beardeds7587
New Member
i would love to add members idea's to my veileds free range area any ideas how to start it up and build it , throw them at me another question if im free ranging how do i feed by hand???
Help Build Free Range
- Thread starter beardeds7587
- Start date
pssh
Avid Member
You can build a fram for the lights and stuff and to hang plants from, or you can get a rack from home depot/lowes and modify it for your needs. You'll probably want a bottom of some sort to catch the water. You can feed from a nice big tub with branches above it. A 10 gallon tub would be good. He would still be able to hunt, but the bugs are contained.
Basic stuff, take it and make it your own.
I built a rack for my spare bathroom (the animal hand washing station
) so I could use lots of plants without having to worry about drainage. My veiled didn't like it so I ended up using it for my butterfly cage (netting hung from the ceiling to keep them in. I also have another free range for my male panther that consists of two pothos hanging one ontop of the other (about 1 foot apart) that hangs from this 9 foot tall hook thing (I don't know what it is, but it's useful!) and a nice big ficus next to it. One side has a humidifier running a few hours a day where he sits in the 'mist/fog' and drinks any condensation that forms on the leaves. He also has a dripper all day as well and is misted once or twice a day. He seems to prefer it when I hand water him though. I use a pipet to give him water and he just puts it in his mouth and waits for me to squeeze water into his mouth.
Basic stuff, take it and make it your own.
I built a rack for my spare bathroom (the animal hand washing station
) so I could use lots of plants without having to worry about drainage. My veiled didn't like it so I ended up using it for my butterfly cage (netting hung from the ceiling to keep them in. I also have another free range for my male panther that consists of two pothos hanging one ontop of the other (about 1 foot apart) that hangs from this 9 foot tall hook thing (I don't know what it is, but it's useful!) and a nice big ficus next to it. One side has a humidifier running a few hours a day where he sits in the 'mist/fog' and drinks any condensation that forms on the leaves. He also has a dripper all day as well and is misted once or twice a day. He seems to prefer it when I hand water him though. I use a pipet to give him water and he just puts it in his mouth and waits for me to squeeze water into his mouth. 
summoner12
Avid Member
https://www.chameleonforums.com/new-free-range-works-31428/
A tree in the corner of a room will not work.... It needs to be more envolved. Think of how you'd do up a cage... but remove the cage from the equation.
A tree in the corner of a room will not work.... It needs to be more envolved. Think of how you'd do up a cage... but remove the cage from the equation.
A common mistake chameleon keepers building a large cadge or free range habitat make is that in general the last thing they think of is how to drain the exess water,now here is what i use and in my opinion the best way to drain a large habitat is by using a professional hydroponics(ebb&flow)flood table,they are made to drain large quantitys of water,all you have to do is to build a frame around it or a cabinet,looks all depends on how mutch $$$ you want to invest,my free range area looks like a nice pool table,instead of the playing area is the(ebb&flow)table,simple to build and butiful looking.Now very important,no matter what type of wood you are using(pine,maple,oak,tek..)you should use a wood stain and protect it with a clear coat,use a waterbased stain like(saman waterbased wood stain)its none toxic to animals and finish the job with 3 coats of exterior water based clear,hydroponics(ebb&flow)tables are only good to use with large cadge and free range,they come in 3 sizes 4x4,4x6,4x8.Im in the process of finishing a 5x5x7.5 all screen enclosure for my triceros melleri ill post my pics in 2-3 weeks if you want to see.I hope this info will be valuable to everyone.
Olimpia
Biologist & Ecologist
I recently converted a small den room into a full room free range, so it's a lot more elaborate than what you might want to build, but it gives you an idea. I had the drainage tables for the cages, so I just built a PVC pipe frame that I attached chicken fencing to, so I could install the mistking nozzles to.
You can hang the lights from the ceiling and then hand mist. But I had the mistking and wasn't about to let it go to waste, so I incorporated it into the "jungle room." And with the drainage tables, I don't have to worry about water everywhere.
So hopefully that gives you some ideas.
Edit- I just have little plastic pans of tubs on the room with food, and they find them and eat what they want.
You can hang the lights from the ceiling and then hand mist. But I had the mistking and wasn't about to let it go to waste, so I incorporated it into the "jungle room." And with the drainage tables, I don't have to worry about water everywhere.
So hopefully that gives you some ideas.
Edit- I just have little plastic pans of tubs on the room with food, and they find them and eat what they want.
jannb
Chameleon Enthusiast
Maybe you can get some ideas from my free ranges. Pictures in this link.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/members/jannb-albums-free-ranges.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/members/jannb-albums-free-ranges.html
summoner12
Avid Member
I would add some foil to that light fixture to get the most out of the lamps output. That style of fixture needs a lot of help in reflecting the light downward or it is lost going in every direction.
summoner12
Avid Member
Free range is best if you have one cham.... or chams in separate rooms to keep them from bothering one another. Melleri chameleons are more social than other species and can do 'OK' with more than one cham in the free range, given it is large enough.
When you free range a chameleon you really need to figure out if it is worth it. Is the room safe for the animal? Is it practical for you, the keeper? Do you have other pets? Kids? Fish tanks? Places for chams to get stuck, lost or hurt?
summoner12
Avid Member
If it is big enough..... you might not have issues.... but you'd have to keep a close eye and be sure it is large enough... fave chams in one room.... I don't think would be enough space.
Olimpia
Biologist & Ecologist
I would add some foil to that light fixture to get the most out of the lamps output. That style of fixture needs a lot of help in reflecting the light downward or it is lost going in every direction.
Those fixtures have little wings on the sides, they aren't just exposed tubes like the ones you posted. And they're only going to output UV until I get new UV bulbs for the small dome fixtures in another week or two. Then the linear bulbs will only be for plant benefit.
Have to keep the plants alive somehow!Stryder, people have had more luck keeping several panthers or mellers together, but from what I've heard from long term free rangers, veileds are always trickier. It's not saying that you couldn't, but you have a lot of work to do to make sure that they'll coexist as well as possible. And unfortunately, you may never have all 5 tolerating each other, so these are all things to consider. I know I've had some of mine tolerate each other perfectly, and others that just don't for one reason or another.
beardeds7587
New Member
i have 5 veileds also all different sizes , i got 3 kids 1 dog and 2 saltwater fish tanks so i guess thats no good...... i have a 175 gallon flexarium can i make that area freerange basically by just taking the mesh screen off???
Attachments
beardeds7587
New Member
does anyone think that this will work??
beardeds7587
New Member
ya i know its only for one cham now all 5 they all have there own spots in my house
summoner12
Avid Member
That will work for one chameleon.
