Wild birds: Protect your chameleons outside.

[ataraxia]

Most of us think all we have to worry about the "common" bird of prey. The other day i was surprised to see a house sparrow fly away with a young chameleon. After seeing this, i did a head count and had many missing including a gravid female Thamnobates. Dont under estimate nature.

 

[SycoSquirl]

I know I have a mating pair of hawks with babies in my area so i have an outdoor cage for my guy (using his old cage for this since I got a new bigger one recently)

 

[Todnedo]

I know I have a mating pair of hawks with babies in my area so i have an outdoor cage for my guy (using his old cage for this since I got a new bigger one recently)

Depending on the species most do not hunt in their nesting territory and will defend it from other birds of prey and predators.

 

[Lovereps]

Most of us think all we have to worry about the "common" bird of prey. The other day i was surprised to see a house sparrow fly away with a young chameleon. After seeing this, i did a head count and had many missing including a gravid female Thamnobates. Dont under estimate nature.

What a major bummer!
So sorry this happened to your chams and thanks for warning others.

How did the sparrow get to the chams?

Were they not in a cage?

BTW, the cute little house sparrow is a European introduction to the US and is, unfortunately, the reason why in New York state many people have never even seen a single Bluebird, which is the official NY state bird.

 

[carol5208]

OMG John that is awful! So sorry for you and of course the poor little chameleons. What a bummer.

 

[Psychobunny]

We have some very aggresive and large black birds (crows, ravins??) where I live. They are bold enough to swoop down and pluck food inches away from me.
I'm sure they would even take a cham from my shoulder.

So, I always put my guyz in screen cages when they are outside.

I do let Noogie walk around in the grass, but I am directly over him the whole time.
He is the only one who, when placed on the ground, will not bolt and do the 50 yard dash to escape!!

 

[xraygirl]

We have a lot of hawks around here.... I'm never more than a few feet away from chief when he's outside, and I'm only that far away from him is cause he's under the cover of my shade house/rack. But the sides are open so I'm still watching him closely.

So sorry to hear about your babies

 

[MelissaB]

That's awful, I'm so sorry that the birds took some of your chameleons. Around here, we have a lot of sparrows, grackles, cowbirds and starlings. I know my guys would be easy pickings.

Thank you for reminding the rest of us that it's not just the big birds of prey that we have to worry about.

 

[Olimpia]

Oh no, what a shame! I'm so sorry!

With my chameleons I'm more worried that the sparrows BECOME prey, rather than the other way around! But I definitely worry about larger birds like black birds, hawks, or osprey. Those black birds could definitely fly away with one of my smaller Meller's. I'm glad I got their outdoor cages built, finally.

 

[laurie]

John that is awful. And to lose gravid female Thamnobates?? that is more than awful. I am so sorry this happened.

 

[fluxlizard]

Sorry to hear that. Some lessons harder to learn than others with this stuff.

A few other tips that I have figured out along the way-

- Always keep screen cages up off the ground.

The only predator I have had go through a screen cage was an oppossum. I had a bunch of dilepis babies about 5" long in a big 30" x 4' x30" screen enclosure where I was raising them. I moved this enclosure outdoors from indoors, and because of it's size left it on the ground overnight. The next day I found that a racoon had torn open the screen, entered the cage, eaten all the babies, left some racoon poop in the cage to spite me, and then gone home. I got his ID from taking his poop to the extension service for identification. Years later, having kept all my screen enclosures on tables with legs as low as 20" I've never had another predator break into a cage. I've seen coyotes, oppossums, hawks, falcons, dogs, cats, rats, mice, even a bobcat once, walk right through rows of enclosures and never pay any attention to them on the tables. Ironically, I lived in the middle of a town with a population of 10,000 or so when the raccoon got the baby dilepis. I've lived in the country now for years with many more potential predators.

- watch out for neighborhood kids. Especially the preschool ones.
10 years ago or so, I had a little preschool hellion let out all my corucia. I never recovered any of them. I had excellent breeding results- babies every year. Now they are unavailable...

- Make sure things are secure for high wind storms.

About once a summer, we get a huge storm that knocks over trees and such, with high winds. I have learned to secure the cages to the table, and use green chicken wire fencing posts to secure the tables to the earth. 1 post on each end of a table with one on the storm downwind side holds the tables so they can't rise up and flip. Often these storms come in the middle of the night without advance warning.

 

[Lovereps]

What a major bummer!
So sorry this happened to your chams and thanks for warning others.

How did the sparrow get to the chams?

Were they not in a cage?

BTW, the cute little house sparrow is a European introduction to the US and is, unfortunately, the reason why in New York state many people have never even seen a single Bluebird, which is the official NY state bird.

They are aggressive little birds who dominated the Bluebirds, they kill adults and babies alike, destroy eggs and take their nesting sites.
Read here, if interested http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/PDF/FAQ/NABS%20factsheet%20-%20HOSP%20Control%20-%2024May12%20DRAFT.pdf
I like birds and even like house sparrows but wish they weren't villainous little things.
Starlings are another non-native bird species which kill other birds and small pets:
http://www.tulsaaudubon.org/housesparrow-starlinginfo.htm

 

[fleetwoodchams]

They are aggressive little birds who dominated the Bluebirds, they kill adults and babies alike, destroy eggs and take their nesting sites.
Read here, if interested http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/PDF/FAQ/NABS%20factsheet%20-%20HOSP%20Control%20-%2024May12%20DRAFT.pdf
I like birds and even like house sparrows but wish they weren't villainous little things.
Starlings are another non-native bird species which kill other birds and small pets:
http://www.tulsaaudubon.org/housesparrow-starlinginfo.htm

I live in semi-rural PA and the Starling here are awful. We have all kinds of birds including hawks and falcons. But I never leave my chams out unsupervised for fear of one of these black demon birds swooping down and taking them. Starlings can get quite large. Certainly big enough to take a cham. And at times I see them in what I can only describe as a feeding frenzy flock. Like the movie "The birds" They swoop together as a flock grabbing as they go. They are aggressive.
My neighbor is really into his homing pigeons and I know he hates the Starlings.
I think they originally came from Asia. Not a native species.
Protect your chams when outside.

 

[junglefries]

Late to this this thread. This is the third, if not fourth one about birds taking chams in the last 30 days. Scarecrow sales should be on the rise. I might have to invest in some stock and birdshot.