and underneath a very dense tree canopy so very little sunlight got through. I still had to water at least 4 times a day for 3 min and had a dripper going for 12 hours.

 

[astroprojector]

5 hours of direct sunlight on a jackson could easily overheat the cham. You would need to be watering every hour for 2-3 min at least.

I had a juvenile panther in the hot Florida weather during the summer and he did really well. The temps were near identical to Ambilobe. I only had my cham exposed to maybe 2 hours of direct sunlight and thats when the sun was setting. The cage was also underneath some of the roofing on the house and underneath a very dense tree canopy so very little sunlight got through. I still had to water at least 4 times a day for 3 min and had a dripper going for 12 hours.

The watering will not be an issue. I will set the Mistking to mist every hour for 5 min. I can also set the cage under the roof of the patio or in the mostly shaded area. I can leave the UVB light just kn case there is not enough sun.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

I was giving very basic directions. As I said in my post he needs to pick out the best spots in his yard and take temps from those spots throughout the day. That gives someone the best idea for where to place the cage.

 

[graydon]

The watering will not be an issue. I will set the Mistking to mist every hour for 5 min. I can also set the cage under the roof of the patio or in the mostly shaded area. I can leave the UVB light just kn case there is not enough sun.

I would definitely make sure he is under some sort of shade. You wont need uvb, your cham will get plenty uvb exposure as long as he is outside. You will be fine as long as the cham has shade and water.

 

[astroprojector]

Does he needs to get the direct sunlight or even if he is not in the direct sunlight he will get enough UVB? Because I have the perfect spot for him. The area is in the open, but it does not get any sunlight.

The area I am talking is indicated by the red arrow in the attached image. You can also see the way I get the light in the back yard. On the left of the image you can see the orange tree. I can place the cage by the tree also. This way the cage will get some sun.

 

[graydon]

I would try and incorporate some sunlight for basking during the day.

 

[Chameleonator]

Get plants that has plenty of foliage and be planted in a big pot with lots of soil. This will allow the chameleon better ranges to thermo-regulate and the soil will hold better humidity. I would set up the misting system with two nozzles. One on top and one closer to the soil. Switch out the timer with a thermostat switch. A timer works fine in an indoor setting were the temps are constant, a thermostat is better for regulating the temp outdoors. Just make sure you put the temp probe in a cooler spot in the cage. Otherwise if you were to put it at the hottest spot, your mister will be on more often and will not allow evaporation and just keep your cage soaked. Just make sure there is shaded areas in the cage (cool spots) for the chameleon to go into when exposing to direct sunlight.
Another thing is the closer you are to the coast, the better off you will be to keeping them outdoors.

 

[czer]

The area I am talking is indicated by the red arrow in the attached image. You can also see the way I get the light in the back yard. On the left of the image you can see the orange tree. I can place the cage by the tree also. This way the cage will get some sun.[/QUOTE]


that looks like a good spot, i see some shade.

 

[graydon]

Does he needs to get the direct sunlight or even if he is not in the direct sunlight he will get enough UVB? Because I have the perfect spot for him. The area is in the open, but it does not get any sunlight.

The area I am talking is indicated by the red arrow in the attached image. You can also see the way I get the light in the back yard. On the left of the image you can see the orange tree. I can place the cage by the tree also. This way the cage will get some sun.

that looks good