The problem with free range....

[DJ Richey Rich]

as long as you give your cham what it needs to be happy you shouldnt have a problem mine will leave the tree to come find me and will always be in the tree befor lights out they sleep where they feel safe. they always return when they need to bask or catch some uvb. If you don't truely free range then they are going to get in trouble more often. About feeding both my trees have a cup in their tree to eat out of I try to hand feed them every day but only where their cup is.

 

[adam]

i just started letting oscar, my veiled, free range in my room today, by leaving the door off of his cage and adding a vine from it to my hanging pothos in the window. he hasnt gone anywhere else other than the pothos.

my question is: if it gets too dry/warm/cold will he know to go back into his cage?

so after my little free range experiment today it seems oscar prefers the window plant to his cage. i used to just leave his cage open 24/7 with the door off and never have any problems with escape, but after hanging out in his window spot and putting him back, i caught him trying to make an escape back to the window twice within a few minutes and had to put the door back on. i think im going to attempt to create a 24/7 free range in my window sill.

does anyone have some good links to free range ideas and setups? ive seen summoners already and its quite impressive, but is there more?

 

[JaxyGirl]

Triton free ranges all day also and pretty much has the run of the living room. Unfortunately, he's not always where he's supposed to be but he does know how to get back. He pretty much goes where he wants and I have definitely found him in some unusual areas. He has a couple of favorite places that I can usually find him. One of which I call Triton's "Ugly Plant". It used to be a nice plant until I forgot to bring it in and it was hit with Maine's first frost. So now it's half dead but Triton loves it...so the plant remains in the living room looking really pitiful...but as most of you have probably found out...what your cham wants is what they get...they run the show and we just follow along
I've added some pics of Triton's free range and the Ugly Plant

 

[summoner12]

I just wanna make this more clear.... chams don't leave the free range if they have what they need..... they won't wander off and come back... they won't find people to hang out with .... they will stay in the range because they have what they need, water, food, light, UVB, heat and security. if your cham leaves and comes back, you need to look at your husbandry. If you have any health issues, you need to figure out why. if you have repertory infections, dark colors or any sign of distress, there is something wrong.

 

[JaxyGirl]

I just wanna make this more clear.... chams don't leave the free range if they have what they need..... they won't wander off and come back... they won't find people to hang out with .... they will stay in the range because they have what they need, water, food, light, UVB, heat and security. if your cham leaves and comes back, you need to look at your husbandry. If you have any health issues, you need to figure out why. if you have repertory infections, dark colors or any sign of distress, there is something wrong.

Honestly, I like that my cham roams around. He is part of the household with the rest of the pets that live here including my two cats...and yes I said he free ranges with my two cats. He's been free ranging for 12 months now. My cham isn't distressed, sick, stressed, or has dark colors..in fact he's beautiful healthy and happy. So honestly as far as I'm concerned I don't have anything to figure out. I don't think that every instance is the same nor is every cham and not everyone has to be characterized as an owner with poor husbandry just cause they don't adhere to the norm. Take a look at the pic of Triton taken tonight... in his free range..does he look sick or unhealthy??

 

[DJ Richey Rich]

I just wanna make this more clear.... chams don't leave the free range if they have what they need..... they won't wander off and come back... they won't find people to hang out with .... they will stay in the range because they have what they need, water, food, light, UVB, heat and security. if your cham leaves and comes back, you need to look at your husbandry. If you have any health issues, you need to figure out why. if you have repertory infections, dark colors or any sign of distress, there is something wrong.

Mine will litterly walk from my free range into living room and chill on my pants just because you dont have a bond with your chameleons dont mean you should tell people there husbandry skills are off sounds more like your chameleon either dont like you or it is lazy.

 

[Jakedn]

Honestly, I like that my cham roams around. He is part of the household with the rest of the pets that live here including my two cats...and yes I said he free ranges with my two cats. He's been free ranging for 12 months now. My cham isn't distressed, sick, stressed, or has dark colors..in fact he's beautiful healthy and happy. So honestly as far as I'm concerned I don't have anything to figure out. I don't think that every instance is the same nor is every cham and not everyone has to be characterized as an owner with poor husbandry just cause they don't adhere to the norm. Take a look at the pic of Triton taken tonight... in his free range..does he look sick or unhealthy??

In fact, that chameleon appears to have a mild case of edema (notice the swelling in the gular region). He also appears overfed.

 

[withlime]

In fact, that chameleon appears to have a mild case of edema (notice the swelling in the gular region). He also appears overfed.

I was going to say the same thing. He looks overweight. The bulge around his spine and fat legs are tell-tale signs. He looks good otherwise.

 

[DJ Richey Rich]

It looks to me the way it is possing arms back shoulders up

 

[Jakedn]

It looks to me the way it is possing arms back shoulders up

Look back a bit in the thread, there is another picture of him showing the same symptoms; it is not the way he is 'posing'.

 

[withlime]

Mine will litterly walk from my free range into living room and chill on my pants just because you dont have a bond with your chameleons dont mean you should tell people there husbandry skills are off sounds more like your chameleon either dont like you or it is lazy.

I don't mean to sound harsh, but do you think your chameleon is a dog? Isn't the point of free ranging a chameleon, to provide them with the most free and natural environment possible? I don't think that most chameleons in the wild enjoy hanging out with people watching tv. A chameleon can "like" you but have their needs satisfied in their free range enough so that they never want to leave.

 

[JaxyGirl]

I was going to say the same thing. He looks overweight. The bulge around his spine and fat legs are tell-tale signs. He looks good otherwise.

Sorry I don't agree...he isn't over fed, he is hydrated and active he gets a lot of exercise roaming around the house. In the picture he's crouched down on his branch. Chams aren't supposed to be skinny and I honestly think keeping them in a cage all the time allows their muscles to atrophy. Imagine keeping a cat in a small cage all the time or a person for that matter...what would happen to them?

 

[DJ Richey Rich]

Hummm now that you mention it it is kind of like a dog besides the barking whats really crazy is that in the wild a chameleon mostly a male will cover a mile as its territory lol if you were a male chameleon how would you expect to mate if you never left your tree. Mine has trees all around the house my female chameleon very rarly leaves her tree but never minds a ride on my shoulder.

 

[Jakedn]

Sorry I don't agree...he isn't over fed, he is hydrated and active he gets a lot of exercise roaming around the house. In the picture he's crouched down on his branch. Chams aren't supposed to be skinny and I honestly think keeping them in a cage all the time allows their muscles to atrophy. Imagine keeping a cat in a small cage all the time or a person for that matter...what would happen to them?

So now you are comparing the exercise needs of a mammal to a reptile that will sit and wait for food to come to it even in nature? Keeping a chameleon in a cage will not atrophy it's muscles, as long as you don't only cup feed and provide various different sized branches.

How much exactly do you feed him daily?

 

[JaxyGirl]

Look back a bit in the thread, there is another picture of him showing the same symptoms; it is not the way he is 'posing'.

He's a full grown adult male in full color. Regarding the Gular region he puffs it out all and exhibits and head bobs all the time. His throat gets a bright yellow and blue. It's really amazing when he does it. You should have seen what he was doing to the carpet on my stairs the other day..I have a video. Many lizards expand their gular area when they are in mature and looking for a mate.

 

[Jakedn]

Hummm now that you mention it it is kind of like a dog besides the barking whats really crazy is that in the wild a chameleon mostly a male will cover a mile as its territory lol if you were a male chameleon how would you expect to mate if you never left your tree. Mine has trees all around the house my female chameleon very rarly leaves her tree but never minds a ride on my shoulder.

Chameleons are nothing like dogs. Chameleons are not capable of having emotions a dog can have. A solitary creature such as a chameleon did not develop caring, loving, nurturing emotions due to never having a need for them.

Those type of emotions are developed in social creatures such as dogs or humans due to the need of them. We need these emotions to properly care for and raise our children, dogs need those emotions to raise their litters of puppies and to cooperate within a pack to survive.

If anything the chameleon merely associates you with food, water, sunlight or whatever else you give him when he is in your presence.

 

[JaxyGirl]

So now you are comparing the exercise needs of a mammal to a reptile that will sit and wait for food to come to it even in nature? Keeping a chameleon in a cage will not atrophy it's muscles, as long as you don't only cup feed and provide various different sized branches.

How much exactly do you feed him daily?

He eats two to three gut loaded crickets a day and he doesn't cup feed. He catches them on his own.

 

[Jakedn]

He's a full grown adult male in full color. Regarding the Gular region he puffs it out all and exhibits and head bobs all the time. His throat gets a bright yellow and blue. It's really amazing when he does it. You should have seen what he was doing to the carpet on my stairs the other day..I have a video. Many lizards expand their gular area when they are in mature and looking for a mate.

What I am seeing does not appear to be the hyoid bone that they push out to give the appearance of 'puffing up'. What I am seeing looks very much like swelling due to gular edema. Are you able to provide a recent picture where this is not shown?

 

[Jakedn]

He eats two to three gut loaded crickets a day and he doesn't cup feed. He catches them on his own.

Is that the only insect provided? What are they gutloaded on? And if you don't mind me asking how are you free ranging crickets for him to hunt while he is outside of a cage without getting tons of cricket escapees around your house?

 

[JaxyGirl]

Chameleons are nothing like dogs. Chameleons are not capable of having emotions a dog can have. A solitary creature such as a chameleon did not develop caring, loving, nurturing emotions due to never having a need for them.

Those type of emotions are developed in social creatures such as dogs or humans due to the need of them. We need these emotions to properly care for and raise our children, dogs need those emotions to raise their litters of puppies and to cooperate within a pack to survive.

If anything the chameleon merely associates you with food, water, sunlight or whatever else you give him when he is in your presence.

I never compared Triton to having the personalty of a dog or cat or that the feels love and affection toward me. He seems interested in his environment and there are things that he seems to like doing...the reason I know this is because he has repetitive behavior and does the same things pretty consistently. Why he does that I'll never know. But, I do know that they are intelligent creatures. He knows his way around the house very well and knows how to get back to his free range area on his own when he wants something. He does recognize me and likes to get on me. Whatever you want to call it...just instinct, like, habit...who knows what chams are really thinking when they do what they do?? But they must be thinking something.