the risks of outdoor enclosures

[pwerfulyifu]

now i know there are alot of risks to outdoor enclosures such as introducing unwanted insects to the neighborhood such as roaches and such. outside predators is something i am concerned with. but i want to go over this thoroughly so i can catch some things i havent thought of yet. so i hope people who have anything important i should be aware of about outdoor enclosures can share on this thread so i can better prepare. i am in my final steps in preparation for my enclosure with adding plants and such. please enlighten. thanks

 

[lysinlight87]

my concerns with my chams outdoor enclosure-

it's a plastic screened cage & the wind has blown it over on 2 occasions despite being anchored by a ficus. It's quite flimsy & I'm having to think of ways to re-enforce it & secure it.

I've noticed my cat hanging around the cage if I put locusts in there & he loves to stalk them. I'm worried that he may knock it over, or that he may rip the screen with his paws. So I've decided not to feed my cham outside.

Other than that, he loves it outside & always looks his happy colours when out.

 

[lysinlight87]

oh, also I don't know if spider bites might be a risk where you are? I'm in the UK & spiders are usually not a problem so I'm not sure, but I've seen some threads where chams have been bitten by spiders

 

[pwerfulyifu]

right i was thinking about that as well. i live in california and there are loads and loads of black widow spiders. as a matter of fact the one i caught in my jar, i found under my doorstop, and the two months that ive had her, she's laid over 5 sacs of eggs... also i was concerned about bees. what if a yellow jacket gets in my cham's line of sight and range, and my cham tries to eat it and the bee stings him in the mouth or somewhere.

 

[lysinlight87]

Maybe someone from your region can advise you on the spider part. As for bees and wasp- you could try searching those keywords on the forum & see if any old threads come up?

 

[Action Jackson]

How big of cage are you talking about and what type of screen are you going to use?

 

[pwerfulyifu]

its pretty big. i havent gotten pictures of it yet because its at the new house that we're soon moving into. the caging is like hard metal mesh, probably half inch by half inch. and from the last time i saw the cage i would estimate its size to be around 4 feet wide by 7 feet tall by 15 feet long.

 

[ibdragons]

Put the cage or cages on a table,use bungy chords to secure it the table ,then put each table leg into a small bucket with water in it .u will be fine ,as for cats make sure your screen is strong enough for the cats. Or put another screen over the original one to protect it from cats.

 

[Action Jackson]

That is a big cage! With 1/2" x 1/2" you will get wasps, spiders and stuff in there. It hasn't been a problem for me yet. Also with a cage that size you probably used a pretty heavy gage wire so larger creatures won't get in. I hand feed my Chams and make sure I don't let any roaches loose.

I'd like to see some pictures.

its pretty big. i havent gotten pictures of it yet because its at the new house that we're soon moving into. the caging is like hard metal mesh, probably half inch by half inch. and from the last time i saw the cage i would estimate its size to be around 4 feet wide by 7 feet tall by 15 feet long.

 

[pwerfulyifu]

can chams eat gnats? i read that the umbrella plants attract alot of gnats and such.

 

[Dsignrguy]

Predators- cats, raccoons, possums, birds...many more here in SoCal. if you're going with 3/8" mesh or larger, I would suggest double walling your enclosure(but that's just me.)

Climate- make sure there is a cooler/well shaded zone for really hot days.

Poisonous bugs- I had to quit using my outside cage for a couple of months when I found it infested with ants and aphids followed by ladybugs(ladybugs are toxic, and ants can swarm and kill a chameleon). I've also caught my chameleon with a pair of black widow legs hanging out of his mouth. That was a nervous couple of days....guess it comes down to who gets/sees who first (not a gamble I'm really comfortable with, but it's just a fact of life here). I've seen video of a wild chameleon eating bees, so not sure how big of a problem that is. Wasps may be a different story. There are other toxic bugs too, not sure what they all are.


all in all, my best advice would be:

1. use 1/8" or 1/4" mesh screen/hardware cloth.

2. set up your plants and climate-zones throughout the enclosure thoughtfully

3. be conscious of your plant selection (ex.- Hibiscus is a great plant, but will attract aphids, which will in turn attract ants and ladybugs)

4. Pay attention to what kind of insects are in/near the enclosure. watch for webs, anthills...etc. remove anything you're not sure about

5. don't forget to close the door.

 

[GarynTampa]

Cage anchor suggestion: Go to a garden center where they sell metal fence stakes...the ones that are angular steel.

Drive the angles into the ground, at the edges of your cage. Take small wire and at the top and bottm of your cage, go through the cage wire and wrap around the angle posts. That will give your cage both rigidity and protection from a blowing wind.

Gary
Tampa, FL

 

[pwerfulyifu]

Predators- cats, raccoons, possums, birds...many more here in SoCal. if you're going with 3/8" mesh or larger, I would suggest double walling your enclosure(but that's just me.)

Climate- make sure there is a cooler/well shaded zone for really hot days.

Poisonous bugs- I had to quit using my outside cage for a couple of months when I found it infested with ants and aphids followed by ladybugs(ladybugs are toxic, and ants can swarm and kill a chameleon). I've also caught my chameleon with a pair of black widow legs hanging out of his mouth. That was a nervous couple of days....guess it comes down to who gets/sees who first (not a gamble I'm really comfortable with, but it's just a fact of life here). I've seen video of a wild chameleon eating bees, so not sure how big of a problem that is. Wasps may be a different story. There are other toxic bugs too, not sure what they all are.


all in all, my best advice would be:

1. use 1/8" or 1/4" mesh screen/hardware cloth.

2. set up your plants and climate-zones throughout the enclosure thoughtfully

3. be conscious of your plant selection (ex.- Hibiscus is a great plant, but will attract aphids, which will in turn attract ants and ladybugs)

4. Pay attention to what kind of insects are in/near the enclosure. watch for webs, anthills...etc. remove anything you're not sure about

5. don't forget to close the door.

yeah i checked the mesh and its the really heavy duty type. it used to be a bird cage for parrots so i mean if they're still alive then i guess the cage did its job. i do have a couple of umbrella plants and i was thinking about pothos but since you mentioned about aphids and ants, now im not sure what i want for walls and such. the area i live in doesnt seem infested with ants however so that may be good. and ive only see a few lady bugs in the many years ive lived in my area. and if i dont put flowers in my enclosure i dont see why bees would go in there. right?