Need some feedback on Outdoor Caging

[Saldarya]

Evening All,

As the SPring gets ready to approach, I am making plans to provide some outdoor enclosures for my Chams so they can stay outdoor day/night.

I live in Southern Louisiana, so about March I will see highs in the upper 70's low 80's and lows in the lower 60's. I figure I will have until mid June till it gets to hot.

So, a few questions.

How hot is to hot?? Assume I can shelter them from direct overhead and afternoon sun. I have also considered hooking up one of those misting systems around the perimeter of the cages that would cool the ambient air around it. Lets say the Temp is 93 outside, but in the shade you have to guess it is probably 88.

Thoughts on that?

I envision of row of cages with some type of covering overhead, perhaps shade cloth for a green house?

I will certainly have a mist system hooked up the cages for the direct water for the chams that can run as often as needed.

I am guessing July-September they will have to be in the AC except in the mornings, and then they are good to go outside again in Oct/Nov.

Just looking for thoughts and ideas.

Thanks!

Bobby

 

[maxttu]

If they have access to shade or cover and you're misting adequately, you could probably leave them outside every month with the exception of Dec-mid March.

 

[fluxlizard]

Summers here the past few years have had many days in the upper 90s. I leave the misters running during the heat of the day. They are set up to mist only part of each cage, so each chameleon can choose wet and shade, shade and dry, or sun and dry as it wishes. The misters cool the air near the misters as well, so chams can get cool without getting wet if they want. You don't want to eliminate basking in sunlight altogether, make sure shade is available in each cage, but don't prevent basking.

You didn't mention what kind of chams you have, but panthers and veileds temperatures in the 90s are fairly normal in nature anyway. At the moment I type this It's 95 in Ambilobe where my panthers are from. I don't know what your weather is like though. But south Florida has feral populations of veileds and oustaletts...