Possibly free ranging a veiled

[littlevillage]

I would like to free range my veiled Hammie when my animal room is done being built, but I don't know if I can. Along with 2 other veileds ( a male & a female who I don't want to free range ) there will also be 2 leopard geckos, a water dragon, a tank with a cuban tree frog, and possibly a guinea pig & a chinchilla all in the same room. I'm thinking it will be too much stress with them all seeing him wandering around the room. Not to mention him seeing them. Opinions please?! I'm not sure if the guinea pig & chinchilla are going in the room or not.
I would love to free range him. He wants out of his cage all the time & he's so friendly. He's gotten to the point that he wants out so bad that he's hard to feed because when he sees me coming he runs for the door of his cage. Basically, I have to be quicker than him.

 

[beeze]

You would need to free range in another room.

 

[Dave]

Yea, that might not only be a lil bit too much activity for your veiled but I'd also worry about diseases from the other animals.

 

[hallenhe]

I wouldn't do it with the guinea pig and the chinchilla. Thaxter (panther) free-ranges in a room that also contains a tiger salamander, Oregon newt, African clawed frog, marbled gecko and a 55 gallon fish tank. This is our living room, so there is quite a lot of space, and all tanks and terraria are covered (vital, especially since he sometimes climbs to the light on the fishtank). We have had no trouble with this set-up; the only thing approaching an interaction that we've observed is the salamander's ongoing desire to eat Thaxter (who is larger than him; Sally also wished to eat us, and anything else that moves) - but the closest they can get to each other is one foot, and Thaxter seems wholly oblivious of Sally and all other animals in the room.

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

We have a Melleri free range in one of our cham rooms. The male Melleri would leave the free range on occasion and climb up a room divider and across some of our panther cages to get to a higher perch (on wires and light supports ). One of the panther chams held his shed for months. (the oncoming shed could be seen as just a dull, opaque-ish spotting- which is normal to see just before a shed- but this guy was like that for months- even though he's misted 3 times a day and I showered him frequently to try to help him shed.) It wasn't until we moved the Melleri free range into an adjacent room that the panther cham relaxed enough to shed his skin. It was definitely causing him stress. I am guessing he either resisted shedding consciously so as not to make himself too visible, or subconsciously due to stress.

Also, every once in a while during feeding, one of our randy male chams will climb out of his cage and trek above several other cages. It is always VERY disturbing to the other chams. Especially the veileds.

I would recommend free ranging him in another room.

We have a free range veiled cham that lives in a bay window in our home office. He basically spends most all his time in the bay window. Every once in a while he will cross the room to be near one of us humans, but very rarely.

IMHO, with free ranging, it's not that you want them wandering around necessarily. Basically, it is more a case of being "uncaged" than of being "free range". I think it is the uncaging that matters most to them. When we uncaged Guido, He was definitely a happier guy. He was content to sit and stare out the window all day.

If you don't provide an area they are comfortable to stay in most the day, then providing UVB and basking spot becomes a real issue. Guido stays in one general area, and his heat lamp and linear UVB bulb are mounted in the ceiling of the bay window, where he perches.

 

[littlevillage]

THanks for the input Gesang. I have thought a lot about this today. I think it might come down to me selling my female & housing the other male somewhere else in the house. The chams are what I really worry about when it comes to the stress. You know how you tend to favor ( not meaning to, it just happens ) one animal over another? Well, that's Hammie. He's such a sweet little guy & he hates being caged. I want to make him happy, and I think this is going to be the only way. Unless ( light bulb ) I take one whole wall in the new room & make an extra big enclosure for him. Hmmm....that's something to think about.