Curious question:

jandie

jandie

New Member
just wondering if, for those of you that let your chams "semi-free range" outside at times, do you ever worry about birds swooping down and taking off with them?

i took mine out (one at a time) and had them on a patio hibiscus while i cleaned cages last weekend, but i swear, i was paranoid the entire time, watching them as close as i could cause i kept hearing this bird nearby and i was terrified of some movie type moment where i'd have to watch this bird of prey swoop down and fly off with my cham!!! LOL..:eek:
 
Yes! It's a real concern, and unfortunately it's happened to several members on here. Also, there have been many cases where people lose their chameleons outside because they just wandered off and the owner didn't see them leave.

The safes way to do this is to get/make a cage (if you make it, I personally recommend something like chicken fencing due to the large holes so more sunlight gets through) that he can use outside so you don't have to watch him every second and so there is no risk of birds picking him off. It's not as fun for them, but they'll be safer.
 
YES! Oh my gosh I worry about that ALL the time. My little guy is still a baby so I sit RIGHT next to him on the floor outside and soak up the sun with him but most of the time I just leave him in front of our screen door. :)
 
jandie said:
just wondering if, for those of you that let your chams "semi-free range" outside at times, do you ever worry about birds swooping down and taking off with them?

i took mine out (one at a time) and had them on a patio hibiscus while i cleaned cages last weekend, but i swear, i was paranoid the entire time, watching them as close as i could cause i kept hearing this bird nearby and i was terrified of some movie type moment where i'd have to watch this bird of prey swoop down and fly off with my cham!!! LOL..:eek:
Click to expand...

That is a very real concern to be having and one to take precautions with. Either use a cage to house them outside, or a very heavily over grown plant they can hide in... OR.... at least put a shade screen over the plant so that some light gets in, but makes it hard for a bird overhead to spot the cham.

When my chams have been outside they watch for birds. I took Henry outside (my big melleri) and a crow was flying and he sucked in his gut so fast it scared me because from the sound he made and he got all dark and swaying side to side trying to hide himself under my arm... he was terrified :eek:

Another time I had Fred, a veiled outside in a ficus tree and a little bird landed right next to him. he looked at it... slowly leaned to one side and started doing the leaf walk to get away... Once the bird saw him, the bird took off. I think they were both pretty freaked out from one another. :D
 
Hello, my name is Dominic Torrance. I bought a veiled chameleon 2 months ago an it seemed fine until 4 days ago when we noticed it wasn't on its branches it was at the bottom of the cage an felt cold so i got him out the cage warmed him up he is still very alert but his back legs an front are quite weak an he cant support his body properly he sounds like he coughs as well, we can see his ribs when he breaths, he is a juvenile around 5-6 months old, he is still eating but not as he should be. We took him the vet yesterday and he diagnosed him with MBD (Metabolic bone disease) and gave us calcium gluconate which we give him through a syringe an he takes it we give him 2-3 drops an we give him water every time we give him the calcium gluconate which is 10:30 am – 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm – 7:30 pm 10:30 pm and the same again, he seems to be getting a bit better with his grip but not enough to keep him supported on branches and i was wondering will this calcium gluconate help him get back to normal?? an he is very alert drinking an eating but eating not as much an its just that he is weak on his legs but with a bit better grip but cant support him self, so i would also like to be sure if it is MBD an this cough he has i would also like to know if that is a respiratory infection?? Thanks. an also he has ate 3 mealworms but had trouble cewing with his jaw and dropped 1 mealworm an 1 cricket because he couldnt grasp thme an chew them so they got out of his mouth please help !!!
 
lenny8 said:
Hello, my name is Dominic Torrance. I bought a veiled chameleon 2 months ago an it seemed fine until 4 days ago when we noticed it wasn't on its branches it was at the bottom of the cage an felt cold so i got him out the cage warmed him up he is still very alert but his back legs an front are quite weak an he cant support his body properly he sounds like he coughs as well, we can see his ribs when he breaths, he is a juvenile around 5-6 months old, he is still eating but not as he should be. We took him the vet yesterday and he diagnosed him with MBD (Metabolic bone disease) and gave us calcium gluconate which we give him through a syringe an he takes it we give him 2-3 drops an we give him water every time we give him the calcium gluconate which is 10:30 am – 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm – 7:30 pm 10:30 pm and the same again, he seems to be getting a bit better with his grip but not enough to keep him supported on branches and i was wondering will this calcium gluconate help him get back to normal?? an he is very alert drinking an eating but eating not as much an its just that he is weak on his legs but with a bit better grip but cant support him self, so i would also like to be sure if it is MBD an this cough he has i would also like to know if that is a respiratory infection?? Thanks. an also he has ate 3 mealworms but had trouble cewing with his jaw and dropped 1 mealworm an 1 cricket because he couldnt grasp thme an chew them so they got out of his mouth please help !!!
Click to expand...

start a new thread and fill out the how to ask for help questionare and members will be able to give you some advice
 
Carol, what happened to you with Romeo almost happened to me yesterday with my Meyers parrot! A red tail hawk was sitting on the patio, a foot away from my Phoebe's cage. I had to chase her off and put my parrot in the house right away. Now I will let my chams stay in their sunning cages AND keep an eye on them now that the hawk is around
 
theresaintucson said:
Carol, what happened to you with Romeo almost happened to me yesterday with my Meyers parrot! A red tail hawk was sitting on the patio, a foot away from my Phoebe's cage. I had to chase her off and put my parrot in the house right away. Now I will let my chams stay in their sunning cages AND keep an eye on them now that the hawk is around
Click to expand...

I know it is scary! I have that large cage outside now, but I still am constantly going out there checking on him. It is chicken wire and I feel a little bit better about that then regular screen as I feel a hawk could probably claw or bite the screen more easily than the wire. I still will not leave my cham in that cage unless I am home and monitoring it. We have numerous hawks circling around in the sky all the time.
 
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