Outside Enclusure Husbandry

[andrearamirezo91]

Hello everyone!

As some of you may know, I recently set up an outside enclosure for Mr. Burns. He seems to really like it out there and absolutely hates when I try to bring him inside. I have really been considering just leaving him out there since he's happier, and I also feel like handling him daily to move him around might be stressful.

I live in South Florida where it is pretty warm most of the year. I am aware that there will be days during the summer where the temp might be too high, or during the winter when I might have to bring him inside if it gets too cold. My question is, how does husbandry change when having the cham outside?

Here's my current setup:

Cage: 5ft tall by 2ft wide.
Plants: One large hibiscus and tons of branches
Water: I have a dripper running for him but still mist him daily for a good 5-6 minutes at least once or twice a day, sometimes three times a day.

That's pretty much it...

I have no lights because he gets plenty of sunlight. His cage has double screen protection: window mesh to keep bugs out, and a larger, sturdier screen to keep critters out. I just wanted to know at what temp I should be bringing him inside and if there's anything else that I'm missing.

Thank you!

 

[andrearamirezo91]

Bump.

 

[Decadancin]

Main thing I would say is that if you have your chameleon outside with natural sunlight you may not need any calcium supplements in your routines.

 

[ERKleRose]

Main thing I would say is that if you have your chameleon outside with natural sunlight you may not need any calcium supplements in your routines.

Do you mean D3

 

[andrearamirezo91]

Main thing I would say is that if you have your chameleon outside with natural sunlight you may not need any calcium supplements in your routines.

Thanks for the response. None at all? How would I make this call? I’ve been giving him calcium daily.. can I overdo it?

 

[ERKleRose]

Thanks for the response. None at all? How would I make this call? I’ve been giving him calcium daily.. can I overdo it?

You can overdo calcium, but I believe Decadancin meant D3 since your chameleon will be outside receiving natural D3 from the sun

 

[Decadancin]

Some will not give any calcium at all as long as the animal is getting regular, daily outside time and well-gutloaded feeders. You certainly can overdue supplements.