"Some men just like to watch the world burn" 😅 Definitely the quote of the day! Soil in a screen cage outside is perfectly fine, perfect drainage when it rains.
That's why I miss living in Florida... I could raise them I'm doing good with my Veiled Chameleon vet said he's amazing... I work/volunteer for... This summer I'm gonna work on bringing him outside once in awhile I just basically let him be a chameleon... Never handled him other then to go to vet
You know, I have worked my whole life on this Bill Strand persona. I don’t think I have the energy to develop another one called Pete. My friend Pete Hawkins is exceptional at Pete-ing so I am content to leave that to those more qualified than me.
This was a great video, very helpful. Thank you! I am hoping some day to be able to care for a Jackson's chameleon. Do you ever offer your babies up for sale?
I just found myself with 12 babies of the Machako jacksons..do you recommend they be housed outdoors or indoors? I live in Southern CA. P.S. I worry about ants that they will go in and decimate the neonates.
They will do exceptionally well if housed outdoors in Southern California, but you are absolutely correct to worry about ants. Having the cage win a tray with water or with the table feet in water is one solution, but keep it cleaned out every day to avoid mosquitoes! Watch out for direct sun on hot days and putting out mashed bananas is a great way to attract wild fruit flies!
Every chameleon species does best in their own. You can get away with keeping them in the same cage if the cage is big enough and well planted. But I always prefer to keep them individually. If I do not have enough individual cages I will put the strongest and biggest in their own cages and keep the smaller ones together in as big of a well planted cage as possible.
What would be a good enough temperature to keep a chameleon outside for say 8hours a day. I don’t get a lot of weather over 75°f, would that be enough as long as I allowed the chameleon to bask in its enclosure in the morning?
I’m located in San Diego, about two blocks from the water. I rescued a veiled chameleon and because his condition was so poor (found outdoors by someone in the community) I frequently worry about his well-being and want to give him the highest quality life. I was told by a reputable reptile shop in my area that he could be kept outdoors. I currently have him on my partial shade, south west facing balcony. There is shade provided by a tree to the south and some staggered height buildings to the west, as well as a few plants in his enclosure. I have the largest repti-breeze enclosure and I intend on adding more plants as some have suffered and need replacement. Do you have any recommendations or advice for me with my setup? I tried to offer as much detail without too much of a novel 😅
Hi Bill, I know you’re located in south California, but I don’t know how far down, I was wondering if San Diego is a good place to keep chams outside or if it’s too hot and dry..?
Depends on species and how far you are from the coast. Coastal San Diego is perfect for a wide variety of species. Inland you start getting into hot an dry. A species like Oustaleti and verrucosus would be good choices for more inland.
Hi Bill What else can I use as a cage if I can’t get that screen? Can I build it? What materials do you recommend me? Thanks for your support (does that size support 8 - 12 babies?)
The maximum temperature a chameleon can handle will be dependent on a great number of things including humidity, cage size, whether it has a soil floor, and how densely planted the cage is. The inability to get out of the sun will kill chameleons even if the temperature is mild. The idealized temperatures are low to mid 70s F during the day with a basking temperature of 85F.
hey Bill, im a new chameleon wrangler. just wanted to pick your brain about the all in one mercury bulb. i am currently using one and i think my young cham is doing well, for now! do you think i should switch to an t5 linear. i just dont want my cham in the future to have mbd. thx
There is nothing wrong with the heat and UVB produced by a mercury vapor bulb. The issue is that you can’t control both the basking temperature and the UVB level independently. I recommend T5 Linears and basking bulbs because you can independently adjust the basking temperature and the basking UVB level.
The end of my veiled chameleons tail is turning a different color (light grey) while the rest of his body is green and my parents dont want to take him to a vet knowing that he IS sick. What do I do. (reminder: im only 13, doesnt give me much power over the situation )
@@seablazed525 it sounds like the tail may be broken. If this is the case it is really a necessity to visit a vet that has reptile experience. There is no telling what is going on internally. If there is necrotic tissue the resulting infection could eventually kill the chameleon.
@@Ali-enAdventures it is something you need to worry about if your cage creates a scenario where a chameleon may accidentally ingest the soil. Sometimes chameleons eat the soil due to lack of minerals in their diet so that must be watched as well. In this cage, I covered the entire bottom in ground cover plants and the chameleon will put grow the cage before it gets big enough to accidentally eat perlite anyways so it just isn’t a concern in this situation.
@@ChameleonAcademy Bill, Bill, Bill... you are hysterical... I'm so glad I found your sites as I am getting ready to set up my bigger cage for my girl... I've learned SO much!
Having the soil floor gives me natural humidity down lower and so the chameleon can find their own microclimate. Outdoor keeping is much different than indoor in that the natural breezes and ebb and flow of sun and shade are what our chameleons were designed to live in. All of our caresheet parameters are a feeble attempt at replicating this. We do it well enough, but there is still so much more we need to learn and replicate. It is amazing how easy husbandry becomes when outdoor keeping. Of course, with that comes new dangers so it isn't perfect. But that is where we have to be good at our art no matter what canvas we are using.
@@ChameleonAcademy I have soil floor with natural plants on a inside terrarium but for me its very difficult to have a high humidity level, around 70% or more its around 40% most of the time it only rises when i mist but it doesn't last, what do you recommend me to do?
