Part time cage have to be full size?

[golf33]

Hello, I live in Southern California and I have a 3 month old male veiled currently in a 20"x18"x18" and he is getting ready to move up in cage size. I have an awesome 6'x3'x3' outdoor setup for him as well. After he is about a year old, I plan to move him permanently outdoors. However, I will still have his indoor setup always ready to go so I can bring him in when the weather is too extreme. So my question is, does it have to be a 4'x2'x2'? or can it be a 3'x1.5'x1.5'? I am aware that adult males require 4'x2'x2' but due to the limited time that he will spend in there I am wondering if it is imperative that the enclosure is that size. Where I live it is very temperate and I really plan to have him inside as little as possible.

Thanks for the help

 

[nightanole]

Go with a 2ft square cage min.

With the setup you are wanting to use, the cage is as long/wide as the cham, thats pretty small...

 

[maxttu]

IMHO, the concern for me would be the xferring back and forth between cages. Depending on his temperament, it may stress him out if shuffled frequently. How long would he be housed in the 3x1.5x1.5?

 

[golf33]

IMHO, the concern for me would be the xferring back and forth between cages. Depending on his temperament, it may stress him out if shuffled frequently. How long would he be housed in the 3x1.5x1.5?

He would be in the cage until he is close to a year old. After that, he would only be in there for a day to a couple days at a time or perhaps at night on cold nights. Is it the handling of him or change of environment that you think will stress him out? Currently, I put him in the outdoor cage to get some sun 3-4 days out of the week for a couple hours. I only do this when I can monitor him closely to look for signs of overheating etc. Do you think that by switching him into the outdoor cage as much as I do now, that the stress outweighs the benefits of getting natural sunlight?

 

[golf33]

***bump***

 

[mcbdz]

From what I have gathered from reading lots of threads. Each chameleon is very different. You should learn what it's colors and posture mean and note if it is showing stress when you handle it and when it is outside. How does it react. I would think unless showing lots of stress that it could get use to outside time just fine but you really have to get to understand your individual cham. If I'm wrong hopefully someone will come and correct me soon.