Well, more free range questions...

[cantgetagoodsn]

Does anyone successfully use a semi free range setup? I built a 2'x2'x4' cage and it's perfect in the way it hold lights, how I can hang and staple stuff to the wood etc, very convenient.

Lately, when I am home in my room, I will leave the door open for him to climb out as he pleases. He always does, sometimes he tries to sneak and then look at me like, "oh snap, he caught me!" Anyways, he seems to frequent that top corner where he climbs out. He doesn't crawl back in though (kinda an obvious one) so he doesn't get what he needs.

Now to my question, I would LOVE to free rage him, but with my apartment set up and limited space it would make it difficult (especially after I JUST built this cage with a friend). And the cage catches the water and everything very nicely, it just fits. So what I want to do is take the door off, put the cage so the opening is facing an indoor tree (also open for suggestions) for him to climb on from the cage. But when he needs UVB, water, etc. he would have the inside cage setup.

Am I being too hopeful that this would work?

 

[carol5208]

Hopefully when he needs the light, he will go back into the cage to bask and go under the UVB. I am not sure if that will work always though. I free range my chameleon back and forth from the cage to the free range I have out on my patio because my patio has no lights. I just move him back and forth. You can always just let him out to free range and then put him back in his cage for basking. He might not be too happy though!

 

[cantgetagoodsn]

Hopefully when he needs the light, he will go back into the cage to bask and go under the UVB. I am not sure if that will work always though. I free range my chameleon back and forth from the cage to the free range I have out on my patio because my patio has no lights. I just move him back and forth. You can always just let him out to free range and then put him back in his cage for basking. He might not be too happy though!

that was one thing i was kinda worried about, i didn't want to make him really happy by free ranging, then tell him nevermind and cage him.

 

[Silkyslim]

I am in your boat right now too man. My cham likes and wants to come out yet when he sees me or even worse one of the cats. He usually climbs up on top of his cage. I was thinking of maybe securing some vines to the top of the cage that lead in opposite directions to a big ole plant that he can chill on.

I feel that though, once he gets used to being in the free range he won't be too keen on going and staying back inside.

I thought about putting a plant close to the cage door, in reachable space for Samson (while inside the cage) and then branching vines and such from that plant ( a ficus) to other plants in my room to create this space. Being as I live in central Wisconsin and winter is fast approaching. This is something I probably wont do till spring, but will use this time to stock up on the matierials I will need to make a good free range. Now is the time to buy plants I notice

I probably will end up buying light fixtures though so he will have another basking spot within the free range as well as UVB and plant light under the bigger, touchier plants.

 

[cantgetagoodsn]

I am in your boat right now too man. My cham likes and wants to come out yet when he sees me or even worse one of the cats. He usually climbs up on top of his cage. I was thinking of maybe securing some vines to the top of the cage that lead in opposite directions to a big ole plant that he can chill on.

I feel that though, once he gets used to being in the free range he won't be too keen on going and staying back inside.

I thought about putting a plant close to the cage door, in reachable space for Samson (while inside the cage) and then branching vines and such from that plant ( a ficus) to other plants in my room to create this space. Being as I live in central Wisconsin and winter is fast approaching. This is something I probably wont do till spring, but will use this time to stock up on the matierials I will need to make a good free range. Now is the time to buy plants I notice

I probably will end up buying light fixtures though so he will have another basking spot within the free range as well as UVB and plant light under the bigger, touchier plants.

same thing lol. I would just hate to spend $50-$75 in supplies and then him not use it like it is intended... im a college student. haha.

 

[carol5208]

Understood! When I put mine back in the cage he usually will not even let go of my hand to put him back in the cage. I have to kind of shake him off but then he usually just settles down. I also have a large cage I just purchased for outside for him to sun in. It is not free range, but it is big and he loves it! So I have three places for him to go now. There was no sun today and I had him out there for a few hours. I noticed as soon as I put him back in the cage with the basking light he went right under it and sat there for about an hour absorbing the heat and light.

 

[Olimpia]

I know people that do this, and it seems to work for them. There is nothing like trying it out though! I'd try keeping him like that for a day or two and watch him and see if he figures out where to go for water and lighting, and if it works, then you can remove the door permanently and add more vines or whatever extra changes you want to make.

Mine know exactly where to go when they want to get food or water, so yours should have no problem. You don't realize how smart these animals are until you free range them, I swear!

 

[cantgetagoodsn]

I know people that do this, and it seems to work for them. There is nothing like trying it out though! I'd try keeping him like that for a day or two and watch him and see if he figures out where to go for water and lighting, and if it works, then you can remove the door permanently and add more vines or whatever extra changes you want to make.

Mine know exactly where to go when they want to get food or water, so yours should have no problem. You don't realize how smart these animals are until you free range them, I swear!

So you use a semi free range too? Or just your friends?

I may try, I would love it! What would you recommend as far as an inside tree of plant of some sort?

 

[bridgofaith]

I have this setup for one of my male panthers. The cage is setup just like if he was going to be living in it, but the door is removed. I have Bio-Vine coming out of the cage and into the room with a tree and hanging plants in the corner. When he wants lighting he goes into the cage and basks for a while then leaves again. The cage has live plants and vines and the outside area has a live hanging pothos and a tall fake ficus.

 

[cantgetagoodsn]

I have this setup for one of my male panthers. The cage is setup just like if he was going to be living in it, but the door is removed. I have Bio-Vine coming out of the cage and into the room with a tree and hanging plants in the corner. When he wants lighting he goes into the cage and basks for a while then leaves again. The cage has live plants and vines and the outside area has a live hanging pothos and a tall fake ficus.

okay, well at least one person has done it successfully... Is ficus just a term for a fake tree? And if so, I notice he kinda slips on the fake I have in the cage now, is it that slick, and also loud? haha. How long have you been doing that for? and about how much can I get a ficus for? Sorry for so many questions.

 

[bridgofaith]

The fake ficus I bought from Michael's craft store. They normally run $30, but they have sales all the time and I got mine for $15. I have been doing this since early this year when I began free ranging. He lived in this cage before he started free ranging. He knows where the lights are and goes in there throughout the day as he needs.

 

[cantgetagoodsn]

The fake ficus I bought from Michael's craft store. They normally run $30, but they have sales all the time and I got mine for $15. I have been doing this since early this year when I began free ranging. He lived in this cage before he started free ranging. He knows where the lights are and goes in there throughout the day as he needs.

Oh, if it is only $30 max, I can do that. I just didnt want to spend a whole lot and them just sit at the top of the cage (where the heat lamp is) and not go back inside.

 

[bridgofaith]

They won't stay under the lights (heat or UV) all day. Heck they won't stay under them for hours! They come and go as they need. They regulate themselves. If you give him some vines leading out of the cage to a tree, he will be in the tree more than under the lights.

 

[cantgetagoodsn]

They won't stay under the lights (heat or UV) all day. Heck they won't stay under them for hours! They come and go as they need. They regulate themselves. If you give him some vines leading out of the cage to a tree, he will be in the tree more than under the lights.

and that's sufficient?

 

[Syn]

Like I said in chat, if you have only had him for 8 weeks, I would hold off on any advanced excursions until you have kept the little guy a while longer to see what his habits are like, etc.

 

[Olimpia]

Cantget, believe me when I say that chameleons are so much smarter than we give them credit for. You won't believe the things mine have done now that they all live in free ranges (I don't have one of these half-and-half FRs, mine are all trees basically) that proove how capable they are. So these guys know better than you or I how much UV and such they need to be healthy. Plus they can SEE UV, so there is no risk of him not knowing where it is.

I don't have UV stretched out over the whole FR, and my guys just come and go, they know exactly what they need and where to go get it.

 

[stolbert89]

I thought about doing something like this. I want to build a tall setting out of wood that would fit in the corner of the room. It would basically be like a cage with only three sides exposed except there would be no screen or anything on those three sides...totally open. This would be a place that I could put my mistking and let it drain properly. There would be screen on the top to have a barrier between him and the lights. I would also have places outside of the cage where he could freely go. Somewhere out there there would be a hanging fixture for another uvb bulb.

I would just use fake trees and other plants and not the open cage but I just want somewhere to put the mistking...don't wanna have to hand mist all the time.

 

[jannb]

My chameleons free range and are so much happier and friendlier than the normal caged chameleon. I have a free range set up for each one with everything that's required in a cage. I have trees under the lights and trees out from under the lights connected by vines so they can go in and out of the UVB and UVA as needed. Just like in the wild they know when they need heat for basking or UVB. They never ever stay under the lights all day. Maybe a couple hours under this one and then maybe a couple hours under that one and they spend allot of hours each day under no lights at all.

I think if you only want to allow your guy to come out of the cage part time for a few hours a day when you are home to watch him, then he would be fine just to hang on a tree with no lights but if you are looking to free range full time then he will need the exact same things in a FR as the cage. I don't have misters and drippers in most of my FR because I live in FL and its warm year around here and I mist outside on their misting trees or a very large misting cage on my screened back porch. I do have 2 Chameleon Condo's inside that have drippers and I can mist in those also and if we get a cold day in the winter I just put a tree in the bathtub/shower to mist on. My chameleons also drink from a plastic dropper. You can see pictures of some of my free ranges and misting trees here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/members/jannb-albums-free-ranges.html
Luie drinking from a dropper: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RUOI09JWHw

 

[pssh]

One tree a free range does not make. I used to move my panther between a cage and a free range. Eventually he wouldn't go in the cage unless I actually unclamped his feet from my fingers and pushed him onto a plant in the cage. Now he has a nice 4x3x8 free range area with everything he needs. He never leaves his free range (which is apparently unusual for a panther) unless he wants some human time. Then he climbs down and reaches for me when I walk by.

Edit: as for misting, I only mist him once a day on a very small section of his free range. He doesn't even go into the mist, but I always give him the option. He mainly only drinks from a dripper or from a pipette from me. He also has a humidifier that he sits over occasionally (probably for his skin,) and I drop saline solution into his eyes every now and then so he can clean them. He does not like his eyes being cleaned with plain water and seems to prefer the saline solution. (as do all my chameleons.)

 

[moviemanmania]

Cantgetagoodsn, what your describing is the perfect way to get started free ranging. You don't want to just jump in full time with FR as you want to start introducing FR time with your cham. Check out my photo album on my profile and you can see that my FR setup is exactly what your describing.

When you first get started FRing your cham, open the door and allow him some time to explore the FR area a few hours at a time. Towards the end of these sessions I woudl encourage some interacting between you and him/her. You will find that the cham will want to start sleeping outside of the cage. Also, after a few weeks of doing this you will find their personality start to really shine, and they will be much more tolerable of interaction between the two of you.

The only other issue I can see is that sometimes, depending on what type of cham you have, your cham may drop to the floor and want to roam. Just make sure to cham proof the room he is in so that he can do this. My rocko would explore the entire room for a week or so before he stayed in his FR area. I guess he had to make sure that there wasn't anything more interesting to hang out first. Good luck and keep us posted with some pics of your setup!