My Chams Free Roam Range

[draetish]

Here are pics of my cham's free roam range (still working on) and their cribs. They get plenty of exercise climbing around the limbs and I turn the basking lights upward and it really looks cool. I've dedicated my dining room as the cham room and they don't mind the interaction. They never hide. Thought I'd share.
Donna

 

[lucky]

thats pretty cool.
i would love to have a free range spot in my house. hopefully soon. what type of branches do you use? can you use anything or are there certain types of wood to use/not use?

 

[draetish]

These are Mulberry limbs. I would be careful and do your researd to find out if they are save or not. Not sure what kind of trees you have. I just cut one huge limb, deleaf it and secured it between the cages. If they do venture down they are on top of their cages. I don't ever leave the house when they are out and keep a close eye on them.

 

[lucky]

yeah i got two dogs and wouldnt leave the chams alone any how. i got a huge mulberry tree in my front yard. i'll research the usability with them and chams. thanks. you use mulberry in your cages as well?

 

[ProudPapaJohn]

Your range looks really coool. I don't know if I could give up my dining room (because it cost so much!) but maybe I can get my kids to agree on bunk beds and have one sacrifice their room?

 

[draetish]

a few branches the others are just shrubs. They been in there for 6 mo and doesn't seem to bother them.

 

[ijmccollum]

Quite impressive. The McCollum household is currently under critter habitat design. That means I am taking notes on what works. I need to give free range to dogs (primary) and reptiles (secondary). I do like what I see.

 

[CHAMaDdIcT]

great pics

 

[Nosybe]

I would love to have a free range setup some day! Yours looks awesome.

 

[renzo0684]

thats pretty cool.
i would love to have a free range spot in my house. hopefully soon. what type of branches do you use? can you use anything or are there certain types of wood to use/not use?

If you dont have a mulberry tree around, you can use crab apple trees.

 

[summoner12]

I hate to be a downer.... but you should have more coverage and the lighting shouldn't be projected up.... lol last time i checked chams didn't climb trees walking on the underside of the branches .

Where is the UVB lighting? did I miss it?

 

[lotus02]

Hubby wanted to have a sun room added to the front of our house a few years back I said it was not necessary we would never use it. Hum I might just take him up on that and make it a chameleon free range room

 

[PantherEnvy]

An awesome habitat.

 

[whitespyder]

oh man that first pic looks straight out of jumanji! it doubles as awesome home decorating as well as happy chameleons

i would love to someday free range my chams. you have a nice setup!

 

[draetish]

Not sure what you mean. My chams don't walk on the underside of the limbs they climb up and down and from branch to branch. The UVB lighting is in the cage where they stay during the day from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. They free roam when I get home from work and sleep there at night. As far as the lights shining upwards it's for heat and the look. It always seems someone has something negitive to say. To each his own.

 

[draetish]

As for the rest of you guys, thanks for the your comments. I personally think it is the focal point of my house and my chams rule. They are very happy and as I said it is a work in progress.

 

[summoner12]

Not sure what you mean. My chams don't walk on the underside of the limbs they climb up and down and from branch to branch. The UVB lighting is in the cage where they stay during the day from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. They free roam when I get home from work and sleep there at night. As far as the lights shining upwards it's for heat and the look. It always seems someone has something negitive to say. To each his own.

You didn't explain this is their work out room very well. I assumed this was their free range... as in where you keep them all the time.

what i mean by walking up side down is that the light is shining up.... in nature the sun shines down.... on top of them, so if they are getting the light from the bottom they would have to walk on the underside of the branch in order to get light shining "down" on them

Don't worry I am not saying this is a bad free range... For your purpose I think it is OK. I wouldn't do the lighting the way you have it, but yes, to each his own.

 

[draetish]

You didn't explain this is their work out room very well. I assumed this was their free range... as in where you keep them all the time.

what i mean by walking up side down is that the light is shining up.... in nature the sun shines down.... on top of them, so if they are getting the light from the bottom they would have to walk on the underside of the branch in order to get light shining "down" on them

Don't worry I am not saying this is a bad free range... For your purpose I think it is OK. I wouldn't do the lighting the way you have it, but yes, to each his own.

Maybe I did word it wrong as far as their "free range". I haven't seen anyone's free range set up with the lights and all that their chams actually habitat in. If anyone has any pics, I'd love to see them. Yes, this is their "work out" area.

 

[Carlton]

My melleri free range (that they lived in) is posted on The Melleri Discovery website. Might give some ideas. It was in my 2nd bedroom and worked great! I hung the lights from the ceiling by plant hanger mollies and made a cluster of large potted Ficus trees connected together by branches and wire. A big piece of pond liner to protect the floor. There was misting system hose looped around the clump of trees with the nozzles aimed toward the center.

As for safe branches, because chams don't chew on the bark or branches, all you really need to avoid is sticky or irritant sap...I'd probably avoid green pine or spruce, and eucalyptus. Oleander might be toxic. Other than that, most tree branches that are cleaned well should be fine.

I heard from someone years ago who draped a panel of hemp fish net from the ceiling and down around a window to make a free range. The chams were all over it.

 

[summoner12]

Maybe I did word it wrong as far as their "free range". I haven't seen anyone's free range set up with the lights and all that their chams actually habitat in. If anyone has any pics, I'd love to see them. Yes, this is their "work out" area.

If you search the forum for "free range in the works" you should see the free range i am keeping three melleri in.